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the man of the forest-第27部分
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upset some of your theories?〃
〃Maybe。 I'll admit he amazes me and affronts me; too; I'm
afraid;〃 replied Helen。 〃What surprises me is that in spite
of his evident lack of schooling he's not raw or crude。 He's
elemental。〃
〃Sister dear; wake up。 The man's wonderful。 You can learn
more from him than you ever learned in your life。 So can I。
I always hated books; anyway。〃
When; a little later; Dale approached carrying some bridles;
the hound Pedro trotted at his heels。
〃I reckon you'd better ride the horse you had;〃 he said to
Bo。
〃Whatever you say。 But I hope you let me ride them all; by
and by。〃
〃Sure。 I've a mustang out there you'll like。 But he pitches
a little;〃 he rejoined; and turned away toward the park。 The
hound looked after him and then at Helen。
〃Come; Pedro。 Stay with me;〃 called Helen。
Dale; hearing her; motioned the hound back。 Obediently Pedro
trotted to her; still shy and soberly watchful; as if not
sure of her intentions; but with something of friendliness
about him now。 Helen found a soft; restful seat in the sun
facing the park; and there composed herself for what she
felt would be slow; sweet; idle hours。 Pedro curled down
beside her。 The tall form of Dale stalked across the park;
out toward the straggling horses。 Again she saw a deer
grazing among them。 How erect and motionless it stood
watching Dale! Presently it bounded away toward the edge of
the forest。 Some of the horses whistled and ran; kicking
heels high in the air。 The shrill whistles rang clear in the
stillness。
〃Gee! Look at them go!〃 exclaimed Bo; gleefully; coming up
to where Helen sat。 Bo threw herself down upon the fragrant
pine…needles and stretched herself languorously; like a lazy
kitten。 There was something feline in her lithe; graceful
outline。 She lay flat and looked up through the pines。
〃Wouldn't it be great; now;〃 she murmured; dreamily; half to
herself; 〃if that Las Vegas cowboy would happen somehow to
come; and then an earthquake would shut us up here in this
Paradise valley so we'd never get out?〃
〃Bo! What would mother say to such talk as that?〃 gasped
Helen。
〃But; Nell; wouldn't it be great?〃
〃It would be terrible。〃
〃Oh; there never was any romance in you; Nell Rayner;〃
replied Bo。 〃That very thing has actually happened out here
in this wonderful country of wild places。 You need not tell
me! Sure it's happened。 With the cliff…dwellers and the
Indians and then white people。 Every place I look makes me
feel that。 Nell; you'd have to see people in the moon
through a telescope before you'd believe that。〃
〃I'm practical and sensible; thank goodness!〃
〃But; for the sake of argument;〃 protested Bo; with flashing
eyes; 〃suppose it MIGHT happen。 Just to please me; suppose
we DID get shut up here with Dale and that cowboy we saw
from the train。 Shut in without any hope of ever climbing
out。 。 。 。 What would you do? Would you give up and pine
away and die? Or would you fight for life and whatever joy
it might mean?〃
〃Self…preservation is the first instinct;〃 replied Helen;
surprised at a strange; deep thrill in the depths of her。
〃I'd fight for life; of course。〃
〃Yes。 Well; really; when I think seriously I don't want
anything like that to happen。 But; just the same; if it DID
happen I would glory in it。〃
While they were talking Dale returned with the horses。
〃Can you bridle an' saddle your own horse?〃 he asked。
〃No。 I'm ashamed to say I can't;〃 replied Bo。
〃Time to learn then。 Come on。 Watch me first when I saddle
mine。〃
Bo was all eyes while Dale slipped off the bridle from his
horse and then with slow; plain action readjusted it。 Next
he smoothed the back of the horse; shook out the blanket;
and; folding it half over; he threw it in place; being
careful to explain to Bo just the right position。 He lifted
his saddle in a certain way and put that in place; and then
he tightened the cinches。
〃Now you try;〃 he said。
According to Helen's judgment Bo might have been a Western
girl all her days。 But Dale shook his head and made her do
it over。
〃That was better。 Of course; the saddle is too heavy for you
to sling it up。 You can learn that with a light one。 Now put
the bridle on again。 Don't be afraid of your hands。 He won't
bite。 Slip the bit in sideways。 。 。 。 There。 Now let's see
you mount。〃
When Bo got into the saddle Dale continued: 〃You went up
quick an' light; but the wrong way。 Watch me。〃
Bo had to mount several times before Dale was satisfied。
Then he told her to ride off a little distance。 When Bo had
gotten out of earshot Dale said to Helen: 〃She'll take to a
horse like a duck takes to water。〃 Then; mounting; he rode
out after her。
Helen watched them trotting and galloping and running the
horses round the grassy park; and rather regretted she had
not gone with them。 Eventually Bo rode back; to dismount and
fling herself down; red…cheeked and radiant; with disheveled
hair; and curls damp on her temples。 How alive she seemed!
Helen's senses thrilled with the grace and charm and
vitality of this surprising sister; and she was aware of a
sheer physical joy in her presence。 Bo rested; but she did
not rest long。 She was soon off to play with Bud。 Then she
coaxed the tame doe to eat out of her hand。 She dragged
Helen off for wild flowers; curious and thoughtless by
turns。 And at length she fell asleep; quickly; in a way that
reminded Helen of the childhood now gone forever。
Dale called them to dinner about four o'clock; as the sun
was reddening the western rampart of the park。 Helen
wondered where the day had gone。 The hours had flown
swiftly; serenely; bringing her scarcely a thought of her
uncle or dread of her forced detention there or possible
discovery by those outlaws supposed to be hunting for her。
After she realized the passing of those hours she had an
intangible and indescribable feeling of what Dale had meant
about dreaming the hours away。 The nature of Paradise Park
was inimical to the kind of thought that had habitually been
hers; She found the new thought absorbing; yet when she
tried to name it she found that; after all; she had only
felt。 At the meal hour she was more than usually quiet。 She
saw that Dale noticed it and was trying to interest her or
distract her attention。 He succeeded; but she did not choose
to let him see that。 She strolled away alone to her seat
under the pine。 Bo passed her once; and cried;
tantalizingly:
〃My; Nell; but you're growing romantic!〃
Never before in Helen's life had the beauty of the evening
star seemed so exquisite or the twilight so moving and
shadowy or the darkness so charged with loneliness。 It was
their environment the accompaniment of wild wolf…mourn;
of the murmuring waterfall; of this strange man of the
forest and the unfamiliar elements among which he made his home。
Next morning; her energy having returned; Helen shared Bo's
lesson in bridling and saddling her horse; and in riding。
Bo; however; rode so fast and so hard that for Helen to
share her company was impossible。 And Dale; interested and
amused; yet anxious; spent most of his time with Bo。 It was
thus that Helen rode all over the park alone。 She was
astonished at its size; when from almost any point it looked
so small。 The atmosphere deceived her。 How clearly she could
see! And she began to judge distance by the size of familiar
things。 A horse; looked at across the longest length of the
park; seemed very small indeed。 Here and there she rode upon
dark; swift; little brooks; exquisitely clear and
amber…colored and almost hidden from sight by the long
grass。 These all ran one way; and united to form a deeper
brook that apparently wound under the cliffs at the west
end; and plunged to an outlet in narrow clefts。 When Dale
and Bo came to her once she made inquiry; and she was
surprised to learn from Dale that this brook disappeared in
a hole in the rocks and had an outlet on the other side of
the mountain。 Sometime he would take them to the lake it
formed。
〃Over the mountain?〃 asked Helen; again remembering that she
must regard herself as a fugitive。 〃Will it be safe to leave
our hiding…place? I forget so often why we are here。〃
〃We would be better hidden over there than here;〃 replied
Dale。 〃The valley on that side is accessible only from that
ridge。 An' don't worry about bein' found。 I told you Roy
Beeman is watchin' Anson an' his gang。 Roy will keep between
them an' us。〃
Helen was reassured; yet there must always linger in the
background of her mind a sense of dread。 In spite of this;
she determined to make the most of her opportunity。 Bo was a
stimulus。 And so Helen spent the rest of that day riding and
tagging after her sister。
The next day was less hard on Helen。 Activity; rest; eating;
and sleeping took on a wonderful new meaning to her。 She had
really never known them as strange joys。 She rode; she
walked; she climbed a little; she dozed under her pine…tree;
she worked helping Dale at camp…fire tasks; and when night
came she said she did not know herself。 That fact haunted
her in vague; deep dreams。
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