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1、【英文读物】Over the Rocky MountainsPreface. Note: Plan of this Miscellany. There is a vast amount of interesting information, on almost all subjects, which many people, especially the young, cannot attain to because of the expense, and, in some instances, the rarity of the books in which it is contained.
2、 To place some of this information, in an attractive form, within the reach of those who cannot afford to purchase expensive books, is the principal object of this Miscellany. Truth is stranger than fiction, but fiction is a valuable assistant in the development of truth. Both, therefore, shall be u
3、sed in these volumes. Care will be taken to insure, as far as is possible, that the facts stated shall be true, and that the impressions given shall be truthful. As all classes, in every age, have proved that tales and stories, are the most popular style of literature, each volume of the series (wit
4、h, perhaps, one or two exceptions) will contain a complete tale, the heroes and actors in which, together with the combination of circumstances in which they move, shall be more or less fictitious. In writing these volumes, the author has earnestly endeavoured to keep in view the glory of God and th
5、e good of man. Chapter One. Describes Home-Coming, and shows that Matters whispered in the Drawing-Room are sometimes loudly proclaimed Below-Stairs. It was late on a winter evening when our hero, William Osten, arrived in England, in company with his two friends and former messmates, Bunco and Larr
6、y OHale. When a youth returns to his native land, after a long absence which commenced with his running away to sea, he may perhaps experience some anxieties on nearing the old home; but our hero was not thus troubled, because, his father having died during his absence, and his mother having always
7、been tender-hearted and forgiving, he felt sure of a warm reception. Our hero was so anxious to see his mother, that he resolved to travel by the night-coach to his native town of B, leaving his companions to follow by the mail in the morning. Railways, although in use throughout the country, had no
8、t at that time cut their way to the town of B. Travellers who undertook to visit that part of the land did so with feelings somewhat akin to those of discoverers about to set out on a distant voyage. They laid in a stock of provisions for the journey, and provided great supply of wraps for all weath
9、ers. When Will Osten reached the coach-office, he found that all the inside places were taken. “Youll have to go aloft, sir,” said the coachman, a stout and somewhat facetiously inclined individual, who, observing something of the sailor in Wills costume and gait, suited his language to his supposed
10、 character; “theres only one berth left vacant, on the fogsl longside o myself.” “Well, Ill take it,” said Will. Five minutes afterwards the guard shouted “all right,” and they set off. “Do you happen to know many of the people in the town of B?” said Will to the coachman, as they emerged from the s
11、uburbs and dashed out upon a long tract of moorland. “Know many of em, sir,” said the man, tipping the off-leader on the flank by way of keeping his hand in; “I should ope I does; its two year, this very day, since I came to this ere part o the country, and Ive got married in B to a ooman as knows e
12、verythink and everybody, so, of course, I knows everythink and everybody, too.” “Then you have heard of a Mrs Osten, no doubt, a widow lady?” said Will. “Wot, the widder o that grumpy old genlman as died last year, leavin, they say, a big estate in furrin parts?” Will felt a tendency to seize the ma
13、n by the throat, and tumble him off his box into the road, but on second thoughts he restrained himself and said “She is the widow of a gentleman with whom I was intimately acquainted. I did not know anything about his having estates abroad.” “I axe your pardon, sir,” said the man, a little abashed
14、by Wills grave manner; “didnt know they wos friends of yours. No offence, I ope. The old lady is raither low since her husbands deathfor it wos somewhat suddenan they do say shes never got over the runnin away of her only sonat least so my wife says, an she ought to know, for shes bin intimate with
15、the family for many years, an knows the ooman as nussed the boy” “What, Maryann?” exclaimed Will. “The same. You seems to know em all, sir.” “Yes, I know them well. Is Maryann still with mywith Mrs Osten?” “Yes, sir, she is, an wots more, she aint likely to quit in a urry. Wy, sir, that ooman as ad
16、no fewer than six hoffers of marriage, an as refused em all for love of the old lady. My wife, she says to me the other night, when she wos a-washin of the baby in the big bread canyou see, sir, the washin tubs gone and sprung a leak, an so were redoosed to the bread canWell, as I wos a-sayin, my wi
17、fe says to meRichards, says she, its my belief that Marryhann will never marry, for her art an soul is set upon Mrs Osten, an shes got a strange feelin of sartinty that Master Will, as she calls the runaway boy, will come back to comfort is mother an look arter the furrin estates. No, Richards, mark
18、 my words, Maryhann will never marry.” “It may be so, Jemimar, says I,Did you speak, sir?” said the coachman, turning sharp round on hearing Will utter an exclamation of surprise. “Is your wifes name Jemima?” “Yes, it is; dyou appen to know her, too?” “Well, I think I do, if she is the same person w
19、ho used to attend upon Mrs Ostena tall andthinand andsomewhat” “Stiff sort of womanhout with it, sir, youll not urt my feelins. I didnt marry Jemimar for her beauty, no, nor yet for her money nor her youth, for she aint young, sirolder than myself a long way. I took her for her worth, sir, her sterl
20、in qualities. You know, sir, as well as I do, that it aint the fattest an youngest osses as is the best. Jemimar is a trump, sir, without any nonsense about her. Her capacity for fryin am, sir, an bilin potatoes is marvellous, an the way she do dress up the baby (weve only got one, sir) is the hadmi
21、ration of the neighbourood.” “You said something just now about the deceased Mr Ostens estate. Can you tell me how he came by it?” “No, sir, I cant. Thats the only thing that my wife as failed to fathom. Theres somethink mysterious about it, I think, for Missis Hosten she wont speak to Marryhann on
22、the subjec, an all she knows about it is that the lawyer says theres an estate somewheres in furrin parts as needs lookin arter. The lawyer didnt say that to Maryhann, sir, of course, but shes got a abit of hairin er ears at keyoles an overears things now an then.” Further conversation on this point
23、 was here stopped by the arrival of the coach at the end of a stage, and when the journey was resumed with fresh horses, Will felt inclined to sleep. He therefore buttoned up his coat tight to the chin, fixed his hat well down on his brows, and put himself into one of those numerous attitudes of tor
24、ture with which “outsides” were wont to beguile the weary hours of night in coaching days. When the sun rose next morning, Will was still in that state of semi-somnolence which causes the expression of the countenance to become idiotic and the eyes owlish. At last the chimneys of his native town bec
25、ame visible, and in a short time he found himself standing before the well-remembered house tapping at the old door, whose panelsespecially near the footstill bore the deep marks of his own juvenile toes. It is not necessary to drag the reader through the affecting scene of meeting between mother an
26、d son. Two days after his arrival we find them both seated at tea in the old drawing-room drinking out of the old mug, with the name “William” emblazoned on it, in which, in days gone by, he was wont to dip his infantine lips and nose. Not that he had selected this vessel of his own free will, but h
27、is mother, who was a romantic old lady, insisted on his using it, in order to bring back to her more vividly the days of his childhood, and Will, in the fulness of his heart, said he would be glad to drink tea out of the coal-scuttle if that would give her pleasure. The good lady even sent to the lu
28、mber-room for the old arm-chair of his babyhood, but as neither ingenuity nor perseverance could enable him to squeeze his stout person into that, he was fain to content himself with an ordinary chair. “Now, dear mother,” said Will, commencing the fifth slice of toast, under pressure (having eaten t
29、he fourth with difficulty), “you have not yet told me about this wonderful estate which everybody seems to know of except myself.” “Ah! darling Will,” sighed Mrs Osten, “I have avoided the subject as long as possible, for I know it is to be the cause of our being separated again. But there is no hel
30、p for it, because I promised your dear father when he was dying that I would tell you his wishes in regard to it, and that I would not attempt to dissuade you from doing your duty. Well, you remember uncle Edward, I suppose?” “His nameyes,” said Will, “but I never knew anything else about him. I had
31、 nothing to remember or to forget, except, indeed, that he got the name of being a wild scapegrace, something like myself!” “Like yourself, darling,” exclaimed the old lady, with a look of indignation“no indeed! Have not you repented and come back, like a good prodigal son; and didnt the dear beauti
32、ful letter that you wrote from that awful islandwhats its namewhere you were all but eaten alive” “The coral island,” suggested Will. “Yes, the coral islanddidnt that dear letter give more delight to your beloved father than any letter he ever received in his life, and more than made up to him for y
33、our running away, and cheered him to his last hour, whereas uncle Edward was wicked to the lastat least so it is said, but I dont know, and its not right to speak ill of the dead. Well, as I was going to say, uncle Edward died in some outlandish place in North America, I never can remember the name,
34、 but its in the papers, so youll see itsomewhere on the other side of the something mountainsI forget” “Rocky, perhaps.” “Yes, thats it, the Rocky Mountains, and I wish they were not so rocky, for your sake, darling, for youve got to go there and take possession (or serve yourself heir to, or someth
35、ing of that sort) of the property. Not that its large, so they say (I wish with all my heart it did not exist at all), but they tell me there is gold on it, though whether it is lying on the fields or down in holes Im sure I dont know, and oh dear, I dont care, for it entails your going away again,
36、my darling boy.” Here the poor old lady broke down, and, throwing her arms round Wills neckregardless of the fact that in so doing she upset and broke one of her best china tea-cupswept upon his bosom. Such was the manner of the announcement of the news in the drawing-room. In the kitchen the same s
37、ubject was being discussed by a select party, consisting of Maryann, Mr Richards the coachman, his spouse Jemimaformerly Scrubbinsthe baby Richardswho has already been referred to as being reduced in the matter of his ablutions to a bread canand Larry OHale with his faithful Indian friend Bunco. “To
38、 think,” said Maryann, with a quiet laugh, as she handed a cup of tea to Bunco“to think that I should ever come for to sit at tea with a live red Indian from Amerikynot that hes red either, for Im sure that hany one with eyes in their ead could see that hes only brown.” “Ah, my dear, thats cause hes
39、 changed colour,” said Larry, pushing in his cup for more tea. “He wasnt always like that. Sure, when I first knowd Bunco he was scarletpure scarlet, only he took a fancy one day, when he was in a wild mood, to run his canoe over the falls of Niagara for a wager, an, faix, when he came up out o the
40、wather after it he was turned brown, ans bin that same ever since.” “Gammon,” exclaimed Maryann. “Sure ye dont misdoubt me word, Maryann,” said Larry reproachfully; “isnt it true, Bunco?” “Yoos a norribable liar, Larry,” answered Bunco with a broad grin. Richards the coachman, who had been for some
41、minutes too busy with the buttered toast and bacon to do more than listen and chuckle, here burst into a loud guffaw and choked himself partially. Jemima and Maryann also laughed, whereupon the baby, not to be outdone, broke suddenly into a tremendous crow, and waved its fat arms so furiously that i
42、t overturned a tea-cup and sent the contents into Buncos lap. This created a momentary confusion, and when calm was restored, Mrs Richards asked Maryann “if hanythink noo ad turned up in regard to the estate?” which she seemed to know so much about, but in regard to which she was, apparently, so unw
43、illing to be communicative. “Not so, Jemimar,” said Maryann, with a look of offended dignity, “unwillin to speak I am not, though unable I may beat least I was so until yesterday, but I have come to know a little more about it since Master Will came ome while I chanced to be near” Maryann hesitated
44、a moment, and Richards, through a mouthful of toast, muttered “the keyhole.” “Did you speak, sir?” said Maryann, bridling. “No, oh! no, not by no means,” replied Richards, “only the crust o this ere toast is rayther ard, and Im apt to growl wen thats so.” “If the crust is ard, Mr Richards, your teet
45、h is arder, so you ought to scrunch em without growling.” “Brayvo, my dear,” exclaimed Larry, coming to the rescue; “youre more nor match for him, so be marciful, like a good sowl, an lets hear about this estate, for it seems to me, from what Ive heard, it must be somewhere in the neighbourhood of B
46、uncos native place.” Maryann, darting a look of mingled defiance and triumph at Richards, who became more than ever devoted to the toast and bacon, proceeded “Well, as I was a-sayin, I eard Mrs Osten say to Master Will that his uncle Edwardas was a scape somethin or otherhad died an left a small est
47、ate behind the Rocky Mountains in Ameriky or Afriky, I aint sure which.” “Ameriky, my dear,” observed Larry. “An she said as ow they ad discovered gold on it, which could be picked up in andfuls, an it was somewhere near a place called Kally somethin” “Calliforny?” cried Larry. “Yes, that was it.” “
48、I towld ye that, Bunco!” exclaimed the Irishman, becoming excited; “go on, dear.” “Well, it seems theres some difficulties in the matter, wich Im sure dont surprise me, for I never eard of things as ad to do with estates and law as didnt create difficulties, and Im thankful as Ive got nothin to do with none of such things. Well, the end of it all is that, wen master was dyin, he made missis swear as shed urge Master Will