CHAPTER XII FINIS

 In a room of the Lazy S ranch¹ house Sam Fisher lay upon a cot; another held Steve Arnold, both men bandaged, splinted, and smoking cheerfully. Beside the sheriff of Pecos sat Estella Shumway, in her eyes a glow of happiness such as they had not known for months.

 

Jake Harper, caressing² his glossy³ black mustache, stood in the center of the room. He was just leaving for town. Behind him stood his half-crippled foreman, surveying Sam Fisher with a wolfish smile on his ancient features.

 

Jake clapped his foreman on the shoulder.

 

"Listen, Sam!" he said earnestly. "This here old relic⁴, which same has fit more Injuns than kids like you ever seen, is agoin' to camp outside the door of that there cell we puts Mr. Buck⁵ into. Three more of my outfit⁶ camps in the jail likewise, until you gits there in person. If you figger Buck gittin' away from them four you guess again."

 

"C'rect; Jake," and Sam Fisher laughed softly. "Hold Buck there until I can reach town, that's all. You don't think any one will try to rescue him?"

 

Jake Harper pursed up his lips.

 

"Rescue him? Not much. The coroner's verdict will guarantee him a quick trial for the murder of Miguel, won't it? And I'm goin' to stick around town my ownself. Don't you worry none about any rescue. Them decrepit⁷ Injun fighters of mine is runnin' his whole outfit, or what's left of it, out the county."

 

"All right," said Fisher, nodding. "You take the keys to the sheriff's office—they're with the others I gave you—and look inside the sheriff's desk for those papers about Buck and Murphy. They must go to the governor at once; I'll have to go with 'em, I guess, so that puts it off a few days. Those papers are more important than anything else, Buck; they prove that Frank Shumway was framed and that it was done through Murphy. We'll get a full confession⁸ out of Murphy, beyond a doubt. So we want to get the matter up to the governor and get a pardon for Frank at the earliest moment."

 

"I'll attend to them," promised Jake. He stepped forward and held out his hand. "So long! Hasta la vista⁹!"

 

"Say, Jake!" Over their clasped hands Fisher looked up, a twinkle in his eye. "One thing more! Send that preacher out here to-morrow, will you?"

 

"What for?" demanded Jake in surprise.

 

"Never mind. You send him."

 

"All right. So long, Stella; see you later!"

 

Jake and his foreman stamped out. Stella Shumway looked at the sheriff of Pecos, her face very red.

 

"Sam, what do you want that preacher for?"

 

"Wait a minute." Fisher lifted himself on his good elbow, and looked at the adjoining cot. He met the grinning features of Steve Arnold, and made a fierce grimace¹⁰. "You, Steve! If I was you, cowboy, I'd look the other way—right at that wall. It's a heap interesting."

 

With a chuckle¹¹ Steve obeyed and turned his head.

 

Fisher dropped on his pillows, and reaching out, seized the hand of the girl.

 

"Stella, I done bought the ranch, and I'll pay that mortgage, too—but you ain't told me yet if it's done with your consent. You know, Stella——"

 

The girl's eyes met his in a smiling glory.

 

"I don't aim to leave the old place, Sam," she said softly, and bent¹² her lips to his.

 

 

THE END

1 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

2 caressing   

爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的

参考例句：

• The spring wind is gentle and caressing. 春风和畅。
• He sat silent still caressing Tartar, who slobbered with exceeding affection. 他不声不响地坐在那里，不断抚摸着鞑靼，它由于获得超常的爱抚而不淌口水。

3 glossy   

adj.平滑的；有光泽的

参考例句：

• I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
• She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。

4 relic   

n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物

参考例句：

• This stone axe is a relic of ancient times.这石斧是古代的遗物。
• He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past.他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。

5 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

6 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

7 decrepit   

adj.衰老的，破旧的

参考例句：

• The film had been shot in a decrepit old police station.该影片是在一所破旧不堪的警察局里拍摄的。
• A decrepit old man sat on a park bench.一个衰弱的老人坐在公园的长凳上。

8 confession   

n.自白，供认，承认

参考例句：

• Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
• The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。

9 vista   

n.远景，深景，展望，回想

参考例句：

• From my bedroom window I looked out on a crowded vista of hills and rooftops.我从卧室窗口望去，远处尽是连绵的山峦和屋顶。
• These uprisings come from desperation and a vista of a future without hope.发生这些暴动是因为人们被逼上了绝路，未来看不到一点儿希望。

10 grimace   

v.做鬼脸，面部歪扭

参考例句：

• The boy stole a look at his father with grimace.那男孩扮着鬼脸偷看了他父亲一眼。
• Thomas made a grimace after he had tasted the wine.托马斯尝了那葡萄酒后做了个鬼脸。

11 chuckle   

vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑

参考例句：

• He shook his head with a soft chuckle.他轻轻地笑着摇了摇头。
• I couldn't suppress a soft chuckle at the thought of it.想到这个，我忍不住轻轻地笑起来。

12 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。