小说搜索     点击排行榜   最新入库
首页 » 英文短篇小说 » Frank Merriwell in Maine » CHAPTER XX. THE FIGHT.
选择底色: 选择字号:【大】【中】【小】
CHAPTER XX. THE FIGHT.
关注小说网官方公众号(noveltingroom),原版名著免费领。
The figure of the dance was new to Jack1, but the girl was perfectly2 acquainted with it, and she piloted him at first, till he caught on, for it proved simple enough.

She was a graceful3 dancer. Jack found opportunities to converse4 with her. At first she was rather reticent5, but he drew her out, and he was surprised to find her an agreeable and intelligent talker. He introduced himself, and she told him her name was Jennie Wren6. She said her father had been to Virginia to get out ship timber, but she had never been farther away than Boston.

“Boston is a splendid city,” said Jack. “I haven’t been able to spend much time there.”

“I spent several months there,” she declared.

“Indeed! You were fortunate.”

“I think so, but you see I earned all the money to pay my tuition.”

“Your tuition?”

“Yes. I took a course at the Boston Conservatory7 of Music.”

Diamond nearly dropped. For some moments he was dazed and could not say a word. This girl had attended the Boston Conservatory of Music, she was pretty and seemed refined, and she was to be married to a big, bewhiskered, hulking, red-shirted ruffian who proclaimed[174] his ignorance by his general appearance, as well as his talk.

Diamond pitied her, for he had heard enough to know she was being forced into the marriage against her wishes. It was plain she really cared for the respectable-appearing young man named Bill.

When there was another opportunity to talk, the girl said:

“I taught school a long time to earn the money, but I’ve never regretted spending it as I did.”

“That’s nice,” murmured Diamond, stupidly, for he was at a loss for words now.

“Sometimes,” pursued the girl, “I’ve regretted that I came back here, but my father has been very good, and I could not leave him.”

“Of course not.”

Jack could not talk. He understood the situation now, and his brain was in a whirl. Through his head flashed wild schemes for rescuing this girl from the red-shirted ruffian and giving her to the one she loved. The thought that she might be forced into marriage with the big brute8 in the red shirt caused the Virginian to grind his teeth.

Diamond longed to talk to her of this, but he knew there was no way of doing so on such short acquaintance. After a time he recovered enough to talk of music, upon which he was posted and in which he was interested, and this subject proved a sympathetic bond between them.

The girl was pleased with Jack, for she saw in him the perfect gentleman, who treated her with as much courtesy as if she had been the finest lady in the land.

[175]

The dance was almost over when she shyly asked him if he waltzed. He did. She said it was not easy to find partners for the waltz, and then she blushed furiously and laughed to cover her confusion. Jack asked her to waltz with him.

“The next waltz?” she murmured.

“Of course.”

“I will. They will have a waltz after this dance, I think.”

When the quadrille was over, Jack escorted her to the ladies’ dressing9 room, and waited outside for her to reappear.

Barely had she entered when the big red-shirted man rudely pushed past Diamond, threw open the door of the room and entered, regardless of the fact that he had no business in there.

Jack hesitated, more than half tempted10 to follow. While he was hesitating, there came a shriek11 from the room.

With one bound the Virginian flung open the door and plunged12 in, beholding13 a spectacle that aroused him to such fury as he had not felt in months.

The man had the girl by the neck, and he was shaking her in a most brutal14 manner.

With a shout and a bound, the Southerner was on him. He struck the brute behind the ear, and hurled15 him against the wall with the force of the blow. Then he caught the half fainting girl in his arms.

But Diamond had made a mistake in thinking the blow, which would have knocked out an ordinary man, must settle the ruffian for a time.

[176]

The man recovered in a twinkling, and then, with a snarl16 of fury, he lunged at Diamond, tearing the girl from Jack and sending her staggering into a corner.

The Virginian felt a grip of iron close upon him. He tried to twist about, but it was not possible to do so in that clutch. Then he realized that the man had the strength of a Samson.

“Cuss ye!” grated the big ruffian. “I’ll fix ye!”

Holding Jack with one hand, he struck at him with the other. The Virginian dodged17 his head to one side, and the blow missed. But this simply served to make the ruffian still angrier.

However, before he could strike again, another person came rushing into the dressing room.

It was Frank Merriwell.

Merry instantly saw his friend was in a bad scrape, an he flew at the red-shirted man.

Once more the ruffian received a frightful18 crack under the ear, and Diamond was torn from his clutch at the same moment.

“Look out for the girl!” came from Merriwell, and then he followed the man up.

Frank Merriwell was a scientific fighter. He did not propose to let the brute get a clutch on him, for something told him the man had wonderful strength.

Before the man could recover, Merry hit him again and again; but the blows did not seem to have any great effect, for, with a roar of rage, the wretch19 recovered and came at him.

Instantly Merriwell bounded backward and out through[177] the open door, knowing it would not do to be cornered in that small room.

The man followed.

There were screams in the hall, hoarse20 shouts and the rush of feet.

“A fight! a fight!”

That was the cry.

“Mike will kill ther kid!” shouted a voice.

Diamond came lunging out of the dressing room, eager to stand by Merriwell. He sought to get at the ruffian, but he was grabbed by the other red-shirted fellow, and a voice jabbered21:

“You no do dat! I take de han’ in dis. Levi Pombere he look out for you. How you to like dat?”

Then he struck Diamond with his fist.

It was the French Canadian, who was evidently a friend of the big man who was trying to smash Merry.

By this time Diamond was like a wildcat. He went at the fellow with such fury that the “Canuck” fell back, vainly trying to defend himself from the shower of blows which stung his face, beat on his eyes, flattened22 his nose and bewildered him generally.

Diamond followed up every advantage. Never in all his life had he fought with such frenzy23. The Canadian could not stop him, and soon the fellow’s face was cut and bleeding in several places. Then Jack knocked him down, waited for him to get up, and knocked him down again. The astounded24 and damaged man, who had fancied he was dealing25 with a boy he could handle easily, scrambled26 on[178] his hands and knees toward the stairs, reached the head and rolled clean to the bottom.

Around the hall men and girls were standing27 against the wall, with their feet on the bench, watching the fight. Not a few of them had witnessed a fight at a country dance before that, but this one was a revelation, for they saw two beardless lads whipping two men who seemed able to eat the boys, and who had the reputation of having cleaned out a dozen men.

The fight between Merriwell and the big man was fully28 as fierce as the one between Diamond and the Canadian. Frank took care not to let the ruffian get hold of him. He dodged under the man’s outstretched arms, hitting him in the wind till the big fellow was doubled up. Then Frank forced the man back. When they were about ten feet from the door that opened out upon the stairs, Frank struck the ruffian a fearful blow, sending him staggering back and back till he passed out through the door and went crashing to the bottom of the stairs, landing on the Canadian, who lay there groaning29.

Some men went down and found both men at the foot of the stairs, completely knocked out. Then they were carried away.

The news was brought back into the hall, and Merriwell and Diamond were surrounded by an admiring crowd. All the men wished to shake hands with the wonderful fighters, while some of the girls actually expressed a desire to hug them.

“Do you know who you whipped, young man?” asked one of the male witnesses.

[179]

“I know I did my best to whip a big brute,” answered Frank, quietly.

“Well, that big brute, as you call him, has the reputation of being the worst man on the Penobscot. Why, he’s Mike Sullivan, and he’s known from the Allaguash to Bangor.”

“Mike Sullivan!” exclaimed Frank. “Isn’t he a river driver?”

“He is; and he’s boss of a crew that’s comin’ down the river with a drive. He came on ahead to be at this dance.”

Frank turned to Jack.

“By Jove!” he exclaimed. “Mike Sullivan is the boss of Fred Forest’s crew!”

“That doesn’t make any difference,” said Jack. “He deserved all he got—and more.”

Then he went away to search for the pretty girl he had defended.

The boys were urged to leave the hall, for it was said Sullivan and Pombere would return as soon as they were patched up; but they showed no fear, and they remained.

Jack danced with Jennie Wren twice, and, when he left, near midnight, he had the satisfaction of seeing her waltzing with Bill.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
2 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
3 graceful deHza     
adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的
参考例句:
  • His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
  • The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。
4 converse 7ZwyI     
vi.谈话,谈天,闲聊;adv.相反的,相反
参考例句:
  • He can converse in three languages.他可以用3种语言谈话。
  • I wanted to appear friendly and approachable but I think I gave the converse impression.我想显得友好、平易近人些,却发觉给人的印象恰恰相反。
5 reticent dW9xG     
adj.沉默寡言的;言不如意的
参考例句:
  • He was reticent about his opinion.他有保留意见。
  • He was extremely reticent about his personal life.他对自己的个人生活讳莫如深。
6 wren veCzKb     
n.鹪鹩;英国皇家海军女子服务队成员
参考例句:
  • A wren is a kind of short-winged songbird.鹪鹩是一种短翼的鸣禽。
  • My bird guide confirmed that a Carolina wren had discovered the thickets near my house.我掌握的鸟类知识使我确信,一只卡罗莱纳州鹪鹩已经发现了我家的这个灌木丛。
7 conservatory 4YeyO     
n.温室,音乐学院;adj.保存性的,有保存力的
参考例句:
  • At the conservatory,he learned how to score a musical composition.在音乐学校里,他学会了怎样谱曲。
  • The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants.这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。
8 brute GSjya     
n.野兽,兽性
参考例句:
  • The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
  • That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲,它咬人。
9 dressing 1uOzJG     
n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料
参考例句:
  • Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
  • The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。
10 tempted b0182e969d369add1b9ce2353d3c6ad6     
v.怂恿(某人)干不正当的事;冒…的险(tempt的过去分词)
参考例句:
  • I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚,但还是没开口。
  • I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。
11 shriek fEgya     
v./n.尖叫,叫喊
参考例句:
  • Suddenly he began to shriek loudly.突然他开始大声尖叫起来。
  • People sometimes shriek because of terror,anger,or pain.人们有时会因为恐惧,气愤或疼痛而尖叫。
12 plunged 06a599a54b33c9d941718dccc7739582     
v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降
参考例句:
  • The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
  • She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳,从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。
13 beholding 05d0ea730b39c90ee12d6e6b8c193935     
v.看,注视( behold的现在分词 );瞧;看呀;(叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现)哎哟
参考例句:
  • Beholding, besides love, the end of love,/Hearing oblivion beyond memory! 我看见了爱,还看到了爱的结局,/听到了记忆外层的哪一片寂寥! 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
  • Hence people who began by beholding him ended by perusing him. 所以人们从随便看一看他开始的,都要以仔细捉摸他而终结。 来自辞典例句
14 brutal bSFyb     
adj.残忍的,野蛮的,不讲理的
参考例句:
  • She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
  • They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼,骨子里却是野蛮残忍。
15 hurled 16e3a6ba35b6465e1376a4335ae25cd2     
v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 );大声叫骂
参考例句:
  • He hurled a brick through the window. 他往窗户里扔了块砖。
  • The strong wind hurled down bits of the roof. 大风把屋顶的瓦片刮了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 snarl 8FAzv     
v.吼叫,怒骂,纠缠,混乱;n.混乱,缠结,咆哮
参考例句:
  • At the seaside we could hear the snarl of the waves.在海边我们可以听见波涛的咆哮。
  • The traffic was all in a snarl near the accident.事故发生处附近交通一片混乱。
17 dodged ae7efa6756c9d8f3b24f8e00db5e28ee     
v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 );回避
参考例句:
  • He dodged cleverly when she threw her sabot at him. 她用木底鞋砸向他时,他机敏地闪开了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He dodged the book that I threw at him. 他躲开了我扔向他的书。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 frightful Ghmxw     
adj.可怕的;讨厌的
参考例句:
  • How frightful to have a husband who snores!有一个发鼾声的丈夫多讨厌啊!
  • We're having frightful weather these days.这几天天气坏极了。
19 wretch EIPyl     
n.可怜的人,不幸的人;卑鄙的人
参考例句:
  • You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him.你不但不谢他,还埋怨他,真不知好歹。
  • The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him.死去的丈夫不是他们所想象的不光彩的坏蛋。
20 hoarse 5dqzA     
adj.嘶哑的,沙哑的
参考例句:
  • He asked me a question in a hoarse voice.他用嘶哑的声音问了我一个问题。
  • He was too excited and roared himself hoarse.他过于激动,嗓子都喊哑了。
21 jabbered f70f6f36359b199c8eeddfacf646e18e     
v.急切而含混不清地说( jabber的过去式和过去分词 );急促兴奋地说话
参考例句:
  • She jabbered away, trying to distract his attention. 她喋喋不休,想分散他的注意力。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The politician jabbered away about matters of which he has no knowledge. 那个政客不知所云地侈谈自己一无所知的事情。 来自辞典例句
22 flattened 1d5d9fedd9ab44a19d9f30a0b81f79a8     
[医](水)平扁的,弄平的
参考例句:
  • She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
  • I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。
23 frenzy jQbzs     
n.疯狂,狂热,极度的激动
参考例句:
  • He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。
  • They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。
24 astounded 7541fb163e816944b5753491cad6f61a     
v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词);愕然;愕;惊讶
参考例句:
  • His arrogance astounded her. 他的傲慢使她震惊。
  • How can you say that? I'm absolutely astounded. 你怎么能说出那种话?我感到大为震惊。
25 dealing NvjzWP     
n.经商方法,待人态度
参考例句:
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
26 scrambled 2e4a1c533c25a82f8e80e696225a73f2     
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞
参考例句:
  • Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
27 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
28 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
参考例句:
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
29 groaning groaning     
adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • She's always groaning on about how much she has to do. 她总抱怨自己干很多活儿。
  • The wounded man lay there groaning, with no one to help him. 受伤者躺在那里呻吟着,无人救助。


欢迎访问英文小说网

©英文小说网 2005-2010

有任何问题,请给我们留言,管理员邮箱:[email protected]  站长QQ :点击发送消息和我们联系56065533