A week of demoralization all along the river followed the tragedy; but after the bulk of wreckage6 was cleared away and the stream had dropped to normal, the Fernalds actually began to congratulate themselves on the direful event.
"Well, the thing has not been all to the bad, by any means," commented Grandfather Fernald. "We have at least got rid of those unsightly tenements8 bordering the water which were such a blot9 on Freeman's Falls; and once gone, I do not mean to allow them ever to be put back again. I have bought up the land and shall use it as the site of the new granite10 bridge I intend to build across the stream. And in case I have more land than is needed for this purpose, the extra area can be used for a park which will be an ornament11 to the spot rather than an eyesore. Therefore, take it altogether, I consider that freshet a capital thing."
"I suppose you, my lad, do not entirely agree with me," added he, a twinkle gleaming beneath his shaggy brows. "You are thinking of that playhouse of yours and Laurie's that was carried off by the deluge13."
"I am afraid I was, sir."
"Pooh! Nonsense!" blustered14 the old gentleman. "What's a thing like that? Besides, Laurie's father proposes to rebuild it for you. Hasn't he told you?" questioned the man, noticing the surprise in the boy's face. "Oh, yes, indeed! He is going to put up another house for you; and judging from his plans, you will find yourself far better off than you were in the first place for this time he is to give you a real cottage, not simply a made-over boathouse. Yes, there is to be running water; a bedroom, study, and kitchenette; to say nothing of a bath and steam heat. He plans to connect it by piping with the central heating plant. So you see you will have a regular housekeeping bungalow15 instead of a camp."
"But—but—I can't let Mr. Fernald do all this for me," he protested. "It's—it's—too much."
"I shouldn't worry about him, if I were you," smiled the elder man. "It won't scrimp him, I imagine. Furthermore, it will be an excellent investment, for should the time ever come when you did not need the house it could be rented to one of our tenants17. He is to put a foundation under it this time and build it more solidly; and possibly he may decide to set it a trifle farther back from the water. In any case, he will see that it is right; you can trust him for that. It will not be carried away a second time."
"I certainly hope not," Ted agreed. "What a pity it was they did not have some way of notifying us from Melton! If they had only had a wireless18 apparatus19——" he broke off thoughtfully.
"I doubt if all the wireless in the world could have saved your little hut," answered Mr. Fernald kindly20. "It was nothing but a pasteboard house and wireless or no wireless it would have gone anyway. I often speculate as to how ships ever dared to go to sea before they had the protection of wireless communication. Ignorance was bliss21, I suppose. They knew nothing about it and therefore did not miss it. When we can boast no better way we are satisfied with the old. But think of the shipwrecks22 and accidents that might have been averted23! You will be studying about all this some day when you go to Technology or college."
Ted's face lighted at the words.
"You have all been so kind to me, Mr. Fernald," he murmured. "When I think of your sending me to college it almost bowls me over."
"You must never look upon it as an obligation, my boy," the old gentleman declared. "If there is any obligation at all (and there is a very real one) it is ours. The only obligation you have will be to do well at your studies and make us proud of you, and that you are doing all the time. Mr. Hazen tells me you are showing splendid progress. I hope by another week Laurie will be out of the woods, Pine Lea will be fumigated24, and you can resume your former way of living there without further interruptions from floods and illness. Still, I shall be sorry to have your little visit at Aldercliffe come to an end. You seem to have grown into the ways of the whole family and to fit in wherever you find yourself."
Mr. Fernald smiled affectionately at the lad.
"There is something that has been on my tongue's end to whisper to you for some time," he went on, after a brief interval25 of hesitancy. "I know you can keep a secret and so I mean to tell you one. In the spring we are going to take Laurie over to New York to see a very celebrated26 surgeon who is coming from Vienna to this country. We hear he has had great success with cases such as Laurie's and we hope he may be able to do something for the boy. Of course, no one knows this as yet, not even Laurie himself."
"Oh, Mr. Fernald! Do you mean there would be a chance that Laurie could walk sometime?" Ted cried.
The old man looked into the young and shining face and nervously27 brushed the back of his hand across his eyes.
"Perhaps; perhaps!" responded he gruffly. "Who can tell? This doctor has certainly performed some marvelous cures. Who knows but the lad may some day not only walk about, but leap and run as you do!"
"Oh, sir—!"
"But we must not be too sure or allow ourselves to be swept away by hope," cautioned Grandfather Fernald. "No one knows what can be done yet and we might be disappointed—sadly disappointed. Still, there is no denying that there is a fighting chance. But keep this to yourself, Ted. I must trust you to do that. If Laurie were to know anything about it, it would be very unfortunate, for the ordeal28 will mean both pain and suffering for him and he must not be worried about it in advance. He will need all his nerve and courage when the time for action comes. Moreover, we feel it would be cruel for him to glimpse such a vision and then find it only a mirage29. So we have told him nothing. But I have told you because you are fond of him and I wanted you to share the secret."
"It shall remain a secret, Mr. Fernald."
"I feel sure of that," the man replied. "You are a good boy, Ted. It was a lucky day that brought you to Pine Lea."
"A lucky one for me, sir!"
"For all of us, son! For all of us!" reiterated30 the old gentleman. "The year of your coming here will be one we never shall forget. It has been very eventful."
Certainly the final comment was no idle one. Not only had the year been a red-letter one but it was destined31 to prove even more conspicuously32 memorable33. With the spring the plans for the new village went rapidly forward and soon pretty little concrete houses with roofs of scarlet34 and trimmings of green dotted the slopes on the opposite side of the river. The laying out and building of this community became Grandfather Fernald's recreation and delight. Morning, noon, and evening he could be seen either perusing35 curling sheets of blue prints, consorting36 with his architects, or rolling off in his car to inspect the progress of the venture. Sometimes he took Ted with him, sometimes his son, and when Laurie was strong enough, the entire family frequently made the pilgrimage to the new settlement.
It was very attractive, there was no denying that; and it seemed as if nothing that could give pleasure to its future residents had been omitted. The tiny library had been Laurie's pet scheme, and not only had his grandfather eagerly carried out the boy's own plans but he had proudly ordered the lad's name to be chiselled37 across the front of the building. Ted's plea had been for a playground and this request had also been granted, since it appeared to be a wise one. It was a wonderful playground, bordering on the river and having swings and sand boxes for the children; seats for tired mothers; and a large ball-field with bleachers for the men and boys. The inhabitants of Freeman's Falls had never dreamed of such an ideal realm in which to live, and as tidings of the paradise went forth38, strangers began to flock into town in the hope of securing work in the mills and homes in the new settlement.
The Fernalds, however, soon made it plain that the preference was to be given to their old employees who had served them well and faithfully for so many years. Therefore, as fast as the houses were completed, they were assigned to those who had been longest in the company's employ and soon the streets of the new village were no longer silent but teemed39 with life and the laughter of a happy people. And among those for whom a charming little abode40 was reserved were the Turners, Ted's family.
Then came the tearing down of the temporary bridge of wood and the opening of the beautiful stone structure that arched the stream. Ah, what a holiday that was! The mills were closed, there was a band concert in the little park, dedication41 exercises, and fireworks in the evening. And great was Ted's surprise when he spied cut in the stone the words "Turner's Bridge!" Near the entrance was a modest bronze tablet stating that the memorial had been constructed in honor of Theodore Turner who, by his forethought in giving warning of the freshet of 1912 had saved the village of Freeman's Falls from inestimable calamity.
How the boy blushed when Mr. Lawrence Fernald mentioned him by name in the dedication speech! And yet he was pleased, too. And how the people cheered; and how proud his father and sisters were! Perhaps, however, the most delighted person of all was Laurie who had been in the secret all along and who now smiled radiantly to see his friend so honored.
"The townspeople may not go to my library," he laughed, "but every one of them will use your bridge. They will have to; they can't help it!"
The thought seemed to amuse him vastly and he always referred to the exquisite42 granite structure with its triple arch and richly carved piers43 of stone as Ted's Bridge.
Thus did the year with its varied44 experiences slip by and when June came the Fernalds carried Laurie to New York to consult the much heralded45 Viennese surgeon. Ah, those were feverish46, anxious days, not only for the Fernald family but for Ted and Mr. Hazen as well. The boy and the tutor had remained at Pine Lea there to continue their studies and await the tidings Laurie's father had promised to send them; and when the ominous47 yellow telegrams with their momentous48 messages began to arrive, they hardly knew whether to greet them with sorrow or rejoicing.
They need not, however, have dreaded49 the news for after careful examination the eminent50 specialist had decided51 to take a single desperate chance and operate with the hope of success. Laurie, they were told, was a monument of courage and had the spirit of a Spartan52. Unquestionably he merited the good luck that followed for fortune did reward his heroism,—smiling fortune. Of course, the miracle of health could not come all in a moment; months of convalescence53 must follow which would be unavoidably tedious with suffering. But beyond this arid54 stretch of pain lay the goal of recovery.
No lips could tell what this knowledge meant to those who loved the boy. In time he was to be as strong as any one! It was unbelievable. Nevertheless, the roseate promise was no dream. Laurie was brought home to Pine Lea and immediately the mending process began. Already one could read in the patient face the transformation55 hope had wrought56. There was some day to be college, not alone for Ted but for Laurie himself,—college, and sports, and a career.
In the fullness of time these long-anticipated joys began to arrive. Health made its appearance and at its heels trouped57 success and happiness; and to balance them came gratitude58, humility59, and service. In the meantime, with every lengthening60 year, the friendship between Laurie and Ted toughened in fiber61 and became a closer bond. And it was not engineering or electricity that ultimately claimed the constructive62 interest of the two comrades but instead the Fernald mills, which upon Grandfather Fernald's retirement63 called for younger men at their helm. So after going forth into the great world and whetting64 the weapons of their intellect they found the dragon they had planned to slay65 waiting for them at home in Freeman's Falls. Yet notwithstanding its familiar environment, it was a very real dragon and resolutely66 the two young men attacked it, putting into their management of the extensive industry all the spirit of brotherhood67 that burned in their hearts and all the desire for service which they cherished. With the aim of bringing about a kindlier coöperation and fuller sympathy between capital and labor68 they toiled69, and the world to which they gave their efforts was the better for it.
Nevertheless, they did not entirely abandon their scientific interests for on the border of the river stood a tiny shack70 equipped with a powerful wireless apparatus. Here on a leisure afternoon Ted Turner and his comrade could often be found capturing from the atmosphere those magic sounds that spelled the intercourse71 of peoples, and the thought of nations; and often they spoke72 of Alexander Graham Bell and those patient pioneers who, together with him, had made it possible for the speech of man to traverse continents and circle a universe.
The End
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1
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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devastation
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| n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤 | |
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wreckage
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| n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏 | |
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ted
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| vt.翻晒，撒，撒开 | |
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tenements
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| n.房屋，住户，租房子( tenement的名词复数 ) | |
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blot
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| vt.弄脏（用吸墨纸）吸干；n.污点，污渍 | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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blustered
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| v.外强中干的威吓( bluster的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮；（风）呼啸；狂吹 | |
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bungalow
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| n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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shipwrecks
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| 海难，船只失事( shipwreck的名词复数 )； 沉船 | |
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averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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fumigated
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| v.用化学品熏（某物）消毒( fumigate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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mirage
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| n.海市蜃楼，幻景 | |
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reiterated
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| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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conspicuously
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| ad.明显地，惹人注目地 | |
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memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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perusing
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| v.读（某篇文字）( peruse的现在分词 )；（尤指）细阅；审阅；匆匆读或心不在焉地浏览（某篇文字） | |
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consorting
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| v.结伴( consort的现在分词 )；交往；相称；调和 | |
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chiselled
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| adj.凿过的，凿光的； （文章等）精心雕琢的v.凿，雕，镌( chisel的过去式 ) | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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teemed
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| v.充满( teem的过去式和过去分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注 | |
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abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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dedication
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| n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞 | |
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42
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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43
piers
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| n.水上平台( pier的名词复数 )；（常设有娱乐场所的）突堤；柱子；墙墩 | |
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44
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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heralded
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| v.预示( herald的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
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feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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47
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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48
momentous
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| adj.重要的，重大的 | |
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49
dreaded
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| 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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50
eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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51
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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52
spartan
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| adj.简朴的，刻苦的；n.斯巴达；斯巴达式的人 | |
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convalescence
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| n.病后康复期 | |
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54
arid
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| adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的 | |
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55
transformation
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| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
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56
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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trouped
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| 巡回演出（troupe的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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58
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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60
lengthening
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的现在分词 )； 加长 | |
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fiber
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| n.纤维，纤维质 | |
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62
constructive
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| adj.建设的，建设性的 | |
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retirement
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| n.退休，退职 | |
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64
whetting
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| v.（在石头上）磨（刀、斧等）( whet的现在分词 )；引起，刺激（食欲、欲望、兴趣等） | |
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65
slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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66
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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67
brotherhood
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| n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊 | |
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68
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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69
toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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70
shack
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| adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚 | |
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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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72
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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