登陆注册
5383200000159

第159章 THE HOUSE ABOVE THE FALLS(3)

``Un homme qui a donne des preuves de son amour pour la Liberte et de sa haine pour le despotisme ne devait pas s'adresser en vain au ministre de la Republique francaise.

General, il est temps que les Americains libres de l'Ouest soient debarasses d'un ennemie aussi injuste que meprisable.''

When I had finished I glanced at the General, but he seemed not to be heeding me.The sun was setting above the ragged line of forest, and a blue veil was spreading over the tumbling waters.He took me by the arm and led me into the house, into a bare room that was all awry.Maps hung on the wall, beside them the General's new commission, rudely framed.Among the littered papers on the table were two whiskey bottles and several glasses, and strewn about were a number of chairs, the arms of which had been whittled by the General's guests.Across the rough mantel-shelf was draped the French tricolor, and before the fireplace on the puncheons lay a huge bearskin which undoubtedly had not been shaken for a year.

Picking up a bottle, the General poured out generous helpings in two of the glasses, and handed one to me.

``The mists are bad, Davy,'' said he ``I--I cannot afford to get the fever now.Let us drink success to the army of the glorious Republic, France.''

``Let us drink first, General,'' I said, ``to the old friendship between us.''

``Good!'' he cried.Tossing off his liquor, he set down the glass and began what seemed a fruitless search among the thousand papers on the table.But at length, with a grunt of satisfaction, he produced a form and held it under my eyes.At the top of the sheet was that much-abused and calumniated lady, the Goddess of Liberty.

``Now,'' he said, drawing up a chair and dipping his quill into an almost depleted ink-pot, ``I have decided to make you, David Ritchie, with full confidence in your ability and loyalty to the rights of liberty and mankind, a captain in the Legion on the Mississippi.

I crossed the room swiftly, and as he put his pen to paper I laid my hand on his arm.

``General, I cannot,'' I said.I had seen from the first the futility of trying to dissuade him from the expedition, and I knew now that it would never come off.I was willing to make almost any sacrifice rather than offend him, but this I could not allow.The General drew himself up in his chair and stared at me with a flash of his old look.

``You cannot?'' he repeated; ``you have affairs to attend to, I take it.''

I tried to speak, but he rode me down.

``There is money to be made in that prosperous town of Louisville.'' He did not understand the pain which his words caused me.He rose and laid his hands affectionately on my shoulders.``Ah, Davy, commerce makes a man timid.Do you forget the old days when I was the father and you the son? Come! I will make you a fortune undreamed of, and you shall be my fianancier once more.''

``I had not thought of the money, General,'' I answered, ``and I have always been ready to leave my business to serve a friend.''

``There, there,'' said the General, soothingly, ``I know it.I would not offend you.You shall have the commission, and you may come when it pleases you.''

He sat down again to write, but I restrained him.

``I cannot go, General,'' I said.

``Thunder and fury,'' cried the General, ``a man might think you were a weak-kneed Federalist.'' He stared at me, and stared again, and rose and recoiled a step.``My God,'' he said, ``you cannot be a Federalist, you can't have marched to Kaskaskia and Vincennes, you can't have been a friend of mine and have seen how the government of the United States has treated me, and be a Federalist!''

It was an argument and an appeal which I had foreseen, yet which I knew not how to answer.Suddenly there came, unbidden, his own counsel which he had given me long ago, ``Serve the people, as all true men should in a Republic, but do not rely upon their gratitude.'' This man had bidden me remember that.

``General,'' I said, trying to speak steadily, ``it was you who gave me my first love for the Republic.I remember you as you stood on the heights above Kaskaskia waiting for the sun to go down, and you reminded me that it was the nation's birthday.And you said that our nation was to be a refuge of the oppressed of this earth, a nation made of all peoples, out of all time.And you said that the lands beyond,'' and I pointed to the West as he had done, ``should belong to it until the sun sets on the sea again.''

I glanced at him, for he was silent, and in my life I can recall no sadder moment than this.The General heard, but the man who had spoken these words was gone forever.

The eyes of this man before me were fixed, as it were, upon space.He heard, but he did not respond; for the spirit was gone.What I looked upon was the tortured body from which the genius--the spirit I had worshipped --had fled.I turned away, only to turn back in anger.

``What do you know of this France for which you are to fight?'' I cried.``Have you heard of the thousands of innocents who are slaughtered, of the women and children who are butchered in the streets in the name of Liberty?

What have those blood-stained adventurers to do with Liberty, what have the fish-wives who love the sight of blood to do with you that would fight for them? You warned me that this people and this government to which you have given so much would be ungrateful,--will the butchers and fish-wives be more grateful?''

同类推荐
  • 分别业报略经

    分别业报略经

    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。
  • 欧阳南野先生文集摘

    欧阳南野先生文集摘

    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。
  • 佛说十地经卷第一

    佛说十地经卷第一

    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。
  • 漫作

    漫作

    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。
  • 松漠記聞

    松漠記聞

    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
  • 绝色神妃,魔君的药引

    绝色神妃,魔君的药引

    她,是神界的木之神,能瞬间让万物复苏,也能瞬间让万物凋零。他,是魔界的帝君,因在忘川河边和她惊鸿一瞥,就深陷情网。她因和魔界之人来往,被送往诛仙台。生死不明,百年后,他说:“你不记得我没关系,只要还活着就好,我寻了你上百年,本以为再也见不到你了,对不起,这一次,我一定护你安好!”--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 法医娇妻

    法医娇妻

    【包月免费文】因为法医这特殊职业,她成为大龄女青年,天天被逼相亲,被奚落。他,集团总裁,最具价值王老五,娶她报恩,但签下三年后离婚协议。他说:你身上有尸臭味。她说:你身上有铜臭味。旁人说:你们臭味相投,正好一对!【先婚后爱文,温馨宠溺到底,因女主特殊职业,还会涉及一些悬疑凶杀案】*
  • 拿错剧本的动漫系统

    拿错剧本的动漫系统

    一朝穿越,水明月身为女儿身却拿到了身为男主龙傲天剧本,眼看着废柴打脸逆袭即将开启,水明月变回来了,连带的系统也跟着变异了,那么拿着男版热血漫的水明月怎么办?
  • 花好月不圆

    花好月不圆

    周六的晚上,蓝晨约千红去海港城看电影《杜拉拉升职记》。千红笑道,我们俩非职业女子看人家职业女子怎么混,是不是有点文不对题?蓝晨道,谁说我们没有职业,我们是职业家庭妇女!千红扑哧一笑。多么理直气壮!说得好!她决定这个晚上暂时脱离家庭主妇岗位,给自己放一会儿小假。7点钟的电影,蓝晨很准时地开着宝马750来接她。天已经暗了下来,灯火升起,往常这个时候,是千红带着小宝在楼下散步的时间。今天甩开小尾巴,一个人单溜。
  • 火箭与长征火箭的故事(征服太空之路丛书)

    火箭与长征火箭的故事(征服太空之路丛书)

    火箭技术是一项十分复杂的综合性技术,主要包括火箭推进技术、总体 设计技术、火箭结构技术、控制和制导技术、计划管理技术、可靠性和质量控制技术、试验技术,对导弹来说还有弹头制导和控制、突防、再人防热、 核加固和小型化等弹头技术。如今,世界各国都加快了向太空进军的步伐,把探测目标投向了更远的 地方,而对火箭的研制是其中不可缺少的一环。我们有理由相信,人类凭借自己的聪明才智,一定能够研制出更先进,飞得更远的火箭,把探测器送到 月球、火星甚至更远的地方。
  • 蛇蝎太后之夫君妖娆

    蛇蝎太后之夫君妖娆

    冷玖一豪门世家的大小姐,内心冷血无情,外表却妖娆妩媚,视男人如玩物,被人算计葬身大海,再次醒来,她穿越成了凤御王朝最年轻的太后,美貌无双却心如蛇蝎,毒死嫔妃,诛杀皇子,手段残忍血腥,令人发指!旧情人新帝对她恨之入骨?不但要将她打入冷宫还敢扇她耳光?朝臣恨不得将她凌迟正法?后宫嫔妃个个伪善恶毒?妖娆一笑,老虎不发威,你当我是摆设啊?从此太后强悍出世,后宫再也不得安宁!没事勾搭勾搭皇叔,再调戏调戏丞相,闲来无事找个包子捏捏,然后坐看一堆嫔妃你争我斗,日子过得如斯的滋润,只是这一个个脱光光求负责的家伙是怎么回事?《皇叔版》“太后这几日看起来心情不错!”“嗯!是不错!”“本王别院的桃花开得正旺,不知太后想不想去看看?”“看看可以!不过,皇叔你可不可以挪开一点?”《丞相版》《渣男版》“太后!你要怎样才愿意放了皇后?”“出去!”“太后!你到底想怎样?”“丢出去!”“菁华!你要什么朕都可以给你,但是先放了皇后!”“阉了丢出去!”注:本文男主身心干净,女主妖娆强大,男主也不弱,荡漾是有的,幸福也是有得,渣男渣女也是必须狠狠虐的!本文重口味,看文自带避雷针,不喜误入,若是你的菜,就赶紧下筷子吧!央央潇湘,某只在努力,求多多收藏,多多留言,如果开心给朵花花,送颗钻钻,那将是在下最大的鼓励,不胜感激!另:友情提示,某只是坑货,坑了多少就不必说,凡是封面为“此乃废坑”的地方,亲们就不要去点了,不然坑了在下可不负责的哦!
  • 心心相医

    心心相医

    顾南城觉得安初夏就是他的悲剧!!第一次,他有了一章抹不去的黑历史!第二次,全院的医生叫他“老油条。”第三次,他生日,她给他了一个“炸弹”………………第四次………………[本文男女主身心干净,绝无盗版。](穿越文,古穿现)本文为医生文1+1双节,快来看。注:本文为新书,完结后全部免费!这么大的福利,你值得拥有!
  • 娱乐圈毒奶影后

    娱乐圈毒奶影后

    转折点那天吴思彤绑定系统,为了改变命运她必须成为巨星,然而接受系统的同时她也被绑定了毒奶技能,夸谁谁倒霉,骂谁谁走运。“听说你和童语素不和,你们之间有什么仇怨吗?”“那是谣言,我一直都很喜欢童姐,她的演技出神入化,教会了我很多东西。我的演技不够自然,痕迹很重,我还需要学习。”...“你觉得影帝华书辛怎么样吗?”吴思彤内心,我的偶像,帅死了,一开口,“我觉得他很丑,可能我的审美能力跟一般人不一样,比较低下。”...“对你的新剧有什么期望吗?”“希望不要没人看。”粉丝扑地,偶像奇葩怎么办,童语素就是花瓶,你的审美不是低下是相当低下,还有新剧明明已经收视第一了好吗
  • 贾平凹经典

    贾平凹经典

    书稿精选著名作家、散文大师贾平凹散文代表作23篇,按照“生活与记事”“人物与精神”“风物与民俗”三个门类予以分类,从日常生活、今古奇人、历史文化等多个角度呈现贾平凹创作的丰满和深度,更是给读者进行类似话题与题材的阅读写作示范。书稿由扬州市语文学科带头人王舒成老师导读,充分结合学生情感诉求和阅读特色,使本书更适合课堂内外阅读使用。
  • Rudder Grange

    Rudder Grange

    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。