登陆注册
15315600000025

第25章

THE tattered man stood musing.

"Well, he was reg'lar jim-dandy fer nerve, wa'n't he," said he finally in a little awestruck voice."A reg'lar jim-dandy." He thoughtfully poked one of the docile hands with his foot."Iwonner where he got 'is stren'th from? I never seen a man do like that before.It was a funny thing.Well, he was a reg'lar jim-dandy."The youth desired to screech out his grief.

He was stabbed, but his tongue lay dead in the tomb of his mouth.He threw himself again upon the ground and began to brood.

The tattered man stood musing.

"Look-a-here, pardner," he said, after a time.

He regarded the corpse as he spoke."He 's up an' gone, ain't 'e, an' we might as well begin t'

look out fer ol' number one.This here thing is all over.He 's up an' gone, ain't 'e? An' he 's all right here.Nobody won't bother 'im.An' Imust say I ain't enjoying any great health m'self these days."The youth, awakened by the tattered soldier's tone, looked quickly up.He saw that he was swinging uncertainly on his legs and that his face had turned to a shade of blue.

"Good Lord!" he cried, "you ain't goin' t'--not you, too."

The tattered man waved his hand."Nary die," he said."All I want is some pea soup an'

a good bed.Some pea soup," he repeated dreamfully.

The youth arose from the ground."I wonder where he came from.I left him over there."He pointed."And now I find 'im here.And he was coming from over there, too." He in-dicated a new direction.They both turned toward the body as if to ask of it a question.

"Well," at length spoke the tattered man, "there ain't no use in our stayin' here an' tryin' t'

ask him anything."

The youth nodded an assent wearily.They both turned to gaze for a moment at the corpse.

The youth murmured something.

"Well, he was a jim-dandy, wa'n't 'e?" said the tattered man as if in response.

They turned their backs upon it and started away.For a time they stole softly, treading with their toes.It remained laughing there in the grass.

"I'm commencin' t' feel pretty bad," said the tattered man, suddenly breaking one of his little silences."I'm commencin' t' feel pretty damn'

bad."

The youth groaned."O Lord!" He won-

dered if he was to be the tortured witness of another grim encounter.

But his companion waved his hand reassur-ingly."Oh, I'm not goin' t' die yit! There too much dependin' on me fer me t' die yit.No, sir!

Nary die! I CAN'T! Ye'd oughta see th' swad a' chil'ren I've got, an' all like that."The youth glancing at his companion could see by the shadow of a smile that he was making some kind of fun.

As they plodded on the tattered soldier con-tinued to talk."Besides, if I died, I wouldn't die th' way that feller did.That was th' funniest thing.I'd jest flop down, I would.I never seen a feller die th' way that feller did.

"Yeh know Tom Jamison, he lives next door t' me up home.He's a nice feller, he is, an' we was allus good friends.Smart, too.Smart as a steel trap.Well, when we was a-fightin' this atternoon, all-of-a-sudden he begin t' rip up an'

cuss an' beller at me.'Yer shot, yeh blamed infernal!'--he swear horrible--he ses t' me.Iput up m' hand t' m' head an' when I looked at m' fingers, I seen, sure 'nough, I was shot.Igive a holler an' begin t' run, but b'fore I could git away another one hit me in th' arm an' whirl'

me clean 'round.I got skeared when they was all a-shootin' b'hind me an' I run t' beat all, but I cotch it pretty bad.I've an idee I'd a' been fightin' yit, if t'was n't fer Tom Jami-son."

Then he made a calm announcement: "There's two of 'em--little ones--but they 're beginnin' t'

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 斩神狂妄

    斩神狂妄

    小城少年得神奇玉坠,从此如鱼得水,天才的一发不可收拾。你想杀我?那我便斩了你。纵是神灵,又有何惧?就问一句,还有谁?
  • 猎魔焰

    猎魔焰

    这是一部草根成长史,他来自穷乡僻壤,做过马夫,当过工读生,做过小兵。他与魔兽斗,与人斗,与命运斗,不管什么时候,他都没放弃过自己的理想,成为一名武者,哪怕是当一个小小的里长,此生无憾!
  • 次元系的战斗日常

    次元系的战斗日常

    还是平平淡淡的一天,像往常一样写满了无趣,但还是要硬生生的接受它。手中的汽水还在晃荡,他却被突如其来的震波掀飞。“这..这..这是!?”即使擦亮那早已浑浊的污眼,也无法相信自己所亲眼看见的一切,十分巨大的浮岛悬停在空中。“异世界!!啊啊啊!”这位喜极而泣失声哭喊的少年摘下VR装置后心情久久不能平复。
  • 普洱溯源

    普洱溯源

    近年来,普洱茶经历了一个非常时期,其实,对于普洱茶来说,业界业外人士也是莫衷一是各有见地,有褒扬者,有贬抑者,这很正常。我们不可能把每个人的思想框在框子里去统一,但不管怎么说,商业炒作也好,市场规律也罢,毕竟在短短的一两年之内,在全国乃至全球掀起了一股普洱茶风。让更多的人知道了普洱茶,使普洱茶达到了历史上最鼎盛的时期为还普洱茶之真正面目。
  • 觅和亲

    觅和亲

    敢赌吗?今日我若是死了,日后疼的一定是你,并且是,痛彻心扉。灵气的眼睛眨动着,即使眼神沉浸在悲伤中无法自拔却还是倔强地笑着,笑得那般没心没肺。落花仿佛要埋了她,风中透着寒气入心,两人面对面无声地哭。一顾倾人城,再顾已倾心。这才是最好的回答。哪儿有那么多因果,爱了便是爱了。
  • 都市之圣手侠盗

    都市之圣手侠盗

    左手,人人都有,不错!但你用来干什么?食指点钱?中指抠女?无名指戴婚戒?还是用小指挖鼻屎?但毕澄却大不同!觅宝、御兽、吸能、读心!更有铁拳无敌、乾坤挪移!去干嘛?千万别提钱,太俗!更别说美女,何止!西洋东倭任遨游,国博私藏全接收,佳丽洋马尽回眸,上天入地自风流!你说这很肤浅?好吧,深奥的也有,只要你愿意看下去……
  • 相贝经

    相贝经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 凤涅奇缘

    凤涅奇缘

    百花谷里的花仙红蕊恋慕着幻域的云朗蝶,被云朗蝶拒绝,红蕊毁了一镜天,一镜天的两个公主流落凡界,姐姐羽墨在凡间生下一女,后进入皇宫,妹妹羽砚看过了人世间的人情冷暖,与两个孤女暮云枫和宝娘先后相遇并走到了一起。几个失去亲人在外飘泊的女子靠着她们自己寻找出路,最终找到各自的归宿。
  • 异世之龙帝召唤

    异世之龙帝召唤

    落魄的家族子弟,在家族中毫无价值的存在,再一次后山的游玩中无意发现一颗神奇的珠子,被家族之人发现毒打一顿以后意外血液落入赤色的红珠内.无意穿越异世;看少年如何在异世一步一步变得无敌,英雄自古出少年,励志毁坏这个堕落的世界,一步生,一步死,少年在生生死死里面找寻活下去的办法
  • 异世称霸风云录

    异世称霸风云录

    他是中国修真界的天才,出生时天降异象“九龙连珠”彩云飘飘,仙音渺渺。但是他在渡四九天劫时不幸遭遇宇宙虫洞,莫名其妙的来到了一个叫腾龙大陆的异界。他一个人只身来到异世,大家看他怎样在异世开始他的传奇一生!欢迎加入本书看官大家庭