登陆注册
4619100000031

第31章 One Hundred Per Cent Plus(2)

"Sit tight," she said tersely. "The Bear Cat just loves its cave. It knows where it is going."She broke through a group of young willows and ran the car ! into a tiny plateau, walled in a circle by the sheer sides of the !

canyon reaching upward almost out of sight, topped with great jagged overhanging boulders. Crowded to one side, she stopped the car and sat quietly, smiling at Donald Whiting.

"How about it?" she asked in a low voice.

The boy looked around him, carefully examining the canyon walls, and then at the level, odorous floor where one could not step without crushing tiny flowers of white, cerise, blue, and yellow.

Big ferns grew along the walls, here and there "Our Lord's Candles" lifted high torches not yet lighted, the ambitiousmountain stream skipped and circled and fell over its rocky bed, while many canyon wrens were singing.

"Do you think," she said, "that anyone driving along here at an ordinary rate of speed would see that car?""No," said Donald, getting her idea, "I don't believe they would.""All right, then," said Linda. "Toe up even and I'll race YoU to the third curve where you see the big white sycamore."Donald had a fleeting impression of a flash of khaki, a gleam of red, and a wave of black as they started. He ran with all the speed he had ever attained at a track meet. He ran with all his might. He ran until his sides strained and his breath came short; but the creature beside him was not running; she was flying; and long before they neared the sycamore he knew he was beaten, so he laughingly cried to her to stop it. Linda turned to him panting and laughing.

"I make that dash every time I come to the canyon, to keep my muscle up, but this is the first time I have had anyone to race with in a long time."Then together they slowly walked down the smooth black floor between the canyon walls. As they crossed a small bridge Linda leaned over and looked down.

"Anyone at your house care about 'nose twister'?" she asked lightly.

"Why, isn't that watercress?" asked Donald.

"Sure it is," said Linda. "Anyone at your house like it?""Every one of us," answered Donald. "We're all batty about cress salad--and, say, that reminds me of something! If you know so much about this canyon and everything in it, is there any place in it where a fellow could find a plant, a kind of salad lettuce, that the Indians used to use?""Might be," said Linda carelessly. "For why?""Haven't you heard of the big sensation that is being made in feminine circles by the new department in Everybody's Home?"inquired Donald. "Mother and Mary Louise were discussing it the other day at lunch, and they said that some of the recipes for dishes to be made from stuff the Indians used sounded delicious.

One reminded them of cress, and when we saw the cress I wondered if I could get them some of the other.""Might," said Linda drily, "if you could give me a pretty good idea of what it is that you want.""When you know cress, it's queer that you wouldn't know other things in your own particular canyon," said Donald.

Linda realized that she had overdone her disinterestedness a trifle.

"I suspect it's miners' lettuce you want," she said. "Of course I know where there's some, but you will want it as fresh as possible if you take any, so we'll finish our day first and gather it the last thing before we leave."How it started neither of them noticed, but they had not gone far before they were climbing the walls and hanging to precarious footings. Her cheeks flushed, her eyes brilliant, her lips laughing, Linda was showing Donald thrifty specimens of that Cotyledon known as "old hen and chickens," telling him of the rare Echeveria of the same family, and her plunge down the canyon side while trying to uproot it, exulting that she had brought down the plant without a rift in the exquisite bloom on its leaves.

Linda told about her fall, and the two men who had passed at that instant, and how she had met them later, and who they were, and what they were doing. Then Donald climbed high for a bunch of larkspur, and Linda showed him how to turn his back to the canyon wall and come down with the least possible damage to his person and clothing. When at last both of them were tired they went back to the car. Linda spread an old Indian blanket over the least flower-grown spot she could select, brought out the thermos bottles and lunch case, and served their lunch. With a glass of fruit punch in one hand and a lettuce sandwich in the other, Donald smiled at Linda.

"I'll agree about Katy. She knows how," he said appreciatively.

"Katy is more than a cook," said Linda quietly. "She is a human being. She has the biggest, kindest heart. When anybody's sick or in trouble she's the greatest help. She is honest; she has principles; she is intelligent. In her spare time she reads good books and magazines. She knows what is going on in the world.

She can talk intelligently on almost any subject. It's no disgrace to be a cook. If it were, Katy would be unspeakable.

Fact is, at the present minute there's no one in all the world so dear to me as Katy. I always talk Irish with her.""Well, I call that rough on your sister," said Donald.

"Maybe it is," conceded Linda. "I suspect a lady wouldn't have i said that, but Eileen and I are so different. She never has made the slightest effort to prove herself lovable to me, and so Ihave never learned to love her. Which reminds me--how did you happen to come to the garage?""The very beautiful young lady who opened the door mistook me for a mechanic. She told me I would find you working on your car and for goodness' sake to see that it was in proper condition before you drove it."Linda looked at him with wide, surprised eyes in which a trace of indignation was plainly discernible.

"Now listen to me," she said deliberately. "Eileen is a most sophisticated young lady. If she saw you, she never in this world, thought you were a mechanic sent from a garage presenting yourself at our front door.""There might have been a spark of malice in the big blue-gray Ieyes that carefully appraised me," said Donald.

同类推荐
  • 帝京景物略

    帝京景物略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说佛医经

    佛说佛医经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 辩正论

    辩正论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 弘道书

    弘道书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 晦岳旭禅师语录

    晦岳旭禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 太上正一盟威法箓

    太上正一盟威法箓

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 网王之柳生薇轻

    网王之柳生薇轻

    〔结局了吗?呵呵〕无所谓的抬了抬眼目,以后就这样了吧
  • 小菜单

    小菜单

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 邪念系列之异次元

    邪念系列之异次元

    《邪念系列》作品!介绍:此作属于《邪念系列》的原创!作者:遗忘的小浪儿故事:1.幻影骑士2.魔法公主3.暗黑召唤师4.女孩也要坚强5.魔物也正义《邪念系列》:来自异次元空间的世界!在异次元中诞生的生命,在异次元的世界里进行着人生故事!!主角们的命运……将会发展成什么样的故事呢?!纪念:邪念的诞生!
  • 在自己心中盖一座花园

    在自己心中盖一座花园

    在去顺化的火车上,我刚举起相机,迎面一个黑瘦的老妇走过来问我:“你是中国人吗?”她说的是汉语。她说隔着几排座看到我的样子,就猜到我应该是中国人,因为越南人无疑不会拍这么普通的车厢,她兴奋地说:“太好了,我已经好久没遇到中国人了,都没机会说中国话。”但若不是她开口,我第一眼也吃不准她是哪里人——她的衣着打扮看上去好像和车厢里的某个越南老妇没多大差别;她问我“去寮国怎么走”,以及她那随身带的标着诸如“西贡”、“永珍”之类地名的地图,使我一度还误以为她来自台湾地区,后来才知道那是她在胡志明市跟华侨学的——她甚至不知道“寮国”在国内叫“老挝”。
  • 这不是我要的洪荒

    这不是我要的洪荒

    还是老套的穿越,不过主角是无敌的,不要问为什么。我是作者任性。。。。新手,不喜可以喷,哈哈
  • 弃女归来很倾城

    弃女归来很倾城

    夏仲春一直以为自己是个女孩儿才被亲生父母遗弃的,直到十三岁那年被歹人绑架,她才得知自己第九代“洗女”的血淋淋的残酷事实......入V啦,希望喜欢的小伙伴能继续一起愉快的玩耍新开现言《大事不好,霸总变二哈啦》,小伙伴们快来围观
  • 倒霉剩女的穿越史:皇后培养计划

    倒霉剩女的穿越史:皇后培养计划

    实在是不好意思说,本人靠拍马屁起家。刚投胎就为名字放声大嚎,有个帅哥在身边却是自己亲哥,没法下手。刚刚长大,本以为还可以多快活几年,就犯了太岁,和皇帝较上了劲。不就是让他和男子“接触接触”吗?又没深入发展,至于要她进宫折磨她吗?跑吧跑吧,为了今后的美好生活.....      
  • 甜宠百分百:夺爱进行时

    甜宠百分百:夺爱进行时

    新文已发《猎爱100天:帝少求放过》无断更史,无弃坑史,亲们放心跳坑“老公,这个我喜欢,这个也很好看,该买哪一个?”某人殷勤地递上卡来,“壕情”万丈:“都买!”“老公,我喜欢这个小鲜肉,那个男模也不错。”某人笑眯眯,给助理打电话:“全部封杀!”艳阳天下,某人高举着玫瑰花和戒指:“嫁给我吧。”苏绵绵目瞪口呆地看着闪亮亮的鸽子蛋:“贵不贵啊?”某人单膝跪地:“还是跪吧,有诚意。”“嗯”,苏绵绵点点头:“承翊有诚意,我也很愿意。”
  • 南康记

    南康记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。