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Riders of the Purple Sage-Part35_Zane Gray(1872-1939)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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stirring pitch by the recital of his love story, quieted



gradually, and in its place came a sober, thoughtful mood. All at

once he saw that he was serious, because he would never more



regain his sense of security while in the valley. What Lassiter

could do another skilful tracker might duplicate. Among the many



riders with whom Venters had ridden he recalled no one who could

have taken his trail at Cottonwoods and have followed it to the



edge of the bare slope in the pass, let alone up that glistening

smooth stone. Lassiter, however, was not an ordinary rider.



Instead of hunting cattle tracks he had likely spent a goodly

portion of his life tracking men. It was not improbable that



among Oldring's rustlers there was one who shared Lassiter's gift

for trailing. And the more Venters dwelt on this possibility the



more perturbed he grew.

Lassiter's visit, moreover, had a disquieting effect upon Bess,



and Venters fancied that she entertained the same thought as to

future seclusion. The breaking of their solitude, though by a



well-meaning friend, had not only dispelled all its dream and

much of its charm, but had instilled a canker of fear. Both had



seen the footprint in the sand.

Venters did no more work that day. Sunset and twilight gave way



to night, and the canyon bird whistled its melancholy notes, and

the wind sang softly in the cliffs, and the camp-fire blazed and



burned down to red embers. To Venters a subtle difference was

apparent in all of these, or else the shadowy change had been in



him. He hoped that on the morrow this slight depression would

have passed away.



In that measure, however, he was doomed to disappointment.

Furthermore, Bess reverted to a wistfulsadness that he had not



observed in her since her recovery. His attempt to cheer her out

of it resulted in dismalfailure, and consequently in a darkening



of his own mood. Hard work relieved him; still, when the day had

passed, his unrest returned. Then he set to deliberate thinking,



and there came to him the startlingconviction that he must leave

Surprise Valley and take Bess with him. As a rider he had taken



many chances, and as an adventurer in Deception Pass he had

unhesitatingly risked his life, but now he would run no



preventable hazard of Bess's safety and happiness, and he was too

keen not to see that hazard. It gave him a pang to think of



leaving the beautiful valley just when he had the means to

establish a permanent and delightful home there. One flashing



thought tore in hot temptation through his mind--why not climb up

into the gorge, roll Balancing Rock down the trail, and close



forever the outlet to Deception Pass? "That was the beast in

me--showing his teeth!" muttered Venters, scornfully. "I'll just



kill him good and quick! I'll be fair to this girl, if it's the

last thing I do on earth!"



Another day went by, in which he worked less and pondered more

and all the time covertly watched Bess. Her wistfulness had



deepened into downright unhappiness, and that made his task to

tell her all the harder. He kept the secret another day, hoping



by some chance she might grow less moody, and to his exceeding

anxiety she fell into far deeper gloom. Out of his own secret and



the torment of it he divined that she, too, had a secret and the

keeping of it was torturing her. As yet he had no plan thought



out in regard to how or when to leave the valley, but he decided

to tell her the necessity of it and to persuade her to go.



Furthermore, he hoped his speaking out would induce her to

unburden her own mind.



"Bess, what's wrong with you?" he asked.

"Nothing," she answered, with averted face.



Venters took hold of her gently, though masterfully, forced her

to meet his eyes.



"You can't look at me and lie," he said. "Now--what's wrong with

you? You're keeping something from me. Well, I've got a secret,



too, and I intend to tell it presently."

"Oh--I have a secret. I was crazy to tell you when you came back.



That's why I was so silly about everything. I kept holding my

secret back--gloating over it. But when Lassiter came I got an



idea--that changed my mind. Then I hated to tell you."

"Are you going to now?"



"Yes--yes. I was coming to it. I tried yesterday, but you were so

cold. I was afraid. I couldn't keep it much longer."






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