第 14 节
作者:交通工具类:沧海一叶舟      更新:2021-02-24 23:04      字数:9322
  argument with her husband; and in extenuation; too; of an act of her own!
  There   was   no   reply   except   a   muttered   〃Humph!〃   under   the   breath。
  Then Simeon Holly rose and stalked into the house。
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  The next day was Sunday; and Sunday at the farmhouse was a thing of
  stern repression and solemn silence。 In Simeon Holly's veins ran the blood
  of the Puritans; and he was more than strict as to what he considered right
  and wrong。 When half…trained for the ministry; ill…health had forced him to
  resort   to   a   less   confining   life;   though   never   had   it   taken   from   him   the
  uncompromising         rigor   of  his   views。   It  was   a   distinct  shock    to  him;
  therefore; on this Sunday morning to be awakened by a peal of music such
  as   the   little   house   had   never   known   before。   All   the   while   that   he   was
  thrusting     his  indignant    self  into   his  clothing;   the   runs   and   turns  and
  crashing chords whirled about him until it seemed that a whole orchestra
  must be imprisoned in the little room over the kitchen; so skillful was the
  boy's    double    stopping。    Simeon     Holly   was    white   with   anger    when    he
  finally hurried down the hall and threw open David's bedroom door。
  〃Boy; what do you mean by this?〃 he demanded。
  David laughed gleefully。
  〃And didn't you know?〃 he asked。 〃Why; I thought my music would
  tell   you。   I   was   so   happy;   so   glad!   The   birds   in   the   trees   woke   me   up
  singing;   'You're   wantedyou're   wanted;'   and   the   sun   came   over   the   hill
  there   and   said;   'You're   wantedyou're   wanted;'   and   the   little   tree…branch
  tapped on my window pane and said 〃You're wantedyou're wanted!' And
  I just had to take up my violin and tell you about it!〃
  〃But it's Sundaythe Lord's Day;〃 remonstrated the man sternly。
  David stood motionless; his eyes questioning。
  〃Are you quite a heathen; then?〃 catechised the man sharply。                   〃Have
  they never told you anything about God; boy?〃
  〃Oh; 'God'?of course;〃 smiled David; in open relief。 〃God wraps up
  the buds in their little brown blankets; and covers the roots with〃
  〃I am not talking about brown blankets nor roots;〃 interrupted the man
  severely。 〃This is God's day; and as such should be kept holy。〃
  〃 'Holy'?〃
  〃Yes。 You should not fiddle nor laugh nor sing。〃
  〃But those are good things; and beautiful things;〃 defended David; his
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  eyes wide and puzzled。
  〃In their place; perhaps;〃 conceded the man; stiffly。 〃but not on God's
  day。〃
  〃You meanHe wouldn't like them?〃
  〃Yes。〃
  〃Oh!〃and David's face cleared。 〃That's all right; then。 Your God isn't
  the same one; sir; for mine loves all beautiful things every day in the year。〃
  There   was   a   moment's   silence。   For   the   first   time   in   his   life   Simeon
  Holly found himself without words。
  〃We won't talk of this any more; David;〃 he said at last; 〃but we'll put
  it another wayI don't wish you to play your fiddle on Sunday。 Now; put it
  up till to…morrow。〃 And he turned and went down the hall。
  Breakfast     was   a  very   quiet   meal    that  morning。    Meals     were   never
  things of hilarious joy at the Holly farmhouse; as David had already found
  out;   but   he  had   not   seen   one   before   quite   so  somber     as  this。  It  was
  followed immediately by a half…hour of Scripture…reading and prayer; with
  Mrs。 Holly and Perry Larson sitting very stiff and solemn in their chairs;
  while Mr。 Holly read。 David tried to sit very stiff and solemn in his chair;
  also; but the roses at the window were nodding their heads and beckoning;
  and   the   birds   in   the   bushes   beyond   were   sending   to   him   coaxing   little
  chirps of 〃Come out; come out!〃 And how could one expect to sit stiff and
  solemn in the face of all that; particularly when one's fingers were tingling
  to take   up   the interrupted song   of the   morning   and tell the   whole   world
  how beautiful it was to be wanted!
  Yet   David   sat   very   still;or   as   still   as   he   could   sit;and   only   the
  tapping of his foot; and the roving of his wistful eyes told that his mind
  was not with Farmer Holly and the Children of Israel in their wanderings
  in the wilderness。
  After   the   devotions   came   an   hour   of   subdued   haste   and   confusion
  while the family prepared for church。 David had never been to church。 He
  asked Perry Larson what it was like; but Perry only shrugged his shoulders
  and said; to nobody; apparently:〃
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  Sugar!   Won't   ye   hear   that;   now?〃which   to   David   was   certainly   no
  answer at all。
  That one must be spick and span to go to church; David soon found
  outnever   before   had   he   been      so  scrubbed   and   brushed   and      combed。
  There was; too; brought out for him to wear a little clean white blouse and
  a red tie; over which Mrs。 Holly cried a little as she had over the nightshirt
  that first evening。
  The church was in the village only a quarter of a mile away; and in due
  time David; open…eyed and interested; was following Mr。 and Mrs。 Holly
  down its long center aisle。 The Hollys were early as usual; and service had
  not begun。 Even the organist had not taken his seat beneath the great pipes
  of blue and gold that towered to the ceiling。
  It was the pride of the townthat organ。 It had been given by a great
  man (out in the world) whose birthplace the town was。 More than that; a
  yearly donation from this same great man paid for the skilled organist who
  came every Sunday from the city to play it。 To…day; as the organist took his
  seat; he noticed a new face in the Holly pew; and he almost gave a friendly
  smile as he met the wondering gaze of the small boy there; then he lost
  himself; as usual; in the music before him。
  Down   in   the   Holly   pew   the   small   boy   held   his   breath。   A   score   of
  violins were singing in his ears; and a score of other instruments that he
  could   not   name;   crashed   over   his   head;   and   brought   him   to   his   feet   in
  ecstasy。 Before a detaining hand could stop him; he was out in the aisle;
  his   eyes   on   the   blue…and…gold   pipes   from   which   seemed   to   come   those
  wondrous sounds。 Then his gaze fell on the man and on the banks of keys;
  and with soft steps he crept along the aisle and up the stairs to the organ…
  loft。
  For long minutes he stood motionless; listening; then the music died
  into silence and the minister rose for the invocation。 It was a boy's voice;
  and not a man's; however; that broke the pause。
  〃Oh; sir; please;〃 it said; 〃would youcould you teach ME to do that?〃
  The   organist   choked   over   a   cough;   and   the   soprano   reached   out   and
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  drew   David   to   her   side;   whispering   something   in   his   ear。   The   minister;
  after   a   dazed   silence;   bowed   his   head;   while   down   in   the   Holly  pew   an
  angry man and a sorely mortified woman vowed that; before David came
  to church again; he should have learned some things。
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  CHAPTER VIII
  THE PUZZLING 〃DOS〃 AND
  〃DON'TS〃
  With the coming of Monday arrived a new life for Davida curious
  life   full   of   〃don'ts〃   and   〃dos。〃   David   wondered   sometimes   why   all   the
  pleasant things were 〃don'ts〃 and all the unpleasant ones 〃dos。〃 Corn to be
  hoed; weeds to be pulled; woodboxes to be filled; with all these it was 〃do
  this;   do   this;   do   this。〃   But   when   it   came   to   lying   under   the   apple   trees;
  exploring the brook that ran by the field; or even watching the bugs and
  worms that one found in the earthall these were 〃don'ts。〃
  As    to  Farmer    HollyFarmer      Holly   himself   awoke    to  some    new
  experiences   that    Monday   morning。   One      of  them   was   the  difficulty   in
  successfully combating the cheerfully expressed opinion that weeds were
  so pretty growing that it was a pity to pull them up and let them all wither
  and die。 Another w