登陆注册
4620400000040

第40章

"I can take you to Scoville--or to Miss Bronson's--in the farm wagon," Hiram said, smiling. "You can sit on straw in the bottom and be comfortable.""Oh, a straw ride!" cried Lettie. "What fun!And he can drive us right to St. Beris--And think what the other girls will say and how they'll stare!" The idea seemed a happy one to all the girls save the cry-baby, MyraCarroll. And her complaints were drowned in the laughter and chatter of the others.

Hiram picked up the tools, Sister got the string of fish, and they set out for the Atterson farmhouse. Lettie chatted most of the way with Hiram; but to Sister, walking on the other side of the young farmer, the Western girl never said a word.

At the house it was the same. While Hiram was cleaning the wagon and putting a bed of straw into it, and currying the horse and gearing him to the wagon, Mrs. Atterson brought a crock of cookies out upon the porch and talked with the girls from St. Beris. Sister had run indoors and changed her shabby and soiled frock for a new gingham; but when she came down to the porch, and stood bashfully in the doorway, none of the girls from town spoke to her.

Hiram drove up with the farm-wagon. Most of the girls had accepted the adventure in the true spirit now, and they climbed into the wagon-bed on the clean straw with laughter and jokes. But nobody invited Sister to join the party.

The orphan looked wistfully after the wagon as Hiram drove out of the yard. Then she turned, with trembling lip, to Mother Atterson: "She-- she's awfully pretty," she said, "and Hiram likes her. But she--they're all proud, and I guess they don't think much of folks like us, after all.""Shucks, Sister! we're just good as they be, every bit," returned Mrs. Atterson, bruskly.

"I know; mebbe we be," admitted Sister, slowly. But it don't feel so."And perhaps Hiram had some such thought, too, after he had driven the girls to the big boarding. school in Scoville. For they all got out without even thanking him or bidding him good-bye--all save Lettie.

"Really, we are a thousand times obliged to you, Hiram Strong," she said, in her very best manner, and offering him her hand. "As the girls were my guests I felt I must get them home again safely--and you were indeed a friend in need."But then she spoiled it utterly, by adding:

"Now, how much do I owe you, Hiram?" and took out her purse. "Is two dollars enough?" This put Hiram right in his place. He saw plainlythat, friendly as the Bronsons were, they did not look upon a common farm-boy as their equal--not in social matters, at least.

"I could not take anything for doing a neighbor a favor, Miss " Bronson, said Hiram, quietly. "Thank you. Good-day. "Hiram drove back home feeling quite as depressed as Sister, perhaps. Finally he said to himself:

"Well, some day I'll show 'em!"

After that he put the matter out of his mind and refused to be troubled by thoughts of Lettie Bronson, or her attitude toward him.

Spring was advancing apace now. Every day saw the development of bud, leaf and plant. Slowly the lowland was cleared and the brush and roots were heaped in great piles, ready for the torch.

Hiram could not depend upon this six acres as their only piece of corn, however. There was the four-acre lot between the barnyard and the pasture in which he proposed to plant the staple crop.

He drew out the remainder of the coarse manure and spread it upon this land, as far as it would go. For enriching the remainder of the corn crop he would have to depend upon a commercial fertilizer. He drew, too, a couple of tons of lime to be used on this corn land, and left it in heaps to slake.

And then, out of the clear sky of their progress, came a bolt as unexpected as could be. They had been less than a month upon the farm. Uncle Jeptha had not been in his grave thirty days, and Hiram was just getting into the work of running the place, with success looming ahead.

He had refused Mr. Bronson's offer of a position and had elected to stick by Mrs. Atterson. He had looked forward to nothing to disturb the contract between them until the time should be fulfilled.

Yet one afternoon, while he was at work in the garden, Sister came out to him all in a flurry.

"Mis' Atterson wants you! Mis' Atterson wants you!" cried the girl. "Oh, Hiram! something dreadful's going to happen. I know, by the way Mis' Atterson looks. And I don' like the looks o' that man that's come to see her."Hiram unhooked the horse at the end of the row and left Sister to leadhim to the stable. He went into the house after knocking the mud off his boots.

There, sitting in the bright kitchen, was the sharp-featured, snaky- looking man with whom Hiram had once talked in town. He knew his name was Pepper, and that he did something in the real estate line, and insurance, and the like.

"Jest listen to what this man says, Hiram," said Mrs. Atterson, grimly. "My name's Pepper," began the man, eyeing Hiram curiously.

"So I hear," returned the young farmer.

"Before old Mr. Atterson died we got to talking one day when he was in town about his selling.""Well?" returned Hiram. "You didn't say anything about that when you offered twelve hundred for this place.""Well," said the man, stubbornly, "that was a good offer."Hiram turned to Mrs. Atterson. "Do you want to sell for that price?" "No, I don't, Hi," she said.

"Then that settles it, doesn't it? Mrs. Atterson is the owner, and she knows her own mind.""I made Uncle Jeptha a better offer," said Mr. Pepper, "and I'll make Mrs. Atterson the same--sixteen hundred dollars. It's a run-down farm, of course---""If Mrs. Atterson doesn't want to sell," interrupted Hiram, but here his employer intervened.

"There's something more, Hi," she said, her face working "strangely. Tell him, you Pepper!""Why, the old man gave me an option on the place, and I risked a twenty dollar bill on it. The option had--er--a year to run; dated February tenth last; and I've decided to take the option up," said Mr. Pepper, his shrewd little eyes dancing in their gaze from Hiram to the old lady and back again.

同类推荐
  • 宫观碑志

    宫观碑志

    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。
  • 千乘

    千乘

    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。
  • 砚史

    砚史

    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。
  • 北巡私记

    北巡私记

    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。
  • 马致远元曲全集

    马致远元曲全集

    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
  • 我们也曾颠沛流离

    我们也曾颠沛流离

    时光荏苒,墨色青春里;也许我们经历过创伤,也许我们体味过幸福;但,终究,我们会失去一切;时间是个残酷的东西;不经意之间,我们就那样错过了;我们不曾携手与老,不曾开颜欢笑;但我们,曾一起颠沛流离。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 镇国长公主

    镇国长公主

    她这一生爱过两个男人,一个在她有孕在身时狠心抛下她并使她流产;另一个却害得她落下一辈子的病根。她身为一国公主,本该心安理得的挥霍人生,却为了国家放弃奢华奔赴沙场,从此与刀枪为伴,与战争为伍。她的夫,她的子,她本该安逸闲雅的人生。苦尽甘来之后,她是否可以重拾往日的飞扬洒脱,等待爱情来临。
  • 你因灵魂被爱:张爱玲传

    你因灵魂被爱:张爱玲传

    胡兰成、桑弧与赖雅,谁是张爱玲一生挚爱? 闫红以史料结合张爱玲小说、信件,将张爱玲与母亲、父亲、姑姑、弟弟的纠结亲情,与炎樱、苏青、傅雷、柯灵、夏志清、宋淇、邝文美、庄信正等人的复杂友情,与亦舒、三毛、水晶等粉丝的往来渊源,特别是与桑弧、胡兰成、赖雅、佛朗士几段情缘的来龙去脉一一道来。闫红眼毒心静,笔下有理也有情,腾挪自如地刻画民国女子的缠绵情事之余,也大刀阔斧地书写了时代边缘的落叶长风。与其说她用文字去写张爱玲,不如说她用文字去演张爱玲。
  • 走天路

    走天路

    天路难难于上青天主人公王二小一个普通的不能再普通的乡村娃子(异界的)可是一场飞来横祸却使他全村被杀,慌乱之中他逃到无尽森林,在一处池子处捡到了一面奇异的镜子在镜子中照映出来的一个神秘男子教他把镜子还给他,却发现他们却不是同一世界的后神秘男子教他生存之法教他还镜之法就这样一场莫名其妙的还镜之路开始了
  • 恐怖小说(中国好小说)

    恐怖小说(中国好小说)

    一场突如其来的凶杀案,正值盛年的女子惨遭杀害,男友苏逸决心追查真凶,一筹莫展之际,竟然发现几年前曾发表的一篇小说描述的凶杀案和他要追查的一模一样!而这位名叫“血色琥珀”的作家一次又一次的提前预言了各个凶杀案。作家古怪阴冷的性格和深入简出的行为让事件更加扑朔迷离。苏逸暗中等待,却让自己身陷险境……这是一场让人不可自拔的陷阱,以爱的名义,以信仰的名义,救赎只能来源于外界,而新的危机已经袭来。
  • 蕤呬耶经

    蕤呬耶经

    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。
  • 第一分卫

    第一分卫

    那个得分后卫还不是3D的时代那个不是魔球的时代那个不是3分才是主流的时代那个中锋还没消失的时代那个没有体毛哨的时代中投,背身,后仰,干拔,脚步这才是分卫的标签(前期有些水,后面就好了)
  • 臣入瞳眸

    臣入瞳眸

    在遇到穆臣之前,她从没想过,自己居然会喜欢上一个一米九的大个子?拜托,她才一米五多,连一米六都不到,看到一米七的人都觉得很讨厌,怎么会喜欢上一米九的竹竿呢?“老婆老婆,要抱抱。”穆臣蹲在她面前,张开了双臂。“来啦~”嘴上嫌弃着的某人,还是笑着扑进了他的怀里。(绝对宠文)
  • Bunyan Characters

    Bunyan Characters

    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。
  • 重生之极品红包系统

    重生之极品红包系统

    偶获系统,重回前世!弥补遗憾,打到仇敌!嚣张霸道,系统无敌!俯瞰巅峰,吊打系统!八荒六合,唯我独尊!