“I am wartchin’, Mar,” replied Moses, “But Josh ’pears to be worryin’ ’bout somethin’. He’s chewin’ his bit an’ breakin’ inter4 a run-like every minute.”
“An’ well I know who’s makin’ him stew5 an’ chomp6. You needn’t try to deceive yer, Mar,” chided the knowing matron.
The amused laugh of Nell Gordon, who sat beside Mrs. Wopp, floated past the youthful pair in front and perhaps helped to embue Moses with the reckless spirit of Jehu. The boy secretly admired his teacher, though he had an idea he would soundly pummel any boy with sufficient temerity7 to accuse him of it.
“Whoa, Josh! Whoa, Jake!” he roared, apparently8 exerting himself to the utmost to hold in the skittish10 pair, but in reality giving a few practised touches on the reins11 which defeated his commands.
The trail was for the most part smooth and uneventful, but here and there the wheels of the democrat dipped into a gopher hole, causing anxiety and discomfort15, especially to those in the back seat. These ladies were holding on to the side bars with utmost tenacity16, yet Mrs. Wopp afterwards asserted, that when a particularly vicious depression was encountered, they were bounced violently at least three feet in the air and were considerably17 worried lest they should not land on the seat again. However, they displayed great fortitude18 under these distressing19 circumstances, and by the time Moses had calmed the horses to a slower pace, they had regained20 self-possession.
“It’s that Jake. He’s sich an ornery animule,” explained the boy, thus shamelessly vilifying21 a patient and much enduring character.
The Mifsud ranch-house was situated22 in a valley close to Ripple23 Creek24. This stream was guarded in its serpentine25 course by a fringe of trees which extended several rods on each side. Moses drove up to the house door with a flourish and his passengers alighted. His mother paused a moment to urge, “Be sure an’ git yer chores done early, Moses, an’ you an’ Par9 be here fer supper by six o’clock.”
“Orl right, Mar,” answered Moses, dutifully, his mouth watering in anticipation26 of the goodies in prospect27.
Several ladies of the district were already busy “scttin’ up” the quilt when Mrs. Wopp and her satellites entered the Mifsud parlor28.
“Oh, aint it beaut-i-ful?” admired Betty. The creation which she admired so immensely was made of pieces of silk of many colors and was reminiscent of numerous long-defunct waists, ribbons, neckties, hats and, perhaps, even a few wedding gowns which had travelled from several corners of the globe to be welded together in this glorious finale. The pieces, irregular in shape, had been sewn together and the seams beautified by feather-stitching. On the majority of the patches were names worked in red, green or yellow, whichever color contrasted most suitably with the background. Here, for the nominal29 sum of ten cents, names which might otherwise have fallen into oblivion were destined30 to live and bloom for incalculable years. The quilt now nearing completion would, when finished by its energetic creators, be sold at auction31 and it was expected to bring a handsome sum. The money so realized would revive the drooping32 finances of the Ladies’ Aid.
“Oh, Miss Gordon, here’s my name,” announced Betty, excitedly, pointing to a central part of the quilt. “An’ here’s yours right clost to it.”
“How nice, Betty,” answered Nell, who had threaded her needle and was now prepared to join those already busily stitching away. “You and I will travel down the ages side by side.”
“But s’pose you change yer name, Miss Gordon,” whispered Betty slyly. “Then nobody’d know ’twas you.”
“I must be very careful, then, not to change it,” responded Nell, as she took the seat assigned to her.
The elders, having settled at their task, Maria Mifsud and Betty, who were considered too young and irresponsible to assist with such important work, made their way to the creek, that perennial33 source of amusement for the youthful. They were accompanied by Maria’s small brother, St. Elmo. Here, during the long summer afternoon they gaily34 disported35 themselves, even the rather dignified36 Maria entering with zest37 into childish fun.
In the house, meanwhile, affairs were proceeding38 quite as happily as those out of doors. The hostess fluctuated between the parlor and kitchen. She was preparing a repast not only for the workers present, but also for the men-folk who would presently arrive to take them to their respective homes. Excused from quilting, she nevertheless managed to spend considerable time with her guests. Mrs. Mifsud was a lady who aspired39 to literary attainments40. She had read “Beulah,” “Vashti,” “Lucile,” “St. Elmo” and many other books of like calibre. She felt that her talents were practically wasted, living in what she termed a desert, yet she strove, when occasion offered, by elegance41 of deportment and conversation to enhance her gifts. She often spoke42 tenderly of the late Mr. Mifsud who, in spite of the fact that his face had been adorned43 with bristling44 side-whiskers of an undeniable red, had shown in other ways some signs of intelligence and feeling. He had been carried off by the shingles45. According to Mrs. Mifsud’s account, her deeply-lamented spouse46 had considered the tall attenuated47 form of his wife “willowy,” her long thin black hair “a crown of glory,” her worn narrow countenance48 with its sharp nose and coal-black eyes, “seraphic.”
“I wonder who’ll buy this here quilt,” speculated Mrs. Wopp, as she bent49 over her task, “there’s shorely a great sight o’ work on it. As fer me, I aint got time to do much fancy work an’ I’d never git round to a job like this fer myself.”
“Not many of us would, Mrs. Wopp,” remarked Mrs. Bliggins, a small fair woman with a round placid50 countenance. “What with cookin’, an’ washin’, an’ cleanin’, an’ buttermakin’, an’ hundreds of other things, there’s not much time for fancy work.”
“Miss Gordon here, made me a harnsome lace yoke51 fer an underwaist, an’ give it to me fer my birthday,” volunteered Mrs. Wopp.
Mrs. Mifsud had entered the room in time to hear the last remark. Owing to the paucity52 of minds as keenly intellectual as her own, Mrs. Mifsud always tried to keep her remarks to a suitable level so that all present might comprehend her language. The heights, alas53! must be scaled by her alone. While willing to acknowledge the substantial character of Mrs. Wopp, she considered her sadly deficient54 in grammar and social graces. She now interposed.
“I am given to understand by the best fashion-plates, Mrs. Wopp, that the garment you term an ‘underwaist’ is now designated a casserole.”
“Well, now, is that so? It sounds to me like a furrin word,” returned Mrs. Wopp, who admired Mrs. Mifsud’s polished utterances55, while by no means undervaluing her own rhetorical gifts.
“Doubtless it is incorporated in the language of some foreign people,” conceded Mrs. Mifsud, languidly.
“Who is going to auction the quilt when it is finished?” inquired Nell Gordon, appealing to her hostess as President of the Ladies’ Aid.
“Personally, I should be agreeably disposed to requesting Mr. Wopp to officiate,” answered the lady addressed.
This remark caused Mrs. Wopp to feel considerable uneasiness. She was morally certain that her Ebenezer in his shyness would make a muddle56 of the sale, so she hastened to offer a suggestion.
“Why not arsk Geordie Hodgekiss. He’s sich a grand feller fer helpin’ at dances, an’ his voice ’ud most wake the dead. I feel shore he’d hev the good o’ the quilt at heart.”
This suggestion called for a general discussion. One or two very conservative ladies were not sure that a young man who so frequently played a prominent part at dances should also figure in church affairs. It might bring a curse on them. However, as there was no immediate57 need for decision, the subject was abandoned.
“Did you hev a good time in the city larst week, Mis’ Mifsud?” asked Mrs. Wopp, politely.
“Thank you kindly58, Mrs. Wopp, I was most enchantingly entertained. My brother and his wife conducted me to numerous functions. I heard a xylophone for the first time.”
Mrs. Wopp was floored. She rapidly reflected that that which Mrs. Mifsud had heard might have been anything from the “buzzin’ of a skeeter to the tootin’ of an autermobyle.”
“At my brother’s Mrs. Wopp. He had just acquired it, so of course little proficiency60 was yet attained61.”
It occurred to Mrs. Wopp that the object in question might have been a new kind of singing bird, but “least said, soonest mended.” She would ask Moses if Clarence had ever mentioned it, the very first chance she had. None of the other ladies present assayed to join in the conversation, so perhaps most of them also were mystified. Airs. Wopp looked hard at Nell Gordon. Of course she knew what Mrs. Mifsud meant, but she seemed completely absorbed in turning a difficult corner in the quilt. A welcome interruption occurred.
“How is your Ada since she had the jaundice, Mrs. Stolway?” inquired Airs. Bliggins.
“None too strong. But she’s picking up since the doctor gave her a tonic,” was the reply.
“It’s a terrible disease, shorely,” interpolated Mrs. Wopp. “Ebenezer’s sisten-in-law’s cousin hed it, an’ fer a long time she was as yaller as a biled turnip62. Her feelin’s was low, too, an’ she thort she was goin’ to die. She made her will, leavin’ her clothes an’ her cat, which was all she hed, to an ole men’s refuge. But lan’ sakes! she’s alive yet an’ peart as a robin63. She got a set o’ false teeth an’ a switch jist larst month.”
Mrs. Mifsud who had listened to this recital64 with polite interest, now excused herself on the plea of urgent duties in the kitchen.
“I see two rigs comin’,” announced Mrs. Wopp, suddenly. From where she sat she could view through the window a considerable portion of the trail. “The men’ll soon orl be here, so s’posin’ we roll up the quilt. Ef everybody’s back’s achin’ like mine they’ll be glad to quit.”
Betty and Maria, whose reviving interest in the quilt had drawn65 them from their play to the somewhat crowded parlor, now reported several vehicles to be in sight. They hastened with this information to Mrs. Mifsud in the kitchen, that important domain66 whence a savory67 odor had been issuing for some time.
“Clarence will tell the men where to instal their teams,” the hostess reflected. The boy, who had fought shy of this mere68 woman’s party, had spent the afternoon in the barn.
“Maria, where is St. Elmo?” asked Mrs. Mifsud, as with flushed face she basted69 some fowls70 in the oven.
“We left him by the creek, Ma, playing in the sand,” was the reply. “When Betty and me tried to make him come in he slapped us.”
Maria, accompanied by Betty, repaired to the spot where they had left the little boy. He was not there. In vain they shouted and called his name.
“He must have gone to Clarence in the barn,” concluded Maria, setting off at a run.
Clarence, however, when questioned, declared, “I haven’t seen the little shaver since dinner.”
Maria now began to get alarmed, and her anxiety being communicated to Clarence and Betty, the three young people set off in a combined search.
Still no St. Elmo. They proceeded a considerable distance down the creek.
“Look he’s been here,” said Betty, pointing to a small footprint in the moist soil, “An’ he’s headed down the crick.”
“We’ll have to go and tell Ma,” said Maria.
As they neared the house with their disquieting72 news, Mr. Wopp and Moses were just alighting from the democrat, while Mrs. Mifsud at the open door stood calling out cheery greetings.
Mrs. Mifsud threw up her hands in dismay.
“My poor lamb, my little darling,” she said, speaking with difficulty, “There are so many lynxes in the woods, and he’s so afraid of them. If he meets one he’ll die of fright.”
“Moses, put the hosses in the stable an’ fuller me. We’ll soon find him, Mis’ Mifsud,” said Mr. Wopp, his kindliness74 asserting itself in this crisis. “Come on, Clarence, an’ Mis’ Mifsud you send the other men along ’s soon ’s they git here. Jist you rest easy, we’ll soon be back with yer boy.”
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1
ranch
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| n.大牧场，大农场 | |
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alluring
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| adj.吸引人的，迷人的 | |
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democrat
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| n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员 | |
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inter
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| v.埋葬 | |
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stew
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| n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑 | |
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chomp
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| v. （人、动物进食时）大声地咬，嚼得很响 | |
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temerity
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| n.鲁莽，冒失 | |
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8
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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par
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| n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的 | |
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skittish
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| adj.易激动的，轻佻的 | |
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reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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12
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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tenacity
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| n.坚韧 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔；刚毅 | |
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distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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vilifying
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| v.中伤，诽谤( vilify的现在分词 ) | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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ripple
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| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
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creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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serpentine
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| adj.蜿蜒的，弯曲的 | |
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anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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nominal
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| adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的 | |
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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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auction
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| n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖 | |
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drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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perennial
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| adj.终年的；长久的 | |
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gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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disported
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| v.嬉戏，玩乐，自娱( disport的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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zest
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| n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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aspired
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| v.渴望，追求( aspire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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attainments
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| 成就，造诣； 获得( attainment的名词复数 )； 达到； 造诣； 成就 | |
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41
elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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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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adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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45
shingles
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| n.带状疱疹；（布满海边的）小圆石( shingle的名词复数 )；屋顶板；木瓦（板）；墙面板 | |
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spouse
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| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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attenuated
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| v.（使）变细( attenuate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）变薄；（使）变小；减弱 | |
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48
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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52
paucity
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| n.小量，缺乏 | |
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53
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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deficient
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| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
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utterances
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| n.发声( utterance的名词复数 )；说话方式；语调；言论 | |
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56
muddle
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| n.困惑，混浊状态；vt.使混乱，使糊涂，使惊呆；vi.胡乱应付，混乱 | |
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57
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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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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queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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proficiency
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| n.精通，熟练，精练 | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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turnip
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| n.萝卜，芜菁 | |
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robin
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| n.知更鸟，红襟鸟 | |
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recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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savory
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| adj.风味极佳的，可口的，味香的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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69
basted
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| v.打( baste的过去式和过去分词 )；粗缝；痛斥；（烤肉等时）往上抹[浇]油 | |
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fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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71
renovate
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| vt.更新，革新，刷新 | |
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72
disquieting
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| adj.令人不安的，令人不平静的v.使不安，使忧虑，使烦恼( disquiet的现在分词 ) | |
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73
wailed
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74
kindliness
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| n.厚道，亲切，友好的行为 | |
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