newspapers and them gun rags! The place is like a cow-yard. Why

in the name of heaven don't you clean up here!"



"Allee light," babbled Sang; "I clean him."

The papers and gun rags had lain there unnoticed for nearly a



year. Senor Johnson kicked them savagely.

"It's time we took a brace here," he growled, "we're livin' like



a lot of Oilers."[5]

[5] Oilers: Greasers--Mexicans



CHAPTER THREE

THE PAPER A YEAR OLD



Sang hurried out for a broom. Senor Johnson sat where he was,

his heavy, square brows knit. Suddenly he stooped, seized one of



the newspapers, drew near the lamp, and began to read.

It was a Kansas City paper and, by a strange coincidence, was



dated exactly a year before. The sheet Senor Johnson happened to

pick up was one usually passed over by the average newspaper



reader. It contained only columns of little two- and three-line

advertisements classified as Help Wanted, Situations Wanted, Lost



and Found, and Personal. The latter items Senor Johnson

commenced to read while awaiting Sang and the broom.



The notices were five in number. The first three were of the

mysterious newspaper-correspondence type, in which Birdie



beseeches Jack to meet her at the fountain; the fourth advertised

a clairvoyant. Over the fifth Senor Johnson paused long. It



reads

"WANTED.-By an intelligent and refined lady of pleasing



appearance, correspondence with a gentleman of means. Object

matrimony.



Just then Sang returned with the broom and began noisily to sweep

together the debris. The rustling of papers aroused Senor



Johnson from his reverie. At once he exploded.

"Get out of here, you debased Mongolian," he shouted; "can't you



see I'm reading?"

Sang fled, sorely puzzled, for the Senor was calm and unexcited



and aloof in his everyday habit.

Soon Jed Parker, tall, wiry, hawk-nosed, deliberate, came into



the room and flung his broad hat and spurs into the corner. Then

he proceeded to light his pipe and threw the burned match on the



floor.

"Been over to look at the Grant Pass range," he announced



cheerfully. "She's no good. Drier than cork legs. Th' country

wouldn't support three horned toads."



"Jed," quoth the Senor solemnly, "I wisht you'd hang up your hat

like I have. It don't look good there on the floor."



"Why, sure," agreed Jed, with an astonished stare.

Sang brought in supper and slung it on the red and white squares



of oilcloth. Then he moved the lamp and retired.

Senor Johnson gazed with distaste into his cup.



"This coffee would float a wedge," he commented sourly.

"She's no puling infant," agreed the cheerful Jed.



"And this!" went on the Senor, picking up what purported to be

plum duff: "Bog down a few currants in dough and call her



pudding!"

He ate in silence, then pushed back his chair and went to the



window, gazing through its grimy panes at the mountains, ethereal

in their evening saffron.



"Blamed Chink," he growled; "why don't he wash these windows?"

Jed laid down his busy knife and idle fork to gaze on his chief



with amazement. Buck Johnson, the austere, the aloof, the grimly

taciturn, the dangerous, to be thus complaining like a querulous



woman!

"Senor," said he, "you're off your feed."



Senor Johnson strodesavagely to the table and sat down with a

bang.



"I'm sick of it," he growled; "this thing will kill me off. I

might as well go be a buck nun and be done with it."



With one round-arm sweep he cleared aside the dishes.

"Give me that pen and paper behind you," he requested.



For an hour he wrote and destroyed. The floor became littered

with torn papers. Then he enveloped a meagre result. Parker had



watched him in silence.

The Senor looked up to catch his speculative eye. His own eye



twinkled a little, but the twinkle was determined and sinister,

• package [´pækidʒ] n.包(裹) vt.组装 (初中英语单词)


• contain [kən´tein] v.包含；容纳；抑制 (初中英语单词)


• comparison [kəm´pærisən] n.比较；对照；比喻 (初中英语单词)


• weapon [´wepən] n.武器；斗争手段 (初中英语单词)


• rattle [´rætl] n.嘎吱声 (初中英语单词)


• reckon [´rekən] v.计算；认为；估计 (初中英语单词)


• injure [´indʒə] vt.伤害，损害，毁坏 (初中英语单词)


• shipping [´ʃipiŋ] n.船运业；船舶(总数) (初中英语单词)


• frontier [´frʌntiə] n.国境；边疆；边界 (初中英语单词)


• abroad [ə´brɔ:d] ad.海外；到处；广泛 (初中英语单词)


• california [,kæli´fɔ:njə] n.加利福尼亚 (初中英语单词)


• ribbon [´ribən] n.缎带；带子；色带 (初中英语单词)


• valley [´væli] n.谷；河谷；流域 (初中英语单词)


• prairie [´preəri] n.大草原 (初中英语单词)


• actually [´æktʃuəli] ad.事实上；实际上 (初中英语单词)


• atmosphere [´ætməsfiə] n.大气；空气；气氛 (初中英语单词)


• constantly [´kɔnstəntli] ad.经常地；不断地 (初中英语单词)


• purple [´pə:pl] n.紫色 a.紫(红)的 (初中英语单词)


• variety [və´raiəti] n.变化；多样(性)；种类 (初中英语单词)


• series [´siəri:z] n.连续；系列；丛书 (初中英语单词)


• rarely [´reəli] ad.难得；非凡地 (初中英语单词)


• glitter [´glitə] n.光辉 vi.闪烁，炫耀 (初中英语单词)


• mental [´mentl] a.精神的；心理的 (初中英语单词)


• glorious [´glɔ:riəs] a.光荣的；辉煌的 (初中英语单词)


• restless [´restləs] a.没有休息的 (初中英语单词)


• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


• fountain [´fauntin] n.泉水；源泉；根源 (初中英语单词)


• intelligent [in´telidʒənt] a.聪明的；理智的 (初中英语单词)


• cheerful [´tʃiəful] a.快乐的；高兴的 (初中英语单词)


• amazement [ə´meizmənt] n.惊愕；惊奇 (初中英语单词)


• twinkle [´twiŋkl] vi.&n.闪烁；眨眼 (初中英语单词)


• leisure [´leʒə] n.空闲；悠闲；安定 (高中英语单词)


• crowded [´kraudid] a.充(拥)满了的 (高中英语单词)


• arizona [,æri´zəunə] n.亚利桑那(州) (高中英语单词)


• gorgeous [´gɔ:dʒəs] a.华丽的；宜人的 (高中英语单词)


• streak [stri:k] n.纹理 v.用线条(条纹) (高中英语单词)


• discern [di´sə:n] v.辩认出 (高中英语单词)


• landscape [´lændskeip] n.风景；景色；风景画 (高中英语单词)


• illusion [i´lu:ʒən] n.幻觉；幻影；错觉 (高中英语单词)


• uneasy [ʌn´i:zi] a.不安的；不自在的 (高中英语单词)


• silken [´silkən] a.丝制的；柔软光滑的 (高中英语单词)


• mantle [´mæntl] n.斗蓬 v.覆盖；笼罩 (高中英语单词)


• hurried [´hʌrid] a.仓促的，慌忙的 (高中英语单词)


• kansas [´kænzəs] n.堪萨斯(州) (高中英语单词)


• correspondence [,kɔri´spɔndəns] n.通信；符合；相当 (高中英语单词)


• everyday [´evridei] a.每日的，日常的 (高中英语单词)


• deliberate [di´libəreit] a.慎重的；故意的 (高中英语单词)


• solemnly [´sɔləmli] ad.严肃地，庄严地 (高中英语单词)


• strode [strəud] stride的过去式 (高中英语单词)


• status [´steitəs] n.身份；情形；状况 (英语四级单词)


• setting [´setiŋ] n.安装；排字；布景 (英语四级单词)


• fascination [,fæsi´neiʃən] n.魅力；强烈爱好 (英语四级单词)


• ridden [´ridn] ride 的过去分词 (英语四级单词)


• volcanic [vɔl´kænik] a.(象)火山的；爆发的 (英语四级单词)


• accurately [´ækjuritli] ad.准确地；精密地 (英语四级单词)


• tapestry [´tæpistri] n.挂毯 (英语四级单词)


• upside [´ʌpsaid] n.上边，上段，上部 (英语四级单词)


• vastly [´vɑ:stli, ´væstli] ad.巨大地；广阔地 (英语四级单词)


• touching [´tʌtʃiŋ] a.动人的 prep.提到 (英语四级单词)


• suspension [sə´spenʃən] n.吊；中止；暂停 (英语四级单词)


• bridge [bridʒ] n.桥(梁)；鼻梁；桥牌 (英语四级单词)


• freshness [´freʃnis] n.新鲜 (英语四级单词)


• generate [´dʒenəreit] vt.创造；发生；引起 (英语四级单词)


• foreman [´fɔ:mən] n.领班；陪审团主席 (英语四级单词)


• coincidence [kəu´insidəns] n.巧合；符合；一致 (英语四级单词)


• refined [ri´faind] a.精制的；文雅的 (英语四级单词)


• austere [ɔ´stiə] a.严峻(格)的；质朴的 (英语四级单词)


• savagely [´sævidʒli] ad.野蛮地；原始地 (英语四级单词)


• sinister [´sinistə] a.阴险的；不吉的 (英语四级单词)


• cowboy [´kaubɔi] n.牧童；牛仔 (英语六级单词)


• alkali [´ælkəlai] n.(化学)碱 (英语六级单词)


• upland [´ʌplənd] n.高地；山地 (英语六级单词)


• lavishly [´læviʃli] ad.大方地；慷慨地 (英语六级单词)


• belated [bi´leitid] a.延误的；遗留的 (英语六级单词)


• unsatisfactory [,ʌnsætis´fæktəri] a.不能令人满意的 (英语六级单词)


• sorely [´sɔ:li] ad.痛苦地；剧烈地 (英语六级单词)


• speculative [´spekjulətiv] a.臆测的；投机的 (英语六级单词)