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the call of the canyon-第27章

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en a vain; worldly; complacent; effusive little fool。 She had here the shock of her life; and she sensed a greater one; impossible to grasp。

〃Carley; that was coming to you;〃 said Glenn; presently; with deep; heavy expulsion of breath。

〃I only know I love youmoremore;〃 she cried; wildly; looking up and wanting desperately to throw herself in his arms。

〃I guess you doa little;〃 he replied。 〃Sometimes I feel you are a kid。 Then again you represent the worldyour world with its age…old customits unalterable。 。 。 。 But; Carley; let's get back to my work。〃

〃Yesyes;〃 exclaimed Carley; gladly。 〃I'm ready toto go pet your hogs… …anything。〃

〃By George! I'll take you up;〃 he declared。 〃I'll bet you won't go near one of my hogpens。〃

〃Lead me to it!〃 she replied; with a hilarity that was only a nervous reversion of her state。

〃Well; maybe I'd better hedge on the bet;〃 he said; laughing again。 〃You have more in you than I suspect。 You sure fooled me when you stood for the sheep…dip。 But; come on; I'll take you anyway。〃

So that was how Carley found herself walking arm in arm with Glenn down the canyon trail。 A few moments of action gave her at least an appearance of outward composure。 And the state of her emotion was so strained and intense that her slightest show of interest must deceive Glenn into thinking her eager; responsive; enthusiastic。 It certainly appeared to loosen his tongue。 But Carley knew she was farther from normal than ever before in her life; and that the subtle; inscrutable woman's intuition of her presaged another shock。 Just as she had seemed to change; so had the aspects of the canyon undergone some illusive transformation。 The beauty of green foliage and amber stream and brown tree trunks and gray rocks and red walls was there; and the summer drowsiness and languor lay as deep; and the loneliness and solitude brooded with its same eternal significance。 But some nameless enchantment; perhaps of hope; seemed no longer to encompass her。 A blow had fallen upon her; the nature of which only time could divulge。

Glenn led her around the clearing and up to the base of the west wall; where against a shelving portion of the cliff had been constructed a rude fence of poles。 It formed three sides of a pen; and the fourth side was solid rock。 A bushy cedar tree stood in the center。 Water flowed from under the cliff; which accounted for the boggy condition of the red earth。 This pen was occupied by a huge sow and a litter of pigs。

Carley climbed on the fence and sat there while Glenn leaned over the top pole and began to wax eloquent on a subject evidently dear to his heart。 Today of all days Carley made an inspiring listener。 Even the shiny; muddy; suspicious old sow in no wise daunted her fictitious courage。 That filthy pen of mud a foot deep; and of odor rancid; had no terrors for her。 With an arm round Glenn's shoulder she watched the rooting and squealing little pigs; and was amused and interested; as if they were far removed from the vital issue of the hour。 But all the time as she looked and laughed; and encouraged Glenn to talk; there seemed to be a strange; solemn; oppressive knocking at her heart。 Was it only the beat…beat…beat of blood?

〃There were twelve pigs in that litter;〃 Glenn was saying; 〃and now you see there are only nine。 I've lost three。 Mountain lions; bears; coyotes; wild cats are all likely to steal a pig。 And at first I was sure one of these varmints had been robbing me。 But as I could not find any tracks; I knew I had to lay the blame on something else。 So I kept watch pretty closely in daytime; and at night I shut the pigs up in the corner there; where you see I've built a pen。 Yesterday I heard squealingand; by George! I saw an eagle flying off with one of my pigs。 Say; I was mad。 A great old bald…headed eaglethe regal bird you see with America's stars and stripes had degraded himself to the level of a coyote。 I ran for my rifle; and I took some quick shots at him as he flew up。 Tried to hit him; too; but I failed。 And the old rascal hung on to my pig。 I watched him carry it to that sharp crag way up there on the rim。〃

〃Poor little piggy!〃 exclaimed Carley。 〃To think of our American emblemour stately bird of noble warlike mienour symbol of lonely grandeur and freedom of the heightsthink of him being a robber of pigpens!Glenn; I begin to appreciate the many…sidedness of things。 Even my hide…bound narrowness is susceptible to change。 It's never too late to learn。 This should apply to the Society for the Preservation of the American Eagle。〃

Glenn led her along the base of the wall to three other pens; in each of which was a fat old sow with a litter。 And at the last enclosure; that owing to dry soil was not so dirty; Glenn picked up a little pig and held it squealing out to Carley as she leaned over the fence。 It was fairly white and clean; a little pink and fuzzy; and certainly cute with its curled tall。

〃Carley Burch; take it in your hands;〃 commanded Glenn。

The feat seemed monstrous and impossible of accomplishment for Carley。 Yet such was her temper at the moment that she would have undertaken anything。

〃Why; shore I will; as Flo says;〃 replied Carley; extending her ungloved hands。 〃Come here; piggy。 I christen you Pinky。〃 And hiding an almost insupportable squeamishness from Glenn; she took the pig in her hands and fondled it。

〃By George!〃 exclaimed Glenn; in huge delight。 〃I wouldn't have believed it。 Carley; I hope you tell your fastidious and immaculate Morrison that you held one of my pigs in your beautiful hands。〃

〃Wouldn't it please you more to tell him yourself?〃 asked Carley。

〃Yes; it would;〃 declared Glenn; grimly。

This incident inspired Glenn to a Homeric narration of his hog…raising experience。 In spite of herself the content of his talk interested her。 And as for the effect upon her of his singular enthusiasm; it was deep and compelling。 The little…boned Berkshire razorback hogs grew so large and fat and heavy that their bones broke under their weight。 The Duroc jerseys were the best breed in that latitude; owing to their larger and stronger bones; that enabled them to stand up under the greatest accumulation of fat。

Glenn told of his droves of pigs running wild in the canyon below。 In summertime they fed upon vegetation; and at other seasons on acorns; roots; bugs; and grubs。 Acorns; particularly; were good and fattening feed。 They ate cedar and juniper berries; and pinyon nuts。 And therefore they lived off the land; at little or no expense to the owner。 The only loss was from beasts and birds of prey。 Glenn showed Carley how a profitable business could soon be established。 He meant to fence off side canyons and to segregate droves of his hogs; and to raise abundance of corn for winter feed。 At that time there was a splendid market for hogs; a condition Hutter claimed would continue indefinitely in a growing country。 In conclusion Glenn eloquently told how in his necessity he had accepted gratefully the humblest of labors; to find in the hard pursuit of it a rejuvenation of body and mind; and a promise of independence and prosperity。

When he had finished; and excused himself to go repair a weak place in the corral fence; Carley sat silent; wrapped in strange meditation。

Whither had faded the vulgarity and ignominy she had attached to Glenn's raising of hogs? Gonelike other miasmas of her narrow mind! Partly she understood him now。 She shirked consideration of his sacrifice to his country。 That must wait。 But she thought of his work; and the more she thought the less she wondered。

First he had labored with his hands。 What infinite meaning lay unfolding to her vision! Somewhere out of it all came the conception that man was intended to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow。 But there was more to it than that。 By that toil and sweat; by the friction of horny palms; by the expansion and contraction of muscle; by the acceleration of blood; something great and enduring; something physical and spiritual; came to a man。 She understood then why she would have wanted to surrender herself to a man made manly by toil; she understood how a woman instinctively leaned toward the protection of a man who had used his handswho had strength and red blood and virility who could fight like the progenitors of the race。 Any toil was splendid that served this end for any man。 It all went back to the survival of the fittest。 And suddenly Carley thought of Morrison。 He could dance and dangle attendance upon her; and amuse herbut how would he have acquitted himself in a moment of peril? She had her doubts。 Most assuredly he could not have beaten down for her a ruffian like Haze Ruff。 What then should be the significance of a man for a woman?

Carley's querying and answering mind reverted to Glenn。 He had found a secret in this seeking for something through the labor of hands。 All development of body must come through exercise of muscles。 The virility of cell in tissue and bone depended upon that。 Thus he had found in toil the pleasure and reward athletes had in their desultory training。 But when a man learned this secret the need of work must become permanent。 Did this explain the law of the Persians that every man was required to sweat every day?

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