Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: June 16, 2025
His slow, drawling speech had given a wrong impression of stupidity, and, after a formal showing of the house under Mr. Raften, a real investigation was headed by Sam. "This yer's the paaar-le-r," said he, unlocking a sort of dark cellar aboveground and groping to open what afterward proved to be a dead, buried and almost forgotten window.
Had the tramp had his knife it might have gone hard with Raften, but fist to fist the farmer had the odds. His old-time science turned the day, and the desperado went down with a crusher "straight from the shoulder." It seemed a veritable battle-field three on the ground and Raften, red-faced and puffing, but sturdy and fearless, standing in utter perplexity. "Phwhat the divil does it all mane?"
It was a strange new feeling that took possession of the boys as they saw Mr. Raften go, and when his step actually died away on the blazed trail they felt that they were really and truly alone in the woods and camping out. To Yan it was the realization of many dreams, and the weirdness of it was helped by the remembrance of the tall old man he had seen watching them from behind the trees.
Many, however, whose brick houses were but five years old, denounced the O'Learys as upstarts and for long witheld all social recognition. William Raften, as the most prosperous man in the community, was first to appear in red bricks. These two men, though Orangemen both, were deadly enemies, as the wives were social rivals.
"Le's see," and Raften and Moore, after stabbing at the plans with huge forefingers and fumbling cumberously at the much-pawed documents, said together: "Yes, it says cubic feet." Yan quickly measured the length of the room and took the height with the map-lifter. The three graybeards gazed with awe and admiration as they saw how sure he seemed.
Now he remembered that voice in Glenyan so long ago, and told the others with an air of certainty: "Boys, that's the yelling of a Lynx," and the next day Caleb said that Yan was right. Some days later they learned that another lamb had been taken from the Raften flock that night. In the morning Yan took down the tom-tom for a little music and found it flat and soft.
Thus it was that an arrangement was made for Yan to work for his board at the farmhouse of William Raften of Sanger. Sanger was a settlement just emerging from the early or backwoods period.
Yan had it all laid out in his mind now. Sam would make a one-sided report of the affair; Guy would sustain him. Raften himself was witness of Yan's violence. The merry days at Sanger were over. He was doomed, and felt like a condemned felon awaiting the carrying out of the sentence. There was only one lively member of the group. That was little Minnie.
His roughness and force made Yan afraid of him, and as it was Raften's way to say nothing until his mind was fully made up, and then say it "strong," Yan was left in doubt as to whether or not he was giving satisfaction. Sam Sam Raften turned out to be more congenial than he looked.
Caleb acted as go-between for Char-less Boyle and William Raften, and their feud was forgotten for the time at least as they related stories of their early hunting days, to the delight of Yan and the Tribe. There were four other boys there whom Little Beaver met for the first time.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking