gs.earthabides-第64章

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　　〃No；〃　Bob　was　saying；　〃we　never　got　to　New　York。　We　got　to　that　other　big　city…Chicago。　But　past　there　the　roads　kept　getting　worse　and　worse…trees　grown　up；　trees　fallen　around　everywhere；　lots　of　washouts；　bridges　gone。　So　we　had　to　shift　one　way　or　the　other；　looking　for。。。〃　
　　Someone　cut　in　with　another　question　before　Bob　could　even　finish　his　answer。　There　were　half　a　dozen　questions；　each　one　canceling　out　the　one　before。　In　the　hubbub；　Ish　caught　Ezra's　eye。　In　that　glance　he　seemed　momentariiy　to　sense　danger；　and　he　knew　that　Ezra　too　was　watching　Charlie。　
　　Ish　felt　himself　both　reassured　and　justified。　Ezra　knew　people；　Ezra　liked　people。　If　Ezra　was　so　quickly　perturbed　at　Charlie；　there　must　be　something　about　which　to　be　wary。　Ish　trusted　Ezra　in　such　a　case　much　better　than　he　trusted　himself。　
　　〃e　on；〃　he　thought　again。　〃You　don't　really　know　at　all　what　Ezra's　thinking。　Maybe　he's　disturbed　because　he　senses　what　you're　thinking。　And　what's　that？　Maybe　I'm　only　thrown　off　because　I'm　like　any　small　tribesman；　and　fear　the　horrible　stranger　with　his　new　ideas　and　his　new　gods　to　fight　against　mine。〃　
　　He　brought　himself　back　to　what　was　being　said。　〃。。。　wear　funny　clothes；〃　he　heard　Dick's　voice　saying。　〃Long　white　gowns；　sort　of；　I　don't　know　what　you　call　them；　and　they　have　long　white　sleeves　in　them。　The　men　and　the　women　both　wear　them。　They　threw　stones　at　us。　They　yelled；　'Unclean；　unclean！'　They　kept　crying；　'We　are　the　people　of　God！'　They　made　us　keep　away。〃　
　　Then　Em　spoke。　The　rich　roll　of　her　voice；　deep　but　feminine；　seemed　to　cut　in　beneath　the　high…pitched　almost　yelping　noises　of　the　excited　little　crowd。　Any　of　the　others　would　have　had　to　pound　on　the　table　and　shout　for　attention。　For　her；　the　room　grew　quickly　quiet；　even　though　she　did　not　raise　her　voice　and　the　words　were　mon…place：　
　　〃It's　late；〃　she　was　saying。　〃Time　for　dinner。　The　boys　are　hungry。。。。〃　
　　Half…witted　Evie　gave　one　last　little　senseless　giggle；　and　then　she　too　was　quiet。　
　　Em　was　saying　that　everyone　should　go　home　now；　and　e　back　later。　Ish　watched　Charlie；　and　saw　that　Ezra　was　still　watching　him　too。　Charlie's　eyes　looked　at　Em；　perhaps　a　moment　too　long。　His　glance　shifted　to　Evie's　blond　hair；　and　took　on；　it　might　have　been；　an　appraising　look。　Then　everyone　was　getting　up；　starting　to　go。　Dick　took　Charlie　off　to　dinner　at　Ezra's。　
　　After　dinner　had　been　got　on　the　table　and　they　were　seated；　there　were　a　great　many　questions　to　ask。　Ish　let　Em　do　most　of　the　talking　with　Bob。　She　had　all　the　mother's　worries　to　settle。　Had　they　been　sick？　Found　plenty　to　eat？　Slept　warm？　Discussion　of　the　trip　itself　was　being　reserved　until　the　others　returned　after　dinner；　and　Ish　felt　also　that　he　should　not　pump　Bob　about　Charlie。　Yet　he　could　not　resist　the　temptation　entirely；　and　Bob　showed　no　reticence。　
　　〃Oh；〃　he　said。　〃Charlie？　Sure；　we　just　picked　him　up　about　ten　days　ago；　down　near　Los　Angeles。　There　are　quite　a　few　people；　I　guess；　living　around　Los　Angeles。　There　are　some　all　together；　like　us；　and　a　few　just　scattered。　Charlie　was　by　himself。〃　
　　〃Did　you　ask　him　to　e　along；　or　did　he　just　e　with　you？〃　
　　Ish　watched；　carefully。　He　saw　that　Bob　was　surprised　by　the　question；　but　apparently　not　disturbed。　
　　〃Oh；　I　don't　just　remember。　I　don't　know　that　I　asked　him。　Maybe　Dick　did。〃　
　　Ish　dived　into　his　thoughts　again。　Perhaps　Charlie　had　reasons　for　wanting　to　get　from　Los　Angeles　to　some　other　place。　No；　that　was　merely　slandering　a　man　out　of　prejudice　without　trial；　and　then　he　heard　Bob　going　on。　
　　〃He　tells　lots　of　funny　stories；　Charlie　does。　He's　a　very　good　guy。〃　Funny　stories；　yes；　and　one　could　imagine　what　kind。　They　were　frank　enough　in　all　their　language；　these　days；　the　concept　of　obscenity；　you　might　say；　had　disappeared；　largely　because　there　was　only　one　word　for　things　in　their　vocabulary；　at　least　among　the　younger　ones。　Obscenity　seemed　to　have　died　a　natural　death；　possibly　as　a　counterpart　to　the　death　of　romantic　love。　But　Charlie…he　might　still　be　able　to　tell　a　dirty　story。　Although　Ish　had　never　been　a　prude　about　stories；　still　he　felt　his　original　resentment　shifting　to　a　kind　of　righteous　indignation；　in　spite　of　his　continually　telling　himself　that　he　really　knew　nothing　about　Charlie；　except　the　boys'　opinions　that　he　was　a　very　fine　person。　Ish　felt　himself　wishing　that　the　water　had　never　gone　off；　and　shocked　them　into　doing　something　about　the　future；　and　thus　bringing　an　outsider　in　among　them。　
　　After　dinner；　they　all　built　up　a　big　bonfire　on　the　hillside；　and　gathered　about　it。　There　was　much　singing　and　skylarking　of　the　youngsters。　It　was　a　time　of　celebration。　
　　There　was　much　excitement；　but　the　boys　gradually　got　their　story　told。。。。　They　had　encountered　only　a　few　minor　washouts　and　landslides　on　the　highway　to　Los　Angeles；　nothing　that　the　jeep　could　not　negotiate　in　four…wheel　drive。　The　group　of　religious　fanatics；　wearing　white　nightgowns　and　calling　themselves　the　People　of　God；　lived　in　Los　Angeles。　They　had　focused　upon　religion；　Ish　assumed；　under　the　influence　of　some　strong　leader　who　had　happened　to　survive；　just　as　in　The　Tribe　for　lack　of　such　a　leader；　they　had　developed　almost　no　interest　in　such　things。　
　　Out　of　Los　Angeles；　the　boys　had　taken　66　eastward；　just　as　Ish　remembered　so　vividly　he　had　done　in　the　days　following　the　Great　Disaster；　when　he　had　not　been　much　older　than　the　boys　were　now。　The　highway　across　the　desert　was　easy　and　open；　except　for　an　occasional　stretch　where　sand　had　blown　across。　They　had　gone　along　with　no　more　trouble　than　blowouts　here　and　there。　The　Colorado　River　bridge　they　had　found　shaky；　but　still　passable。　
　　The　next　munity　was　apparently　at　one　of　the　old　Indian　pueblos　near　Albuquerque。　From　what　he　could　make　out　from　the　boys'　description；　Ish　concluded　that　most　of　the　few　dozen　people　at　this　little　munity　were　not　very　dark　in　plexion；　but　that　the　dominant　spirit　must　be　Indian；　because　their　pattern　of　life　was　based　on　growing　　and　beans　as　the　Pueblo　Indians　had　done　for　many　hundreds　of　years。　Only　some　of　the　older　people　talked　English。　This　munity　also　had　drawn　inward　upon　itself；　and　looked　with　suspicion　upon　the　strangers。　The　people　there　had　horses。　They　did　not　drive　automobiles；　and　they　rarely　went　into　any　town。　
　　From　there；　the　boys　had　swung　north　to　Denver；　and　then　out　eastward　across　the　plains。　
　　〃We　followed　a　road；〃　said　Bob。　〃It's　like　66；　only　just　part　of　it。〃　He　paused；　hesitant。　Ish　thought　for　a　minute；　and　then　realized　that　the　boy　was　trying　to　describe　Highway　6。　Some　of　the　markers　would　still　be　standing　along　it；　and　Bob　had　sensed　that　they　were　the　same　shape　as　the　numerals　on　66；　although　there　was　only　one　of　them。　Ish　was　embarrassed　that　his　own　son　was　not　sure　of　the　numerals。　
　　Highway　6　had　led　them　on　through　the　er　of　Colorado；　and　across　the　plains　of　Nebraska。　
　　〃Lots　of　cattle　everywhere！〃　Here　Dick　was　taking　up　the　story。　〃Cattle　everywhere；　you　always　see　cattle。〃　
　　〃Did　you　ever　see　the　big　brown　ones　with　humps　on　their　shoulders？〃　asked　Ish。　
　　〃Yes；　once　we　saw　a　few　of　them；〃　said　Dick。　
　　〃How　about　the　grass？　Does　any　of　it　grow　straight　and　stiff　looking；　with　a　head　on　the　end；　and　little　grains　forming。　When　you　went　through　they　should　have　been　still　soft　and　milky；　perhaps。　When　you　came　back；　you　might　have　seen　it　somewhere　standing　all　golden。　with　the　grain　hard。　We　called　it'wheat。'〃　
　　〃No。　We　saw　nothing　like　that。〃　
　　〃And　how　about　？　You　know　what　that　is。　They　were　growing　it　there　by　the　Rio　Grande。〃　
　　〃No；　there　is　no　corn　growing　wild　anywhere。〃　
　　Onward　still　they　had　gone；　finding　the　roads　now　blocked　more　often；　since　they　had　e　to　the　wetter　country　with　ranker　and　faster　growth　and　heavier　rains；　bined　with　hard　frosts　in　winter。　The　highways　were　splitting　up　into　great　chunks　and　blocks　as　the　frost　worked　under　them；　wherever　the　surface　was　cracked；　grass　and　weeds；　and　even　bushes　and　young　trees　were　springing　up　to　block　the　way。　Yet　they　had　crossed　what　was　once　Iowa。　
　　〃We　came　to　the　big　river；〃　s