susy, a story of the plains-第5章
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do you hear? Not a word to Mrs。 Peyton or the servants; or; by
Heaven; I'll clear the rancho of the whole lazy crew of you at once。
Out of the way there; and be off!〃
He spurred his horse past the frightened menial; and dashed down the
narrow lane that led to the gate。 But; as Incarnacion had truly
said; 〃It was an evil day;〃 for at the bottom of the lane; ambling
slowly along as he lazily puffed a yellow cigarette; appeared the
figure of the erring Pedro。 Utterly unconscious of the accident;
attributing the disappearance of his charges to the inequalities of
the plain; and; in truth; little interested in what he firmly
believed was his purely artificial function; he had even made a
larger circuit to stop at a wayside fonda for refreshments。
Unfortunately; there is no more illogical sequence of human emotion
than the exasperation produced by the bland manner of the
unfortunate object who has excited it; although that very unconcern
may be the convincing proof of innocence of intention。 Judge
Peyton; already influenced; was furious at the comfortable
obliviousness of his careless henchman; and rode angrily towards
him。 Only a quick turn of Pedro's wrist kept the two men from
coming into collision。
〃Is this the way you attend to your duty?〃 demanded Peyton; in a
thick; suppressed voice; 〃Where is the buggy? Where is my
daughter?〃
There was no mistaking Judge Peyton's manner; even if the reason of
it was not so clear to Pedro's mind; and his hot Latin blood flew
instinctively to his face。 But for that; he might have shown some
concern or asked an explanation。 As it was; he at once retorted
with the national shrug and the national half…scornful; half…lazy
〃Quien sabe?〃
〃Who knows?〃 repeated Peyton; hotly。 〃I do! She was thrown out of
her buggy through your negligence and infernal laziness! The ponies
ran away; and were stopped by a stranger who wasn't afraid of
risking his bones; while you were limping around somewhere like a
slouching; cowardly coyote。〃
The vacquero struggled a moment between blank astonishment and
inarticulate rage。 At last he burst out:
〃I am no coyote! I was there! I saw no runaway!〃
〃Don't lie to me; sir!〃 roared Peyton。 〃I tell you the buggy was
smashed; the girls were thrown out and nearly killed〃 He stopped
suddenly。 The sound of youthful laughter had come from the bottom
of the lane; where Susy Peyton and Mary Rogers; just alighted from
the coach; in the reaction of their previous constrained attitude;
were flying hilariously into view。 A slight embarrassment crossed
Peyton's face; a still deeper flush of anger overspread Pedro's
sullen cheek。
Then Pedro found tongue again; his native one; rapidly; violently;
half incoherently。 〃Ah; yes! It had come to this。 It seems he was
not a vacquero; a companion of the padrone on lands that had been
his own before the Americanos robbed him of it; but a servant; a
lackey of muchachas; an attendant on children to amuse them; orwhy
not?an appendage to his daughter's state! Ah; Jesus Maria! such a
state! such a muchacha! A picked…up foundlinga swineherd's
daughterto be ennobled by his; Pedro's; attendance; and for whose
vulgar; clownish tricks;tricks of a swineherd's daughter;he;
Pedro; was to be brought to book and insulted as if she were of
Hidalgo blood! Ah; Caramba! Don Juan Peyton would find he could no
more make a servant of him than he could make a lady of her!〃
The two young girls were rapidly approaching。 Judge Peyton spurred
his horse beside the vacquero's; and; swinging the long thong of his
bridle ominously in his clenched fingers; said; with a white face:
〃Vamos!〃
Pedro's hand slid towards his sash。 Peyton only looked at him with
a rigid smile of scorn。
〃Or I'll lash you here before them both;〃 he added in a lower voice。
The vacquero met Peyton's relentless eyes with a yellow flash of
hate; drew his reins sharply; until his mustang; galled by the cruel
bit; reared suddenly as if to strike at the immovable American;
then; apparently with the same action; he swung it around on its
hind legs; as on a pivot; and dashed towards the corral at a furious
gallop。
CHAPTER III。
Meantime the heroic proprietor of the peaceful ox…team; whose valor
Incarnacion had so infelicitously celebrated; was walking listlessly
in the dust beside his wagon。 At a first glance his slouching
figure; taken in connection with his bucolic conveyance; did not
immediately suggest a hero。 As he emerged from the dusty cloud it
could be seen that he was wearing a belt from which a large dragoon
revolver and hunting knife were slung; and placed somewhat
ostentatiously across the wagon seat was a rifle。 Yet the other
contents of the wagon were of a singularly inoffensive character;
and even suggested articles of homely barter。 Culinary utensils of
all sizes; tubs; scullery brushes; and clocks; with several rolls of
cheap carpeting and calico; might have been the wares of some
traveling vender。 Yet; as they were only visible through a flap of
the drawn curtains of the canvas hood; they did not mitigate the
general aggressive effect of their owner's appearance。 A red
bandanna handkerchief knotted and thrown loosely over his shoulders;
a slouched hat pulled darkly over a head of long tangled hair;
which; however; shadowed a round; comfortable face; scantily and
youthfully bearded; were part of these confusing inconsistencies。
The shadows of the team wagon were already lengthening grotesquely
over the flat; cultivated fields; which for some time had taken the
place of the plains of wild oats in the branch road into which they
had turned。 The gigantic shadow of the proprietor; occasionally
projected before it; was in characteristic exaggeration; and was
often obliterated by a puff of dust; stirred by the plodding hoofs
of the peaceful oxen; and swept across the field by the strong
afternoon trades。 The sun sank lower; although a still potent
presence above the horizon line; the creaking wagon lumbered still
heavily along。 Yet at intervals its belligerent proprietor would
start up from his slouching; silent march; break out into violent;
disproportionate; but utterly ineffective objurgation of his cattle;
jump into the air and kick his heels together in some paroxysm of
indignation against them;an act; however; which was received
always with heavy bovine indifference; the dogged scorn of swaying;
repudiating heads; or the dull contempt of lazily flicking tails。
Towards sunset one or two straggling barns and cottages indicated
their approach to the outskirts of a country town or settlement。
Here the team halted; as if the belligerent…looking teamster had
felt his appearance was inconsistent with an effeminate
civilization; and the oxen were turned into an open waste opposite a
nondescript wooden tenement; half farmhouse and half cabin;
evidently of the rudest Western origin。 He may have recognized the
fact that these 〃shanties〃 were not; as the ordinary traveler might
infer; the first rude shelter of the original pioneers or settlers;
but the later makeshifts of some recent Western immigrants who; like
himself; probably found themselves unequal to the settled habits of
the village; and who still retained their nomadic instincts。 It
chanced; however; that the cabin at present was occupied by a New
England mechanic and his family; who had emigrated by ship around
Cape Horn; and who had no experience of the West; the plains; or its
people。 It was therefore with some curiosity and a certain amount
of fascinated awe that the mechanic's only daughter regarded from
the open door of her dwelling the arrival of this wild and lawless…
looking stranger。
Meantime he had opened the curtains of the wagon and taken from its
interior a number of pots; pans; and culinary utensils; which he
proceeded to hang upon certain hooks that