登陆注册
5243000000039

第39章 CHAPTER VIII(7)

"Oh I see!" said the doctor. "Well you'll have to baby her along with the idea that she is earning money and pay her double until you get that off her mind, and while you are at it, put in your best licks, my boy; perk right up and court her like a house afire. Women like it.

All of them do. They glory in feeling that a man is crazy about them."

"Well I'm insane enough over her," said the Harvester, "but I'd hate like the nation for her to know it.

Seems as if a woman couldn't respect such an addle-pate as I am lately."

"Don't you worry about that," advised the doctor.

"Just you make love to her. Go at it in the good old-fashioned way."

"But maybe the `good old-fashioned way' isn't my way."

"What's the difference whose way it is, if it wins?"

"But Kipling says: `Each man makes love his own way!' "

"I seem to have heard you mention that name be fore," said the doctor. "Do you regard him as an authority?"

"I do!" said the Harvester. "Especially when he advises me after my own heart and reason. Miss Jameson is not a silly girl. She's a woman, and twenty-four at least. I don't want her to care for a trick or a pretence. I do want her to love me. Not that I am worth her attention, but because she needs some strong man fearfully, and I am ready and more `willing' than the original Barkis. But, like him, I have to let her know it in my way, and court her according to the promptings of my heart."

"You deceive yourself!" said the doctor flatly. "That's all bosh! Your tongue says it for the satisfaction of your ears, and it does sound well. You will court her according to your ideas of the conventions, as you understand them, and strictly in accordance with what you consider the respect due her. If you had followed the thing you call the `promptings of your heart,' you would have picked her up by main force and brought her to my best ward, instead of merely suggesting it and giving up when she said no. If you had followed your heart, you would have choked the name and amount out of her and paid that devilish debt. You walk away in a case like that, and then have the nerve to come here and prate to me about following your heart. I'll wager my last dollar your heart is sore because you were not allowed to help her; but on the proposition that you followed its promptings I wouldn't stake a penny. That's all tommy-rot!"

"It is," agreed the Harvester. "Utter! But what can a man do?"

"I don't know what you can do! I'd have paid that debt and brought her to the hospital."

"I'll go and ask Mrs. Carey about your courtship. Iwant her help on this, anyway. I can pick up Miss Jameson and bring her here if any man can, but she is nursing a sick woman who depends solely on her for care.

She is above average size, and she has a very decided mind of her own. I don't think you would use force and do what you think best for her, if you were in my place. You would wait until you understood the situation better, and knew that what you did was for the best, ultimately."

"I don't know whether I would or not. One thing is sure: I'm mighty glad you have found her. May Itell my wife?"

"Please do! And ask her if I may depend on her if I need a woman's help. Now I'll call off the valiant police and go home and take a good, sound sleep. Haven't had many since I first saw her."

So Betsy trotted down the valley, up the embankment, crossed the railroad, over the levee across Singing Water, and up the hill to the cabin. As they passed it, the Harvester jumped from the wagon, tossed the hitching strap to Belshazzar, and entered. He walked straight to her door, unlocked it, and uncovering, went inside.

Softly he passed from piece to piece of the furniture he had made for her, and then surveyed the walls and floor.

"It isn't half good enough," he said, "but it will have to answer until I can do better. Surely she will know I tried and care for that, anyway. I wonder how long it will take me to get her here. Oh, if I only could know she was comfortable and happy! Happy! She doesn't appear as if she ever had heard that word. Well this will be a good place to teach her. I've always enjoyed myself here. I'm going to have faith that I can win her and make her happy also. When I go to the stable to do my work for the night if I could know she was in this cabin and glad of it, and if I could hear her down here singing like a happy care-free girl, I'd scarcely be able to endure the joy of it."

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 惊魂探险2

    惊魂探险2

    误入鲸鱼的嘴里还能活着出来吗,美国的死亡谷真的有进无出吗,唐古拉有什么古怪?这些海底深山的险恶是真实遭遇还只是耸人听闻呢?
  • 重生之驸马请入瓮

    重生之驸马请入瓮

    前世,她倾尽一生的爱人,杀她子,灭她族,夺她江山,让她含恨而终。一朝重生,她步步为营,发誓要覆灭那狼子野心之人,守护皇族江山。据说:夫君风流多情,后院养美人三千,谁知,她嫁过来不出一月,三千美人尽散。妖孽夫君撩妹技能满分,让她丢了心,送了情……
  • 我在民国当道士

    我在民国当道士

    一个阴年阴月阴日生的人,跟随师父踏上了修道之路,超度善鬼,惩治恶鬼,杀僵尸,对付邪道宋元丰,更是有日本的阴阳师跟随侵华日军占我中华大地,张大狗带领道家协会与之抗衡的传奇故事……
  • 宅府烟云

    宅府烟云

    她,不过一介身世浮萍的孤女。他,不过战场上杀伐立身的匹夫。如果没有他,她还是那个抛弃了性命,只挣个对错的傻子。如果没有她,他还是那个浴血在疆场,不求个结果的疯子。她这一生,沉浮于高墙内外。幸而有他,扶持与共,生死相依。
  • 科技命脉

    科技命脉

    听说,天空中闪耀的每一颗星星后面都是一个文明,辨不了真假,那么只好去寻找答案
  • 和谐文化建设的探索与实践

    和谐文化建设的探索与实践

    文化建设是中国特色社会主义总体战略布局的重要内容,是国家综合实力的重要组成部分。
  • 天荒仙庭

    天荒仙庭

    万域大世界,这里万族共存彼此血战争霸不休,这里天骄、妖孽、神女争鸣,这里世家、皇庭、学宫、圣地、神山各方势力错综复杂。且看秦横天携带造化仙庭系统召唤众多华夏古国的文臣武将、武侠小说之中的绝世武者,在这方宇宙中建立一个亘古不朽的神话仙庭,谱写一曲让诸天万族、亿万生灵永世传承的,属于华夏人的史诗传说。
  • 烈火心痕

    烈火心痕

    大道三千,人生于世,每个人都有一条属于自己的道路。历史长河,滚滚波涛,每个人都会留下属于自己的痕迹。道虽无情,人可有情,只不过有情无情皆取于自己一念。他,如一朵烈焰,为一念而燃烧,是照耀古今未来?还是燃烧殆尽,化为一缕星火,稍瞬即逝......
  • 绚丽无比的艺术(奇妙的大千世界)

    绚丽无比的艺术(奇妙的大千世界)

    艺术创造出来是被人欣赏的,整个艺术活动包括艺术创造和艺术欣赏这两个相互依存、相互促进的方面。艺术创造是艺术家在生活的基础上,运用不同的物质材料和精神因素,创造出可供欣赏的典型艺术形象。各个艺术门类运用不同的物质材料、表现手段等,形成自己独特的艺术特征。离开了自己独特的艺术特征,便谈不上美的创造和欣赏,更谈不上有价值的艺术作品的问世。艺术欣赏则是人们以艺术作品为对象的审美活动,欣赏者在艺术作品的基础上,结合自身的生活经验,通过感受体验、领悟,进而注入自己富有个性的想象,对艺术作品展开“再创造”,从而丰富艺术作品的精神内涵。
  • 神之墓地天地浩劫

    神之墓地天地浩劫

    在这个世界上,并不是每个人都是有名有姓的,也不是每个人都是英雄。大多数人都平凡的生活在一个无知的世界里面,不是因为他们无知,而是因为他们和其他人相比太过无知......这要从三界初生之时说起,一种维持其正常化和进化的力量随之诞生,有人称其为‘天道’,有人称其为‘秩序’,半神们习惯称其为‘法则’这种力量无处不在,存在于诸天万物之中。凡人触摸之后而感叹其的强大,冠以‘神’字,却因不能精通掌握法则的实质,并在其前面加上一个‘半’字,这既是‘半神法则’的由来。没人有人能真正掌握这种法则,凡人因为存在于三界之中,对法则加以利用罢了。真正支配法则的只有三界本身,她维持或用其改变自身的一切......