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第6节

whirligigs-第6节

小说: whirligigs 字数: 每页4000字

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and removed the dishes and cloth。  Reeves strewed them

table with excellent cigars; and Plunkett; with the others;

lighted one of these with evident gratification。



〃I may be dull;〃 said Morgan; with a grin and a wink

at Bridger; 〃but I want to know if I am。  Now; I say

this is all a joke of Mr。 Plunkett's; concocted to frighten。

two babes…in…the…woods。  Is this Williamson to be taken

seriously or not?〃



〃'Williams;'〃 corrected Plunkett gravely。  〃I never

got off any jokes in my life。  I know I wouldn't travel

2;000 miles to get off a poor one as this would be if I

didn't take Wade Williams back with me。  Gentlemen!〃

continued the sheriff; now letting his mild eyes travel

impartially from one of the company to another; 〃see if

you can find any joke in this case。  Wade Williams is

listening to the words I utter now; but out of politeness;

I will speak of him as a third person。  For five years he

made his wife lead the life of a dog  No; I'll take that

back。  No dog in Kentucky was ever treated as she was。

He spent the money that she brought him  spent it at

races; at the card table and on horses and hunting。  He

was a good fellow to his friends; but a cold; sullen demon

at home。  He wound up the five years of neglect by strik…

ing her with his closed hand  a hand as hard as a stone

 when she was ill and weak from suffering。  She died

the next day; and he skipped。  That's all there is to it。

It's enough。  I never saw Williams; but I knew his

wife。  I'm not a man to tell half。  She and I were keep…

ing company when she met him。  She went to Louisville

on a visit and saw him there。  I'll admit that he spoilt

my chances in no time。  I lived then on the edge of the

Cumberland mountains。  I was elected sheriff of Chatham

County a year after Wade Williams killed his wife。  My

official duty sends me out here after him; but I'll admit

that there's personal feeling; too。  And he's going

back with me。  Mr。  er  Reeves; will you pass me a

match?



〃Awfully imprudent of Williams;〃 said Morgan; putting

his feet up against the wall; 〃to strike a Kentucky lady。

Seems to me I've heard they were scrappers。〃



〃Bad; bad Williams;〃 said Reeves; pouring out more

Scotch。〃



The two men spoke lightly; but the consul saw and

felt the tension and the carefulness in their actions and

words。  〃Good old fellows;〃 he said to himself; 〃they're

both all right。  Each of 'em is standing by the other like

a little brick church。〃



And then a dog walked into the room where they sat 

a black…and…tan hound; long…eared; lazy; confident of

welcome。



Plunkett turned his head and looked at the animal;

which halted; confidently; within a few feet of his chair。



Suddenly the sheriff; with a deep…mouthed oath; left

his seat and; bestowed upon the dog a vicious and heavy

kick; with his ponderous shoe。



The hound; heartbroken; astonished; with flapping

ears and incurved tail; uttered a piercing yelp of pain

and surprise。



Reeves and the consul remained in their chairs; say…

ing nothing; but astonished at the unexpected show of

intolerance from the easy…going…man from Chatham

county。



But Morgan; with a suddenly purpling face; leaped;

to his feet and raised a threatening arm above the

guest。



〃You  brute!〃  he shouted; passionately; 〃why did

you do that?〃



Quickly the amenities returned; Plunkett muttered

some indistinct apology and regained his seat。  Morgan

with a decided effort controlled his indignation and also

returned to his chair。



And then Plunkett with the spring of a tiger; leaped

around the corner of the table and snapped handcuffs

on the paralyzed Morgan's wrists。



〃Hound…lover and woman…killer!〃  he cried; 〃get

ready to meet your God。〃



When Bridger had finished I asked him:



〃Did he get the right man?〃



〃He did;〃 said the Consul。



〃And how did he know?〃  I inquired; being in a kind

of bewilderment。



〃When he put Morgan in the dory;〃 answered Bridger;

〃the next day to take him aboard the Pajaro; this man

Plunkett stopped to shake hands with me and I asked

him the same question。〃



〃'Mr。 Bridger;' said he; 'I'm a Kentuckian; and I've

seen a great deal of both men and animals。  And I never

yet saw a man that was overfond of horses and dogs but

what was cruel to women。'〃







          THE HYPOTHESES OF FAILURE



LAWYER GOOCH bestowed his undivided attention

upon the engrossing arts of his profession。  But one

flight of fancy did he allow his mind to entertain。  He

was fond of likening his suite of office rooms to the bot…

tom of a ship。  The rooms were three in number; with a

door opening from one to another。  These doors could

also be closed。



〃Ships;〃 Lawyer Gooch would say; 〃are constructed

for safety; with separate; water…tight compartments in

their bottoms。  If one compartment springs a leak it fills

with water; but the good ship goes on unhurt。  Were it

not for the separating bulkheads one leak would sink

the vessel。  Now it often happens that while I am occu…

pied with clients; other clients with conflicting interests

call。  With the assistance of Archibald  an office boy

with a future  I cause the dangerous influx to be

diverted into separate compartments; while I sound

with my legal plummet the depth of each。  If neces…

sary; they may be haled into the hallway and permitted

to escape by way of the stairs; which we may term the lee

scuppers。  Thus the good ship of business is kept afloat;

whereas if the element that supports her were allowed

to mingle freely in her hold we might be swamped  ha;

ha; ha!



The law is dry。  Good jokes are few。  Surely it

might be permitted Lawyer Gooch to mitigate the bore

of briefs; the tedium of torts and the prosiness of processes

with even so light a levy upon the good property of humour。



Lawyer Gooch's practice leaned largely to the settle…

ment of marital infelicities。  Did matrimony languish

through complications; he mediated; soothed and arbi…

trated。  Did it suffer from implications; he readjusted;

defended and championed。  Did it arrive at the extremity

of duplications; he always got light sentences for his

clients。



But not always was Lawyer Gooch the keen; armed;

wily belligerent; ready with his two…edged sword to lop

off the shackles of Hymen。  He had been known to build

up instead of demolishing; to reunite instead of severing;

to lead erring and foolish ones back into the fold instead

of scattering the flock。  Often had he by his eloquent

and moving appeals sent husband and wife; weeping; back

into each other's arms。  Frequently he had coached

childhood so successfully that; at the psychological

moment (and at a given signal) the plaintive pipe of

〃Papa; won't you turn home adain to me and muvver?〃

had won the day and upheld the pillars of a tottering home。



Unprejudiced persons admitted that Lawyer Gooch

received as big fees from these revoked clients as would

have been paid him had the cases been contested in court。

Prejudiced ones intimated that his fees were doubled。

because the penitent couples always came back later for

the divorce; anyhow。



There came a season in June when the legal ship of

Lawyer Gooch (to borrow his own figure) was nearly

becalmed。  The divorce mill grinds slowly in June。  It

is the month of Cupid and Hymen。



Lawyer Gooch; then; sat idle in the middle room of

his clientless suite。  A small anteroom connected  or

rather separated  this apartment from the hallway。

Here was stationed Archibald; who wrested from visitors

their cards or oral nomenclature which he bore to his

master while they waited。



Suddenly; on this day; there came a great knocking

at the outermost door。



Archibald; opening it; was thrust aside as superfluous

by the visitor; who without due reverence at once pene…

trated to the office of Lawyer Gooch and threw himself

with good…natured insolence into a comfortable chair

facing that gentlemen。



〃You are Phineas C。 Gooch; attorney…at…law?〃  said

the visitor; his tone of voice and inflection making his

words at once a question; an assertion and an accusation。



Before committing himself by a reply; the lawyer esti…

mated his possible client in one of his brief but shrewd

and calculating glances。



The man was of the emphatic type  large…sized; active;

bold and debonair in demeanour; vain beyond a doubt;

slightly swaggering; ready and at ease。  He was well…

clothed; but with a shade too much ornateness。  He was

seeking a lawyer; but if that fact would seem to saddle

him with troubles they were not patent in his beaming

eye and courageous air。



〃My name is Gooch;〃 at length the lawyer admitted。

Upon pressure he would also have confessed to the Phineas

C。 But he did not consider it good practice to volunteer

information。  〃I did not receive your card;〃 he continued

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