第 17 节
作者:幽雨      更新:2021-02-19 18:03      字数:9319
  showers with him; the punctilious signal…service officer stated his position。
  〃Have your joke; sir;〃 he said; waving a thin; clean hand; 〃but I decline to
  meet him。〃
  〃Hilbrun?〃 said the Governor; staring。
  〃If that's his nameyes; sir。 As a member of the Weather Bureau and
  the Meteorological Society I can have nothing to do with the fellow。〃
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  〃Glory!〃   said   the   Governor。   〃Well;   I   suppose   not。   I   see   your   point;
  Jode。   I'll   be   careful   to   keep   you   apart。 As   a   member   of   the   College   of
  Physicians I've felt that way about homeopathy and the faith…cure。 All very
  well   if   patients   will   call   'em   in;   but   can't   meet   'em   in   consultation。   But
  three   months'   drought   annually;   Jode!   It's   slowtoo   slow。   The   Western
  people feel that this conservative method the Zodiac does its business by is
  out of date。〃
  〃I   am    quite    serious;    sir;〃  said   Jode。    〃And    let   me   express     my
  gratification that you do see my point。〃 So we changed the subject。
  Our weather scheme did not at first greatly move the public。 Beyond
  those     who    made    up    the  purse;    few   of   our   acquaintances      expressed
  curiosity   about   Hilbrun;   and   next   afternoon   Lin   McLean   told   me   in   the
  street    that   he   was    disgusted     with    Cheyenne's      coldness     toward     the
  enterprise。 〃But the boys would fly right at it and stay with it if the round…
  up was near town; you bet;〃 said he。
  He was walking alone。 〃How's Mrs。 McLean to…day?〃 I inquired。
  〃She's well;〃 said Lin; turning his eye from mine。 〃Who's your friend
  all bugged up in English clothes?〃
  〃About as good a man as you;〃 said I; 〃and more cautious。〃
  〃Him   and   his   eye…glasses!〃   said   the   sceptical   puncher;   still   looking
  away     from    me   and    surveying     Ogden;    who    was    approaching      with   the
  Governor。 That excellent man; still at long range; broke out smiling till his
  teeth shone; and he waved a yellow paper at us。
  〃Telegram   from   Hilbrun;〃   he   shouted;   〃be   here   to…morrow〃;   and   he
  hastened up。
  〃Says he wants a cart at the depot; and a small building where he can
  be private;〃 added Ogden。 〃Great; isn't it?〃
  〃You bet!〃 said Lin; brightening。 The New Yorker's urbane but obvious
  excitement   mollified   Mr。   McLean。   〃Ever   seen   rain   made;   Mr。   Ogden?〃
  said he。
  〃Never。 Have you?〃
  Lin had not。 Ogden offered him a cigar; which the puncher pronounced
  excellent; and we all agreed to see Hilbrun arrive。
  〃We're going to show the telegram to Jode;〃 said the Governor; and he
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  and Ogden departed on this mission to the signal service。
  〃Well;   I   must   be   getting   along   myself;〃   said   Lin;   but   he   continued
  walking slowly with me。 〃Where're yu' bound?〃 he said。
  〃Nowhere in particular;〃 said I。 And we paced the board sidewalks a
  little more。
  〃You're going to meet the train to…morrow?〃 said he。
  〃The train? Oh yes。 Hilbrun's。 To…morrow。 You'll be there?〃
  〃Yes; I'll be there。 It's sure been a dry spell; ain't it?〃
  〃Yes。 Just like last year。 In fact; like all the years。〃
  〃Yes。 I've never saw it rain any to speak of in summer。 I expect it's the
  rule。 Don't you?〃
  〃I shouldn't wonder。〃
  〃I don't guess any man knows enough to break such a rule。 Do you?〃
  〃No。 But it'll be fun to see him try。〃
  〃Sure fun! Well; I must be getting along。 See yu' to…morrow。〃
  〃See you to…morrow; Lin。〃
  He left me at a corner; and I stood watching his tall; depressed figure。
  A hundred yards down the street he turned; and seeing me looking after
  him;   pretended   he   had   not   turned;   and   then   I   took   my   steps   toward   the
  club;   telling   myself   that   I   had   been  something     of   a   skunk;   for   I  had
  inquired for Mrs。 McLean in a certain tone; and I had hinted to Lin that he
  had lacked caution; and this was nothing but a way of saying 〃I told you
  so〃 to the man that is down。 Down Lin certainly was; although it had not
  come   so   home   to   me   until   our   little   walk   together   just   now   along   the
  boards。
  At    the  club    I  found    the  Governor      teaching     Ogden     a  Cheyenne
  specialtya particular drink; the Allston cocktail。 〃It's the bitters that does
  the trick;〃 he was saying; but saw me and called out: 〃You ought to have
  been   with   us   and   seen   Jode。   I   showed   him   the   telegram;   you   know。   He
  read it   through;   and   just   handed   it back   to   me;  and   went   on   monkeying
  with his anemometer。 Ever seen his instruments? Every fresh jigger they
  get out he sends for。 Well; he monkeyed away; and wouldn't say a word; so
  I said; 'You understand; Jode; this telegram comes from Hilbrun。' And Jode;
  he quit his anemometer and said; 'I make no doubt; sir; that your despatch
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  is   genuwine。'   Oh;   South   Carolina's   indignant   at   me!〃 And   the   Governor
  slapped   his   knee。   〃Why;   he's   so   set   against   Hilbrun;〃   he   continued;   〃I
  guess if he knew of something he could explode to stop rain he'd let her
  fly!〃
  〃No; he wouldn't;〃 said I。 〃He'd not consider that honorable。〃
  〃That's so;〃 the Governor assented。 〃Jode'll play fair。〃
  It was thus we had come to look at our enterprisea game between a
  well…established; respectable weather bureau and an upstart charlatan。 And
  it was the charlatan had our sympathyas all charlatans; whether religious;
  military; medical; political; or what not; have with the average American。
  We     met   him   at  the   station。  That    is;  Ogden;    McLean;     and   I;  and   the
  Governor;       being    engaged;     sent   (unofficially)     his   secretary    and    the
  requested cart。 Lin was anxious to see what would be put in the cart; and I
  was   curious   about   how   a   rain…maker   would   look。   But   he   turned   out   an
  unassuming; quiet man in blue serge; with a face you could not remember
  afterwards; and a few civil; ordinary remarks。 He even said it was a hot
  day; as if he had no relations with the weather; and what he put into the
  cart were only two packing…boxes of no special significance to the eye。 He
  desired   no   lodging   at   the   hotel;   but   to   sleep   with   his   apparatus   in   the
  building     provided     for  him;   and   we    set  out  for  it  at  once。   It  was   an
  untenanted barn; and he asked that he and his assistant might cut a hole in
  the roof; upon which we noticed the assistant for the first timea tallish;
  good…looking young man; but with a weak mouth。 〃This is Mr。 Lusk;〃 said
  the   rain…maker;   and   we shook hands;  Ogden and   I   exchanging   a   glance。
  Ourselves and the cart marched up Hill Streetor Capitol Avenue; as it has
  become named since Cheyenne has grown fuller of pomp and emptier of
  prosperityand I thought we made an unusual procession: the Governor's
  secretary; unofficially leading the way to the barn; the cart; and the rain…
  maker   beside   it;   guarding   his   packed…up   mysteries;   McLean   and   Lusk;
  walking together in unconscious bigamy; and in the rear; Odgen nudging
  me in the ribs。 That it was the correct Lusk we had with us I felt sure from
  his incompetent; healthy; vacant appearance; strong…bodied and shiftless
  the sort of man to weary of one trade and another; and make a failure of
  wife     beating    between      whiles。    In  Twenty…fourth       Street    the   town's
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  uttermost   rimthe   Governor   met   us;   and   stared   at   Lusk。   〃Christopher!〃
  was his single observation; but he never forgets a face cannot afford to;
  now that he is in politics; and; besides; Lusk remembered him。 You seldom
  really forget a man to whom you owe ten dollars。
  〃So you've quit hauling poles?〃 said the Governor。
  〃Nothing in it; sir;〃 said Lusk。
  〃Is   there   any   objection   to   my   having   a   hole   in   the   roof?〃   asked   the
  rain…maker; for this the secretary had been unable to tell him。
  〃What!   going   to   throw   your   bombs   through   it?〃   said   the   Governor;
  smiling heartily。
  But the rain…maker explained at once that his was not the bomb system;
  but