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CHAPTER XXXIII. BEN BOONE'S TEMPTATION.
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 The reader may naturally expect to hear something of Rupert's experience as a hunter. But so far as this story is concerned, this is not called for. He had other experiences which will speedily be set forth1.
 
For, after all, it was not so much the hunting that Rupert cared about. He thoroughly2 enjoyed his opportunity to travel through the wild scenery of Middle Colorado. It was camping out in a much more interesting way than when, as a boy, he went but a little way from home, and knew that only a few miles intervened between him and his ordinary life.
 
Then he was interested in his guide. At the East he had never met such a man as Ben Boone. He seemed a product of the country. As for Ben, he carried out his [Pg 296]contract, and served as a guide, philosopher and—I was about to say friend, but on the whole we'll substitute companion.
 
Though Ben was a skillful hunter and mountaineer he did not particularly enjoy his work. He was a thoroughly lazy man, and would prefer to have remained at home in the rude cabin which passed for such, and, lying on his back with a pipe in his mouth, have drowsed and dreamed away his time. He did not understand, for his part, why city people who could live comfortably should want to rough it, incurring3 the fatigue4 of hunting just for the sake of amusement.
 
"I am tired," he said, on the night after Rupert's adventure with the snake.
 
"Yes," said Rupert, "I am tired, too. We have come a good many miles."
 
"Do you like it?"
 
"Oh, yes," said Rupert enthusiastically; "it is grand."
 
"I don't see what good it is," rejoined Ben, lying back with a sense of exquisite5 enjoyment6 in his chance to rest. "You are not making any money."
 
[Pg 297]
 
"No," replied Rupert, laughing, "but I enjoy the wild mountain scenery; don't you?"
 
"No; a mountain isn't much to see."
 
"Then there are the valleys, the woods and the waterfalls."
 
"Oh, I've seen plenty of them. I don't care for them."
 
"I suppose that is why you don't care for them. You are too familiar with them."
 
"I reckon so," drawled Ben.
 
"Don't you enjoy seeing anything? Is there anything you would rather see than this wild and romantic scenery?"
 
"Yes. I would rather see cities. Where do you live when you are at home?"
 
"In New York."
 
"That is a wonderful city, isn't it?"
 
"Yes."
 
"I expect it is a great deal larger than Denver?"
 
"Yes; forty or fifty times as large."
 
At this time Denver probably had a population of less than thirty thousand.
 
Ben Boone's eyes opened.
 
[Pg 298]
 
"And I suppose there are some grand buildings?" he said, inquiringly.
 
"Yes," and Rupert told his guide something about the great city, of the horse-car lines, the elevated trains running thirty feet above the ground, the big hotels, the Brooklyn bridge, and other marvels7, to which Ben Boone listened with rapt attention.
 
"I should like to see New York before I die," he said.
 
"Have you ever been there?"
 
"No."
 
"But you have probably seen other cities—St. Louis, or Chicago?"
 
"No; I have only seen Denver. Well, yes, I saw St. Louis when I was a boy. It seemed a large city to me then, but I reckon New York is much bigger."
 
"Yes, it is a great deal larger—several times as large as St. Louis was when you saw it."
 
"Does it cost a great deal of money to go to New York?"
 
"I think one might go there for fifty dollars, ten less by second class."
 
[Pg 299]
 
"Second class is good enough for me."
 
"Yes, you would be a good deal more comfortable traveling second class than we are on our hunting trip."
 
"Then I should be satisfied. I ain't used to living first class."
 
"I should think you would like to go to New York. Is there any reason why you should not go?"
 
"There's the money."
 
"But, as I told you, it doesn't cost a very large sum."
 
"Fifty dollars is a good deal to me. I never had so much money in my life."
 
"Because you don't save up your money."
 
"I don't know how to save money," said Ben Boone in a listless manner.
 
"But you could. Now how much money is Mr. Packard paying you for going with me?"
 
"Three dollars a day."
 
"Now suppose we are out ten days—that will make thirty dollars, won't it?"
 
"Yes; but I had to leave some money with my wife."
 
[Pg 300]
 
"You will at any rate have twenty-five dollars. Now, why can't you put that aside, and add to it when you can. Then by and by you will have money enough to go to New York. When you get there you can find work and earn enough to keep you and pay your expenses back."
 
"Yes, I reckon I might," said Ben, not knowing how to controvert8 Rupert's statement.
 
"If you really try hard to save, I will give you something toward your expenses myself."
 
"Are you rich?" asked Ben, looking up quickly.
 
"No, but I have some money."
 
"How much?"
 
This question Rupert did not care to answer. Ben Boone was a very good guide and hunting companion, but he was not exactly the kind of man he would choose as a confidant.
 
"I think everybody is rich that lives in New York," said Ben, with a touch of envy.
 
"What makes you think that?"
 
"I have had New York people with me before. I have traveled with them, and[Pg 301] hunted with them. They always seemed to have plenty of money."
 
"It may be so with those who come out here, but there are plenty who never travel at all, who live in poor houses in a poor way, who earn small wages, and are no better off than you, perhaps not so well off. I was very poor myself once, and had scarcely money enough to buy myself food."
 
"But you got over it. You got rich after a while."
 
Rupert protested that he was not rich, but Ben Boone was incredulous, though he did not say so. He talked more and more about New York. He seemed to want to learn all he could about it.
 
Rupert was not surprised. He remembered that when he was a boy in the country, he, too, thought and dreamed a great deal about the great city. After he lived there and grew familiar with its marvels, he became indifferent to it, as much so as Ben Boone was to the wonderful mountain scenery. He felt disposed to joke a little about is.
 
"There is one thing you have here that we[Pg 302] don't have in New York," he said with a laugh.
 
"What is that?"
 
"Rattlesnakes."
 
"No. I reckon not. I shouldn't miss rattlesnakes."
 
Ben Boone said this so gravely that Rupert could not forbear laughing.
 
"Nor I," he said. "I am willing that Colorado should keep all her rattlesnakes."
 
Ben Boone, for a wonder, lay awake beyond his usual time. He could not get New York and its wonders out of his head. The more he thought of it the more he longed to see it.
 
And there wasn't so much time, either. He was forty-nine years old, and yet he had never been on the other side of the Mississippi River. Yet here was Rupert, who couldn't be more than sixteen or seventeen years old, who had actually lived in New York, and now had wandered to the far West and seen that also. If a boy could have those happy experiences, why not he?
 
Why not?
 
The question was easily answered. The[Pg 303] difference between them was money. He didn't know how much money Rupert had, but probably he had more than the sum necessary to carry him to New York. Ben felt that it was not fair that a mere9 boy should have so much and he so little.
 
This was a dangerous path of thought, and led to a strong temptation. This temptation was increased when, waking at an early hour, he looked across at Rupert, lying not many yards away, and noticed that his pocketbook had in some way dropped out of his pocket and was lying on the grass beside him.
 
Ben's eyes sparkled with unholy excitement. An eager curiosity assailed10 him to learn how much money the pocketbook contained. It was a temptation which he did not seem able to resist.
 
He looked over towards Rupert again. The boy was sleeping calmly, peacefully. There was little chance that he would wake up.
 
Ben rose cautiously from his couch, and with a stealthy step he made his way to the sleeping boy.
 
He stooped down and picked up the wallet[Pg 304] and then opened it, peering eagerly at the contents.
 
There was a thick roll of bills. He counted them in a quick, stealthy way, and his heart beat with excitement when he ascertained11 that the roll contained eighty-one dollars.
 
"Why, that will take me to New York," he thought.
 
Yes, it would take him to New York. There would be no weary waiting, no probable disappointment in the end. The dream of his life might be realized, and at once.
 
Ben was not naturally dishonest. If he had not had a special use for the money it would not have tempted12 him. But he wanted to go to New York, and the temptation seemed too great for him to resist.
 
His resolution was taken. With one backward glance at the sleeping boy he thrust the wallet into his pocket and started for the river, where the skiff awaited him.

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1 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
2 thoroughly sgmz0J     
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地
参考例句:
  • The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
  • The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。
3 incurring ccc47e576f1ce5fe49a4f373b49987ba     
遭受,招致,引起( incur的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。
  • He spoke to the Don directly, taking a chance on incurring Michael's ill will. 他直接向老头子谈自己的意见,这显然要冒引起迈克尔反感的风险。 来自教父部分
4 fatigue PhVzV     
n.疲劳,劳累
参考例句:
  • The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
  • I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。
5 exquisite zhez1     
adj.精美的;敏锐的;剧烈的,感觉强烈的
参考例句:
  • I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
  • I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。
6 enjoyment opaxV     
n.乐趣;享有;享用
参考例句:
  • Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同,我们这次访问更加愉快了。
  • After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话,这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。
7 marvels 029fcce896f8a250d9ae56bf8129422d     
n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 );令人惊奇的事物(或事例);不平凡的成果;成就v.惊奇,对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The doctor's treatment has worked marvels : the patient has recovered completely. 该医生妙手回春,病人已完全康复。 来自辞典例句
  • Nevertheless he revels in a catalogue of marvels. 可他还是兴致勃勃地罗列了一堆怪诞不经的事物。 来自辞典例句
8 controvert ZZ0y0     
v.否定;否认
参考例句:
  • The statement of the last witness controvert the evidence of the first two.最后一个证人的陈述反驳了前两人的证词。
  • She would never controvert with her father.她绝不会跟她的父亲争论。
9 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
10 assailed cca18e858868e1e5479e8746bfb818d6     
v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 );困扰;质问;毅然应对
参考例句:
  • He was assailed with fierce blows to the head. 他的头遭到猛烈殴打。
  • He has been assailed by bad breaks all these years. 这些年来他接二连三地倒霉。 来自《用法词典》
11 ascertained e6de5c3a87917771a9555db9cf4de019     
v.弄清,确定,查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The previously unidentified objects have now been definitely ascertained as being satellites. 原来所说的不明飞行物现在已证实是卫星。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I ascertained that she was dead. 我断定她已经死了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 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。


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