登陆注册
5243000000038

第38章 CHAPTER VIII(6)

The Harvester stepped aside and she passed him and crossing the rifled ginseng patch went toward a low brown farmhouse lying in an unkept garden, beside a ragged highway. The man sat on the log she had vacated, held his head between his hands and tried to think, but he could not for big waves of joy that swept over him when he realized that at last he had found her, had spoken with her, and had arranged a meeting for the morrow.

"Belshazzar," he said softly, "I wish I could leave you to protect her. Every day you prove to me that I need you, but Heaven knows her necessity is greater. Bel, she makes my heart ache until it feels like jelly. There seems to be just one thing to do. Get that fool debt paid like lightning, and lift her out of here quicker than that. Now, we will go and see Doc, and call off the watch-dogs of the law. Ahead of them, aren't we, Belshazzar? There is a better day coming; we feel it in our bones, don't we, old partner?"

The Harvester started through the woods on a rush, and as the exercise warmed his heart, he grew wonderfully glad. At last he had found her. Uncertainty was over. If ever a girl needed a home and care he thought she did. He was so jubilant that he felt like crying aloud, shouting for joy, but by and by the years of sober repression made their weight felt, so he climbed into the wagon and politely requested Betsy to make her best time to Onabasha. Betsy had been asked to make haste so frequently of late that she at first almost doubted the sanity of her master, the law of whose life, until recently, had been to take his time. Now he appeared to be in haste every day. She had become so accustomed to being urged to hurry that she almost had developed a gait; so at the Harvester's suggestion she did her level best to Onabasha and the hospital, where she loved to nose Belshazzar and rest near the watering tap under a big tree.

The Harvester went down the hall and into the office on the run, and his face appeared like a materialized embodiment of living joy. Doctor Carey turned at his approach and then bounded half way across the room, his hands outstretched.

"You've found her, David!"

The Harvester grabbed the hand of his friend and stood pumping it up and down while he gulped at the lump in his throat, and big tears squeezed from his eyes, but he could only nod his proud head.

"Found her!" exulted Doctor Carey. "Really found her! Well that's great! Sit down and tell me, boy!

Is she sick, as we feared? Did you only see her or did you get to talk with her?"

"Well sir," said the Harvester, choking back his emotions, "you remember that ginseng I told you about getting on the old Jameson place last night. To-day, I learned I'd lost that hand-made mattock I use most, and I went back for it, and there she was."

"In the country?"

"Yes sir!"

"Well why didn't we think of it before?"

"I suppose first we would have had to satisfy ourselves that she wasn't in town, anyway."

"Sure! That would be the logical way to go at it!

And so you found her?"

"Yes sir, I found her! Just Belshazzar and I! I was going along on my way to the place, and he ran past me and made a stiff point, and when I came up, there she was!"

"There she was?"

"Yes sir; there she was!"

They shook hands again.

"Then of course you spoke to her."

"Yes I spoke to her."

" Were you pleased?"

"With her speech and manner?----yes. But, Doc, if ever a woman needed everything on earth!"

"Well did you get any kind of a start made?"

"I couldn't do so very much. I had to go a little slow for fear of frightening her, but I tried to get her to come here and she won't until a debt she owes is paid, and she's in no condition to work."

"Got any idea how much it is?"

"No, but it can't be any large sum. I tried to offer to pay it, but she had no hesitation in telling me she preferred owing a man she knew to a stranger."

"Well if she is so particular, how did she come to tell you first thing that she was in debt?"

The Harvester explained.

同类推荐
  • 佛说光明童子因缘经

    佛说光明童子因缘经

    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。
  • 太上洞玄灵宝国王行道经

    太上洞玄灵宝国王行道经

    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。
  • 玉皇十七慈光灯仪

    玉皇十七慈光灯仪

    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。
  • 伤寒心法要诀

    伤寒心法要诀

    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。
  • 太上洞玄灵宝中和经

    太上洞玄灵宝中和经

    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。
热门推荐
  • 鬼推星

    鬼推星

    我是一名开店卖鬼的鬼店主,无意之中,我放走了一只胎灵和六只小鬼,从那以后,我就被四爷爷带进了五斗米门下,做了一名神秘的招魂师——我经历的那些事情,是你一辈子都没有遇见过的——四爷爷告诉我,人死如灯灭,魂来鬼推星,白天莫过坟,夜路莫问人……这四句话之中,原来隐藏了太多太多的秘密……百鬼夜行,推星测命,运河藏魂,九钉锁龙,三条白线借鸿运,招魂师,渡鬼人,赶尸匠,蛊毒客,千年秘术一朝闻……我是九河下梢的招魂师,我是八百里大运河的捞尸人——
  • 宠婚:爱妻至上

    宠婚:爱妻至上

    【表面闷骚之极,冷漠至极,实际上腹黑男。】【表面闷骚的女人,被男人的手法一勾搭那就是入得卧房的好媳妇】【黑道,白道,乡村,商场,无所不有。】【片段一】“老婆,又站起来了。”伸手指指下面,男人俊美无措的脸上不带任何表情的看着自己帅气的老婆。“自己解决。”羞红了双颊,女人没想到自己的老公竟然当着满屋子的人面前说这样的话,丢死人了。“呃……”男人一愣,随即笑开了,真不愧是他的老婆,一把拽起老婆回屋,留下一屋子满脸错愕的人和不远处站着的刚满周岁的儿子……【片段二】“你不能满足他,你只是一个会喊口令以外,什么都不会干的女人。”炮灰女指着她的鼻尖骂道,做饭不会,收拾房间不会,她就是个废物。“稍息,立正,站好,围着操场三十圈,跑不完不准休息。”她不是个公报私仇的人,但是奈何那人到了自己的地盘挑衅那就对不起了。在这里没人敢反她,因为,她是老大。【片段三】她的痴迷者越来越多,她的男人的脸色越变越黑。无论男女老少,见面都会,英姿我爱你。“我会让你人气直线下降的。”女配的眼里盘着算计。翌日。某个女人被小道报道,跟某某人纠缠在一酒店内。女人红颜祸水,惹得锦上人间的总裁不务正业,一直沉溺在她的美色中。“沉溺在我老婆的温柔乡中,应该说得过去吧。”男人出面,将谣言一一击碎。女配被打的亲爹亲妈都不认识。
  • 凌天女帝:绝代女帝倾天下

    凌天女帝:绝代女帝倾天下

    “谁说女子不如男?巾帼撑起一片天。”家族衰落,强敌环饲,谁可担当重任?为了身边的亲人,少女手持三尺青锋,与人争,与地争,与天争,踩着累累白骨,一路杀伐而上。
  • 林登州集

    林登州集

    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。
  • 机战代理人

    机战代理人

    机甲是男人的浪漫……纯粹的原创机甲,无古武,无修炼法,无同人作品设定
  • 天价萌宝:娇妻宠上天

    天价萌宝:娇妻宠上天

    十八线女星池安九最大的愿望就是潜了公司大Boss,翻身成为一线女星。在池安九跟大Boss传绯闻的时候,所有人都以为她死定了。结果腹黑Boss丢给她个一张契约,“签了她,你就是我孩子的妈。”说好俩不干涉,可某Boss夜夜潜入屋是怎么回事?婚后,池安久揉着酸疼的腰:“Boss,你违约了,契约无效。”“那就睡到有效为止。”言罢,某Boss再次将她扑倒。
  • 菜刀传奇

    菜刀传奇

    安州有家有名的铁匠铺,铺主叫十八锤,说到这名号的来历,故事还得追溯到他的高祖父那一代。当时,安州城有两家铁匠铺子,城东的姓张,城西的姓王。两家铺子的手艺都响当当,连官家都要找他们制造刀枪。照说两家铁铺,各穿各的鞋,各打各的铁,应当相安无事。不料有一天,王铁匠多喝了两杯,听见有人议论他和张姓铁匠究竟谁更了得时,一时脑子发热,口出狂言:“你们怎么拿那张铁匠跟我比?我是谁?他是什么东西?就他那手艺跟我比,你们不怕辱没了我?”
  • 诸天匪徒

    诸天匪徒

    一个青年凭借一颗珠子,穿越各个位面,掠夺万界资源,更是不少主角的仇敌。(本书不跪舔,不喜勿入,其中情节若有不合理处,请在评论区留言)
  • 霸主召唤系统

    霸主召唤系统

    龙轩重生来到了异世勇者大陆,脑海中多了一个霸主召唤系统,不管是斗士还是斗圣,统统召唤出来…………
  • 亚非现代名著导读

    亚非现代名著导读

    我们中小学生必须要加强阅读量,以便提高自己的语文素养和写作能力,以便广开视野和见识,促进身心素质不断地健康成长。但是,现在各种各样的读物卷帙浩繁,而广大中小学生时间又十分有限,因此,找到适合自己阅读的读物,才能够轻松快速地达到阅读的效果。