第 9 节
作者:做男人挺好的      更新:2021-02-20 15:18      字数:9322
  Some months I earned as high as five hundred gold。  And here was
  Sarah waiting for me back in Nebraska … 〃
  〃An' us engaged two years;〃 she complained to the Tower of Jewels。
  〃 … What of the strike; and me being blacklisted; and getting
  typhoid down in Australia; and everything;〃 he went on。  〃And luck
  was with me on that railroad。  Why; I saw fellows fresh from the
  States pass out; some of them not a week on their first run。  If
  the diseases and the railroad didn't get them; then it was the
  Spiggoties got them。  But it just wasn't my fate; even that time I
  rode my engine down to the bottom of a forty…foot washout。  I lost
  my fireman; and the conductor and the Superintendent of Rolling
  Stock (who happened to be running down to Duran to meet his bride)
  had their heads knifed off by the Spiggoties and paraded around on
  poles。  But I lay snug as a bug under a couple of feet of tender
  coal; and they thought I'd headed for tall timber … lay there a day
  and a night till the excitement cooled down。  Yes; I was lucky。
  The worst that happened to me was I caught a cold once; and another
  time had a carbuncle。  But the other fellows!  They died like
  flies; what of Yellow Jack; pneumonia; the Spiggoties; and the
  railroad。  The trouble was I didn't have much chance to pal with
  them。  No sooner'd I get some intimate with one of them he'd up and
  die … all but a fireman named Andrews; and he went loco for keeps。
  〃I made good on my job from the first; and lived in Quito in a
  'dobe house with whacking big Spanish tiles on the roof that I'd
  rented。  And I never had much trouble with the Spiggoties; what of
  letting them sneak free rides in the tender or on the cowcatcher。
  Me throw them off?  Never!  I took notice; when Jack Harris put off
  a bunch of them; that I attended his funeral MUY PRONTO … 〃
  〃Speak English;〃 the little woman beside him snapped。
  〃Sarah just can't bear to tolerate me speaking Spanish;〃 he
  apologized。  〃It gets so on her nerves that I promised not to。
  Well; as I was saying; the goose hung high and everything was going
  hunky…dory; and I was piling up my wages to come north to Nebraska
  and marry Sarah; when I run on to Vahna … 〃
  〃The hussy!〃 Sarah hissed。
  〃Now; Sarah;〃 her towering giant of a husband begged; 〃I just got
  to mention her or I can't tell about the nugget。 … It was one night
  when I was taking a locomotive … no train … down to Amato; about
  thirty miles from Quito。  Seth Manners was my fireman。  I was
  breaking him in to engineer for himself; and I was letting him run
  the locomotive while I sat up in his seat meditating about Sarah
  here。  I'd just got a letter from her; begging as usual for me to
  come home and hinting as usual about the dangers of an unmarried
  man like me running around loose in a country full of senoritas and
  fandangos。  Lord!  If she could only a…seen them。  Positive
  frights; that's what they are; their faces painted white as corpses
  and their lips red as … as some of the train wrecks I've helped
  clean up。
  〃It was a lovely April night; not a breath of wind; and a
  tremendous big moon shining right over the top of Chimborazo。 …
  Some mountain that。  The railroad skirted it twelve thousand feet
  above sea level; and the top of it ten thousand feet higher than
  that。
  〃Mebbe I was drowsing; with Seth running the engine; but he slammed
  on the brakes so sudden hard that I darn near went through the cab
  window。
  〃'What the … ' I started to yell; and 'Holy hell;' Seth says; as
  both of us looked at what was on the track。  And I agreed with Seth
  entirely in his remark。  It was an Indian girl … and take it from
  me; Indians ain't Spiggoties by any manner of means。  Seth had
  managed to fetch a stop within twenty feet of her; and us bowling
  down hill at that!  But the girl。  She … 〃
  I saw the form of Mrs。 Julian Jones stiffen; although she kept her
  gaze fixed balefully upon two mud…hens that were prowling along the
  lagoon shallows below us。  〃The hussy!〃 she hissed; once and
  implacably。  Jones had stopped at the sound; but went on
  immediately。
  〃She was a tall girl; slim and slender; you know the kind; with
  black hair; remarkably long hanging; down loose behind her; as she
  stood there no more afraid than nothing; her arms spread out to
  stop the engine。  She was wearing a slimpsy sort of garment wrapped
  around her that wasn't cloth but ocelot skins; soft and dappled;
  and silky。  It was all she had on … 〃
  〃The hussy!〃 breathed Mrs。 Jones。
  But Mr。 Jones went on; making believe that he was unaware of the
  interruption。
  〃'Hell of a way to stop a locomotive;' I complained at Seth; as I
  climbed down on to the right of way。  I walked past our engine and
  up to the girl; and what do you think?  Her eyes were shut tight。
  She was trembling that violent that you would see it by the
  moonlight。  And she was barefoot; too。
  〃'What's the row?' I said; none too gentle。  She gave a start;
  seemed to come out of her trance; and opened her eyes。  Say!  They
  were big and black and beautiful。  Believe me; she was some looker
  … 〃
  〃The hussy!〃  At which hiss the two mud…hens veered away a few
  feet。  But Jones was getting himself in hand; and didn't even
  blink。
  〃'What are you stopping this locomotive for?' I demanded in
  Spanish。  Nary an answer。  She stared at me; then at the snorting
  engine and then burst into tears; which you'll admit is uncommon
  behaviour for an Indian woman。
  〃'If you try to get rides that way;' I slung at her in Spiggoty
  Spanish (which they tell me is some different from regular
  Spanish); 'you'll be taking one smeared all over our cowcatcher and
  headlight; and it'll be up to my fireman to scrape you off。'
  〃My Spiggoty Spanish wasn't much to brag on; but I could see she
  understood; though she only shook her head and wouldn't speak。  But
  great Moses; she was some looker … 〃
  I glanced apprehensively at Mrs。 Jones; who must have caught me out
  of the tail of her eye; for she muttered:  〃If she hadn't been do
  you think he'd a…taken her into his house to live?〃
  〃Now hold on; Sarah;〃 he protested。  〃That ain't fair。  Besides;
  I'm telling this。 … Next thing; Seth yells at me; 'Goin' to stay
  here all night?'
  〃'Come on;' I said to the girl; 'and climb on board。  But next time
  you want a ride don't flag a locomotive between stations。'  She
  followed along; but when I got to the step and turned to give her a
  lift…up; she wasn't there。  I went forward again。  Not a sign of
  her。  Above and below was sheer cliff; and the track stretched
  ahead a hundred yards clear and empty。  And then I spotted her;
  crouched down right against the cowcatcher; that close I'd almost
  stepped on her。  If we'd started up; we'd have run over her in a
  second。  It was all so nonsensical; I never could make out her
  actions。  Maybe she was trying to suicide。  I grabbed her by the
  wrist and jerked her none too gentle to her feet。  And she came
  along all right。  Women do know when a man means business。〃
  I glanced from this Goliath to his little; bird…eyed spouse; and
  wondered if he had ever tried to mean business with her。
  〃Seth kicked at first; but I boosted her into the cab and made her
  sit up beside me … 〃
  〃And I suppose Seth was busy running the engine;〃 Mrs。 Jones
  observed。
  〃I was breaking him in; wasn't I?〃  Mr。 Jones protested。  〃So we
  made the run into Amato。  She'd never opened her mouth once; and no
  sooner'd the engine stopped than she'd jumped to the ground and was
  gone。  Just like that。  Not a thank you kindly。  Nothing。
  〃But next morning when we came to pull out for Quito with a dozen
  flat cars loaded with rails; there she was in the cab waiting for
  us; and in the daylight I could see how much better a looker she
  was than the night before。
  〃'Huh! she's adopted you;' Seth grins。  And it looked like it。  She
  just stood there and looked at me … at us … like a loving hound dog
  that you love; that you've caught with a string of sausages inside
  of him; and that just knows you ain't going to lift a hand to him。
  'Go chase yourself!' I told her PRONTO。〃  (Mrs。 Jones her proximity
  noticeable with a wince at the Spanish word。)  〃You see; Sarah; I'd
  no use for her; even at the start。〃
  Mrs。 Jones stiffened。  Her lips moved soundlessly; but I knew to
  what syllables。
  〃And what made it hardest was Seth jeering at me。  'You can't shake
  her that way;' he said。  'You saved her life … '  'I didn't;' I
  said sharply; 'it was you。'  'But she thinks you did; which is the
  same thing;' he came back at me。  'And now she belongs to you。
  Custom of the country; as you ought to know。'〃
  〃Heathenish;〃 said Mrs。 Jones; and though her steady gaze was set
  upon the Tower of Jewels I knew she was making no reference to its
  architecture。
  〃'She's come to do light housekeeping for you;' Seth grinned。  I
  let him rave; though afterwards I kept him