按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
asked。〃
〃'It can't be she； you know；' said I。 'He would have come back from
Europe。'〃
〃But we found it out at lunch。 It was she； and she had been dead for
fifteen years。〃
23
… Page 24…
MOTHER
〃Ethel and I talked it over in the train going up to town on Monday
morning。 We had by that time grown calmer。 'If it is not false pretences；'
said she； 'and you cannot sue him for damages； and if it is not stealing or
something； and you cannot put him in prison； what are you going to do to
him； Richard？'〃
〃As this was a question which I had frequently asked myself during
the night； having found no satisfactory answer to it； I said： 'What would
you do in my place； Ethel？' But Ethel knew。〃
〃'I should find out when he sails； and meet his steamer with a
cowhide。'〃
〃'Then he would sue me for damages。'〃
〃'That would be nothing； if you got a few good cuts in on him。'〃
〃'Ethel；' I said； 'please follow me carefully。 I should like dearly to
cowhide him。 and for the sake of argument we will consider it done Then
comes the lawsuit。 Then I get up and say that I beat him because he made
me buy Standard Egg at 63 by telling me that his mother had some； when
really the old lady had been dead for fifteen years。 When I think of it in
this way； I do not feel'〃
〃I know；' interrupted Ethel； 'you are afraid of ridicule。 All men are。'〃
〃Had Ethel insisted； I believe that I should have cowhided Mr。 Beverly
for her sake。 But before his return our destinies were brightened。 Copper
had been found near Ethel's waste lands in Michigan； and the family
business man was able to sell the property for seven hundred thousand
dollars。 He did this so promptly that I ventured to ask him if delay might
not have brought a greater price。 'Well'； he said； 'I don't know。 You must
seize these things。 Blake and Beverly might have got tired waiting。〃
〃'Blake and Beverly！' I exclaimed 'So they made the purchase。 It Mr。
Beverly back？'〃
〃'Just back。 To tell the truth I don't believe they're finding so much
copper as they hoped。'〃
〃This turned out to be true。 And I am not sure that the business man
had not known it all the while。 'We looked over the property pretty
thoroughly at the time of the Tamarack excitement；' he said。 And in a few
24
… Page 25…
MOTHER
days more； in fact； it was generally known that this land had returned to its
old state of not quite paying the taxes。〃
〃Then I paid my visit to Mr。 Beverly； but with no cowhide。 'Mr。
Beverly；' said I； 'I want to announce to you my engagement to Miss Ethel
Lansing； whose Michigan copper land you have lately acquired。 I hope
that you bought some for your mother。'〃
〃Those；〃 concluded Mr。 Richard Field； 〃are the circumstances
attending my engagement which I felt might interest you。 And now； Ethel；
tell your story； if they'll listen。〃
〃Richard；〃 said Ethel； 〃that is the story I was going to tell。〃
25