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小说: flip-a california romance 字数: 每页4000字

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the darkness; and the storm; he heard a voice at his side; 〃Lance;

how long you have been!〃



        。        。        。        。        。        。



Left to himself; the old man again fell into a vacant contemplation

of the dead body before him; until a stronger blast swept down like

an avalanche upon the cabin; burst through the ill…fastened door

and broken chimney; and; dashing the ashes and living embers over

the floor; filled the room with blinding smoke and flame。  Fairley

rose with a feeble cry; and then; as if acted upon by some dominant

memory; groped under the bed until he found his buckskin bag and

his precious crystal; and fled precipitately from the room。  Lifted

by this second shock from his apathy; he returned to the fixed idea

of his life;the discovery and creation of the diamond;and

forgot all else。  The feeble grasp that his shaken intellect kept

of the events of the night relaxed; the disguised Lance; the story

of his son; the murder; slipped into nothingness; there remained

only the one idea; his nightly watch by the diamond pit。  The

instinct of long habit was stronger than the darkness or the onset

of the storm; and he kept his tottering way over stream and fallen

timber until he reached the spot。  A sudden tremor seemed to shake

the lambent flame that had lured him on。  He thought he heard the

sound of voices; there were signs of recent disturbance;

footprints in the sawdust!  With a cry of rage and suspicion;

Fairley slipped into the pit and sprang toward the nearest opening。

To his frenzied fancy it had been tampered with; his secret

discovered; the fruit of his long labors stolen from him that very

night。  With superhuman strength he began to open the pit;

scattering the half…charred logs right and left; and giving vent to

the suffocating gases that rose from the now incandescent charcoal。

At times the fury of the gale would drive it back and hold it

against the sides of the pit; leaving the opening free; at times;

following the blind instinct of habit; the demented man would fall

upon his face and bury his nose and mouth in the wet bark and

sawdust。  At last; the paroxysm past; he sank back again in his old

apathetic attitude of watching; the attitude he had so often kept

beside his sylvan crucible。  In this attitude and in silence he

waited for the dawn。



It came with a hush in the storm; it came with blue openings in the

broken up and tumbled heavens; it came with stars that glistened

first; and then paled; and at last sank drowning in those deep

cerulean lakes; it came with those cerulean lakes broadening into

vaster seas; whose shores expanded at last into one illimitable

ocean; cerulean no more; but flecked with crimson and opal dyes; it

came with the lightly lifted misty curtain of the day; torn and

rent on crag and pine top; but always lifting; lifting。  It came

with the sparkle of emerald in the grasses; and the flash of

diamonds in every spray; with a whisper in the awakening woods; and

voices in the traveled roads and trails。



The sound of these voices stopped before the pit; and seemed to

interrogate the old man。  He came; and; putting his finger on his

lips; made a sign of caution。  When three or four men had descended

he bade them follow him; saying; weakly and disjointedly; but

persistently: 〃My boymy son Robertcame homecame home at last

here with Flipboth of themcome and see!〃



He had reached a little niche or nest in the hillside; and stopped

and suddenly drew aside a blanket。  Beneath it; side by side; lay

Flip and Lance; dead; with their cold hands clasped in each

other's。



〃Suffocated!〃 said two or three; turning with horror toward the

broken up and still smouldering pit。



〃Asleep!〃 said the old man。  〃Asleep!  I've seen 'em lying that way

when they were babies together。  Don't tell me!  Don't say I don't

know my own flesh and blood!  So! so!  So; my pretty ones!〃  He

stooped and kissed them。  Then; drawing the blanket over them

gently; he rose and said softly; 〃Good night!〃











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