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第12节

a summer in a canyon-第12节

小说: a summer in a canyon 字数: 每页4000字

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tops the light seems to vanish in an instant。Dick…y!'

'Think of the poor darling out in this darknesshungry; frightened;
and alone;' sighed Bell。  'It's past his bed…time now。  Oh; why did
we ever come to stay in this horrible place!'

'You must not blame the place; dear; we thought it the happiest in
the world this morning。  Here we are by the upper pool; and the path
stops。  Which way had we better go?'

'I've been here before to…day;' said Bell; 'we might follow the trail
I made。  But where is my string?  Light a match; Geoff; please。'

'What string?  What do you mean?'

'Why; I found a beautiful spot this morning; and; fearing I shouldn't
remember the way again; I took out my ball of twine and dropped a
white line all the way back; like Ariadne; but I don't see it。  Where
can it have disappearedunless Jack or Phil took it to tease me?'

'Oh no; I've been with them all day。  Perhaps a snake has swallowed
it。  Come。'

But a bright idea had popped into Bell's head。  'I want to go that
way; Geoff; dear; it's as good as any other; and there are flowers
just the other side; in an open; sunny place; perhaps he found them。'

'All right; let's go ahead。'

'The trouble is; I don't know which way to go。  Here is the rock; I
remember it was a spotted one; with tall ferns growing beside it。
Now I wentlet me seethis way;' and they both plunged into the
thick brush。

'Bell; Bell; this is utter nonsense!' cried Geoff。  'No child could
crawl through this tangle。'

'Dicky could crawl through anything in this universe; if it was the
wrong thing; he isn't afraid of beast; bird; or fish; and he
positively enjoys getting scratched;' said Bell。

Meanwhile; what had become of this small hero; and what was he doing?
He was last seen in the hammock; playing with the long…suffering
terrier; Lubin; who was making believe go to sleep。  It proved to be
entirely a make…believe; for; at the first loosening of Dicky's
strangling hold upon his throat; he tumbled out of the hammock and
darted into the woods。  Dicky followed; but Lubin was fleet of foot;
and it was a desperate and exciting race for full ten minutes。

At length; as Lubin heard his little master's gleeful laugh; he
realised that his anger was a thing of the past; consequently; he
wheeled about and ran into Dicky's outstretched arms; licking his
face and hands exuberantly in the joy of complete forgiveness。

By this time the voice of conscience in Dicky's souland it was a
very; very still; small one on all occasionswas entirely silenced。
He strayed into a sunny spot; and picked flowers enough to trim his
little sailor hat; probably divining that this was what lost children
in Sunday…school books always did; and it would be dishonourable not
to keep up the superstition。  Then he built a fine; strong dam of
stones across the brook; wading to and fro without the bother of
taking off his shoes and stockings; and filled his hat with rocks and
sunk it to the bottom for a wharf; keeping his hat…band to tie an
unhappy frog to a bit of bark; and setting him afloat as the captain
of a slave…ship。  When; at length; the struggling creature freed
himself from his bonds and leaped into the pool; Dicky played that he
was a drowning child; and threw Lubin into the water to rescue him。

In these merry antics the hours flew by unnoticed; he had never been
happier in his life; and it flashed through his mind that if he were
left entirely to himself he should always be good。

'Here I've been a whole day offul good by my lone self; haven't said
one notty word or did one notty fing; nor gotted scolded a singul
wunst; did I; Lubin?  I guess we better live here; bettent we; Lubin?
And ven we wunt git stuck inter bed fur wettin' our feets little
teenty mites of wet ev'ry singul night all the livelong days; will
we; Lubin?'

But this was a long period of reflection for Master Dicky; and he
capered on; farther and farther; the water sozzling frightfully in
his little copper…toed boots。  At length he sat down on a stone to
rest himself; and; glancing aimlessly about; his eyes fell on a white
string; which he grasped with alacrity; pulling its end from beneath
the stone on which he sat。

'Luby Winship; the anjulls gaved me this string fur ter make an offul
splendid tight harness for you; little Luby; and you can drag big
heavy stones。  Won't that be nice?'

Lubin looked doubtful; and wagged his tail dissentingly; as much as
to say that his ideas of angel ministrations were a trifle different。

But there was no end to the string!  How very; very curious!  Dicky
wound and wound and crept and crept along; until he was thoroughly
tired but thoroughly determined to see it through; and Lubin;
meanwhile; had seized the first convenient moment; after the mention
of the harness; to retire to the camp。

At length; oh joy! the tired and torn little man; following carefully
the leading…string; issued from the scratching bushes into a clean;
beautiful; round place; with a great restful…looking stump in the
centre; and round its base a small forest of snowy toadstools。  What
could be a lovelier surprise!  Dicky clapped his hands in glee as he
looked at them; and thought of a little verse of poetry which Bell
had taught him:


'Some fairy umbrellas came up to…day
Under the elm…tree; just over the way;
And as we have had a shower of rain;
The reason they came is made very plain:
To…night is the woodland fairies' ball;
And drops from the elm…tree might on them fall;
So little umbrellas wait for them here;
And under their shelter they'll dance without fear。
Take care where you step; nor crush them; I pray;
For fear you will frighten the fairies away。'


'Oh!' thought Dicky; in a trance of delight; 'now I shall go to the
fairies' ball; and see 'em dance under the cunning little teenty
umberells; and wunt they be mad at home when nobuddy can't see 'em
but just only me!  And then if that potry is a big whopper; like that
there uvver one'laddin…lamp story of Bell'sI'll just pick evry
white toadstool for my papa's Sunday dinner; and she sha'n't never
see a singul fairy dance。'

But he waited very patiently for a long; long time that seemed like
years; for Lubin had disappeared; and all at once it grew so dark in
this thickly…wooded place that Dicky's courage oozed out in a single
moment; without any previous warnings as to its intention。  The
toadstools looked like the ghosts of little past…and…gone fairy
umbrellas in the darkness; and not a single fairy couple came to
waltz under their snowy canopies; or exchange a furtive kiss beneath
their friendly shadows。

Dicky thought the situation exceedingly gloomy; and; without knowing
it; followed the example of many older people; who; on being deserted
by man; experienced their first desire to find favour with God。  He
was not in the least degree a saintly child; but he felt
instinctively that this was the proper time for prayer; and not
knowing anything appropriate to the occasion; he repeated over and
over again the time…worn plaint of childhood:…


'Now I lay me down to sleep;
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
If I should die before I wake;
I pray the Lord my soul to take。  Amen。'


Like older mortals of feeble faith; he looked for an immediate and
practical answer; in the shape; perhaps; of his mother; with his
little night…gown and bowl of bread and milk。

'My sakes alive!' he grumbled between his sobs; 'they're the meanest
fings I ever saw。  How long do they s'pose I'm goin' to wait for 'em
in this dark?  When the bears have et me up in teenty snips; then
they'll be saterfied; I guess; and wisht they'd tookened gooder care
of mea little speck of a boy; lefted out in this dark; bear…y
place; all by his lone self。  Ooooooh!' and he wound up with a
murderous yell; which had never failed before to bring the whole
family to his side。

His former prayer seeming to be in vain; he found a soft place;
brushed it as clean as possible; and with difficulty bending his
little stiff; scratched body into a kneeling position; he prayed his
nightly postscript to 'Now I lay me':  'God bless papa; 'n' mamma;
'n' Bell; 'n' Jack; 'n' Madge; 'n' Polly; 'n' Phil; 'n' Geoff; 'n'
Elsie。'  Then; realizing that he was in a perilous position; and it
behoved him to be as pious as possible; he added:  'And please bless
Pancho; 'n' Hop Yet; 'n' Lubin; 'n' the goatnot the wild goat up on
the hill; but my goat; what got sick to his stummick when I painted
him with black letters。'

What a dreadful calamity; to be sure; if the wrong goat had been
blessed by mistake!  His whole duty performed; he picked the
toadstools for his papa's Sunday dinner; and; leaning his head
against the lone stump; cried himself to sleep。

But relief was near; though he little suspected it as he lay in the
sound; dreamless sleep which comes only to the truly good。  There was
a crashing sound in the still darkness; and Bell plunged through the
thick underbrush with a cry of delight。

'He is here!  Dear; dear Geoff; he is all here!  I knew it; I knew
it!  Hurrah!no; I meanthank God!' she said softly as she stooped
down to kiss her mischievous little brother。

'But what a looking 

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