They were busy days in Orrville. But business rarely yielded outward display in its citizens. Men talked more. They perhaps moved about more--in their customary leisurely2 fashion. But any approach to bustle3 was as foreign to the rule of the township as it would be to a colony of aged5 snails6 in a cyclone7.
It was the custom of Orrville to rise early and go to bed late. But this by no means implies any excessive activity. On the contrary. These spells of activity lasted just as long as their accomplishment8 required. In the interim9 its citizens returned to a slumber10 little less profound than that which supervened at night after the last roysterer had been ejected, by force, or persuasion11, from the salubrious precincts of Ju Penrose's saloon.
Orrville was a ranching13 township in the northwestern corner of Montana lying roughly some twenty miles west of the foothills of the Cathill Mountains, which, in turn, formed a projecting spur of the main range of the Rockies.
Orrville was the township and Ju Penrose was the pioneer of its commerce. He was a man of keen instincts for commerce of his own especial brand, and rejoiced in a disreputable past. He possessed14 a thin, hooked nose of some dimensions, which never failed to cut a way for its owner into the shady secrets of his neighbors. He possessed a temper as amiable15 and mild as a spring lamb when the stream of prosperity and profit flowed his way, and as vitriolic16 as a she-wolf in winter, when that stream chanced to become diverted into a neighbor's direction.
He was considered a man of some importance in the place. But this was probably the result of the nature of his trade, which, in the eyes of the denizens17 of the neighborhood, certainly possessed an advantage over such stodgy18 callings as "dry goods." But besides the all-important thirst-quenching purpose of his establishment, it had become a sort of bureau for large and small transactions of a ranching nature, and a resort where every sort of card game could be freely indulged in, without regard for the limit of the stakes, and had thus gained for itself the subsidiary title amongst its clientele of "Ju's Poker19 Joint20."
At the moment Ju's usually busy tongue was taking a well-earned rest, and his hawk-like visage was shrouded21 in a deep, contemplative repose22. His always bloodshot eyes were speculative23 as he surveyed the smoke-laden scene from behind his shabby bar. The place was full of drinkers and gamblers. The hour was past midnight. And he was estimating silently the further spending possibilities of his customers, and consequently considering the advisability of closing down.
A group of three ranch12 hands leaned against the centre of the bar. Their glasses were empty and none of them seemed anxious to command their refilling. They were talking earnestly. And their voices were unusually modulated24. Just beyond these a slight, good-looking man in chapps, with a face of particularly refined but somewhat debauched appearance, was obviously interested in their talk, although he took no part in it. On the other side of them, away at the far end of the bar, leaned a solitary25, tough-looking drinker, who seemed to take no interest whatever in his surroundings. Every man in the place, the dozen or so occupying the card tables included, was fully26 armed in the customary fashion prevailing27 in this distant corner of the ranching world, and it would have needed no second thought to realize that these heavy, loaded weapons were not by any means intended for decorative28 purposes.
"Wal, anyways they're a long time fixin' things," observed one of the three at the centre of the bar, with a yawn that displayed a double row of gleaming white teeth. "The boss guessed I'd best wait around, so it ain't a heap o' use kickin'. I'll hev to wait till the durned committee's through, if it takes 'em sittin' as long us a hide-bound hen."
"It's allus that-a-way when folks gets on a committee racket, Curly," replied one of his friends with a sympathetic grin.
"That's just how, Dan," agreed the third. "Hot air. That's what it is. This tarnation Vigilance stunt29 sets folk whisperin' among 'emselves 'bout1 the hell goin' to be ladled out to all cattle thieves in general. Gives 'em visions of hangin'-bees, an' a sort o' firework display with guns an' things, an' when they hatched out, what's the result? Why, a waste o' hot air, an'--no checkens."
"'T'so, Dan," agreed Curly, with easy decision. "The boss is too near relative of a fancy gentleman for to hand out the sort o' dope rustlers need. If us boys had the job we'd fix things quick. You'd see this bum31 gang kicking air at the end of a rope 'fore4 Ju, here, had time to dope out four fingers of rotgut at the expense of the house."
"Nothin' doin', Curly." A solemn shake of the head set his walrus33 moustache flapping. Then he drew a cigar from a top vest pocket and bit the end through, brushing his moustache aside to discover a place in which to deposit it in his mouth. "I'd sure hate to dope out any rotgut on you boys. Y'see, I sure got your health at heart. I kind o' love you fellers to death. I'd hate to see you sufferin' at my hands. Guess I was raised Christian34."
"Was you?"
Curly's sarcasm35 achieved the laugh intended, and, as a result of his satisfaction, he flung his last half-dollar on the dingy36 bar.
"Make that into three drops of liver souse, an' hand us a smile, Ju. Your face is sure killin' trade."
Ju rolled his cigar across his mouth under the curtain of moustache, lit it, and proceeded to push an uncorked bottle across to his customers.
"Guess it ain't a bad proposition handin' you boys a smile. Smiles allus happen easy on foolish faces. Seein' I ain't deaf I been listenin' to your talk, an' I ain't made up my mind if you're as bright as you're guessin', or if you're the suckers your talk makes you out. Seein' I don't usual take chances, I'll put my dollars on the sucker business. I've stood behind this darned old bar fer ten years, an' I guess for five of 'em I've listened to talk like yours--from fellers like you." He removed the bottle from which the three men had helped themselves to liberal "four fingers," and eyed their glasses askance. "Now, you're worritin' over this lousy Lightfoot gang. So was the others. So's everybody bin37 fer five years. An' fer five years this same lousy Lightfoot gang has just been helpin' 'emselves to the cattle on the ranches38 around here--liberal. Same as youse fellers have helped yourselves out o' this bottle. An', durin' that time, I ain't heard tell of one o' them boys who's been spoilin' to hang 'em all doin' a thing. Not a thing, 'cep' it's lap up whisky to keep up a supply o' hot air.
"Wal," he proceeded, in his biting fashion, as he thrust the bottle on the shelf and began wiping glasses with a towel that looked to be decomposing39 for want of soap, "them lousy rustlers is still running their play in the district jest wher', when, an' how they darn please. See? You, Curly, are kickin' because your boss Dug McFarlane is too much of a gentleman. Wal, if I know a man from a seam-squirrel, I'd sure say Dug's got more savee in his whiskers than you got dirt--which is some. If I got things right, this night's sittin's goin' to put paid to the Lightfoot gang's account. I'd be glad to say the same of one or two scores three bums40 have lately run up right here."
The offensiveness of his manner left the men quite undisturbed. The place would have been strange to them without it. They accepted it as part of the evening's entertainment. But the allusion41 to the Vigilance Committee's efforts brought them into attitudes of close attention. It drew the attention, too, of the cattleman with the refined features, and, equally, that of the tough-looking individual at the far end of the bar.
"What are they goin' to do?" demanded Dan urgently.
"Do?" he echoed at last, gazing distantly at the card players across the room. "Why, what any bunch of savee should ha' done five years ago. Put out a great reward."
"See, I tho't it was to be a big play."
"How?" Ju's contempt always found an outlet46 in the echo of an opponent's interrogation. "Say, Dan, how old are you? Twenty?"
"That ain't nuthin' to you," the cowpuncher retorted, with a gesture of hot impatience47.
"Ain't it? Wal, mebbe it ain't," Ju agreed imperturbably48. "But y'see it takes years an' years gettin' the value o' dollars right. I allow ther's folks guesses dollars talks. Wal, I'm guessin' they just holler. Make the wad big enough and ther' ain't nuthin' you can't buy from a wheat binder49 to a royal princess with a crown o' jools. The only thing you're li'ble to have trouble over is the things Natur' fancies handin' you fer--nix. That an' hoss sense. That's pretty well the world to-day, no matter what the sky-pilots an' Sunday-school ma'ams dope out in their fancy literature. I know. You offer ten thousand dollars for the hangin' of Lightfoot's gang, an', I say right here, there ain't a feller in it from Lightfoot--if there is sech a feller--down, who wouldn't make a grab at that wad by givin' the rest of the crowd away. Makes you think, don't it? Sort o' worries them empty think tanks o' yours."
But Ju's satisfaction received an unexpected shaking.
The other set his glass down on the counter with a bump.
"If you're listening," he said, "you have probably understood what I said. You're talking through a fog of cynicism which seems to obscure an otherwise fairly competent intellect. You've plundered53 so many innocents in your time by purveying54 an excessive quantity of bluestone disguised under the name of alcohol that your overweening conceit55 has entirely56 distorted your perspective till you fancy that your own dregs of human nature constitute the human nature of all the rest of the world, who would entirely resent being classed as your fellows. In a word you need physic, Ju."
The speaker laughed amiably57, and his smile revealed the weakness which was pointed58 by the signs of debauchery in his good-looking face. Ju eyed him steadily59. The offense60 of his words was mitigated61 by his manner, but Ju resented the laugh which went round the entire room at his expense.
"See here, Bob Whitstone," he began, abandoning his glass wiping and supporting himself on his counter, with his face offensively thrust in his opponent's direction, "I ain't got the langwidge you seem to have lapped up with your mother's milk. I don't guess any sucker paid a thousand dollars a year for my college eddication so I could come out here and grow a couple of old beeves and spend my leisure picklin' my food depot62 in a low down prairie saloon. Therefor' I'll ask you to excuse me if I talk in a kind o' langwidge the folks about here most gener'ly understan'. Guess you think you know some. Maybe you figger to know it all. Wal, get this. When you get back home jest stand in front of a fi' cent mirror, if you got one in your bum shanty63, an' get a peek64 at your map, an' ask yourself--when you studied it well--if I couldn't buy you, body an' soul, fer two thousand dollars--cash. I'd sure hate slingin' mud at any feller's features, much less yours, who're a good customer to me, but you're comin' the highbrow, an' you got notions of honor still floatin' around in your flabby thinkin' department sech as was handed you by the guys who ran that thousand dollar college. Wal, ef you'll look at yourself honest, an' argue with yourself honest, you'll find them things is sure a shadder of the past which happened somew'eres before you tasted that first dose o' prairie poison which has since become a kind o' habit. It ain't no use in getting riled, Bob, it ain't no use in workin' overtime65 on that college dictionary o' yours to set me crawlin' around among the spit boxes. Fac's is fac's. Ken30 you hand me a list o' the things you--you who ain't got two spare cents to push into the mission box, an' who'd willingly sleep in a hog66 pen if it weren't for a dandy wife who'd got no more sense than to marry you--wouldn't do if I was to hand you out a roll of ten thousand dollars right now--cash? Tcha! You think. I know."
He turned away in a wave of contemptuous disgust. And as he did so a harsh voice from the other end of the bar held him up.
"What about me, Ju?"
The tough-looking prairie man made his demand with a laugh only a shade less harsh than his speaking voice.
Ju stood. His desperate, keen face was coldly still as he regarded the powerful frame of his challenger. Then his retort came swift and poignant67.
"You, Sikkem? You'd allus give yourself away. Get me?"
The frigidity68 of the saloon-keeper's manner was over-powering. The man called Sikkem was unequal in words to such a challenge. A flush slowly dyed his lean cheeks, and an angry depression of the brows suggested something passionate69 and forceful. Just for a moment many eyes glanced in his direction. The saloon-keeper was steadily regarding him. There was no suggestion of anger in his attitude, merely cat-like watchfulness70. Their eyes met. Then the cloud abruptly72 lifted from Sikkem's brow, and he laughed with unsmiling, black eyes. The saloon-keeper rinsed73 a glass and unconcernedly began to wipe it.
The incident was allowed to pass. But it was the termination of the discussion, a termination which left Ju victor, not because of the rightness of his views, but because there was no man in Orrville capable of joining issue with him in debate with any hope of success. Action rather than words was the prevailing feature with these people, and, in his way, Ju Penrose was equal, if not superior, not only in debate, but in the very method these people best understood.
A moment later Sikkem took his departure.
* * * * * *
It was well past midnight when the last man turned out of Ju's bar. But the crowd had not yet scattered74 to their various homes. They were gathered in a small, excited cluster gaping75 up at a big notice pasted on the weather-boarding of the saloon-keeper's shack76. Ju himself was standing77 in their midst, right in front of the notice, which had been indited78 in ink, evidently executed with a piece of flat wood. He was holding up a lantern, and every eye was carefully, and in many instances laboriously79, studying the text inscribed80.
It was a notice of reward. A reward of ten thousand dollars for information leading to the capture of the gang of cattle thieves known as the "Lightfoot gang." And it was signed by Dug McFarlane on behalf of the Orrville Rancher's Vigilance Committee.
"Guess Ju knowed after all," somebody observed, in a confidential81 tone to his neighbor.
But Ju's ears were as long and sharp as his tongue. He flashed round on the instant, his lantern lowered from the level of the notice board. There was a sort of cold triumph in his manner as his eyes fell upon the speaker.
"Know'd?" he cried sharply. "Ain't 'knowin'' my business? Psha!" His contempt was withering82. Then his manner changed back to the triumph which the notice had inspired. "Say, it's a great piece of money. It surely is some bunch. Ten thousand dollars! Gee83! His game's up. Lightfoot's as good as kickin' his heels agin the breezes. He's played his hand, an'--lost."
And somehow no one seemed inclined to add to his statement. Nor, which was much more remarkable84, contradict it. Now that these men had seen the notice with their own eyes the force of all Ju had so recently contended came home to them. There was not one amongst that little gathering85 who did not realize the extent of the odds86 militating against the rustlers. Ten thousand dollars! There was not a man present who did not feel the tremendous power of such a reward.
The gathering melted away slowly, and finally Bob Whitstone was left alone before the gleaming sheet of paper, with Ju standing in his doorway87. The lantern was at his feet upon the sill. His hands were thrust in the tops of his shabby trousers. He was regarding the "gentleman" rancher meditatively88, and his half burnt cigar glowed under the deep intake89 of his powerful lungs.
"It's a dandy bunch, Bob, eh?" he demanded presently, in an ironical90 tone. "Guess I'd come nigh sellin' my own father fer--ten thousand dollars. An' I don't calc'late I'd get nightmare neither." Then he drew a deep breath which suggested regret. "But--it ain't comin' my way. No. Not by a sight." Then, after a watchful71 pause, he continued: "I'm kind o' figgerin' whose way. Not mine, or--yours. Eh, Bob? We could do with it. Pity, ain't it?"
Bob turned. His eyes sought the face in the shadow of the doorway.
"I'm no descendant of Judas," he said coldly.
"No. But--Judas didn't sell a gang of murdering cattle rustlers. That ain't Judas money."
"Maybe. But it's blood money all the same."
Bob turned away. His gaze wandered out westward92. Then his eyes came slowly back to the man in the door-way.
"You thought I was talking hot air just now--about a man's price. You didn't like it. Well, when I find myself with a price I hope I shan't live to be paid it. That's all."
The man in the doorway shook his head. Then he spoke93 slowly, deliberately94. And somehow much of the sharpness had gone out of his tone, and the hard glitter of his steely eyes had somehow become less pronounced.
"Oh, I guess I got your meanin' right, fer all yer thousand dollar langwidge. Sure, I took you right away. But--it don't signify a cuss anyways. Guess you was born a gentleman, Bob, which I wa'an't. An' because you was born an' raised that-a-way you'd surely like to kep right hold o' the notion that folks ken still act as though they'd been weaned on talk of honor an' sichlike. I sez kep a holt on that notion. Grip it tight, an' don't never let go on it. Grab it same as you would the feller that's yearnin' fer your scalp. If you lose your grip that tow-colored scalp of yours'll be raised sure, an' every penicious breeze that blows 'll get into your think depot and hand you every sort of mental disease ther' ain't physic enough in the world to cure. Guess that's plumb95 right. It don't cut no ice what I think. A feller like me jest thinks the way life happens to boost him. Y'see, I ain't had no thousand dollar eddication to make me see things any other ways. Life's a mighty tough proposition an' it can't be run on no schedule, an' each feller's got to travel the way he sees with his own two eyes. If he's got the spectacles of a thousand dollar eddication he's an a'mighty lucky feller, an' I'm guessin' they'll help him dodge96 a whole heap o' muck holes he'd otherwise bury his silly head in. So hang on, boy. Grip them darn fool notions so they ain't got a chance. If you let go--wal, you'll get a full-sized peek into a pretty fancy sort o' hell wher' ther' ain't any sort o' chance o' dopin' your visions out o' sight with Ju Penrose's belly97 wash. So long."
Ju picked up his lantern and turned back into his bar, closing and securing his door behind him. Then, with keen anticipation98 and enjoyment99, he approached his till and proceeded to count his day's takings.
* * * * * *
Bob Whitstone unhitched his horse from Ju's tying post. He swung himself into the saddle and rode away,--away toward his outland home under the starlit roof of the plains. It was an almost nightly journey with him now, for the saloon habit had caught him in its toils100, and was already holding him firmly.
His mood was not easy. He resented Ju Penrose. He resented all men of his type. He knew him for a crook101. He believed he possessed no more conscience than any other habitual102 criminal. But his resentment103 was the weak echo of an upbringing which had never intended him for such association, and, in spite of it, the man's personality held him, and its strength dominated him.
His way took him out across an almost trackless waste of rich grass-land. Somewhere out there, hidden away at the foot of the Cathills, lay his homestead, and the wife for whom he had abandoned all that his birth had entitled him to. During the past two years he had learned truly all that he had sacrificed for the greatest of all dreams of youth.
But these things, for the moment, were not in his mind. Only Penrose. Ju Penrose, whom he had learned to detest104 and despise out of the educated mind that was his. The man's final homily was entirely lost upon Bob. Such was his temper that only the gross outrages105 against the precepts106 of his youth remained. He only heard the hateful, detestable cynicism, brutally107 expressed. It was something curious how he only took note of these things, and missed the rough solicitude108 of Ju's final admonishment109. But he was young and weak, and a shadow of bitterness had entered his life, which, at his age, should have found no place in it.
The miles swept away under his horse's hoofs110. Already the township, that sparse112 little oasis113 of shelter in a desert of grass-land, lay lost behind him in the depths of some hidden trough in the waves of the prairie ocean, The great yellow disc of the moon had cut the horizon and lit his tracks, but its light was still unrevealing and only added charm to the blaze of summer jewels which adorned114 the soft velvet115 of the heavens.
He glanced back. But almost instantly his eyes were turned again ahead. The night scene of these plains was too familiar to him to excite interest. To him there were simply miles intervening between him and the slumbers116 he was seeking. The prairie, for all its beauties, spelt toilful days and bitter disappointment for him. Wherein then should be discovered its charms?
Again his mind settled itself upon the events of the evening. Price? Price? Every man, he had been told, had his price. Every man and woman. He uttered a sound. It might have been a laugh, but it lacked mirth. It startled his alert horse. It almost seemed to startle the quiet night itself. What was his price? All he knew about price was its payment. He had only been called upon to pay. And he had paid! My God, he had paid! All that had been his. All the wealth, the comfort, the luxury and prospects117 which had been his in his wealthy father's home, had been the price he had paid for the right, which was the right of every man, to choose for himself, and to take to himself and to wife, the woman who seemed to him to be the one creature in the world who could yield him the happiness which alone was worth while.
This talk of a man's price only enraged118 him the more. He viciously detested119 Ju Penrose, and all such creatures who walked the world.
Well, the reward was out. Time would show. If it failed to find the Judas he would remind Ju. Oh, yes, he would remind him. He would wait his time for the reminder120. He would wait till the saloon was full, and then--then he would open out his batteries. Men were of----
What was that?
He had pulled his horse up with a swift tightening121 of his hand. Now the beast stood with head erect122, and pricked123 ears firmly thrust forward. Its head was turned southward, and the gush124 of its distended125 nostrils126 warned its rider that his question was shared by a creature whose instincts were even more acute, here, on the prairie, than those of its human master.
Bob bent127 down in the saddle the better to obtain the silhouette128 of the sky-line. The sound which had held him came up on the southern night breeze. It was a low murmur129, or rumble130, and, to his accustomed ears, it suggested the speeding of hoofs over the green clad earth. He waited for many moments, but the sound only increased. There was no doubt left in his mind now. None at all.
He sat up again and glanced swiftly about him. The moonlight had increased, and a silver sheen threw up the surrounding scene into indistinct relief. Beyond, to his right, he detected a small patch of scrub and spruce, and, without a second thought, he made for it.
A minute later he was out of the saddle beside his horse, screened from view of the plains by a belt of bush. He secured his horse and moved to the fringe of his shelter. Here he took up a position facing south, and his view of the plains beyond became uninterrupted.
He knew what was coming. Instinct warned him. Perhaps even it was the wish fathering his belief. He felt it was a certainty that the rustlers were out pursuing their depredations131 with their customary unchallenged daring. Who, he wondered, was the present victim, and what was the extent of the raid?
He had not long to wait. The sound grew. It lost its distant continuity and became broken into the distinct hoof111 beats of large numbers. Furthermore, by the sound of it, they would pass right across his front. He had been wise in seeking cover. Had he remained----
But speculation132 gave way before the interest of movement. Now the silhouette of the sky-line was dancing before his eyes. In the moonlight he could clearly make out the passing of a driven herd133. It came on, losing itself in the shadows of a distant trough. Again it appeared. More distinct now. He whistled under his breath. They were coming from the direction of Dug McFarlane's and it was a large herd. They were traveling northwest, which would cut into the hills away to the north of his homestead. They----
But they were almost abreast134 of him now, and he heard the voices of men urging and cursing. Lower he dropped toward the earth the better to ascertain135 the numbers. But his estimate was uncertain. There were moments when the herd looked very large. There were moments when it looked less. He felt that a conservative estimate would be one hundred perhaps, and some eight or ten men driving them.
They were gone as they had come, lumbering136 rapidly, and as they passed northward137 the southern breeze carried the sound away. It died out quickly, and for minutes longer than was needed he stood listening, listening. Then, at last, he turned back to his horse.
In the two years of his sojourn138 on the land it was the first time he had witnessed the operation of the Lightfoot gang, and it left a deep impression upon his mind. A great resentment rose up in him. It was the natural temper of a man who is concerned, in however small a degree, in the cattle industry. And his anger urged him to a greater speed for home, and a greater sympathy for the man who was prepared to accept the Judas money offered for the lives of this gang of criminals.
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bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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snails
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| n.蜗牛；迟钝的人；蜗牛( snail的名词复数 ) | |
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cyclone
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| n.旋风，龙卷风 | |
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accomplishment
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| n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能 | |
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interim
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| adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间 | |
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slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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ranch
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| n.大牧场，大农场 | |
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ranching
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| adj.放牧的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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vitriolic
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| adj.硫酸的，尖刻的 | |
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denizens
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| n.居民，住户( denizen的名词复数 ) | |
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stodgy
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| adj.易饱的；笨重的；滞涩的；古板的 | |
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poker
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| n.扑克；vt.烙制 | |
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joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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speculative
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| adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的 | |
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modulated
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| 已调整[制]的，被调的 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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decorative
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| adj.装饰的，可作装饰的 | |
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29
stunt
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| n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长 | |
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30
ken
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| n.视野，知识领域 | |
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31
bum
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| n.臀部；流浪汉，乞丐；vt.乞求，乞讨 | |
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32
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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33
walrus
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| n.海象 | |
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34
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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35
sarcasm
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| n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic） | |
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36
dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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37
bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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38
ranches
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| 大农场， （兼种果树，养鸡等的）大牧场( ranch的名词复数 ) | |
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39
decomposing
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| 腐烂( decompose的现在分词 )； （使）分解； 分解（某物质、光线等） | |
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40
bums
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| n. 游荡者，流浪汉，懒鬼，闹饮，屁股 adj. 没有价值的，不灵光的，不合理的 vt. 令人失望，乞讨 vi. 混日子，以乞讨为生 | |
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41
allusion
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| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
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42
puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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43
aggravatingly
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44
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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45
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
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47
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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48
imperturbably
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| adv.泰然地，镇静地，平静地 | |
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49
binder
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| n.包扎物，包扎工具；[法]临时契约；粘合剂；装订工 | |
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50
blandest
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| adj.（食物）淡而无味的( bland的最高级 )；平和的；温和的；无动于衷的 | |
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51
bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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52
belied
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| v.掩饰( belie的过去式和过去分词 )；证明（或显示）…为虚假；辜负；就…扯谎 | |
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53
plundered
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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54
purveying
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| v.提供，供应( purvey的现在分词 ) | |
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55
conceit
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| n.自负，自高自大 | |
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56
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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57
amiably
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| adv.和蔼可亲地，亲切地 | |
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58
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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59
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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60
offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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61
mitigated
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| v.减轻，缓和( mitigate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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62
depot
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| n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站 | |
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63
shanty
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| n.小屋，棚屋；船工号子 | |
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64
peek
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| vi.偷看，窥视；n.偷偷的一看，一瞥 | |
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65
overtime
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| adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地 | |
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66
hog
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| n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占 | |
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67
poignant
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| adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的 | |
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68
frigidity
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| n.寒冷；冷淡；索然无味；（尤指妇女的）性感缺失 | |
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69
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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70
watchfulness
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| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
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71
watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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72
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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73
rinsed
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| v.漂洗( rinse的过去式和过去分词 )；冲洗；用清水漂洗掉（肥皂泡等）；（用清水）冲掉 | |
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74
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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75
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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76
shack
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| adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚 | |
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77
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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78
indited
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| v.写（文章，信等）创作，赋诗，创作( indite的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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79
laboriously
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| adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地 | |
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80
inscribed
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| v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接 | |
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81
confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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82
withering
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| 使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的 | |
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83
gee
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| n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转 | |
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84
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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85
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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86
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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87
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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88
meditatively
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| adv.冥想地 | |
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89
intake
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| n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口 | |
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90
ironical
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| adj.讽刺的，冷嘲的 | |
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91
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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92
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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93
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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94
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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95
plumb
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| adv.精确地，完全地；v.了解意义，测水深 | |
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96
dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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97
belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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98
anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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99
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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100
toils
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| 网 | |
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101
crook
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| v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处) | |
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102
habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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103
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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104
detest
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| vt.痛恨，憎恶 | |
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105
outrages
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| 引起…的义愤，激怒( outrage的第三人称单数 ) | |
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106
precepts
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| n.规诫，戒律，箴言( precept的名词复数 ) | |
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107
brutally
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| adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地 | |
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108
solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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109
admonishment
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| n.警告 | |
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110
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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111
hoof
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| n.(马，牛等的)蹄 | |
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112
sparse
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| adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的 | |
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113
oasis
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| n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方 | |
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114
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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115
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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116
slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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117
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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118
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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119
detested
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| v.憎恶，嫌恶，痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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120
reminder
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| n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示 | |
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121
tightening
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| 上紧，固定，紧密 | |
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122
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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123
pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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124
gush
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| v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发 | |
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125
distended
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| v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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126
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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127
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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128
silhouette
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| n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓 | |
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129
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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130
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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131
depredations
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| n.劫掠，毁坏( depredation的名词复数 ) | |
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132
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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133
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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134
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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135
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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136
lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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137
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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138
sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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