酷兔英语
    当前位置:
  1. 首页
  2. 文章
  3. 娱乐英语
  4. 原版小说
  5. 正文

New Chronicles of Rebecca-Part29_Kate Douglas Wiggin(1856-1923)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

0 收藏 0 分享 0 赞

章节正文
文章总共2页
Emma Jane were cosily playing house, the game of all others in

which it is particularly desirable to have two and not three



participants.

At that moment the nature of Abijah changed, at once and forever.



Without a pang of conscience he flew over the intervening patch

of ground between himself and his dreaded rival, and seizing



small stones and larger ones, as haste and fury demanded, flung

them at Jimmy Watson, and flung and flung, till the bewildered



boy ran down the hill howling. Then he made a "stickin'" door to

the play-house, put the awed Emma Jane inside and strode up and



down in front of the edifice like an Indian brave. At such an

early age does woman become a distracting and disturbing



influence in man's career!

Time went on, and so did the rivalry between the poorhouse boy



and the son of wealth, but Abijah's chances of friendship with

Emma Jane grew fewer and fewer as they both grew older. He did



not go to school, so there was no meeting-ground there, but

sometimes, when he saw the knot of boys and girls returning in



the afternoon, he would invite Elijah and Elisha, the Simpson

twins, to visit him, and take pains to be in Squire Bean's front



yard, doing something that might impress his inamorata as she

passed the premises.



As Jimmy Watson was particularly small and fragile, Abijah

generally chose feats of strength and skill for these prearranged



performances.

Sometimes he would throw his hat up into the elm trees as far as



he could and, when it came down, catch it on his head. Sometimes

he would walk on his hands, with his legs wriggling in the air,



or turn a double somersault, or jump incredible distances across

the extended arms of the Simpson twins; and his bosom swelled



with pride when the girls exclaimed, "Isn't he splendid!"

although he often heard his rival murmur scornfully, "SMARTY



ALECK!"--a scathing allusion of unknown origin.

Squire Bean, although he did not send the boy to school



(thinking, as he was of no possible importance in the universe,

it was not worth while bothering about his education), finally



became impressed with his ability, lent him books, and gave him

more time to study. These were all he needed, books and time, and



when there was an especially hard knot to untie, Rebecca, as the

star scholar of the neighborhood, helped him to untie it.



When he was sixteen he longed to go away from Riverboro and be

something better than a chore boy. Squire Bean had been giving



him small wages for three or four years, and when the time of

parting came presented him with a ten-dollar bill and a silver



watch.

Many a time had he discussed his future with Rebecca and asked



her opinion.

This was not strange, for there was nothing in human form that



she could not and did not converse with, easily and delightedly.

She had ideas on every conceivable subject, and would have



cheerfully advised the minister if he had asked her. The fishman

consulted her when he couldn't endure his mother-in-law another



minute in the house; Uncle Jerry Cobb didn't part with his river

field until he had talked it over with Rebecca; and as for Aunt



Jane, she couldn't decide whether to wear her black merino or her

gray thibet unless Rebecca cast the final vote.



Abijah wanted to go far away from Riverboro, as far as Limerick

Academy, which was at least fifteen miles; but although this



seemed extreme, Rebecca agreed, saying pensively: "There IS a

kind of magicness about going far away and then coming back all



changed."

This was precisely Abijah's unspoken thought. Limerick knew



nothing of Abbie Flagg's worthlessness, birth, and training, and

the awful stigma of his poorhouse birth, so that he would start



fair. He could have gone to Wareham and thus remained within

daily sight of the beloved Emma Jane; but no, he was not going to



permit her to watch him in the process of "becoming," but after

he had "become" something. He did not propose to take any risks



after all these years of silence and patience. Not he! He

proposed to disappear, like the moon on a dark night, and as he



was, at present, something that Mr. Perkins would by no means

have in the family nor Mrs. Perkins allow in the house, he would



neither return to Riverboro nor ask any favors of them until he

had something to offer. Yes, sir. He was going to be crammed to






文章总共2页
文章标签:名著  

章节正文
Copyright © 2023 Qeto All rights reserved.
商务合作 | 联系我们 | 关于我们 | 版权声明 | 隐私条款 | 如果智培

京ICP备05059198号-1 京公网安备 11011202003401号