登陆注册
5382600000034

第34章 CHAPTER VII(3)

He did make them go.They took the hitching post and a few fence palings,which scraped the paint from a wheel.Sinton missed the lines at the first effort,but the dragging post impeded the horses,and he soon caught them.He led them to the barn,and ordered Billy to remain in the carriage while he unhitched.Then leading Billy and carrying his packages he entered the yard.

"You run play a few minutes,Billy,"he said."I want to talk to the nice lady."The nice lady was looking rather stupefied as Wesley approached her.

"Where in the name of sense did you get that awful child?"she demanded.

"He is a young gentleman who has been stopping Elnora and eating her lunch every day,part of the time with the assistance of his brother and sister,while our girl went hungry.Brownlee told me about it at the store.

It's happened three days running.The first time she went without anything,the second time Brownlee's girl took her to lunch,and the third a crowd of high school girls bought a lot of stuff and met them at the bridge.

The youngsters seemed to think they could rob her every day,so I went to see their father about having it stopped.""Well,I should think so!"cried Margaret.

"There were three of them,Margaret,"said Wesley,"that little fellow----""Hyena,you mean,"interpolated Margaret.

"Hyena,"corrected Wesley gravely,"and another boy and a girl,all equally dirty and hungry.The man was dead.They thought he was in a drunken sleep,but he was stone dead.I brought the little boy with me,and sent the officers and other help to the house.

He's half starved.I want to wash him,and put clean clothes on him,and give him some supper.""Have you got anything to put on him?"

"Yes."

"Where did you get it?"

"Bought it.It ain't much.All I got didn't cost a dollar.""A dollar is a good deal when you work and save for it the way we do.""Well,I don't know a better place to put it.Have you got any hot water?I'll use this tub at the cistern.

Please give me some soap and towels."

Instead Margaret pushed by him with a shriek.Billy had played by producing a cord from his pocket,and having tied the tails of Margaret's white kittens together,he had climbed on a box and hung them across the clothes line.

Wild with fright the kittens were clawing each other to death,and the air was white with fur.The string had twisted and the frightened creatures could not recognize friends.Margaret stepped back with bleeding hands.

Sinton cut the cord with his knife and the poor little cats raced under the house bleeding and disfigured.

Margaret white with wrath faced Wesley.

"If you don't hitch up and take that animal back to town,"she said,"I will."Billy threw himself on the grass and began to scream.

"You said I could have fried chicken for supper,"he wailed."You said she was a nice lady!"Wesley lifted him and something in his manner of handling the child infuriated Margaret.His touch was so gentle.She reached for Billy and gripped his shirt collar in the back.Wesley's hand closed over hers.

"Gently,girl!"he said."This little body is covered with sores.""Sores!"she ejaculated."Sores?What kind of sores?""Oh,they might be from bruises made by fists or boot toes,or they might be bad blood,from wrong eating,or they might be pure filth.Will you hand me some towels?""No,I won't!"said Margaret.

"Well,give me some rags,then."

Margaret compromised on pieces of old tablecloth.

Wesley led Billy to the cistern,pumped cold water into the tub,poured in a kettle of hot,and beginning at the head scoured him.The boy shut his little teeth,and said never a word though he twisted occasionally when the soap struck a raw spot.Margaret watched the process from the window in amazed and ever-increasing anger.

Where did Wesley learn it?How could his big hands be so gentle?He came to the door.

"Have you got any peroxide?"he asked.

"A little,"she answered stiffly.

"Well,I need about a pint,but I'll begin on what you have."Margaret handed him the bottle.Wesley took a cup,weakened the drug and said to Billy:"Man,these sores on you must be healed.Then you must eat the kind of food that's fit for little men.I am going to put some medicine on you,and it is going to sting like fire.If it just runs off,I won't use any more.If it boils,there is poison in these places,and they must be tied up,dosed every day,and you must be washed,and kept mighty clean.

Now,hold still,because I am going to put it on.""I think the one on my leg is the worst,"said the undaunted Billy,holding out a raw place.Sinton poured on the drug.

Billy's body twisted and writhed,but he did not run.

"Gee,look at it boil!"he cried."I guess they's poison.

You'll have to do it to all of them."

Wesley's teeth were set,as he watched the boy's face.

He poured the drug,strong enough to do effective work,on a dozen places over that little body and bandaged all he could.Billy's lips quivered at times,and his chin jumped,but he did not shed a tear or utter a sound other than to take a deep interest in the boiling.As Wesley put the small shirt on the boy,and fastened the trousers,he was ready to reset the hitching post and mend the fence without a word.

"Now am I clean?"asked Billy.

"Yes,you are clean outside,"said Wesley."There is some dirty blood in your body,and some bad words in your mouth,that we have to get out,but that takes time.

If we put right things to eat into your stomach that will do away with the sores,and if you know that I don't like bad words you won't say them any oftener than you can help,will you Billy?"Billy leaned against Wesley in apparent indifference.

"I want to see me!"he demanded.

Wesley led the boy into the house,and lifted him to a mirror.

"My,I'm purty good-looking,ain't I?"bragged Billy.

Then as Wesley stooped to set him on the floor Billy's lips passed close to the big man's ear and hastily whispered a vehement "No!"as he ran for the door.

"How long until supper,Margaret?"asked Wesley as he followed.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 流氓玩家:超线连接

    流氓玩家:超线连接

    高考落榜,为了进入梦想学院超线学院重振旗鼓,从零开始,势要打败所有游戏玩家,成为超线学院第一战队成员。且看一个小白加路痴的他如何在梦想的大门外拼一把!闯荡出自己的位面人生。
  • 恶作剧之情不知所起

    恶作剧之情不知所起

    校园罗曼史,男主从讨厌女主,到爱上女主经过了漫长的过程,这期间对女主的各种打压,欺负
  • 婚姻症候群

    婚姻症候群

    作为妇联任命的“公益律师”,姚遥的任务似乎永远是为在婚姻中历尽不幸的女人争取最大的权利。凡是找她的男人女人,她只有一句话:离吧,不要找任何理由凑合。而无论身处怎样的婚姻危机,女人们对姚遥说的第一句话仍然是:我不想离。这是为什么?一个多年不见的心理咨询师同学和一个特殊案件的出现,让姚遥开始重新审视自己的想法。这个时候,姚遥忽然发现,自己的老公——另一个律师庄重正在做着令自己无法忍受的事情。是给自己起草一份离婚协议?还是按照心理咨询师说的去做?姚遥突然明白,离婚并不简单,她想起无数女人说过的“我不想离”。这四个字的含义,她终于明白了。
  • 武断八荒

    武断八荒

    一个平凡的少年乞丐,被雷劈后,带着一只乌龟穿越到异世界,灵魂附身到一个废人身上,从此,少年的命运被改变,在这个以武力为尊的世界里,他只能打破身体的桎梏,一步一步迈向巅峰,他要让这八荒以他为尊!他要这片天地再也遮不住他的身影!
  • 那些“穿越”的孩子

    那些“穿越”的孩子

    农民工子女从不发达的乡村到繁华的大都市,从乡音、乡情到很不熟悉的语言与人文环境,从离别后的重逢到重逢后的离别,这些一次一次“穿越”的孩子值得关注。上海的发展离不开农民工,农民工离不开他们的子女,这些“穿越”的孩子也要有他们的精神家园,如何在经济社会发展与人的全面发展之间找到一个平衡点,让“以人为本”的执政理念在每一个具体的生命面前显示其温情,是本书提出的一个问题。
  • 美错虚度

    美错虚度

    “余斜墨,当初我跟你表白,结果呢?结果就是你不理我,放假后你直接失踪。你的QQ头像从放假那天就没亮过,打电话给你,关机!我好不容易从老师那知道你的住址,我去找你,我在你家门口等了整整三天,从白天等到晚上,”郭羽敏要早已经崩溃,眼泪像不要钱地往下掉,“结果…就是别人告诉我,你搬家的消息。搬家?多可笑!”郭羽敏指着余斜墨,“我喜欢你五年,就算你不喜欢我,你不告诉我就算了,你谁都没告诉,一句话一个字都给留下。”郭羽敏好像发泄地差不多,情绪没有开始那么激动了,“我喜欢你五年,我用三年的时间才慢慢开始忘记你,可是为什么要再次出现在我的生活里?你告诉我,你凭什么说你想追求我?”
  • 乖乖恶魔,小哥哥抱一下

    乖乖恶魔,小哥哥抱一下

    九月初旬,宁城机场“墨哥哥走快点啊,心心马上就要下飞机了!”宁女士手里拿着荧光屏……
  • 相门腹黑女

    相门腹黑女

    重生一世终于明白,男人的尊宠永远靠不住。既然如此,那就靠着自己赢得再世锦绣风华。继母谋害、妹妹阴毒,那就毁掉你的靠山,拔去你的羽翼,看你还拿什么嚣张?祖母佛口蛇心、父亲虚伪利用,那就掀掉你的伪装,剪除你的希望,看你还拿什么算计?看她一身锦绣罗裙斗继母、惩渣男、乱朝纲、风声水起!不过,那个敢算计她的男人你给我站住,谁允许你算计我心的?
  • 欢悦

    欢悦

    狄仁青初中毕业就不念书了。他学习成绩很好,居然就不念了,街坊邻居都以为是他父母的原因,对他们说:“你们的眼光干吗这么短浅?”他父亲狄文榜笑笑,说:“谁不知道念书好?是他自己不想念了,我把天都说破了,就差管他叫爹了。”问狄仁青自己:“你干吗好好的就不念了?”狄仁青说:“不仅我不念,我还想劝你们的孩子也不念呢。”“为什么?”邻居吓了一跳。他说,既然是念书的地方,就应该一心念书,却整日里学工、学农、拉练(学军),念书倒成副业了。
  • 神的新视界

    神的新视界

    地狱空荡荡,恶鬼在人间,一夕之间,天地巨变,祁采蘩的人生以她15岁的那一年为转折点,从甜蜜温馨一路奔向残忍。殷维白:请问,身为仇人案板上的一块合格死肉,你是如何做到华丽逆袭,绝地反击的?祁采蘩:示之以弱...可以利用的事物就尽量利用?