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out of the Pass before there was any chance of riders coming
down. They gained the break as the first red rays of the rising
sun colored the rim.
For once, so eager was he to get up to level ground, he did not
send Ring or Whitie in advance. Encouraging Bess to hurry pulling
at his patient, plodding burro, he climbed the soft, steep
trail.
Brighter and brighter grew the light. He mounted the last broken
edge of rim to have the sun-fired, purple sage-slope burst upon
him as a glory. Bess panted up to his side, tugging on the halter
of her burro.
"We're up!" he cried, joyously. "There's not a dot on the sage
We're safe. We'll not be seen! Oh, Bess--"
Ring growled and sniffed the keen air and bristled. Venters
clutched at his rifle. Whitie sometimes made a mistake, but Ring
never. The dull thud of hoofs almost deprived Venters of power to
turn and see from where disaster threatened. He felt his eyes
dilate as he stared at Lassiter leading Black Star and Night out
of the sage, with Jane Withersteen, in rider's costume, close
beside them.
For an instant Venters felt himself whirl dizzily in the center
of vast circles of sage. He recovered partially, enough to see
Lassiter standing with a glad smile and Jane riveted in
astonishment.
"Why, Bern!" she exclaimed. "How good it is to see you! We're
riding away, you see. The storm burst--and I'm a ruined
woman!...I thought you were alone."
Venters, unable to speak for consternation, and bewildered out of
all sense of what he ought or ought not to do, simply stared at
Jane.
"Son, where are you bound for?" asked Lassiter.
"Not safe--where I was. I'm--we're going out of Utah--back East,"
he found tongue to say.
"I reckon this meetin's the luckiest thing that ever happened to
you an' to me--an' to Jane--an' to Bess," said Lassiter, coolly.
"Bess!" cried Jane, with a sudden leap of blood to her pale
cheek.
It was entirely beyond Venters to see any luck in that
meeting.
Jane Withersteen took one flashing, woman's glance at Bess's
scarlet face, at her slender, shapely form.
"Venters! is this a girl--a woman?" she questioned, in a voice
that stung.
"Yes."
"Did you have her in that wonderful valley?"
"Yes, but Jane--"
"All the time you were gone?"
"Yes, but I couldn't tell--"
"Was it for her you asked me to give you supplies? Was it for her
that you wanted to make your valley a
paradise?"
"Oh--Jane--"
"Answer me."
"Yes."
"Oh, you liar!" And with these passionate" target="_blank" title="a.易动情的；易怒的">passionate words Jane Withersteen
succumbed to fury. For the second time in her life she fell into
the ungovernable rage that had been her father's weakness. And it
was worse than his, for she was a jealous woman--jealous even of
her friends. As best he could, he bore the brunt of her anger. It
was not only his deceit to her that she visited upon him, but her
betrayal by religion, by life itself.
Her passion, like fire at white heat, consumed itself in little
time. Her physical strength failed, and still her spirit
attempted to go on in magnificent denunciation of those who had
wronged her. Like a tree cut deep into its roots, she began to
quiver and shake, and her anger weakened into despair. And her
ringing voice sank into a broken, husky whisper. Then, spent and
pitiable, upheld by Lassiter's arm, she turned and hid her face
in Black Star's mane.
Numb as Venters was when at length Jane Withersteen lifted her
head and looked at him, he yet suffered a pang.
"Jane, the girl is innocent!" he cried.
"Can you expect me to believe that?" she asked, with weary,
bitter eyes.
"I'm not that kind of a liar. And you know it. If I lied--if I
kept silent when honor should have made me speak, it was to spare
down. They gained the break as the first red rays of the rising
sun colored the rim.
For once, so eager was he to get up to level ground, he did not
send Ring or Whitie in advance. Encouraging Bess to hurry pulling
at his patient, plodding burro, he climbed the soft, steep
trail.
Brighter and brighter grew the light. He mounted the last broken
edge of rim to have the sun-fired, purple sage-slope burst upon
him as a glory. Bess panted up to his side, tugging on the halter
of her burro.
"We're up!" he cried, joyously. "There's not a dot on the sage
We're safe. We'll not be seen! Oh, Bess--"
Ring growled and sniffed the keen air and bristled. Venters
clutched at his rifle. Whitie sometimes made a mistake, but Ring
never. The dull thud of hoofs almost deprived Venters of power to
turn and see from where disaster threatened. He felt his eyes
dilate as he stared at Lassiter leading Black Star and Night out
of the sage, with Jane Withersteen, in rider's costume, close
beside them.
For an instant Venters felt himself whirl dizzily in the center
of vast circles of sage. He recovered partially, enough to see
Lassiter standing with a glad smile and Jane riveted in
astonishment.
"Why, Bern!" she exclaimed. "How good it is to see you! We're
riding away, you see. The storm burst--and I'm a ruined
woman!...I thought you were alone."
Venters, unable to speak for consternation, and bewildered out of
all sense of what he ought or ought not to do, simply stared at
Jane.
"Son, where are you bound for?" asked Lassiter.
"Not safe--where I was. I'm--we're going out of Utah--back East,"
he found tongue to say.
"I reckon this meetin's the luckiest thing that ever happened to
you an' to me--an' to Jane--an' to Bess," said Lassiter, coolly.
"Bess!" cried Jane, with a sudden leap of blood to her pale
cheek.
It was entirely beyond Venters to see any luck in that
meeting.
Jane Withersteen took one flashing, woman's glance at Bess's
scarlet face, at her slender, shapely form.
"Venters! is this a girl--a woman?" she questioned, in a voice
that stung.
"Yes."
"Did you have her in that wonderful valley?"
"Yes, but Jane--"
"All the time you were gone?"
"Yes, but I couldn't tell--"
"Was it for her you asked me to give you supplies? Was it for her
that you wanted to make your valley a
paradise?"
"Oh--Jane--"
"Answer me."
"Yes."
"Oh, you liar!" And with these passionate" target="_blank" title="a.易动情的；易怒的">passionate words Jane Withersteen
succumbed to fury. For the second time in her life she fell into
the ungovernable rage that had been her father's weakness. And it
was worse than his, for she was a jealous woman--jealous even of
her friends. As best he could, he bore the brunt of her anger. It
was not only his deceit to her that she visited upon him, but her
betrayal by religion, by life itself.
Her passion, like fire at white heat, consumed itself in little
time. Her physical strength failed, and still her spirit
attempted to go on in magnificent denunciation of those who had
wronged her. Like a tree cut deep into its roots, she began to
quiver and shake, and her anger weakened into despair. And her
ringing voice sank into a broken, husky whisper. Then, spent and
pitiable, upheld by Lassiter's arm, she turned and hid her face
in Black Star's mane.
Numb as Venters was when at length Jane Withersteen lifted her
head and looked at him, he yet suffered a pang.
"Jane, the girl is innocent!" he cried.
"Can you expect me to believe that?" she asked, with weary,
bitter eyes.
"I'm not that kind of a liar. And you know it. If I lied--if I
kept silent when honor should have made me speak, it was to spare
- fortunate [´fɔ:tʃənət]
a.幸运的，侥幸的 (初中英语单词) - opening [´əupəniŋ] n.开放；开端 a.开始的 (初中英语单词)
- valley [´væli] n.谷；河谷；流域 (初中英语单词)
- sunset [´sʌnset] n.日落；晚霞 (初中英语单词)
- twilight [´twailait] n.黎明；黄昏 (初中英语单词)
- excitement [ik´saitmənt] n.兴奋；骚动；煽动 (初中英语单词)
- knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)
- tremendous [tri´mendəs] a.可怕的；巨大的 (初中英语单词)
- outline [´autlain] n.外形 vt.画出…轮廓 (初中英语单词)
- circle [´sə:kəl] n.圆圈 v.环绕；盘旋 (初中英语单词)
- glorious [´glɔ:riəs] a.光荣的；辉煌的 (初中英语单词)
- willow [´wiləu] n.柳树 (初中英语单词)
- upward [´ʌpwəd] a.&ad.向上(的)；以上 (初中英语单词)
- haunted [´hɔ:tid] a.常出现鬼的，闹鬼的 (初中英语单词)
- miracle [´mirəkl] n.奇迹；令人惊奇的 (初中英语单词)
- nervous [´nə:vəs] a.神经的；神经过敏的 (初中英语单词)
- statue [´stætʃu:] n.塑像，雕像 (初中英语单词)
- plunge [plʌndʒ] v.插进 n.投入；冲击 (初中英语单词)
- freely [´fri:li] ad.自由地；慷慨地 (初中英语单词)
- waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)
- survey [´sə:vei] vt.&n.俯瞰；审视；测量 (初中英语单词)
- saddle [´sædl] n.鞍子 v.装鞍(于) (初中英语单词)
- continuous [kən´tinjuəs] a.连续不断的；延长的 (初中英语单词)
- purple [´pə:pl] n.紫色 a.紫(红)的 (初中英语单词)
- disaster [di´zɑ:stə] n.灾难，不幸 (初中英语单词)
- costume [´kɔstju:m] n.服装(试样)；女装 (初中英语单词)
- instant [´instənt] a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间 (初中英语单词)
- standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
- unable [ʌn´eibəl] a.不能的；无能为力的 (初中英语单词)
- reckon [´rekən] v.计算；认为；估计 (初中英语单词)
- slender [´slendə] a.细长的；微薄的 (初中英语单词)
- weakness [´wi:knis] n.虚弱；弱点，缺点 (初中英语单词)
- jealous [´dʒeləs] a.妒忌的 (初中英语单词)
- passion [´pæʃən] n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词)
- physical [´fizikəl] a.物质的；有形的 (初中英语单词)
- magnificent [mæg´nifisənt] a.壮丽的；豪华的 (初中英语单词)
- despair [di´speə] vi.&n.绝望 (初中英语单词)
- whisper [´wispə] v.耳语 n.低语；沙沙声 (初中英语单词)
- outfit [´aut,fit] n.装备 vt.供给；装备 (高中英语单词)
- outlet [´autlet] n.出口；出路；通风口 (高中英语单词)
- descent [di´sent] n.出身，家世 (高中英语单词)
- downward [´daunwəd] a.下降的，向下的 (高中英语单词)
- hanging [´hæŋiŋ] n.绞刑 a.悬挂着的 (高中英语单词)
- caution [´kɔ:ʃən] n.&vt.小心；告诫；警告 (高中英语单词)
- confide [kən´faid] v.委托；吐露；信任 (高中英语单词)
- certainty [´sə:tənti] n.确实(性)；确信 (高中英语单词)
- passionate [´pæʃənit] a.易动情的；易怒的 (高中英语单词)
- thatch [θætʃ] n.茅草屋顶 (英语四级单词)
- calves [kɑ:vz] calf的复数 (英语四级单词)
- reluctant [ri´lʌktənt] a.勉强的；难得到的 (英语四级单词)
- bridge [bridʒ] n.桥(梁)；鼻梁；桥牌 (英语四级单词)
- irresistible [,iri´zistəbəl] a.不可抵抗的 (英语四级单词)
- thunderbolt [´θʌndəbəult] n.雷电，霹雳 (英语四级单词)
- accomplished [ə´kʌmpliʃt] a.完成了的；熟练的 (英语四级单词)
- guidance [´gaidəns] n.向导，指导，领导 (英语四级单词)
- canyon [´kænjən] n.峡谷 (英语四级单词)
- calamity [kə´læmiti] n.灾害，大灾难 (英语四级单词)
- partially [´pɑ:ʃəli] ad.部分地；局部地 (英语四级单词)
- deceit [di´si:t] n.欺骗 (英语四级单词)
- habitually [hə´bitjuəli] adv.习惯地 (英语六级单词)
- cracked [krækt] a.有裂缝的；碎的；粗哑 (英语六级单词)
- unobserved [´ʌnəb´sə:vd] a.没有观察到 (英语六级单词)
- starlight [´stɑ:lait] n.星光 (英语六级单词)
- upland [´ʌplənd] n.高地；山地 (英语六级单词)
- nameless [´neimlis] a.无名字的；无名声的 (英语六级单词)
- dispel [di´spel] vt.驱逐；驱散(乌云) (英语六级单词)
- joyously [´dʒɔiəsli] ad.快乐地，高兴地 (英语六级单词)
- consternation [,kɔnstə´neiʃən] n.惊愕；惊恐；惊慌失措 (英语六级单词)
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章节正文
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