CHAPTER XXI

 The retreat from Hotel Helicon was picturesque¹ in the extreme. There had been much difficulty in finding vehicles to take the retiring guests down the mountain to the railway station, but Tolliver had come to the rescue with a mule², a horse, a cart, and an ox. These, when added to the rather incongruous collection of wagons⁴ and carts from every other available source, barely sufficed. Tolliver led the mule with Ferris on its back, while Miss Crabb and Miss Stackpole occupied the ox-cart, the former acting⁵ as driver.

 

“Good-bye and good luck to ye!” the sheriff called after them. “Mighty sorry ter discommode⁶ ye, but juty air juty, an’ a officer air no respecter of persons.”

 

Mrs. Nancy Jones Black sat beside Crane in a rickety wagon³, and between jolts⁷ gave him many a word of wisdom on the subject of strong drink, which the handsome Bourbon poet stowed away for future consideration.

 

Dunkirk and Miss Moyne rode upon the “hounds” of a naked wood-wain, as happy as two blue-birds in April, while Bartley Hubbard, with little Mrs. Philpot and her child and some other ladies, was in an old weather-beaten barouche, a sad relic⁸ of the ante-bellum times. For the rest there were vehicles of every sort save the comfortable sort, and all went slowly[139] winding⁹ and zig-zagging down Mt. Boab toward the valley and the river. Why pursue them? Once they all looked up from far down the slope and saw Hotel Helicon shining like a castle of gold in the flood of summer sunlight. Its verandas¹⁰ were empty, its windows closed, but the flag on its wooden tower still floated bravely in the breeze, its folds appearing to touch the soft gray-blue sky.

 

*******

 

A year later Crane and Peck met at Saratoga and talked over old times. At length coming down to the present, Crane said:

 

“Of all of us who were guests on Mt. Boab, Miss Moyne is the only one who has found success. Her story, On The Heights, is in its seventieth edition.”

 

“Oh, well,” said Peck, “that goes without the saying. Anybody could succeed with her chance.”

 

“Her chance, why do you say that?”

 

“Haven’t you heard? Ah, I see that the news has not yet penetrated¹¹ the wilds of Kentucky. The open secret of Miss Moyne’s success lies in the fact that she has married her publisher.”

 

A silence of some minutes followed, during which Crane burned his cigar very rapidly.

 

“What fools we were,” Peck presently ventured, “to be fighting a duel¹² about her!”

 

“No, sir,” said Crane, with a far-away look[140] in his eyes, “no, sir, I would die for her right now.”

 

So the subject was dropped between them forever.

 

Some of Gaslucky’s creditors¹³ bought Hotel Helicon at the sheriff’s sale, but it proved a barren investment.

 

The house stands there now, weather-beaten and lonely on the peak of Mt. Boab, all tenantless¹⁴ and forlorn.

 

As to Tolliver’s still-house I cannot say, but at stated intervals¹⁵ Crane receives a small cask marked: “J’yful juice, hannel with keer,” which comes from his “Pap’s uncle Pete.”

1 picturesque   

adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的

参考例句：

• You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
• That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。

2 mule   

n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人

参考例句：

• A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
• He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。

3 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

4 wagons   

n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车

参考例句：

• The wagons were hauled by horses. 那些货车是马拉的。
• They drew their wagons into a laager and set up camp. 他们把马车围成一圈扎起营地。

5 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

6 discommode   

v.使失态，使为难

参考例句：

• We were discommoded by his late arrival.他的迟到给我们添了麻烦。
• His request discommonded Bertha.他的要求让伯莎为难。

7 jolts   

（使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He found that out when he got a few terrific jolts, but he wouldn't give up. 被狠狠地撞回来几次后，他发觉了这一点，但他决不因此罢休。
• Some power bars are loaded with carbohydrates or caffeine for quick jolts. 有些能量条中包含大量的碳水化合物和咖啡因，以达到快速提神的效果。

8 relic   

n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物

参考例句：

• This stone axe is a relic of ancient times.这石斧是古代的遗物。
• He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past.他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。

9 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

10 verandas   

阳台，走廊( veranda的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Women in stiff bright-colored silks strolled about long verandas, squired by men in evening clothes. 噼噼啪啪香槟酒的瓶塞的声音此起彼伏。
• They overflowed on verandas and many were sitting on benches in the dim lantern-hung yard. 他们有的拥到了走郎上，有的坐在挂着灯笼显得有点阴暗的院子里。

11 penetrated   

adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The knife had penetrated his chest. 刀子刺入了他的胸膛。
• They penetrated into territory where no man had ever gone before. 他们已进入先前没人去过的地区。

12 duel   

n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争

参考例句：

• The two teams are locked in a duel for first place.两个队为争夺第一名打得难解难分。
• Duroy was forced to challenge his disparager to duel.杜洛瓦不得不向诋毁他的人提出决斗。

13 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 tenantless   

adj.无人租赁的，无人居住的

参考例句：

15 intervals   

n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息

参考例句：

• The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴，有阵雨。
• Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。