登陆注册
5228600000013

第13章 CHAPTER III(2)

Another sob and then: "I--I don't want to."

"Oh, yes, you do. We won't hurt you. We only want to see you and talk with you, that's all. Come, that's a good girl."

"I--I ain't a good girl."

"Never mind. We want to see you, anyway. I guess you're not very bad."

"Yes, I--I am. Is--is Mrs. Hobbs there?"

"No. Come now, please."

A moment's wait, then, from beneath the cover, appeared a small foot and leg, the latter covered by a black stocking. The foot wiggled about, feeling for the step. It found it, the cover was thrown aside and Mary-'Gusta appeared, a pathetic little figure, with rumpled hair and tear-stained cheeks. Rose and Rosette, the two dolls, were hugged in her arms.

Judge Baxter patted her on the head. Zoeth and Shadrach looked solemn and ill at ease. Mary-'Gusta looked at the floor and sniffed dolefully.

"Mary-'Gusta," said the Judge, "these two gentlemen are old friends of your father's and," with a pardonable stretching of the truth, "they have come all the way from South Harniss to meet you. Now you must shake hands with them. They like little girls."

Mary-'Gusta obediently moved forward, shifted Rosette to the arm clasping Rose, and extended a hand. Slowly she raised her eyes, saw Mr. Hamilton's mild, gentle face and then, beside it, the face of Captain Shadrach Gould. With a cry she dropped both dolls, ran back to the surrey and fumbled frantically with the dust cover.

Baxter, surprised and puzzled, ran after her and prevented her climbing into the carriage.

"Why, Mary-'Gusta," he demanded, "what is the matter?"

The child struggled and then, bursting into a storm of sobs, hid her face in the dust cover.

"I--I didn't mean to," she sobbed, wildly. "I didn't mean to.

Honest I didn't. I--I didn't know. I didn't mean to. Please don't let him. PLEASE!"

The Judge held her close and did his best to calm her.

"There, there, child," he said. "No one's going to hurt you."

"Yes--yes, they are. Mrs. Hobbs said she shouldn't wonder if he knocked my--my head right off."

"Knocked your head off! Who?"

"Him."

She raised her hand and pointed a shaking finger straight at Captain Shadrach.

All three of her hearers were surprised, of course, but in the case of the Captain himself amazement was coupled with righteous indignation.

"Wha-what?" he stammered. "Who said so? What kind of talk's that?

Said I was goin' to knock your head off? I was?"

Baxter laughed. "No, no, Mary-'Gusta," he said; "you're mistaken.

Mrs. Hobbs couldn't have said any such thing. You're mistaken, dear."

"No, I ain't," with another sob; "she did say so. She said he would knock my head--ah--ah--off and--and put me in jail, too. And I didn't mean to do it; honest, truly I didn't."

The Judge looked at his companions and shook his head as if the conundrum was beyond his guessing. Captain Shad groaned.

"By fire!" he ejaculated. "All hands have gone loony, young-ones and all. And," with conviction, "I'm on the road myself."

Zoeth Hamilton stepped forward and held out his hands.

"Come here, dearie," he said, gently; "come here and tell me all about it. Neither me nor the Cap'n's goin' to hurt you a mite. We like little girls, both of us do. Now you come and tell me about it."

Mary-'Gusta's sobs ceased. She looked at the speaker doubtfully.

"Come, don't be scared," begged Zoeth. "We're goin' to be good friends to you. We knew your father and he thought everything of us. You ain't goin' to be afraid of folks that was your Pa's chums.

You come here and let's talk it over."

Slowly Mary-'Gusta crossed the room. Zoeth sat down upon an empty box near the door and lifted the girl to his knee.

"Now you ain't afraid of me, be you?" he asked quietly.

Mary-'Gusta shook her head, but her big eyes were fixed upon Captain Shadrach's face.

"No-o," she faltered. "I--I guess I ain't. But you wasn't the one I did it to. It was him."

Judging by the Captain's expression his conviction that all hands, himself included, had lost their reason was momentarily growing firmer.

"ME?" he gasped. "You done somethin' to me and I--well, by Judas, this is--"

"Hush, Shadrach! What was it you done, Mary, that made you afraid of Cap'n Gould? Tell me. I won't hurt you and I won't let anybody else."

"YOU won't let--Zoeth Hamilton, I swan, I--"

"Be still, Shadrach, for mercy sakes! Now, what was it, dearie?"

Mary-'Gusta hesitated. Then she buried her face in Mr. Hamilton's jacket and sobbed a confession.

"I--I made it go," she cried. "I--I broke the--the catch--and it was wound up and--and it went off. But I didn't know. I didn't mean--"

"There, there, course you didn't. We know you didn't. What was it that went off?"

"The--the music chair. It was in the corner and Mr. Hallett took it and--and I couldn't say anything 'cause Mrs. Hobbs said I mustn't speak a word at the funeral. And--and he set in it and it played and--Oh, don't let him put me in jail! Please don't."

Another burst of tears. Mary-'Gusta clung tightly to the Hamilton jacket. Judge Baxter looked as if a light had suddenly broken upon the darkness of his mind.

"I see," he said. "You were responsible for the 'Campbells.' I see."

Shadrach drew a long breath.

"Whew!" he whistled. "So she was the one. Well, I swan!"

Zoeth stroked the child's hair.

"That's all right, dearie," he said. "Now don't you worry about that. We didn't know who did it, but now we do and it's all right.

We know you didn't mean to."

"Won't--won't he knock my head off?"

"No, no, course he won't. Tell her so, Shadrach."

Captain Shadrach pulled at his beard. Then he burst into a laugh.

同类推荐
  • 全唐诗话

    全唐诗话

    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。
  • 定慧相资歌

    定慧相资歌

    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。
  • 伤寒法祖

    伤寒法祖

    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。
  • The Bible in Spainl

    The Bible in Spainl

    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。
  • 容止

    容止

    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
  • 一嫁南希爱终生

    一嫁南希爱终生

    一场风波过后,她阴差阳错的变成众所周知的“顾总的未婚妻”。消息一经公布,他们必须结婚。一个是不得不嫁,一个是不得不娶。这场无爱的婚姻却仿佛是她仅有的出路……他说:“这场婚姻无非将错就错,无关爱情,你若不甘寂寞,我可以履行身为丈夫的职责。”可是顾南希,明明你说的我们只是将错就错,却为什么每每在我狼狈落魄时翩翩出现?
  • D123

    D123

    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。
  • 地球是烫的:低碳是人类的必然选择

    地球是烫的:低碳是人类的必然选择

    本书分上、下两篇,共12章。其中,上篇讲述了低碳概念的成因及高碳对未来人类影响,包括“后天也许不是一个传说”“生活在碳基社会”“我们的生活环境”“不得不做的选择”“开疆拓源勇往直前”“低碳城市”。下篇介绍了低碳与我们生活方方面面的联系,并介绍如何才能更经济地走向低碳、走向绿色健康生活的方式,包括 “低碳生活我做主”“消费低碳”“低碳起居”“交通低碳”“办公低碳”“低碳旅游”。全书事例清楚、条理清晰,方法简便易行、经济实惠。
  • 穿越之从前有座仙灵山

    穿越之从前有座仙灵山

    从前有座山,山上有座庙,庙里有群仙。谁说神仙风度翩翩,傲然于世?那是你没有见过他们腹黑狗腿的一面。神仙一样爱八卦,一样拉拉小手谈恋爱,一样勾心斗角来阴的。人倒霉喝水都会被呛死,旅游散心也能穿越。穿就穿吧,居然是一枚炮灰。师父不爱,师叔不疼,不稀罕!仙灵派没了我迟早垮台,因为本小姐是天定的救世主。做仙高调,必挨飞刀。所以还是努力修行,提升法力,登上仙生峰,迎娶高富帅!吃饭修仙睡觉打怪,只是这怪怎么如此帅。一没忍住,非礼了人家。吶里,这男人是全世界最无人性最牛逼的魔王大人?魔王大人发话要把我抓起来,狠狠折磨。偶买噶,友情诚可贵,爱情价更高,若为小命故,两者皆可抛。仙侠套路深,我要回人间。
  • 迟来的一句爱你

    迟来的一句爱你

    对不起………原来最后我们都输给了青春………正是青春的懵懂和时间的流逝……让我才明白………我可以为了你做那么多事………我爱过了……也恨过……只是依旧会想起你…………原谅我………没办法陪在你身边…………我会在另一个世界祝福你
  • 佛说济诸方等学经一卷

    佛说济诸方等学经一卷

    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。
  • 友情·无言的温暖

    友情·无言的温暖

    没有人能说清楚,友情到底是一种什么东西?或者我们可以从它的一些特质上来说明,比如它是那种只有付出关爱,付出真诚才能得到的东西;它既是一种感情,也是一种收获。它是一种很美妙的东西,可以让你在失落的时候变得高兴起来,可以让你走出苦海,去迎接新的人生。它就像一种你无法说出,又可以感到快乐无比的东西。《
  • 陆游文集2

    陆游文集2

    一个受时代陶熔而又努力陶熔时代的人,通过诗词发出声声战斗的呐喊,永远激励着千秋万代的中华儿女奋勇向前,读一代爱国诗人的经典文章,品官宦诗人的一生坎坷。
  • 皇上你看起来很好吃

    皇上你看起来很好吃

    月光下少年背光而立宛如谪仙“君七,吃吧!”……三年后,一模一样的面容牵出一段皇室秘辛……“你随便吃吧,养你朕还是绰绰有余的。”“皇上……你看起来,比其他的食物好吃多啦!”君七眼睛发亮,油腻腻的手伸向黑着脸的长孙恭泽。长孙恭泽一记掌风,君七脑袋上挨了一掌,委屈巴巴啃糕点。长孙恭泽红了红脸,将胳膊伸出去:“只能咬一小口……”楚山、皇宫、江湖……君七觉得,还是先吃顿饭再好好想想到底该何去何从……
  • 噩梦少女

    噩梦少女

    祁木莱从迷茫中走出来,发现自己想去做的是去完成儿时单纯的梦想。错失的那份友谊,再也回不来,而叶梓新会一直等她。友情提示:“作者懒癌晚期,不建议追文。”本文慵懒,来日方长,我们慢慢来ε-(=`ω?=)