Gracefully2 he dashed at the veranda steps, just as though he intended to gallop3 into the hotel; then, deftly4 whirling his horse, he came to a halt broadside on to the three lads who were watching him over the veranda rail. So suddenly did the cowboy stop, that his horse sat down and slid to a standstill in a flurry of dust.
“Whoop!” cried the admiring Clancy to the master horseman, “say, old man, you’re all to the mustard.”
“Shucks!” grinned the cowboy, “stoppin’ in a horse’s length from full gallop ain’t nothing to what old Hot Shot can do. This here little cayuse can ride up the side of a house, with me on his back, and then turn a summerset off’n the ridge5 pole. Fact. Which is the hombray that totes the label of Merriwell?”
“I’m the hombre,” laughed Merry.
The cowboy drew back in his saddle and peered at him through half-closed eyes.
“Is that all there is of ye?” he inquired. “From what I’ve heard, I reckoned ye was about ten feet high an’ went chuggin’ around like a steam engine. My notions was kinder hazy6, more’n like. Since I was a kid, my favor-ite hero has allers been that dad o’ yourn. I allow,
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that pullin’ off athletic7 stunts8 comes mighty9 easy for you, arter the way you was brung up. Here’s a paper talk I was asked to kerry in an’ pass over to ye.”
The cowboy jerked a letter from the breast of his shirt, flipped10 it toward Merriwell, then rattled11 his spurs and bore on with a husky “Adios!” Frank had caught the missive deftly, and he now sat staring glumly12 after the disappearing rider.
“Come out of it, Chip,” said Ballard. “Just open that paper talk and let’s hear what it says.”
“That cowboy thinks athletics13 come easy for me because dad made such a record,” muttered Frank. “I wish to thunder people would understand that such things can’t be handed down in a fellow’s family, like silver spoons, and the grandfather’s clock, and the old homestead.”
“Don’t fret14 about anything that cowboy said,” returned Clancy. “He also had a notion that you were ten feet high, and went snorting around like a locomotive. His ideas don’t seem to be reliable, anyhow. What’s in the letter, Chip?”
Frank tore open the envelope and drew out the inclosed sheet. His face brightened as he read the letter.
“Here’s news, fellows,” said he; “listen.” And he read aloud:
“‘I’ll bet something handsome you’ll be surprised when you get this and find out some of us Gold Hill fellows are back at the old camp in the gulch15. We’re here for a week, and we want you and Reddy, and Pink to come out and see us to-morrow. Hotch and I challenge you for a canoe race, or a swimming match, or any other old thing that’s in the line of sport and excitement. We hear that you’re soon to leave Arizona, and we can’t let you go without having a visit with you. Of course,
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we don’t expect to beat you at anything—you were born with the athletic virus in your veins16 and all sports are second nature to you—but give us a chance to do our best against you, anyway. Come on, and stay as long as you can.’
“And that,” Frank added, with the shadow of a frown crossing his face, “is signed by Bleeker, the Gold Hill chap we’re pretty well acquainted with.”
“It’s a bully17 letter!” Clancy declared. “What’s more, it hits me about where I live. Staying holed up in this hotel for the rest of the time we’re in Arizona doesn’t appeal to me a little bit. We’ll go, of course?”
“No studies for a couple of days, Chip!” put in Ballard, repressing his exultation18. “Mrs. Boorland will reach Ophir to-day, and then she and the professor will be busy selling out their mine to the syndicate. The prof told us, you remember, that he regretted the break in our studies, but that he expected to make it up as soon as the mine is out of the way. Let’s pile in and enjoy ourselves. What?”
“Did you absorb what Bleek says about all sports being second nature to me?” fretted19 Merry, staring gloomily at that particular passage in the letter. “Say, I wonder if anybody gives me credit for doing anything in my own right? I’ve put in some pretty hard licks trying to make a sprinter20, a pitcher21, and a few other things out of myself, and yet there’s an impression around that dad’s responsible for it all. It’s a thundering big handicap, and I’m getting tired of it. I don’t care a picayune what a fellow inherits, he has to stand on his own feet, and it’s what he does himself that makes or breaks him.”
Merriwell was getting rather warm on the subject—too warm, he suddenly realized, and put the clamps on himself.
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“Of course,” he went on, “I’m mighty lucky in having a father in the champion class. He has been mighty good to me, and his advice has been the biggest kind of a help, but he has only pointed22 the way, and it was left to me whether I made good or not. It’s the most foolish thing in the world, strikes me, to think a fellow is worthy23 or worthless simply because his father was one or the other. Now——”
Merriwell paused. The stage from Gold Hill, several hours late, was lumbering24 up the main street of Ophir. He had been watching it moodily25 while he talked; and then, abruptly26, his moodiness27 vanished and he jumped to his feet.
“By Jove!” he exclaimed, in pleased surprise. “As sure as shooting, fellows, there’s Barzy Blunt!”
There was no doubt about it. Barzy Blunt, on horseback, was riding along at the side of the stage; and, on a seat of the stage, was a little old lady with spectacles, and a shawl over her shoulders.
“Hello, Barzy!” Frank called, leaning out over the veranda railing and waving his hand. “Wasn’t expecting to see you. How are you, old man?”
“How’s the ranch28, Barze?” shouted Clancy.
“Good old Barzy!” chirped29 Ballard. “You’re a wonder, all right. Whoever had a notion you’d be turning up in Ophir this afternoon?”
The stage had halted in front of the hotel, and Blunt had swung down from his saddle and rushed to the side of the vehicle. He waved a joyous30 greeting to the lads on the veranda, and then very carefully helped the old lady to alight. Pophagan, proprietor31 of the hotel, came briskly out, followed by the Chinaman who acted as porter.
“Glad to see ye, Blunt,” said Pophagan. “An’ this
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here is Mrs. Hilt Boorland, ain’t it? It’s been a heap o’ years since I’ve seen Mrs. Boorland. Howdy, mum? Feelin’ well, I hope? I been savin’ a good room for you. I’ll take the grip, and the chink, I reckon, can manage the trunk. Come right in whenever you’re ready. Have a break-down, Andy?” he called to the stage driver. “You’re a long time behind schedule.”
The roustabout shouldered the little, hide-bound trunk and trotted32 into the hotel with it. Pophagan, already up the steps, was swinging a scarred and battered33 satchel34. Blunt, still very carefully, was helping35 the old lady mount to the veranda. Merry ran down and lent his assistance. Andy, settling back in his seat and picking up the reins36, was sputtering37 about the broken wheel and the delay. He drove on, still sputtering, bound for the post office, where he was to leave the mail bags.
“Merriwell,” said Blunt, after his charge had safely reached the veranda, “this is Mrs. Boorland. Mam,” and he turned to the old lady, “this is Frank Merriwell, and Owen Clancy, and Billy Ballard. I reckon,” and he laughed softly, “that you’re not exactly strangers to each other.”
“Deary me!” exclaimed the little old lady, very much flustered38. “Why, the letters Barzy wrote to me at the hospital were just full of things about you boys.” She got up and put her trembling arms about Merriwell. “You don’t mind an old woman showing her affection for you, do you? Seems like you were one of my boys, same as Barzy. You did a lot for Barzy, you and your friends, Frank Merriwell. I just wish I had the last letter he wrote me! If you could see the fine things he said about you, you’d know you’d never lack for a friend so long as Barzy’s alive.”
She turned from Frank to Owen.
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“And here’s Mr. Clancy,” she went on, “and Mr. Ballard! Goodness sakes, I am just as pleased as I can be. We’d have got here a lot sooner if the wheel hadn’t broken, ’way off in the cañon. I had to wait in the stage while the driver came on to get another wheel. Well, it was lonesome, but I didn’t mind. Two young fellows came along on foot, and they kind of cheered me up, only they didn’t stay long. Now, Barzy,” and Mrs. Boorland turned supplicatingly to the cowboy, “don’t you go and think hard about those two young fellows. I don’t believe they had a thing to do with it, not a thing. I just pulled out my handkerchief, and the roll came with it—and that’s how it was lost.”
“Never mind, mam,” said Blunt, allowing a smile to chase away the hard look that had come over his face, “you’re not as strong as you might be, and I’m going to take you into the house and make you comfortable.”
“I hope I’ll see a lot of you boys while I’m here,” Mrs. Boorland said, clinging with both hands to Blunt’s arm. “I’ll be here for quite a little while, I reckon. Friends of Barzy’s are always friends of mine, and mighty good friends, too.”
She and the cowboy vanished inside the hotel.
“So that’s Mrs. Boorland!” murmured Ballard. “She’s a nice old lady and I’m glad she’s got a wad of money coming to her.”
“Same here,” spoke39 up Clancy. “It was a lucky thing for Blunt that, when he was a homeless kid, a woman like Mrs. Boorland took him in and made a home for him.”
“And Blunt, ever since Mr. Boorland died,” said Merry, “has been paying back the debt. While Mrs. Boorland was in the hospital, he sent about all his wages to her, and even sold his favorite riding horse to me so
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he could send more when he found his wages weren’t enough. Well, I don’t blame him at all. I’d do the same for an old lady like that.”
A few moments later Blunt came back to the veranda. There was an angry frown on his face as he dropped into a chair near Merriwell.
“What’s biting you, Barzy?” Frank inquired.
“A whole lot, pard,” Blunt answered. “I’ve danced the medicine and am going on the warpath. Do you know a fellow with a white face, washed-out eyes, and tow hair?”
“Well, slightly,” Merriwell answered, with a grim smile. “He was brought on from some place unknown by Jode Lenning to coach the Gold Hill football squad40. But he and Jode have both got their walking papers, and where they are now is more than I know.”
“They were in the cañon this afternoon,” scowled41 Blunt. “Mrs. Boorland saw them there. They were on foot and walking this way, but they stopped to talk for a spell. After they left and went down the cañon, this white-faced skunk42 came back. He talked some more, and when he went away for good, Mrs. Boorland found that two hundred in bills was missing from her hand bag.”
“Great Scott!” muttered Clancy. “Billy Shoup is up to his old tricks.”
“He must have had his nerve with him to steal from an old woman!” exclaimed Ballard contemptuously.
“I’ll bet a row of ’dobies that Lenning was in on the deal as much as Shoup,” said Blunt darkly, “only he was too much of a coward to pull off the robbery. I’m going on the warpath and get that money back—and with interest. You hear me!”
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1
veranda
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| n.走廊；阳台 | |
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gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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hazy
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| adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的 | |
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athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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8
stunts
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| n.惊人的表演( stunt的名词复数 )；（广告中）引人注目的花招；愚蠢行为；危险举动v.阻碍…发育[生长]，抑制，妨碍( stunt的第三人称单数 ) | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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flipped
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| 轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥 | |
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rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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glumly
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| adv.忧郁地，闷闷不乐地；阴郁地 | |
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athletics
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| n.运动，体育，田径运动 | |
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fret
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| v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损 | |
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gulch
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| n.深谷，峡谷 | |
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veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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fretted
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| 焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的 | |
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sprinter
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| n.短跑运动员，短距离全速奔跑者 | |
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pitcher
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| n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐；(棒球)投手 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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moodily
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| adv.喜怒无常地；情绪多变地；心情不稳地；易生气地 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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moodiness
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| n.喜怒无常；喜怒无常，闷闷不乐；情绪 | |
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ranch
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| n.大牧场，大农场 | |
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chirped
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| 鸟叫，虫鸣( chirp的过去式 ) | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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satchel
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| n.(皮或帆布的)书包 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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sputtering
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| n.反应溅射法；飞溅；阴极真空喷镀；喷射v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的现在分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出 | |
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38
flustered
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| adj.慌张的；激动不安的v.使慌乱，使不安( fluster的过去式和过去分词) | |
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39
spoke
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| 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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40
squad
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| n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
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41
scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
skunk
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| n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥 | |
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