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Mary Louise by L. Frank Baum, CHAPTER XIII. BUB SUCCUMBS TO FORCE

CHAPTER XIII. BUB SUCCUMBS TO FORCE

One day Peter Conant abruptly left his office, came home and packed his grip and then hurried down town and caught the five o'clock train for New York. He was glum and uncommunicative, as usual, merely telling Aunt Hannah that business called him away and he did not know when he would be back.

A week later Peter appeared at the family breakfast table, having arrived on the early morning express, and he seemed in a more gracious mood than usual. Indeed, he was really talkative.

"I met Will Morrison in New York, Hannah," he said to his wife. "He was just sailing for London with his family and will remain abroad all summer. He wanted us to occupy his mountain place, Hillcrest Lodge, during July and August, and although I told him we couldn't use the place he insisted on my taking an order on his man to turn the shack over to us." "The shack!" cried Aunt Hannah indignantly.

"Why, Peter, Hillcrest Lodge is a little palace. It is the cosiest, most delightful place I have ever visited. Why shouldn't we accept Will Morrison's proposition to occupy it?" "I can't leave my business." "You could run up every Friday afternoon, taking the train to Millbank and the stage to Hillcrest, and stay with us till Monday morning." He stared at her reflectively.

"Would you be safe in that out-of-the-way place?" he asked.

"Of course. Didn't you say Will had a man for caretaker? And only a few scattered cottages are located near by, so we shall be quite by ourselves and wholly unmolested. I mean to go, and take the girls. The change will do us all good, so you may as well begin to make arrangements for the trip." Peter Conant stared awhile and then resumed his breakfast without comment. Mary Louise thought she saw a smile flicker over his stolid features for a moment, but could not be positive. Aunt Hannah had spoken in a practical, matter-of-fact way that did not admit of argument.

"Let me see," she resumed; "we will plan to leave on Thursday morning, over the branch road, which will get us to Millbank by noon. If you telegraph the stage-driver to meet us we can reach Hillcrest Lodge by three o'clock—perhaps earlier—and that will enable us to get settled before dark. That is far better than taking the afternoon train. Will you make the proper arrangements, Peter?" "Yes," he briefly replied. As he was leaving the house after breakfast he fixed his stare on Irene and said to her:

"In New York I ran across a lot of second-hand books at an auction sale- -old novels and romances which you will probably like. I bought the lot and shipped them home. If they arrive in time you can take them to Hillcrest and they will keep you reading all summer." "Oh, thank you, Uncle Peter!" exclaimed the chair-girl gratefully.

"Have you any—any—news of Gran'pa Jim?" asked Mary Louise diffidently.

"No," he said and walked away. During the few days that remained before their exodus they were busy preparing for the anticipated vacation. Summer gowns had to be looked over and such things gathered together as might be useful during their two months' stay at Hillcrest. "Of course no one will see us," remarked Aunt Hannah; "it's really the jumping-off place of the world; but Will Morrison has made it as cosy as possible and we three, with just Peter at the week-ends, can amuse one another without getting lonely. Peter will fish in the mountain streams, of course, and that's the reason he is allowing us to go. We've visited the Morrisons two or three times at the Lodge and Peter has fished for trout every minute he was there." "Who are the Morrisons?" asked Mary Louise.

"Will Morrison is a rich banker and his wife Sallie was an old schoolmate of mine. The Lodge is only a little resort of theirs, you know, for in the city they live in grand style. I know you girls will enjoy the place, for the scenery is delightful and the clear mountain air mighty invigorating." All girls delight in change of location and although Irene was a little worried over the difficulties of getting to Hillcrest Lodge in her crippled condition, she was as eager to go as was Mary Louise. And she made the trip more comfortably than she had feared.

At Millbank the stage-driver fixed a comfortable seat for her in his carryall and loaded the boxes and baggage and the wheeled chair and the box of books—which had arrived from New York—on the railed top of his bus, and then they drove away through a rough but picturesque country that drew from the girls many exclamations of delight.

Presently they came to a small group of dwellings called the "Huddle," which lay at the foot of the mountain. Then up a winding path the four horses labored patiently, halting often to rest and get their breaths. At such times the passengers gloried in the superb views of the valley and its farms and were never impatient to proceed. They passed one or two modest villas, for this splendid location had long ago been discovered by a few others besides Will Morrison who loved to come here for their vacations and so escape the maddening crowds of the cities.

Aunt Hannah had planned the trip with remarkable accuracy, for at about three o'clock the lumbering stage stopped at a pretty chalet half hidden among the tall pines and overlooking a steep bluff. Here the baggage and boxes were speedily unloaded.

"I gotta git back ter meet the aft'noon train," said Bill Coombs, their driver. "They won't be any more passingers in this direction, tain't likely, 'cause the houses 'roun' here is mighty scattered an' no one's expectin' nobody, as I know of. But in the other direction from Millbank—Sodd Corners way—I may catch a load, if I'm lucky." So back he drove, leaving the Conants' traps by the roadside, and Peter began looking around for Morrison's man. The doors of the house were fast locked, front and rear. There was no one in the barn or the shed- like garage, where a rusty looking automobile stood. Peter looked around the grounds in vain. Then he whistled. Afterward he began bawling out "Hi, there!" in a voice that echoed lonesomely throughout the mountain side.

And, at last, when they were all beginning to despair, a boy came slouching around a corner of the house, from whence no one could guess. He was whittling a stick and he continued to whittle while he stared at the unexpected arrivals and slowly advanced. When about fifteen paces away he halted, with feet planted well apart, and bent his gaze sturdily on his stick and knife. He was barefooted, dressed in faded blue-jeans overalls and a rusty gingham shirt—the two united by a strap over one shoulder—and his head was covered by a broad Scotch golf cap much too big for him and considerably too warm for the season.

"Come here!" commanded Mr. Conant.

The boy did not move, therefore the lawyer advanced angrily toward him.

"Why didn't you obey me?" he asked.

"They's gals there. I hates gals," said the boy in a confidential tone. "Any sort o' men critters I kin stand, but gals gits my goat." "Who are you?" inquired Mr. Conant.

"Me? I'm jus' Bub." "Where is Mr. Morrison's man?" "Meanin' Talbot? Gone up to Mark's Peak, to guide a gang o' hunters f'm the city." "When did he go?" asked the lawyer.

"I guess a Tuesday. No—a Wednesday." "And when will he be back?" The boy whittled, abstractedly.

"Answer me!" "How kin I? D'ye know where Mark's Peak is?" "No." "It takes a week ter git thar; they'll likely hunt two er three weeks; mebbe more; ye kin tell that as well as I kin. Mister Will's gone ter You-RUPP with Miss' Morrison, so Talbot he won't be in no hurry ter come back." "Great Caesar! Here's a pretty mess. Are you Talbot's boy?" "Nope. I'm a Grigger, an' live over in the holler, yonder." "What are you doing here?" "Earnin' two bits a week." "How?" "Lookin' after the place." "Very well. Mr. Morrison has given us permission to use the Lodge while he is away, so unlock the doors and help get the baggage in." The boy notched the stick with his knife, using great care.

"Talbot didn't say nuth'n' 'bout that," he remarked composedly. Mr. Conant uttered an impatient ejaculation. It was one of his peculiarities to give a bark similar to that of a dog when greatly annoyed. After staring at the boy a while he took out Will Morrison's letter to Talbot, opened it and held it before Bub's face. "Read that!" he cried.

Bub grinned and shook his head.

" I kain't read," he said. Mr. Conant, in a loud and severe voice, read Mr. Morrison's instruction to his man Talbot to do everything in his power to make the Conants comfortable and to serve them as faithfully as he did his own master. The boy listened, whittling slowly. Then he said:

"Mebbe that's all right; an' ag'in, mebbe tain't. Seein' as I kain't read I ain't goin' ter take no one's word fer it." "You insolent brat!" exclaimed Peter Conant, highly incensed. Then he turned and called: "Come here, Mary Louise." Mary Louise promptly advanced and with every step she made the boy retreated a like distance, until the lawyer seized his arm and held it in a firm grip.

"What do you mean by running away?" he demanded.

"I hates gals," retorted Bub sullenly. "Don't be a fool. Come here, Mary Louise, and read this letter to the boy, word for word." Mary Louise, marking the boy's bashfulness and trying to restrain a smile, read Mr. Morrison's letter. "You see," said the lawyer sharply, giving Bub a little shake, "those are the exact words of the letter. We're going to enter the Lodge and take possession of it, as Mr. Morrison has told us to do, and if you don't obey my orders I shall give you a good flogging. Do you understand that?" Bub nodded, more cheerfully.

"If ye do it by force," said he, "that lets me out. Nobody kin blame me if I'm forced." Mary Louise laughed so heartily that the boy cast an upward, half- approving glance at her face. Even Mr. Conant's stern visage relaxed. "See here, Bub," he said, "obey my orders and no harm can come to you. This letter is genuine and if you serve us faithfully while we are here I'll—I'll give you four bits a week." "Heh? Four bits!" "Exactly. Four bits every week." "Gee, that'll make six bits a week, with the two Talbot's goin' ter give me. I'm hanged ef I don't buy a sweater fer next winter, afore the cold weather comes!" "Very good," said Mr. Conant. "Now get busy and let us in." Bub deliberately closed the knife and put it in his pocket, tossing away the stick.

"Gals," he remarked, with another half glance at Mary Louise, "ain't ter my likin'; but FOUR BITS—" He turned and walked away to where a wild rosebush clambered over one corner of the Lodge. Pushing away the thick, thorny branches with care, he thrust in his hand and drew out a bunch of keys.

"If it's jus' the same t' you, sir, I'd ruther ye'd snatch 'em from my hand," he suggested. "Then, if I'm blamed, I kin prove a alibi." Mr. Conant was so irritated that he literally obeyed the boy's request and snatched the keys. Then he led the way to the front door.

"It's that thin, brass one," Bub hinted. Mr. Conant opened the front door. The place was apparently in perfect order.

"Go and get Hannah and Irene, please," said Peter to Mary Louise, and soon they had all taken possession of the cosy Lodge, had opened the windows and aired it and selected their various bedrooms. "It is simply delightful!" exclaimed Irene, who was again seated in her wheeled chair, "and, if Uncle Peter will build a little runway from the porch to the ground, as he did at home, I shall be able to go and come as I please." Meantime Aunt Hannah—as even Mary Louise now called Mrs. Conant— ransacked the kitchen and cupboards to discover what supplies were in the house. There was a huge stock of canned goods, which Will Morrison had begged them to use freely, and the Conants had brought a big box of other groceries with them, which was speedily unpacked.

While the others were thus engaged in settling and arranging the house, Irene wheeled her chair to the porch, on the steps of which sat Bub, again whittling. He had shown much interest in the crippled girl, whose misfortune seemed instantly to dispel his aversion for her sex, at least so far as she was concerned. He was not reluctant even to look at her face and he watched with astonishment the ease with which she managed her chair. Having overheard, although at a distance, most of the boy's former conversation with Uncle Peter, Irene now began questioning him. "Have you been eating and sleeping here?" "Of course," answered Bub. "In the Lodge?" "No; over in Talbot's house. That's over the ridge, yonder; it's only a step, but ye kain't see it f'm here. My home's in the South Holler, four mile away." "Do you cook your own meals?" "Nobudy else ter do it." "And don't you get dreadfully lonesome at night?" "Who? Me? Guess not. What the Sam Hill is they to be lonesome over?" "There are no near neighbors, are there?" "Plenty. The Barker house is two mile one way an' the Bigbee house is jus' half a mile down the slope; guess ye passed it, comin' up; but they ain't no one in the Bigbee house jus' now, 'cause Bigbee got shot on the mount'n las' year, a deer hunt'n', an' Bigbee's wife's married another man what says he's delicate like an' can't leave the city. But neighbors is plenty. Six mile along the canyon lives Doolittle." Irene was delighted with Bub's quaint language and ways and before Mrs. Conant called her family to the simple improvised dinner the chair-girl had won the boy's heart and already they were firm friends.

CHAPTER XIII. BUB SUCCUMBS TO FORCE CAPÍTULO XIII. BUB SUCUMBE A LA FUERZA CAPITOLO XIII. BUB SOCCOMBE ALLA FORZA CAPÍTULO XIII. BUBCUMBS TO FORCE ГЛАВА XIII. БАБ УСТУПАЕТ СИЛЕ

One day Peter Conant abruptly left his office, came home and packed his grip and then hurried down town and caught the five o'clock train for New York. Un giorno Peter Conant lasciò bruscamente il suo ufficio, tornò a casa e fece le valigie, poi si precipitò in città e prese il treno delle cinque per New York. He was glum and uncommunicative, as usual, merely telling Aunt Hannah that business called him away and he did not know when he would be back. Era cupo e poco comunicativo, come al solito, e si limitava a dire alla zia Hannah che gli affari lo chiamavano lontano e non sapeva quando sarebbe tornato.

A week later Peter appeared at the family breakfast table, having arrived on the early morning express, and he seemed in a more gracious mood than usual. Indeed, he was really talkative.

"I met Will Morrison in New York, Hannah," he said to his wife. "He was just sailing for London with his family and will remain abroad all summer. "Era appena partito per Londra con la sua famiglia e rimarrà all'estero per tutta l'estate. He wanted us to occupy his mountain place, Hillcrest Lodge, during July and August, and although I told him we couldn't use the place he insisted on my taking an order on his man to turn the shack over to us." Voleva che occupassimo la sua casa in montagna, l'Hillcrest Lodge, durante i mesi di luglio e agosto, e sebbene gli avessi detto che non potevamo usare il posto, ha insistito perché prendessi l'ordine di consegnarci la baracca". "The shack!" cried Aunt Hannah indignantly. gridò zia Hannah indignata.

"Why, Peter, Hillcrest Lodge is a little palace. "Ma Peter, Hillcrest Lodge è un piccolo palazzo. It is the cosiest, most delightful place I have ever visited. È il posto più accogliente e delizioso che abbia mai visitato. Why shouldn't we accept Will Morrison's proposition to occupy it?" "I can't leave my business." "You could run up every Friday afternoon, taking the train to Millbank and the stage to Hillcrest, and stay with us till Monday morning." "Potresti correre ogni venerdì pomeriggio, prendere il treno per Millbank e la diligenza per Hillcrest, e stare con noi fino al lunedì mattina". He stared at her reflectively.

"Would you be safe in that out-of-the-way place?" "Saresti al sicuro in quel posto fuori mano?". he asked.

"Of course. Didn't you say Will had a man for caretaker? Non avevi detto che Will aveva un uomo come custode? And only a few scattered cottages are located near by, so we shall be quite by ourselves and wholly unmolested. Inoltre, nelle vicinanze si trovano solo alcuni cottage sparsi, quindi saremo da soli e completamente indisturbati. I mean to go, and take the girls. Intendo andare e portare le ragazze. The change will do us all good, so you may as well begin to make arrangements for the trip." Peter Conant stared awhile and then resumed his breakfast without comment. Peter Conant lo fissò per un po' e poi riprese la sua colazione senza fare commenti. Mary Louise thought she saw a smile flicker over his stolid features for a moment, but could not be positive. Mary Louise credette di aver visto per un attimo un sorriso sui suoi lineamenti solidi, ma non poté esserne certa. Aunt Hannah had spoken in a practical, matter-of-fact way that did not admit of argument. Zia Hannah aveva parlato in un modo pratico e concreto che non ammetteva discussioni.

"Let me see," she resumed; "we will plan to leave on Thursday morning, over the branch road, which will get us to Millbank by noon. "Vediamo", riprese, "pensiamo di partire giovedì mattina, attraverso la diramazione che ci porterà a Millbank per mezzogiorno. If you telegraph the stage-driver to meet us we can reach Hillcrest Lodge by three o'clock—perhaps earlier—and that will enable us to get settled before dark. Se telegrafate all'autista della diligenza di venirci incontro, potremo raggiungere Hillcrest Lodge per le tre, forse prima, e questo ci permetterà di sistemarci prima che faccia buio. That is far better than taking the afternoon train. Will you make the proper arrangements, Peter?" Puoi prendere le dovute disposizioni, Peter?". "Yes," he briefly replied. "Sì", rispose brevemente. As he was leaving the house after breakfast he fixed his stare on Irene and said to her: Mentre usciva di casa dopo la colazione, fissò lo sguardo su Irene e le disse:

"In New York I ran across a lot of second-hand books at an auction sale- -old novels and romances which you will probably like. "A New York mi sono imbattuto in un sacco di libri di seconda mano a una vendita all'asta: vecchi romanzi e storie d'amore che probabilmente le piaceranno. I bought the lot and shipped them home. Ho comprato il lotto e l'ho spedito a casa. If they arrive in time you can take them to Hillcrest and they will keep you reading all summer." "Oh, thank you, Uncle Peter!" exclaimed the chair-girl gratefully.

"Have you any—any—news of Gran'pa Jim?" asked Mary Louise diffidently.

"No," he said and walked away. During the few days that remained before their exodus they were busy preparing for the anticipated vacation. Nei pochi giorni che mancavano all'esodo erano impegnati nei preparativi per l'attesa vacanza. Summer gowns had to be looked over and such things gathered together as might be useful during their two months' stay at Hillcrest. Bisognava controllare gli abiti estivi e raccogliere le cose che potevano essere utili durante i due mesi di permanenza a Hillcrest. "Of course no one will see us," remarked Aunt Hannah; "it's really the jumping-off place of the world; but Will Morrison has made it as cosy as possible and we three, with just Peter at the week-ends, can amuse one another without getting lonely. "Naturalmente nessuno ci vedrà", osservò zia Hannah, "è davvero il punto di partenza del mondo; ma Will Morrison l'ha reso il più accogliente possibile e noi tre, con il solo Peter nei fine settimana, possiamo divertirci a vicenda senza sentirci soli". Peter will fish in the mountain streams, of course, and that's the reason he is allowing us to go. We've visited the Morrisons two or three times at the Lodge and Peter has fished for trout every minute he was there." Abbiamo visitato i Morrison due o tre volte al Lodge e Peter ha pescato trote ogni minuto che è stato lì". "Who are the Morrisons?" asked Mary Louise.

"Will Morrison is a rich banker and his wife Sallie was an old schoolmate of mine. The Lodge is only a little resort of theirs, you know, for in the city they live in grand style. I know you girls will enjoy the place, for the scenery is delightful and the clear mountain air mighty invigorating." So che a voi ragazze piacerà il posto, perché il paesaggio è incantevole e l'aria limpida di montagna è molto tonificante". All girls delight in change of location and although Irene was a little worried over the difficulties of getting to Hillcrest Lodge in her crippled condition, she was as eager to go as was Mary Louise. Tutte le ragazze sono felici di cambiare luogo e, sebbene Irene fosse un po' preoccupata per le difficoltà di raggiungere Hillcrest Lodge nelle sue condizioni di storpiatura, era ansiosa di andare come Mary Louise. And she made the trip more comfortably than she had feared.

At Millbank the stage-driver fixed a comfortable seat for her in his carryall and loaded the boxes and baggage and the wheeled chair and the box of books—which had arrived from New York—on the railed top of his bus, and then they drove away through a rough but picturesque country that drew from the girls many exclamations of delight. A Millbank l'autista fissò per lei un posto comodo nel suo bagaglio a mano e caricò le scatole e i bagagli, la sedia a rotelle e la scatola di libri, che erano arrivati da New York, sul tetto a ringhiera del suo autobus, e poi partirono attraverso un paese aspro ma pittoresco che suscitò nelle ragazze molte esclamazioni di piacere.

Presently they came to a small group of dwellings called the "Huddle," which lay at the foot of the mountain. In seguito giunsero a un piccolo gruppo di abitazioni chiamato "Huddle", che si trovava ai piedi della montagna. Then up a winding path the four horses labored patiently, halting often to rest and get their breaths. Poi, su per un sentiero tortuoso, i quattro cavalli faticarono pazientemente, fermandosi spesso per riposare e riprendere fiato. At such times the passengers gloried in the superb views of the valley and its farms and were never impatient to proceed. In questi momenti i passeggeri si gloriavano della superba vista della valle e delle sue fattorie e non erano mai impazienti di proseguire. They passed one or two modest villas, for this splendid location had long ago been discovered by a few others besides Will Morrison who loved to come here for their vacations and so escape the maddening crowds of the cities. Passarono davanti a una o due modeste ville, perché questa splendida località era stata scoperta da tempo da pochi altri, oltre a Will Morrison, che amavano venire qui per le loro vacanze e sfuggire così alla folla impazzita delle città.

Aunt Hannah had planned the trip with remarkable accuracy, for at about three o'clock the lumbering stage stopped at a pretty chalet half hidden among the tall pines and overlooking a steep bluff. La zia Hannah aveva pianificato il viaggio con notevole precisione, perché verso le tre la diligenza si fermò in un grazioso chalet seminascosto tra gli alti pini e affacciato su una ripida scogliera. Here the baggage and boxes were speedily unloaded.

"I gotta git back ter meet the aft'noon train," said Bill Coombs, their driver. "Devo tornare indietro per prendere il treno di mezzogiorno", disse Bill Coombs, il loro autista. "They won't be any more passingers in this direction, tain't likely, 'cause the houses 'roun' here is mighty scattered an' no one's expectin' nobody, as I know of. "Non ci saranno altri passanti in questa direzione, non è probabile, perché le case qui intorno sono molto sparse e nessuno aspetta nessuno, che io sappia. But in the other direction from Millbank—Sodd Corners way—I may catch a load, if I'm lucky." So back he drove, leaving the Conants' traps by the roadside, and Peter began looking around for Morrison's man. Così tornò indietro, lasciando le trappole dei Conant sul ciglio della strada, e Peter iniziò a guardarsi intorno per cercare l'uomo di Morrison. The doors of the house were fast locked, front and rear. There was no one in the barn or the shed- like garage, where a rusty looking automobile stood. Non c'era nessuno nel fienile o nel garage simile a un capannone, dove si trovava un'automobile dall'aspetto arrugginito. Peter looked around the grounds in vain. Peter si guardò intorno invano. Then he whistled. Afterward he began bawling out "Hi, there!" Poi ha iniziato a gridare "Ciao a tutti!". in a voice that echoed lonesomely throughout the mountain side.

And, at last, when they were all beginning to despair, a boy came slouching around a corner of the house, from whence no one could guess. E alla fine, quando tutti cominciavano a disperarsi, un ragazzo arrivò dinoccolato da un angolo della casa, da dove nessuno poteva indovinare. He was whittling a stick and he continued to whittle while he stared at the unexpected arrivals and slowly advanced. Stava sbiancando un bastone e continuava a sbizzarrirsi mentre fissava gli arrivi inattesi e avanzava lentamente. When about fifteen paces away he halted, with feet planted well apart, and bent his gaze sturdily on his stick and knife. A una quindicina di passi di distanza si fermò, con i piedi ben distanziati, e piegò lo sguardo sul bastone e sul coltello. He was barefooted, dressed in faded blue-jeans overalls and a rusty gingham shirt—the two united by a strap over one shoulder—and his head was covered by a broad Scotch golf cap much too big for him and considerably too warm for the season. Era scalzo, vestito con una salopette di blue-jeans sbiadita e una camicia di percalle arrugginita, unite da una cinghia su una spalla, e la testa era coperta da un ampio cappello da golf scozzese troppo grande per lui e decisamente troppo caldo per la stagione.

"Come here!" commanded Mr. Conant.

The boy did not move, therefore the lawyer advanced angrily toward him. Il ragazzo non si mosse, quindi l'avvocato avanzò con rabbia verso di lui.

"Why didn't you obey me?" he asked.

"They's gals there. "Sono ragazze lì. I hates gals," said the boy in a confidential tone. "Any sort o' men critters I kin stand, but gals gits my goat." "Posso sopportare qualsiasi tipo di creatura maschile, ma le donne mi danno fastidio". "Who are you?" inquired Mr. Conant.

"Me? I'm jus' Bub." Sono solo Bub". "Where is Mr. Morrison's man?" "Meanin' Talbot? Gone up to Mark's Peak, to guide a gang o' hunters f'm the city." È andato a Mark's Peak, per guidare una banda di cacciatori dalla città". "When did he go?" asked the lawyer.

"I guess a Tuesday. "Credo un martedì. No—a Wednesday." "And when will he be back?" The boy whittled, abstractedly. Il ragazzo lavorava in modo astratto.

"Answer me!" "How kin I? "Come posso? D'ye know where Mark's Peak is?" Sapete dove si trova Mark's Peak?". "No." "It takes a week ter git thar; they'll likely hunt two er three weeks; mebbe more; ye kin tell that as well as I kin. "Ci vuole una settimana per arrivare lì; probabilmente cacceranno per due o tre settimane; forse di più; lo sapete bene quanto me. Mister Will's gone ter You-RUPP with Miss' Morrison, so Talbot he won't be in no hurry ter come back." Il signor Will è andato a You-RUPP con la signorina Morrison, quindi Talbot non avrà fretta di tornare". "Great Caesar! Here's a pretty mess. Ecco un bel pasticcio. Are you Talbot's boy?" "Nope. I'm a Grigger, an' live over in the holler, yonder." Sono un Grigger e vivo nella valle, laggiù". "What are you doing here?" "Earnin' two bits a week." "Guadagno due soldi alla settimana". "How?" "Lookin' after the place." "Mi occupo della casa". "Very well. Mr. Morrison has given us permission to use the Lodge while he is away, so unlock the doors and help get the baggage in." The boy notched the stick with his knife, using great care. Il ragazzo intacca il bastone con il suo coltello, facendo molta attenzione.

"Talbot didn't say nuth'n' 'bout that," he remarked composedly. "Talbot non ha detto nulla a riguardo", osservò con compostezza. Mr. Conant uttered an impatient ejaculation. Il signor Conant emise un'eiaculazione impaziente. It was one of his peculiarities to give a bark similar to that of a dog when greatly annoyed. Una delle sue peculiarità era quella di emettere un abbaio simile a quello di un cane quando era molto infastidito. After staring at the boy a while he took out Will Morrison's letter to Talbot, opened it and held it before Bub's face. "Read that!" he cried.

Bub grinned and shook his head. Bub sorrise e scosse la testa.

" I kain't read," he said. Mr. Conant, in a loud and severe voice, read Mr. Morrison's instruction to his man Talbot to do everything in his power to make the Conants comfortable and to serve them as faithfully as he did his own master. Mr. Conant, a voce alta e severa, lesse le istruzioni di Mr. Morrison al suo uomo Talbot di fare tutto il possibile per mettere a proprio agio i Conant e di servirli con la stessa fedeltà con cui aveva servito il suo padrone. The boy listened, whittling slowly. Il ragazzo ascoltava, sbiascicando lentamente. Then he said:

"Mebbe that's all right; an' ag'in, mebbe tain't. "Forse è giusto così; ma forse non lo è affatto. Seein' as I kain't read I ain't goin' ter take no one's word fer it." Visto che non so leggere, non ho intenzione di fidarmi della parola di nessuno". "You insolent brat!" "Moccioso insolente!" exclaimed Peter Conant, highly incensed. esclamò Peter Conant, fortemente incattivito. Then he turned and called: "Come here, Mary Louise." Mary Louise promptly advanced and with every step she made the boy retreated a like distance, until the lawyer seized his arm and held it in a firm grip. Mary Louise avanzò prontamente e a ogni passo il ragazzo indietreggiava di una stessa distanza, fino a quando l'avvocato gli afferrò il braccio e lo strinse con forza.

"What do you mean by running away?" "Cosa intendi per fuga?". he demanded.

"I hates gals," retorted Bub sullenly. "Io odio le donne", replicò Bub imbronciato. "Don't be a fool. Come here, Mary Louise, and read this letter to the boy, word for word." Mary Louise, marking the boy's bashfulness and trying to restrain a smile, read Mr. Morrison's letter. Mary Louise, notando la timidezza del ragazzo e cercando di trattenere un sorriso, lesse la lettera del signor Morrison. "You see," said the lawyer sharply, giving Bub a little shake, "those are the exact words of the letter. "Vede", disse bruscamente l'avvocato, dando una piccola scrollata a Bub, "queste sono le parole esatte della lettera. We're going to enter the Lodge and take possession of it, as Mr. Morrison has told us to do, and if you don't obey my orders I shall give you a good flogging. Entreremo nella Loggia e ne prenderemo possesso, come ci ha detto il signor Morrison, e se non obbedirete ai miei ordini vi darò una bella frustata. Do you understand that?" Bub nodded, more cheerfully. Bub annuì, più allegramente.

"If ye do it by force," said he, "that lets me out. "Se lo fate con la forza", disse, "questo mi fa uscire. Nobody kin blame me if I'm forced." Nessuno può biasimarmi se sono costretto". Mary Louise laughed so heartily that the boy cast an upward, half- approving glance at her face. Mary Louise rise così di cuore che il ragazzo le lanciò un'occhiata verso l'alto, mezza approvata. Even Mr. Conant's stern visage relaxed. Anche il volto severo del signor Conant si rilassò. "See here, Bub," he said, "obey my orders and no harm can come to you. "Vedi, Bub", disse, "obbedisci ai miei ordini e non ti accadrà nulla di male". This letter is genuine and if you serve us faithfully while we are here I'll—I'll give you four bits a week." Questa lettera è autentica e se ci servirai fedelmente mentre siamo qui ti darò quattro soldi alla settimana". "Heh? Four bits!" "Exactly. Four bits every week." "Gee, that'll make six bits a week, with the two Talbot's goin' ter give me. "Accidenti, con i due che mi darà Talbot fanno sei soldi a settimana. I'm hanged ef I don't buy a sweater fer next winter, afore the cold weather comes!" Se non mi compro un maglione per il prossimo inverno, prima che arrivi il freddo, sono impiccato!". "Very good," said Mr. Conant. "Now get busy and let us in." "Ora datevi da fare e fateci entrare". Bub deliberately closed the knife and put it in his pocket, tossing away the stick. Bub chiuse deliberatamente il coltello e lo mise in tasca, gettando via il bastone.

"Gals," he remarked, with another half glance at Mary Louise, "ain't ter my likin'; but FOUR BITS—" "Le ragazze", osservò, con un'altra mezza occhiata a Mary Louise, "non sono di mio gradimento; ma quattro soldi...". He turned and walked away to where a wild rosebush clambered over one corner of the Lodge. Si voltò e si allontanò verso il punto in cui un rosaio selvatico si arrampicava su un angolo della Loggia. Pushing away the thick, thorny branches with care, he thrust in his hand and drew out a bunch of keys. Spingendo via con cura i rami fitti e spinosi, infilò la mano ed estrasse un mazzo di chiavi.

"If it's jus' the same t' you, sir, I'd ruther ye'd snatch 'em from my hand," he suggested. "Se è lo stesso per voi, signore, preferirei che me li strappaste di mano", suggerì. "Then, if I'm blamed, I kin prove a alibi." Mr. Conant was so irritated that he literally obeyed the boy's request and snatched the keys. Il signor Conant era così irritato che obbedì letteralmente alla richiesta del ragazzo e strappò le chiavi. Then he led the way to the front door. Poi ci guidò verso la porta d'ingresso.

"It's that thin, brass one," Bub hinted. "È quella sottile di ottone", ha accennato Bub. Mr. Conant opened the front door. The place was apparently in perfect order.

"Go and get Hannah and Irene, please," said Peter to Mary Louise, and soon they had all taken possession of the cosy Lodge, had opened the windows and aired it and selected their various bedrooms. "Vai a chiamare Hannah e Irene, per favore", disse Peter a Mary Louise, e ben presto tutti presero possesso dell'accogliente Lodge, aprirono le finestre, arieggiarono e scelsero le loro diverse camere da letto. "It is simply delightful!" exclaimed Irene, who was again seated in her wheeled chair, "and, if Uncle Peter will build a little runway from the porch to the ground, as he did at home, I shall be able to go and come as I please." esclamò Irene, che era di nuovo seduta sulla sua sedia a rotelle, "e, se lo zio Pietro costruirà una piccola passerella dal portico a terra, come ha fatto a casa, potrò andare e venire a mio piacimento". Meantime Aunt Hannah—as even Mary Louise now called Mrs. Conant— ransacked the kitchen and cupboards to discover what supplies were in the house. Nel frattempo zia Hannah - come anche Mary Louise ora chiamava la signora Conant - rovistava in cucina e negli armadi per scoprire quali provviste ci fossero in casa. There was a huge stock of canned goods, which Will Morrison had begged them to use freely, and the Conants had brought a big box of other groceries with them, which was speedily unpacked. C'era un'enorme scorta di scatolame, che Will Morrison aveva pregato di usare liberamente, e i Conant avevano portato con sé una grande scatola di altri generi alimentari, che fu rapidamente disfatta.

While the others were thus engaged in settling and arranging the house, Irene wheeled her chair to the porch, on the steps of which sat Bub, again whittling. Mentre gli altri erano impegnati a sistemare la casa, Irene portò la sua sedia nel portico, sui cui gradini sedeva Bub, sempre intento a sbiancare. He had shown much interest in the crippled girl, whose misfortune seemed instantly to dispel his aversion for her sex, at least so far as she was concerned. Aveva mostrato molto interesse per la ragazza storpia, la cui disgrazia sembrava aver dissipato all'istante l'avversione per il suo sesso, almeno per quanto riguardava lei. He was not reluctant even to look at her face and he watched with astonishment the ease with which she managed her chair. Having overheard, although at a distance, most of the boy's former conversation with Uncle Peter, Irene now began questioning him. Avendo ascoltato, anche se a distanza, gran parte della precedente conversazione del ragazzo con lo zio Pietro, Irene iniziò a interrogarlo. "Have you been eating and sleeping here?" "Of course," answered Bub. "In the Lodge?" "No; over in Talbot's house. "No; a casa di Talbot. That's over the ridge, yonder; it's only a step, but ye kain't see it f'm here. È oltre il crinale, laggiù; è solo un passo, ma non potete vederlo da qui. My home's in the South Holler, four mile away." "Do you cook your own meals?" "Nobudy else ter do it." "Nessun altro può farlo". "And don't you get dreadfully lonesome at night?" "E non ti senti terribilmente solo di notte?". "Who? Me? Guess not. Immagino di no. What the Sam Hill is they to be lonesome over?" Che cosa c'è di solitario in Sam Hill?". "There are no near neighbors, are there?" "Non ci sono vicini di casa, vero?". "Plenty. "Molto. The Barker house is two mile one way an' the Bigbee house is jus' half a mile down the slope; guess ye passed it, comin' up; but they ain't no one in the Bigbee house jus' now, 'cause Bigbee got shot on the mount'n las' year, a deer hunt'n', an' Bigbee's wife's married another man what says he's delicate like an' can't leave the city. La casa di Barker è a due miglia da una parte e la casa di Bigbee è solo a mezzo miglio lungo il pendio; immagino che l'abbiate superata, venendo su; ma nella casa di Bigbee ora non c'è nessuno, perché Bigbee è stato colpito sul monte l'anno scorso, durante una caccia al cervo, e la moglie di Bigbee ha sposato un altro uomo che dice di essere delicato e di non poter lasciare la città. But neighbors is plenty. Six mile along the canyon lives Doolittle." Irene was delighted with Bub's quaint language and ways and before Mrs. Conant called her family to the simple improvised dinner the chair-girl had won the boy's heart and already they were firm friends. Irene era entusiasta del linguaggio e dei modi pittoreschi di Bub e prima che la signora Conant chiamasse la sua famiglia per la semplice cena improvvisata, la ragazza della sedia aveva conquistato il cuore del ragazzo e già erano diventati grandi amici.