FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78  
79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   >>   >|  
e, wanderer that he was. He blew a great mouthful of blue smoke into the still air, watched it circle lazily upward, and blew another to hasten the progress of the first. His black eyes, peering from a forest of eyebrows and whiskers, looked long upon the blossoms that clothed Elk Creek Valley--sunflowers, early golden-rod and purple thistles--swept the friendly, tumbling foot-hills and sought beneath the over-hanging trees for the secrets of the creek. It was a morning to love things, Mr. Crusoe thought to himself. He was glad that he had left his comrades of the railroad tracks; more glad that he had abandoned freight-jumping for a season; most glad that he had decided to work during the early fall months. Then with money in his pockets and a new suit of clothes upon his back, he might go back to Cripple Creek whence he had come. A few minutes later his contemplations were broken by the sound of horses' feet coming through the Gap. He sat up, interested, and removed his pipe. In another moment as he met the wide-open eyes of two very much startled young ladies, his hat followed. Mr. Crusoe was used to speaking to persons whom he met in his journeyings. It was one of the many joys of the road. "Good-mornin', comrades," said he. The hearts of Mary and Vivian leaped into their throats. Their eyes, leaving Mr. Crusoe's, saw in one terrifying instant the shirt drying on the quaking-asp, the smoldering fire, the empty bean-can. This man was a tramp! He belonged to that disgusting clan of vagabonds who asked for food at back-doors, and whom one, if frightened into doing it, fed on back stoops as one fed the cat! He, like his fellows, would inspire one to lock all the doors at noonday, and to tell one's neighbors there was a tramp abroad! "Good-mornin'," said Mr. Crusoe again. "It's a fine day." This time Mary answered. She did not dare keep silent. The tramp might become angry. "Good-morning," she faltered. Vivian said nothing. She was waiting for Mary to plan a means of escape. Meanwhile Siwash and his companion, feeling their reins tighten, had stopped and were nibbling at the quaking-asps, quite undisturbed. Mr. Crusoe rose, hat in hand. "Was you plannin' to ford, young ladies?" he asked politely. The vanishing flanks of two horses, unceremoniously yanked away from their luncheon and turned toward the prairie, were his only answer. Mr. Crusoe gazed wonderingly into a cloud of dust. Then he felt of his
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78  
79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Crusoe
 

comrades

 

quaking

 
morning
 

horses

 

Vivian

 

mornin

 

ladies

 

stoops

 

wanderer


frightened

 
fellows
 

inspire

 
abroad
 
neighbors
 

noonday

 

drying

 

smoldering

 

instant

 

leaving


watched

 

terrifying

 

disgusting

 

vagabonds

 

belonged

 
mouthful
 

politely

 

vanishing

 

flanks

 

unceremoniously


plannin

 

undisturbed

 
yanked
 

wonderingly

 

answer

 

luncheon

 

turned

 

prairie

 

faltered

 

silent


waiting
 
tighten
 

stopped

 

nibbling

 

feeling

 
companion
 

escape

 
Meanwhile
 
Siwash
 

answered