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tales of trail and town-第2部分

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composed by the attendants before Peter was rummaging the trunk in

her room for the paper she had spoken of。  It was in an old work…

boxa now faded yellow clipping from a newspaper; lying amidst

spoils of cotton thread; buttons; and beeswax; which he even then

remembered to have seen upon his mother's lap when she superadded

the sewing on of buttons to her washing of the miners' shirts。  And

his dark and hollow cheek glowed with gratified sentiment as he

read the clipping。



〃We hear with regret of the death of Philip Atherly; Esq。; of Rough

and Ready; California。  Mr。 Atherly will be remembered by some of

our readers as the hero of the romantic elopement of Miss Sallie

Magregor; daughter of Colonel 'Bob' Magregor; which created such a

stir in well…to…do circles some thirty years ago。  It was known

vaguely that the young couple had 'gone West;'a then unknown

region;but it seems that after severe trials and tribulations on

the frontier with savages; they emigrated early to Oregon; and

then; on the outbreak of the gold fever; to California。  But it

will be a surprise to many to know that it has just transpired that

Mr。 Atherly was the second son of Sir Ashley Atherly; an English

baronet; and by the death of his brother might have succeeded to

the property and title。〃



He remained for some moments looking fixedly at the paper; until

the commonplace paragraph imprinted itself upon his brain as no

line of sage or poet had ever done; and then he folded it up and

put it in his pocket。  In his exaltation he felt that even the

mother he had never loved was promoted to a certain respect as his

father's wife; although he was equally conscious of a new

resentment against her for her contemptuous allusions to HIS

father; and her evident hopeless inability to comprehend his

position。  His mother; he feared; was indeed low!but HE was his

father's son!  Nevertheless; he gave her a funeral at Atherly; long

remembered for its barbaric opulence and display。  Thirty

carriages; procured from Sacramento at great expense; were freely

offered to his friends to join in the astounding pageant。  A

wonderful casket of iron and silver; brought from San Francisco;

held the remains of the ex…washerwoman of Rough and Ready。  But a

more remarkable innovation was the addition of a royal crown to the

other ornamentation of the casket。  Peter Atherly's ideas of

heraldry were very vague;Sacramento at that time offered him no

opportunity of knowing what were the arms of the Atherlys;and the

introduction of the royal crown seemed to satisfy Peter's mind as

to what a crest MIGHT be; while to the ordinary democratic mind it

simply suggested that the corpse was English!  Political criticism

being thus happily averted; Mrs。 Atherly's body was laid in the

little cemetery; not far away from certain rude wooden crosses

which marked the burial…place of wanderers whose very names were

unknown; and in due time a marble shaft was erected over it。  But

when; the next day; the county paper contained; in addition to the

column…and…a…half description of the funeral; the more formal

announcement of the death of 〃Mrs。 Sallie Atherly; wife of the late

Philip Atherly; second son of Sir Ashley Atherly; of England;〃

criticism and comment broke out。  The old pioneers of Rough and

Ready felt that they had been imposed upon; and that in some vague

way the unfortunate woman had made them the victims of a huge

practical joke during all these years。  That she had grimly enjoyed

their ignorance of her position they did not doubt。  〃Why; I

remember onct when I was sorter bullyraggin' her about mixin' up my

duds with Doc Simmons's; and sendin' me Whiskey Dick's old rags;

she turned round sudden with a kind of screech; and ran out into

the brush。  I reckoned; at the time; that it was either 'drink' or

feelin's; and could hev kicked myself for being sassy to the old

woman; but I know now that all this time that air critterthat

barrownet's daughter…in…lawwas just laughin' herself into fits in

the brush!  No; sir; she played this yer camp for all it was worth;

year in and out; and we just gave ourselves away like speckled

idiots! and now she's lyin' out thar in the bone yard; and keeps on

p'intin' the joke; and a…roarin' at us in marble。〃



Even the later citizens in Atherly felt an equal resentment against

her; but from different motives。  That her drinking habits and her

powerful vocabulary were all the effect of her aristocratic

alliance they never doubted。  And; although it brought the virtues

of their own superior republican sobriety into greater contrast;

they felt a scandal at having been tricked into attending this

gilded funeral of dissipated rank。  Peter Atherly found himself

unpopular in his own town。  The sober who drank from his free

〃Waterworks;〃 and the giddy ones who imbibed at his 〃Gin Mill;〃

equally criticised him。  He could not understand it; his peculiar

predilections had been accepted before; when they were mere

presumptions; why should they not NOW; when they were admitted

facts?  He was conscious of no change in himself since the funeral!

Yet the criticism went on。  Presently it took the milder but more

contagious form of ridicule。  In his own hotel; built with his own

money; and in his own presence; he had heard a reckless frequenter

of the bar…room decline some proffered refreshment on the ground

that 〃he only drank with his titled relatives。〃  A local humorist;

amidst the applause of an admiring crowd at the post…office window;

had openly accused the postmaster of withholding letters to him

from his only surviving brother; 〃the Dook of Doncherknow。〃  〃The

ole dooky never onct missed the mail to let me know wot's goin' on

in me childhood's home;〃 remarked the humorist plaintively; 〃and

yer's this dod…blasted gov'ment mule of a postmaster keepin' me

letters back!〃  Letters with pretentious and gilded coats of arms;

taken from the decorated inner lining of cigar…boxes; were posted

to prominent citizens。  The neighboring and unregenerated

settlement of Red Dog was more outrageous in its contribution。  The

Red Dog 〃Sentinel;〃 in commenting on the death of 〃Haulbowline

Tom;〃 a drunken English man…o'…war's man; said: 〃It may not be

generally known that our regretted fellow citizen; while serving on

H。 M。 S。 Boxer; was secretly married to Queen Kikalu of the

Friendly Group; but; unlike some of our prosperous neighbors; he

never boasted of his royal alliance; and resisted with steady

British pluck any invitation to share the throne。  Indeed; any

allusion to the subject affected him deeply。  There are those among

us who will remember the beautiful portrait of his royal bride

tattooed upon his left arm with the royal crest and the crossed

flags of the two nations。〃  Only Peter Atherly and his sister

understood the sting inflicted either by accident or design in the

latter sentence。  Both he and his sister had some singular

hieroglyphic branded on their arms;probably a reminiscence of

their life on the plains in their infant Indian captivity。  But

there was no mistaking the general sentiment。  The criticisms of a

small town may become inevasible。  Atherly determined to take the

first opportunity to leave Rough and Ready。  He was rich; his

property was secure; there was no reason why he should stay where

his family pretensions were a drawback。  And a further circumstance

determined his resolution。



He was awaiting his sister in his new house on a little crest above

the town。  She had been at the time of her mother's death; and

since; a private boarder in the Sacred Heart Convent at Santa Clara;

whence she had been summoned to the funeral; but had returned the

next day。  Few people had noticed in her brother's carriage the

veiled figure which might have belonged to one of the religious

orders; still less did they remember the dark; lank; heavy…browed

girl who had sometimes been seen about Rough and Ready。  For she had

her brother's melancholy; and greater reticence; and had continued

of her own free will; long after her girlish pupilage at the

convent; to live secluded under its maternal roof without taking

orders。  A general suspicion that she was either a religious

〃crank;〃 or considered herself too good to live in a mountain mining

town; had not contributed to her brother's popularity。  In her

abstraction from worldly ambitions she had; naturally; taken no part

in her brother's family pretensions。  He had given her an

independent allowance; and she was supposed to be equally a sharer

in his good fortune。  Yet she had suddenly declared her intention of

returning to Atherly; to consult him on affairs of importance。

Peter was both surprised and eager; there was but little affection

between them; but; preoccupied with his one idea; he was satisfied

that she wanted to talk about the family。



But he was amazed; disappointed; and disconcerted。  For Jenny

Atherly; the sober recluse of Santa Clara; hidden in her sombre

draperies at the funeral; was no longer to be recognized in the

fashionable; smartly but somewhat over…dressed woman he saw before

him。  In spite of her large features and the distinguishing Roman

nose; like his own; she looked even pretty in her excitement。  She

had left the convent; she was tired of the life there; she was

satisfied that a religious vocation would not suit her。  In brief;

she intended to enjoy herself like other women。  If he really felt

a pride in the family he ought to take her out; like other

brothers; and 〃give her a show。〃  He could do it there if he liked;

and she would keep house for him。  If he didn't want to; she must

have enough money to keep her fashionably in San Francisco。  But

she wanted excitement; and that she WOULD HAVE!  She wanted to go

to balls; theatres; and entertainments; and she intended to!  Her

voice grew quite high; and her dark cheek glowed with some new…

found emotion。



As
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