part 1-第11部分

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　　　　　Thea　rolled　over　in　the　sand。　　〃Oh；　I　wish　I　could　have



seen　those　melons　fly；　Ray！　　I'll　never　see　anything　as



funny　as　that。　　Now；　tell　Johnny　about　your　first　job。〃







　　　　　Ray　had　a　collection　of　good　stories。　　He　was　observant；



truthful；　and　kindlyperhaps　the　chief　requisites　in　a



good　story…teller。　Occasionally　he　used　newspaper　phrases；



conscientiously　learned　in　his　efforts　at　self…instruction；　but



when　he　talked　naturally　he　was　always　worth　listening　to。



Never　having　had　any　schooling　to　speak　of；　he　had；　almost



from　the　time　he　first　ran　away；　tried　to　make　good　his　loss。



As　a　sheep…herder　he　had　worried　an　old　grammar　to　tatters；















and　read　instructive　books　with　the　help　of　a　pocket　dic…



tionary。　　By　the　light　of　many　camp…fires　he　had　pondered



upon　Prescott's　histories；　and　the　works　of　Washington



Irving；　which　he　bought　at　a　high　price　from　a　book…agent。



Mathematics　and　physics　were　easy　for　him；　but　general



culture　came　hard；　and　he　was　determined　to　get　it。　　Ray



was　a　freethinker；　and　inconsistently　believed　himself



damned　for　being　one。　　When　he　was　braking；　down　on　the



Santa　Fe；　at　the　end　of　his　run　he　used　to　climb　into　the



upper　bunk　of　the　caboose；　while　a　noisy　gang　played　poker



about　the　stove　below　him；　and　by　the　roof…lamp　read



Robert　Ingersoll's　speeches　and　〃The　Age　of　Reason。〃







　　　　　Ray　was　a　loyal…hearted　fellow；　and　it　had　cost　him　a



great　deal　to　give　up　his　God。　　He　was　one　of　the　step…



children　of　Fortune；　and　he　had　very　little　to　show　for　all



his　hard　work；　the　other　fellow　always　got　the　best　of　it。



He　had　come　in　too　late；　or　too　early；　on　several　schemes



that　had　made　money。　　He　brought　with　him　from　all　his



wanderings　a　good　deal　of　information　（more　or　less　correct



in　itself；　but　unrelated；　and　therefore　misleading）；　a　high



standard　of　personal　honor；　a　sentimental　veneration　for



all　women；　bad　as　well　as　good；　and　a　bitter　hatred　of



Englishmen。　　Thea　often　thought　that　the　nicest　thing



about　Ray　was　his　love　for　Mexico　and　the　Mexicans；　who



had　been　kind　to　him　when　he　drifted；　a　homeless　boy；　over



the　border。　　In　Mexico；　Ray　was　Senor　Ken…ay…dy；　and



when　he　answered　to　that　name　he　was　somehow　a　different



fellow。　　He　spoke　Spanish　fluently；　and　the　sunny　warmth



of　that　tongue　kept　him　from　being　quite　as　hard　as　his



chin；　or　as　narrow　as　his　popular　science。







　　　　　While　Ray　was　smoking　his　cigar；　he　and　Johnny　fell　to



talking　about　the　great　fortunes　that　had　been　made　in



the　Southwest；　and　about　fellows　they　knew　who　had



〃struck　it　rich。〃







　　　　　〃I　guess　you　been　in　on　some　big　deals　down　there？〃



Johnny　asked　trustfully。



















　　　　　Ray　smiled　and　shook　his　head。　　〃I've　been　out　on　some；



John。　　I've　never　been　exactly　in　on　any。　　So　far；　I've　either



held　on　too　long　or　let　go　too　soon。　　But　mine's　coming　to



me；　all　right。〃　　Ray　looked　reflective。　　He　leaned　back　in



the　shadow　and　dug　out　a　rest　for　his　elbow　in　the　sand。



〃The　narrowest　escape　I　ever　had；　was　in　the　Bridal　Cham…



ber。　　If　I　hadn't　let　go　there；　it　would　have　made　me　rich。



That　was　a　close　call。〃







　　　　　Johnny　looked　delighted。　　〃You　don'　say！　　She　was　silver



mine；　I　guess？〃







　　　　　〃I　guess　she　was！　　Down　at　Lake　Valley。　　I　put　up　a　few



hundred　for　the　prospector；　and　he　gave　me　a　bunch　of



stock。　　Before　we'd　got　anything　out　of　it；　my　brother…in…



law　died　of　the　fever　in　Cuba。　　My　sister　was　beside　herself



to　get　his　body　back　to　Colorado　to　bury　him。　　Seemed



foolish　to　me；　but　she's　the　only　sister　I　got。　　It's　expensive



for　dead　folks　to　travel；　and　I　had　to　sell　my　stock　in　the



mine　to　raise　the　money　to　get　Elmer　on　the　move。　　Two



months　afterward；　the　boys　struck　that　big　pocket　in　the



rock；　full　of　virgin　silver。　　They　named　her　the　Bridal



Chamber。　　It　wasn't　ore；　you　remember。　　It　was　pure；　soft



metal　you　could　have　melted　right　down　into　dollars。　　The



boys　cut　it　out　with　chisels。　　If　old　Elmer　hadn't　played



that　trick　on　me；　I'd　have　been　in　for　about　fifty　thousand。



That　was　a　close　call；　Spanish。〃







　　　　　〃I　recollec'。　　When　the　pocket　gone；　the　town　go　bust。〃







　　　　　〃You　bet。　　Higher'n　a　kite。　　There　was　no　vein；　just　a



pocket　in　the　rock　that　had　sometime　or　another　got　filled



up　with　molten　silver。　　You'd　think　there　would　be　more



somewhere　about；　but　NADA。　　There's　fools　digging　holes　in



that　mountain　yet。〃







　　　　　When　Ray　had　finished　his　cigar；　Johnny　took　his　man…



dolin　and　began　Kennedy's　favorite；　〃Ultimo　Amor。〃　　It



was　now　three　o'clock　in　the　afternoon；　the　hottest　hour



in　the　day。　　The　narrow　shelf　of　shadow　had　widened　until



the　floor　of　the　amphitheater　was　marked　off　in　two　halves；















one　glittering　yellow；　and　one　purple。　　The　little　boys　had



come　back　and　were　making　a　robbers'　cave　to　enact　the



bold　deeds　of　Pedro　the　bandit。　　Johnny；　stretched　grace…



fully　on　the　sand；　passed　from　〃Ultimo　Amor〃　to　〃Fluvia



de　Oro；〃　and　then　to　〃Noches　de　Algeria；〃　playing　lan…



guidly。







　　　　　Every　one　was　busy　with　his　own　thoughts。　　Mrs。



Tellamantez　was　thinking　of　the　square　in　the　little　town



in　which　she　was　born；　of　the　white　churchsteps；　with



people　genuflecting　as　they　passed；　and　the　round…topped



acacia　trees；　and　the　band　playing　in　the　plaza。　　Ray　Ken…



nedy　was　thinking　of　the　future；　dreaming　the　large　Western



dream　of　easy　money；　of　a　fortune　kicked　up　somewhere　in



the　hills；an　oil　well；　a　gold　mine；　a　ledge　of　copper。　　He



always　told　himself；　when　he　accepted　a　cigar　from　a　newly



married　railroad　man；　that　he　knew　enough　not　to　marry



until　he　had　found　his　ideal；　and　could　keep　her　like　a　queen。



He　believed　that　in　the　yellow　head　over　there　in　the　sand



he　had　found　his　ideal；　and　that　by　the　time　she　was　old



enough　to　marry；　he　would　be　able　to　keep　her　like　a　queen。



He　would　kick　it　up　from　somewhere；　when　he　got　loose



from　the　railroad。







　　　　　Thea；　stirred　by　tales　of　adventure；　of　the　Grand　Canyon



and　Death　Valley；　was　recalling　a　great　adventure　of　her



own。　　Early　in　the　summer　her　father　had　been　invited　to



conduct　a　reunion　of　old　frontiersmen；　up　in　Wyoming；



near　Laramie；　and　he　took　Thea　along　with　him　to　play



the　organ　and　sing　patriotic　songs。　　There　they　stayed



at　the　house　of　an　old　ranchman　who　told　them　about



a　ridge　up　in　the　hills　called　Laramie　Plain；　where　the



wagon…trails　of　the　Forty…niners　and　the　Mormons　were



still　visible。　　The　old　man　even　volunteered　to　take　Mr。



Kronborg　up　into　the　hills　to　see　this　place；　though　it　was



a　very　long　drive　to　make　in　one　day。　　Thea　had　begged



frantically　to　go　along；　and　the　old　rancher；　flattered　by



her　rapt　attention　to　his　stories；　had　interceded　for　her。



















　　　　　They　set　out　from　Laramie　before　daylight；　behind　a　strong



team　of　mules。　　All　the　way　there　was　much　talk　of　the



Forty…niners。　　The　old　rancher　had　been　a　teamster　in　a



freight　train　that　used　to　crawl　back　and　forth　across　the



plains　between　Omaha　and　Cherry　Creek；　as　Denver　was



then　called；　and　he　had　met　many　a　wagon　train　bound　for



California。　　He　told　of　Indians　and　buffalo；　thirst　and



slaughter；　wanderings　in　snowstorms；　and　lonely　graves



in　the　desert。







　　　　　The　road　they　followed　was　a　wild　and　beautiful　one。　　It



led　up　and　up；　by　granite　rocks　and　stunted　pines；　around



deep　ravines　and　echoing　gorges。　　The　top　of　the　ridge；　when



they　reached　it；　was　a　great　flat　plain；　strewn　with　white



boulders；　with　the　wind　howling　over　it。　　There　was　not　one



trail；　as　Thea　had　expected；　there　were　a　score；　deep　fur…



rows；　cut　in　the　earth　by　heavy　wagon　wheels；　and　now



grown　over　with　dry；　whitish　grass。　　The　furrows　ran　side



by　side；　when　one　trail　had　been　worn　too　deep；　the　next



party　had　abandoned　it　and　made　a　new　trail　to　the　right



or　left。　　They　were；　indeed；　only　old　wagon　ruts；　running



east　and　west；　and　grown　over　with　grass。　　But　as　Thea　ran



about　among　the　white　stones；　her　skirts　blowing　this　way



and　that；　the　wind　brought　to　her　eyes　tears　that　might



have　come　anyway。　　The　old　rancher　picked　up　an　iron



ox…shoe　from　one　of　the　furrows　and　gave　it　to　her　for　a



keepsake。　　To　the　west　one　could　see　range　after　range　of



blue　mountains；　and　at　last　the　snowy　range；　with　its　white；



windy　peaks；　the　clouds　caught　here　and　there　on　their



spurs。　　Again　and　again　Thea　had　to　hide　her　face　from　the



cold　for　a　moment。　　The　wind　never　slept　on　this　plain；　the



old　man　said。　　Every　little　while　eagles　flew　over。







　　　　　Coming　up　from　Laramie；　the　old　man　had　told　them



that　he　was　in　Brownsville；　Nebraska；　when　the　first　tele…



graph　wires　were　put　across　the　Missouri　River；　and　that



the　first　message　that　ever　crossed　the　river　was　〃West…



ward　the　course　of　Empire　takes　its　way。〃　　He　had　been















in　the　room　when　the　instrument　began　to　click；　and　all



the　men　there　had；　without　thinking　what　they　were　doing；



taken　off　their　hats；　waiting　bareheaded　to　hear　the　mes…



sage　translated。　　Thea　remembered　that　message　when　she



sighted　down　the　wagon　tracks　toward　the　blue　moun…



tains。　　She　told　herself　she　would　never；　never　forget　it。



The　spirit　of　human　co