These periodical journeys never occupied less than two weeks, and in the present instance he had been absent several days beyond that period, so that some anxiety was felt for him, since every trip was attended with more or less danger. He was exposed to the peril3 of storms, snowslides, wild animals and hostile Indians. The elemental disturbances4 in the Sierras are sometimes of a terrific nature. Twice he had lost a mule5, and once both animals went spinning down a precipice6 for a thousand feet, in an avalanche7 of snow and were never found again. Vose’s only consolation8 in the last instance was that it occurred when on his way to Sacramento, while in the former case he saved one of the precious kegs, which he insisted was the means of saving him in turn from perishing in the Arctic temperature.
The shadowy trail wound in and out among the 84 gorges9 and cañons, beside towering mountain walls, at a dizzying elevation10, over ridges11 above the snow line, across table lands, through forests of pine and cedar12 and tumultuous mountain torrents13, where he took his life in his hands every time he made the venture.
The unerring marksmanship of Vose and his alertness reduced the danger from the fierce grizzly14 bears and ravening15 mountain wolves to the minimum, but the red men were an ever present peril. He had served as the target of many a whizzing arrow and stealthy rifle shot, but thus far had emerged with only a few insignificant16 hurts. He was ready at the stated times to set out on his journey, and appeared indeed to welcome the change in the existence which otherwise became tiresome17 and monotonous18. It mattered not that his friends often intimated that he was starting on his last venture of that nature, for he believed that his “time” had been set and it mattered naught19 what he did, since it could not be changed.
Vose explained that the cause of his last delay was the old one––Indians. They had pursued and pestered20 him so persistently21 that he was compelled to hunt out a new trail, longer and more difficult that the old one, and which came within a hair of landing him into the very camp of his enemies. However, everything had turned out well, and he brought with him the most prized cargo22 that ever arrived in New Constantinople.
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First of all, were the two casks of freight, which had suffered so slight leakage23, that Landlord Ortigies complimented the vigilance of the messenger. Then he brought with him fully24 a hundred letters and newspapers. Each citizen received one, and many had several. In every instance, the grateful recipient25 paid Vose a dollar for his mail, so that the reward was generous, including as it did a liberal honorarium26 from the proprietor27 of the Heavenly Bower.
In addition to the mail and freight, there were a number of articles to which no special reference is needed. In one package, however, every one was deeply interested, and Nellie Dawson more than the others. Unknown to the father, a goodly sum had been entrusted28 to Adams, with which to purchase such articles as it was believed the child needed. These included material for numerous new dresses of gorgeous pattern, stockings, shoes, slippers29, ribbons, hats and even gloves, trinkets and playthings beyond enumeration30.
When these were spread out before the little one, she clapped her hands and danced with delight. She had never dreamed of or seen such bewildering wealth, and the miners were repaid a hundred fold, while the grateful parent thanked them for their thoughtful kindness.
With no other person of her sex in the settlement, it would naturally be thought that she lacked in many of the little attentions which only a mother or adult female 86 friend can give, but such was not the case. There was not a man among them all, who had not been taught in the hard school of necessity to become his own tailor and conservator of clothing. Many had natural taste, and had not wholly forgotten the education and training received in the homes of civilization, before they became adventurers and wanderers. A consensus31 of views, all moved by the same gentle impulse, resulted in Nellie Dawson being clothed in a garb32 which would hardly have caused criticism in the metropolis33 of our country. Not only that, but she was abundantly provided against all kinds of weather, and with Vose Adams making his regular trips westward34, there was no possibility of her ever knowing the want of thoughtful care.
The education of the little one was never neglected. Enough has been told to show her brightness, and even had not her teacher been inspired by his affection for the little one, the task of imparting knowledge to such an apt pupil must have been a constant pleasure. This work, as we have shown, fell by common consent to the parson, Felix Brush, though his choice at first was not unanimous. Wade35 Ruggles was so insistent36 that he should have a part in the work, that he was allowed a trial, but it cannot be said the result of several days’ effort was satisfactory. A stealthy inspection37 of the blackboard by Budge1 Isham and the parson disclosed 87 that Ruggles had constructed the alphabet on a system of his own. Some of the letters were reversed, several inverted38, while the forms of others prevented any one from identifying them except the teacher himself.
An examination of the pupil developed the same startling originality39 in Ruggles’s system of orthography40, which seemed to be a mixture of the phonetic41 and the prevailing42 awkward method. Thus he insisted that “purp” was the right way to spell the name of a young dog, whose correct title was “dorg.” Ruggles was finally persuaded to resign, though he displayed considerable ill feeling and intimated that the movement was inspired by jealousy43 of his success.
Budge Isham not only refrained from referring to the slip which the parson made in his spelling lesson, but spoke44 in such high terms of his success with Nellie, that every one conceded the right teacher had been selected, and it would be a misfortune for any one to assume to take the place of the parson.
Not until the final summing up of all accounts, will the full measure of the influence of the little one be known. It was gentle, subtle, almost imperceptible. Wade Ruggles never broke his resolve not to touch liquor. Inasmuch as an appetite nourished for years, cannot be wholly extirpated45 in a day, he had his moments of intense yearning46 for stimulants47, when the temptation was powerful, but his will was still more so, 88 and the time came when the terrific thirst vanished entirely48, though he knew it was simply “asleep” and could be roused into resistless fury by indulgence in a single glass.
The parson had a severer struggle. After holding out for days, he yielded, and by his inordinate49 dissipation brought back matters to a fair average. Then he set about manfully to retrieve50 himself. A second time he fell, and then, thank heaven! he gained the mastery. Henceforward he was safe.
Maurice Dawson himself had been an occasional tippler for years, but he felt the influence of example and experienced no trouble in giving up the habit. Several others did the same, while more tried but “fell by the wayside.”
Landlord Ortigies noticed the diminution51 in his receipts, but, strange as it may sound, down in his heart he was not sorry. Like nine out of ten engaged in his business he was dissatisfied, and like the same nine out of ten, he longed for the chance to take up some other calling which would bring him bread and butter and no accusing pangs52 of conscience.
Before the coming of Nellie Dawson, brawls53 and personal encounters often occurred. The walls of the Heavenly Bower contained several pounds of lead. Blood had been shed, and the history of the settlement showed that three persons had died with their boots on, 89 but those stirring days seemed to have departed forever.
Parson Brush did a good deal of thinking. When through with his pupil, he was accustomed to take long walks into the mountains, his hands clasped behind his back and his head bowed in meditation54. It is safe to conclude that Conscience was getting in its work with him.
And so the seasons came and went and the years rolled on. Varick Thomson, an old miner, who had spent years of fruitless toil55 in the diggings of Australia, lay down and died, and the parson officiated at his funeral. Two other miners grew weary of the poor success in Dead Man’s Gulch56 and went off on a prospecting57 tour deeper into the mountains. A year later another prospecting party came upon two skeletons, near a small stream of water, which after careful examination, were pronounced to be those of their former friends, doubtless victims of the ferocity of the red men. Three vagrant58 miners straggled into New Constantinople one night and were hospitably59 entertained at the Heavenly Bower. Their appearance was against them, and, when they announced their intention of making their home at Dead Man’s Gulch, the suggestion to them to move on was made in such terms that they acted upon it and were never seen there again. Thus it came about that New Constantinople, instead 90 of increasing in population and making a bid for the chieftaincy among the new towns in the West, was actually shrinking in numbers.
And all this time, Nellie Dawson was growing fast. Her beautiful mind kept pace with the expansion of her body. Her natural grace and perfection of figure would have roused admiration60 anywhere. Her innocence61 and goodness were an ever present benison62 to the rough miners, who had long since learned to check the hasty word, to restrain the rising temper and to crush the wrongful thought in her presence.
After a time, Maurice Dawson took possession of one of the deserted63 cabins which he fitted up, or rather the community fitted up the principal apartment for the young queen, whose rule was supreme64. No one else was permitted to share the building with them, though visitors were constant and Nellie herself continually passed to and fro among her friends.
But those who watched Dawson saw that a change had come over him. Formerly65 there was a quiet waggery in his nature, much like that of Budge Isham, which led him to enjoy the rough pleasantries of his companions, though he rarely took part in them, except as an inciting66 cause. One of his greatest pleasures had been to sit in the Heavenly Bower and exchange reminiscences with his friends, but all that came to an end. Night after night passed without his face being seen in 91 the place. Those who called at the cabin were treated hospitably, but he was reserved and moody67, and often failed to hear the words addressed to him. It was evident that there was something on his mind, though he showed no disposition68 to make a confidant of any one.
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1
budge
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| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
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bower
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| n.凉亭，树荫下凉快之处；闺房；v.荫蔽 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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disturbances
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| n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍 | |
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mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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avalanche
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| n.雪崩，大量涌来 | |
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8
consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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gorges
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| n.山峡，峡谷( gorge的名词复数 )；咽喉v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的第三人称单数 )；作呕 | |
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elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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12
cedar
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| n.雪松，香柏(木) | |
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torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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14
grizzly
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| adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊 | |
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ravening
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| a.贪婪而饥饿的 | |
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16
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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pestered
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| 使烦恼，纠缠( pester的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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leakage
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| n.漏，泄漏；泄漏物；漏出量 | |
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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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recipient
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| a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器 | |
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honorarium
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| n.酬金，谢礼 | |
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proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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28
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29
slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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30
enumeration
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| n.计数，列举；细目；详表；点查 | |
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consensus
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| n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识 | |
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garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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insistent
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| adj.迫切的，坚持的 | |
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inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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inverted
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| adj.反向的，倒转的v.使倒置，使反转( invert的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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originality
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| n.创造力，独创性；新颖 | |
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40
orthography
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| n.拼字法，拼字式 | |
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41
phonetic
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| adj.语言的，语言上的，表示语音的 | |
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42
prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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44
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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45
extirpated
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| v.消灭，灭绝( extirpate的过去式和过去分词 )；根除 | |
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46
yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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47
stimulants
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| n.兴奋剂( stimulant的名词复数 )；含兴奋剂的饮料；刺激物；激励物 | |
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48
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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49
inordinate
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| adj.无节制的；过度的 | |
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50
retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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51
diminution
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| n.减少；变小 | |
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52
pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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53
brawls
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| 吵架，打架( brawl的名词复数 ) | |
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54
meditation
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| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
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55
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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56
gulch
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| n.深谷，峡谷 | |
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57
prospecting
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| n.探矿 | |
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58
vagrant
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| n.流浪者，游民；adj.流浪的，漂泊不定的 | |
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59
hospitably
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| 亲切地，招待周到地，善于款待地 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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benison
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| n.祝福 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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inciting
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| 刺激的，煽动的 | |
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moody
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| adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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