OLLY had the opportunity to warn her father in regard to his financial interests sooner than she expected. The very next morning, as she sat reading at a window in the sitting-room1, she overheard the Colonel speaking to her mother about an offer he had just had for his mountain property.
"I believe it's a good chance for me to get rid of it," he was saying, as he stood at the mantel-piece dipping his pipe into his blue tobacco-jar.
"I never did see any sense in paying taxes on land you have never seen," said Mrs. Barclay, at her sewing-machine. "Surely you can put the money where it will bring in something."
"Milburn wants it because there is about a hundred acres that could be cleared for cultivation3. I'm of the opinion that it won't make as good soil as he thinks, but I'm not going to tell him that."
"Would you be getting as much as it cost you?" asked Mrs. Barclay, smoothing down a white hem4 with her thumb-nail.
"About five hundred more," her husband chuckled5. "People said when I bought it that I was as big a fool as old Bishop6, but you see I've already struck a purchaser at a profit."
Then Dolly spoke7 up from behind her newspaper: "I wouldn't sell it, papa," she said, coloring under the task before her.
"Oh, you wouldn't?" sniffed8 her father. "And why?"
"Because it's going to be worth a good deal more money," she affirmed, coloring deeper and yet looking her parent fairly in the eyes.
Mrs. Barclay broke into a rippling9 titter as she bent10 over her work. "Alan Bishop put that in her head," she said. "They think, the Bishops11 do, that they've got a gold-mine over there."
"You must not sell it, papa," Dolly went on, ignoring her mother's thrust. "I can't tell you why I don't want you to, but you must not—you 'll be sorry if you do."
"I don't know how I'm to keep on paying your bills for flimflam frippery if I don't sell something," retorted the old man, almost and yet not quite angry. Indirectly12 he was pleased at her valuation of his property, for he had discovered that her judgment13 was good.
"And she won't let Frank Hillhouse help," put in Mrs. Barclay, teasingly. "Poor fellow! I'm afraid he 'll never get over it. He's taken to running around with school-girls—that's always a bad sign."
"A girl ought to be made to listen to reason," fumed14 Barclay, goaded15 on to this attack by his wife, who well knew his sore spots, and liked to rasp them.
"A girl will listen to the right sort of reason," retorted Dolly, who was valiantly16 struggling against an outburst. "Mamma knows how I feel."
"I know that you are bent on marrying a man without a dollar to his name," said her father. "You want to get into that visionary gang that will spend all I leave you in their wild-cat investments, but I tell you I will cut you out of my property if you do. Now, remember that. I mean it."
Dolly crushed the newspaper in her lap and rose. "There is no good in quarrelling over this again," she said, coldly. "Some day you will understand the injustice17 you are doing Alan Bishop. I could make you see it now, but I have no right to explain." And with that she left the room.
Half an hour later, from the window of her room up-stairs, she saw old Bobby Milburn open the front gate. Under his slouch hat and big gray shawl he thumped18 up the gravelled walk and began to scrape his feet on the steps. There was a door-bell, with a handle like that of a coffee-mill, to be turned round, but old Bobby, like many of his kind, either did not know of its existence, or, knowing, dreaded19 the use of innovations that sometimes made even stoics20 like himself feel ridiculous. His method of announcing himself was by far more sensible, as it did not even require the removal of his hands from his pockets; and, at the same time, helped divest21 his boots of mud. He stamped on the floor of the veranda22 loudly and paused to listen for the approach of some one to admit him. Then, as no one appeared, he clattered23 along the veranda to the window of the sitting-room and peered in. Colonel Barclay saw him and opened the door, inviting24 the old fellow into the sitting-room. Old Bobby laid his hat on the floor beside his chair as he sat down, but he did not unpin his shawl.
"Well, I've come round to know what's yore lowest notch25, Colonel," he said, gruffly, as he brushed his long, stringy hair back from his ears and side whiskers. "You see, it's jest this way. I kin2 git a patch o' land from Lank26 Buford that will do me, in a pinch, but I like yore'n a leetle grain better, beca'se it's nigher my line by a quarter or so; but, as I say, I kin make out with Buford's piece; an' ef we cayn't agree, I 'll have to ride over whar he is workin' in Springtown."
At this juncture27 Dolly came into the room. She shook hands with the visitor, who remained seated and mumbled28 out some sort of gruff greeting, and went to her chair near the window, taking up her paper again. Her eyes, however, were on her father's face.
"I hardly know what to say," answered Barclay, deliberately29. "Your price the other day didn't strike me just right, and so I really haven't been thinking about it."
There was concession30 enough, Dolly thought, in Milburn's eye, if not in his voice, when he spoke. "Well," he said, carelessly, "bein' as me'n you are old friends, an' thar always was a sort o' neighborly feelin' betwixt us, I 'll agree, if we trade, to hire a lawyer an' a scribe to draw up the papers an' have 'em duly recorded. You know that's always done by the party sellin'."
"Oh, that's a little thing," said the Colonel; but his watchful31 daughter saw that the mere32 smallness of Milburn's raise in his offer had had a depressing effect on her father's rather doubtful valuation of the property in question. The truth was that Wilson had employed the shrewdest trader in all that part of the country, and one who worked all the more effectively for his plainness of dress and rough manner. "That's a little thing," went on the Colonel, "but here's what I 'll do—"
"Father," broke in Dolly, "don't make a proposition to Mr. Milburn. Please don't."
Milburn turned to her, his big brows contracting in surprise, but he controlled himself. "Heigho!" he laughed, "so you've turned trader, too, Miss Dolly? Now, I jest wish my gals33 had that much enterprise; they git beat ef they buy a spool34 o' thread."
The Colonel frowned and Mrs. Barclay turned to Dolly with a real tone of reproof35. "Don't interfere36 in your father's business," she said. "He can attend to it."
The Colonel was not above making capital of the interruption, and he smiled down on the shaggy visitor.
"She's been deviling the life out of me not to part with that land. They say women have the intuition to look ahead better than men. I don't know but I ought to listen to her, but she ain't running me, and as I was about to say—"
"Wait just one minute, papa!" insisted Dolly, with a grim look of determination on her face. "Just let me speak to you a moment in the parlor37, and then you can come back to Mr. Milburn."
The face of the Colonel darkened under impatience38, but he was afraid failure to grant his daughter's request would look like over-anxiety to close with Mil-burn, and so he followed her into the parlor across the hallway.
"Now, what on earth is the matter with you?" he demanded, sternly. "I have never seen you conduct yourself like this before."
She faced him, touching39 his arms with her two hands.
"Father, don't be angry with me," she said, "but when you know what I do, you will be glad I stopped you just now. Mr. Milburn is not buying that land for his own use."
"He isn't?" exclaimed the Colonel.
"No; he's secretly employed by a concern worth over two million dollars—the Southern Land and Timber Company of Atlanta."
"What?" the word came out as suddenly as if some one had struck him on the breast.
"No," answered the girl, now pale and agitated40. "To save Mr. Bishop from loss, Alan and Rayburn Miller41 have worked up a scheme to build a railroad from Darley to the Bishop property. All arrangements have been made. There can be no hitch42 in it unless the citizens refuse to grant a right of way. In a week from now a meeting is to be advertised. Of course, it is not a certainty, but you can see that the chance is good, and you ought not to sacrifice your land."
"Good Heavens!" ejaculated Barclay, his eyes distended43, "is this a fact?"
"I am telling you what I have really no right to reveal," said Dolly, "but I promised Alan not to let you sell if I could help it."
The Colonel was staggered by the revelation; his face was working under strong excitement. "I thought that old rascal"—he meant Milburn—"was powerfully anxious to trade. Huh! Looky' here, daughter, this news is almost too good to be true. Why, another railroad would make my town-lots bound up like fury, and as for this mountain-land—whew! It may be as you say. Ray Miller certainly is a wheel-horse."
"It was not his idea," said Dolly, loyally. "In fact, he tried his best to discourage Alan at first—till he saw what could be done. Since then he's been secretly working at it night and day."
"Whew!" whistled the Colonel. "I don't care a cent whose idea it is; if it goes through it's a good one, and, now that I think of it, the necessary capital is all that is needed to make a big spec' over there."
"So you won't sell to Mr. Milburn, then?" asked Dolly, humbly44 grateful for her father's change of mood.
"Sell to that old dough-faced scamp?" snorted Barclay. "Well, he 'll think I won't in a minute! Do you reckon I don't want to have some sort o' finger in the pie? Whether the road's built or not, I want my chance."
"But remember I am giving away state secrets," said Dolly. "He must not know that you have heard about the road."
"I 'll not give that away," the old man promised, with a smile, and he turned to the door as if eager to face Milburn. "Huh! That old scamp coming here to do me one! The idea!"
The two men, as they faced each other a moment later, presented an interesting study of human forces held well in check. The Colonel leaned on the mantel-piece and looked down at the toe of his boot, with which he pushed a chunk45 of wood beneath the logs.
"You never can tell about a woman' s whims46, Mil-burn," he said. "Dolly's set her heart on holding onto that land, and I reckon I'm too easily wriggled47 about by my women folks. I reckon we'd better call it off."
"Oh, all right—all right!" said Milburn, with a start and a sharp contraction48 of his brows. "I'm that away some myse'f. My gals git me into devilish scrapes sometimes, an' I'm always sayin' they got to stop it. A man loses too much by lettin' 'em dabble49 in his business. But I was jest goin' to say that I mought raise my bid fifty cents on the acre ruther than trapse away over to Springtown to see Buford."
There was silence through which several kinds of thoughts percolated50. The raise really amounted to so much that it materially increased Barclay's growing conviction that the railroad was next to a certainty. "Huh!" he grunted51, his eyes ablaze52 with the amusement of a winner. "I wouldn't listen to less than a dollar more on the acre." And as the gaze of Milburn went down reflectively the Colonel winked53 slyly, even triumphantly54, at his smiling daughter and said: "Dolly thinks it will make good land for a peach-orchard. Lots of money is being made that way."
"Bosh!" grunted Milburn. "It don't lie right fer peaches. You kin git jest as much property nigh the railroad as you want fer peaches. You are a hard man to trade with, but I reckon I 'll have to take yore offer of—"
"Hold on, hold on!" laughed the Colonel, his hand upraised. "I didn't say I'd take that price. I just said I wouldn't listen to less than a dollar raise. I've listened to many a thing I didn't jump at, like a frog in muddy water, not knowing what he's going to butt55 against."
Under his big shawl Milburn rose like a tent blown upward by wind. He was getting angry as he saw his commission money taking wing and flitting out of sight. He had evidently counted on making an easy victim of Barclay. For a moment he stood twisting his heavy, home-knit gloves in his horny hands.
"Now if it's a fair question," he said, as the last resort of a man ready and willing to trade at any reasonable cost, "what will you take, cash down, on your honor between us—me to accept or decline?"
The Colonel's pleasure was of the bubbling, overflowing56 kind. Every move made by Milburn was adding fuel to his hopes of the proposed railroad, and to his determination to be nobody's victim.
"Look here," he said, "that land has been rising at such a rate since you came in that I'm actually afraid to let it go. By dinner-time it may make me rich. Dolly, I believe, on my word, Milburn has discovered gold over there. Haven't you, Milburn? Now, honor bright."
"It will be a long time before you find gold or anything else on that land," Milburn retorted, as he reached for his hat and heavily strode from the room.
"Well! I do declare," and Mrs. Barclay turned to Dolly and her father. "What on earth does this mean?" The Colonel laughed out, then slapped his hand over his mouth, as he peered from the window to see if Milburn was out of hearing. "It's just this way—"
"Mind, father!" cautioned Dolly. "Do you want it to be all over town by dinner-time?"
"Dolly!" cried Mrs. Barclay, "the idea of such a thing!"
Dolly smiled and patted her mother on the cheek.
"Don't tell her, papa," she said, with decision.
"The truth is," said the Colonel, "Dolly really wants to plant peaches. I don't think there's much in it, but she will have her way."
"Well, I call that mean of you," retorted Mrs. Barclay, dark with vexation. "Well, miss, I 'll bet you didn't tell your father who you went sleigh-riding with."
The old man frowned suddenly. "Not with Alan Bishop," he said, "after my positive orders?"
"He came to tell me about the—the"—Dolly glanced at her mother suddenly—"about the peaches, papa."
"Well"—the Colonel was waxing angry—"I won't have it—that's all. I won't have you—"
"Wait, papa," entreated57 the girl, sweetly, "wait till we see about the—peaches!" And, with a little teasing laugh, she left the room.
点击收听单词发音
1 sitting-room | |
n.(BrE)客厅,起居室 | |
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2 kin | |
n.家族,亲属,血缘关系;adj.亲属关系的,同类的 | |
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3 cultivation | |
n.耕作,培养,栽培(法),养成 | |
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4 hem | |
n.贴边,镶边;vt.缝贴边;(in)包围,限制 | |
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5 chuckled | |
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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6 bishop | |
n.主教,(国际象棋)象 | |
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7 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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8 sniffed | |
v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 );抽鼻子(尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气);抱怨,不以为然地说 | |
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9 rippling | |
起涟漪的,潺潺流水般声音的 | |
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10 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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11 bishops | |
(基督教某些教派管辖大教区的)主教( bishop的名词复数 ); (国际象棋的)象 | |
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12 indirectly | |
adv.间接地,不直接了当地 | |
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13 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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14 fumed | |
愤怒( fume的过去式和过去分词 ); 大怒; 发怒; 冒烟 | |
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15 goaded | |
v.刺激( goad的过去式和过去分词 );激励;(用尖棒)驱赶;驱使(或怂恿、刺激)某人 | |
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16 valiantly | |
adv.勇敢地,英勇地;雄赳赳 | |
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17 injustice | |
n.非正义,不公正,不公平,侵犯(别人的)权利 | |
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18 thumped | |
v.重击, (指心脏)急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19 dreaded | |
adj.令人畏惧的;害怕的v.害怕,恐惧,担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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20 stoics | |
禁欲主义者,恬淡寡欲的人,不以苦乐为意的人( stoic的名词复数 ) | |
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21 divest | |
v.脱去,剥除 | |
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22 veranda | |
n.走廊;阳台 | |
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23 clattered | |
发出咔哒声(clatter的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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24 inviting | |
adj.诱人的,引人注目的 | |
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25 notch | |
n.(V字形)槽口,缺口,等级 | |
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26 lank | |
adj.瘦削的;稀疏的 | |
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27 juncture | |
n.时刻,关键时刻,紧要关头 | |
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28 mumbled | |
含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29 deliberately | |
adv.审慎地;蓄意地;故意地 | |
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30 concession | |
n.让步,妥协;特许(权) | |
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31 watchful | |
adj.注意的,警惕的 | |
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32 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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33 gals | |
abbr.gallons (复数)加仑(液量单位)n.女孩,少女( gal的名词复数 ) | |
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34 spool | |
n.(缠录音带等的)卷盘(轴);v.把…绕在卷轴上 | |
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35 reproof | |
n.斥责,责备 | |
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36 interfere | |
v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰 | |
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37 parlor | |
n.店铺,营业室;会客室,客厅 | |
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38 impatience | |
n.不耐烦,急躁 | |
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39 touching | |
adj.动人的,使人感伤的 | |
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40 agitated | |
adj.被鼓动的,不安的 | |
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41 miller | |
n.磨坊主 | |
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42 hitch | |
v.免费搭(车旅行);系住;急提;n.故障;急拉 | |
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43 distended | |
v.(使)膨胀,肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44 humbly | |
adv. 恭顺地,谦卑地 | |
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45 chunk | |
n.厚片,大块,相当大的部分(数量) | |
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46 WHIMS | |
虚妄,禅病 | |
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47 wriggled | |
v.扭动,蠕动,蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 );(使身体某一部位)扭动;耍滑不做,逃避(应做的事等) | |
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48 contraction | |
n.缩略词,缩写式,害病 | |
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49 dabble | |
v.涉足,浅赏 | |
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50 percolated | |
v.滤( percolate的过去式和过去分词 );渗透;(思想等)渗透;渗入 | |
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51 grunted | |
(猪等)作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 ); (指人)发出类似的哼声; 咕哝着说 | |
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52 ablaze | |
adj.着火的,燃烧的;闪耀的,灯火辉煌的 | |
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53 winked | |
v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮 | |
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54 triumphantly | |
ad.得意洋洋地;得胜地;成功地 | |
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55 butt | |
n.笑柄;烟蒂;枪托;臀部;v.用头撞或顶 | |
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56 overflowing | |
n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的,充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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57 entreated | |
恳求,乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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