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Riders of the Purple Sage-Part19_Zane Gray(1872-1939)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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seemed so different--his thought when spoken. Yet her shame

established in his mind something akin to the respect he had



strangely been hungering to feel for her.

"D--n that question!--forget it!" he cried, in a passion of pain



for her and anger at himself. "But once and for all--tell me--I

know it, yet I want to hear you say so--you couldn't help



yourself?"

"Oh no."



"Well, that makes it all right with me," he went on, honestly.

"I--I want you to feel that...you see--we've been thrown



together--and--and I want to help you--not hurt you. I thought

life had been cruel to me, but when I think of yours I feel mean



and little for my complaining. Anyway, I was a lonely outcast.

And now!...I don't see very clearly what it all means. Only we



are here--together. We've got to stay here, for long, surely till

you are well. But you'll never go back to Oldring. And I'm sure



helping you will help me, for I was sick in mind. There's

something now for me to do. And if I can win back your



strength--then get you away, out of this wild country--help you

somehow to a happier life--just think how good that'll be for



me!"

CHAPTER X. LOVE



During all these waiting days Venters, with the exception of the

afternoon when he had built the gate in the gorge, had scarcely



gone out of sight of camp and never out of hearing. His desire to

explore Surprise Valley was keen, and on the morning after his



long talk with the girl he took his rifle and, calling Ring, made

a move to start. The girl lay back in a rude chair of boughs he



had put together for her. She had been watching him, and when he

picked up the gun and called the dog Venters thought she gave a



nervous start.

"I'm only going to look over the valley," he said.



"Will you be gone long?"

"No," he replied, and started off. The incident set him thinking



of his former impression that, after her recovery from fever, she

did not seem at ease unless he was close at hand. It was fear of



being alone, due, he concluded, most likely to her weakened

condition. He must not leave her much alone.



As he strode down the sloping terrace, rabbits scampered before

him, and the beautiful valley quail, as purple in color as the



sage on the uplands, ran fleetly along the ground into the

forest. It was pleasant under the trees, in the gold-flecked



shade, with the whistle of quail and twittering of birds

everywhere. Soon he had passed the limit of his former excursions



and entered new territory. Here the woods began to show open

glades and brooks running down from the slope, and presently he



emerged from shade into the sunshine of a meadow. The shaking of

the high grass told him of the running of animals, what species



he could Dot tell, but from Ring's manifest desire to have a

chase they were evidently some kind wilder than rabbits. Venters



approached the willow and cottonwood belt that he had observed

from the height of slope. He penetrated it to find a considerable



stream of water and great half-submerged mounds of brush and

sticks, and all about him were old and new gnawed circles at the



base of the cottonwoods.

"Beaver!" he exclaimed. "By all that's lucky! The meadow's full



of beaver! How did they ever get here?"

Beaver had not found a way into the valley by the trail of the



cliff-dwellers, of that he was certain; and he began to have more

than curiosity as to the outlet or inlet of the stream. When he



passed some dead water, which he noted was held by a beaver dam,

there was a current in the stream, and it flowed west. Following



its course, he soon entered the oak forest again, and passed

through to find himself before massed and jumbled ruins of cliff



wall. There were tangled thickets of wild plum-trees and other

thorny growths that made passage extremely laborsome. He found



innumerable tracks of wildcats and foxes. Rustlings in the thick

undergrowth told him of stealthy movements of these animals. At



length his further advance appeared futile, for the reason that

the stream disappeared in a split at the base of immense rocks



over which he could not climb. To his relief he concluded that

though beaver might work their way up the narrow chasm where the



water rushed, it would be impossible for men to enter the valley

there.



This western curve was the only part of the valley where the

walls had been split asunder, and it was a wildly rough and






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