The Prairie (Fiscle Part 3) Of 2 by J Fenimore Cooper (top non fiction books of all time .TXT) 📖

I Took My Leave Of The Waste And

Wickedness Of The Settlements And The Villages. If I Live In A

Clearing,  Here,  It Is One Of The Lord's Making,  And I Have No Hard

Thoughts On The Matter; But Never Again Shall I Be Seen Running

Wilfully Into The Danger Of Immoralities."

 

"I Had Not Thought Of Parting," Answered Middleton,  Endeavouring To

Seek Some Relief From The Uneasiness He Felt,  By Turning His Eyes On

The Sympathising Countenances Of His Friends; "On The Contrary,  I Had

Hoped And Believed That You Would Have Accompanied Us Below,  Where I

Give You A Sacred Pledge,  Nothing Shall Be Wanting To Make Your Days

Comfortable."

 

"Yes,  Lad,  Yes; You Would Do Your Endeavours; But What Are The

Strivings Of Man Against The Working Of The Devil! Ay,  If Kind Offers

And Good Wishes Could Have Done The Thing,  I Might Have Been A

Congress Man,  Or Perhaps A Governor,  Years Agone. Your Grand'ther

Wished The Same,  And There Are Them Still Lying In The Otsego

Mountains,  As I Hope,  Who Would Gladly Have Given Me A Palace For My

Dwelling. But What Are Riches Without Content! My Time Must Now Be

Short,  At Any Rate,  And I Hope It's No Mighty Sin For One,  Who Has

Acted His Part Honestly Near Ninety Winters And Summers,  To Wish To

Pass The Few Hours That Remain In Comfort. If You Think I Have Done

Wrong In Coming Thus Far To Quit You Again,  Captain,  I Will Own The

Reason Of The Act,  Without Shame Or Backwardness. Though I Have Seen

So Much Of The Wilderness,  It Is Not To Be Gainsayed,  That My

Feelings,  As Well As My Skin,  Are White. Now It Would Not Be A Fitting

Spectacle,  That Yonder Pawnee Loups Should Look Upon The Weakness Of

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An Old Warrior,  If Weakness He Should Happen To Show In Parting For

Ever From Those He Has Reason To Love,  Though He May Not Set His Heart

So Strongly On Them,  As To Wish To Go Into The Settlements In Their

Company."

 

"Harkee,  Old Trapper," Said Paul,  Clearing His Throat With A Desperate

Effort,  As If Determined To Give His Voice A Clear Exit; "I Have Just

One Bargain To Make,  Since You Talk Of Trading,  Which Is Neither More

Or Less Than This. I Offer You,  As My Side Of The Business,  One Half

Of My Shanty,  Nor Do I Much Care If It Be The Biggest Half; The

Sweetest And The Purest Honey That Can Be Made Of The Wild Locust;

Always Enough To Eat,  With Now And Then A Mouthful Of Venison,  Or,  For

That Matter,  A Morsel Of Buffaloe's Hump,  Seeing That I Intend To Push

My Acquaintance With The Animal,  And As Good And As Tidy Cooking As

Can Come From The Hands Of One Like Ellen Wade,  Here,  Who Will Shortly

Be Nelly Somebody-Else,  And Altogether Such General Treatment As A

Decent Man Might Be Supposed To Pay To His Best Friend,  Or For That

Matter,  To His Own Father; In Return For The Same,  You Ar' To Give Us

At Odd Moments Some Of Your Ancient Traditions,  Perhaps A Little

Wholesome Advice On Occasions,  In Small Quantities At A Time,  And As

Much Of Your Agreeable Company As You Please."

 

"It Is Well--It Is Well,  Boy," Returned The Old Man,  Fumbling At His

Wallet; "Honestly Offered,  And Not Unthankfully Declined--But It

Cannot Be; No,  It Can Never Be."

 

"Venerable Venator," Said Dr. Battius; "There Are Obligations,  Which

Every Man Owes To Society And To Human Nature. It Is Time That You

Should Return To Your Countrymen,  To Deliver Up Some Of Those Stores

Of Experimental Knowledge That You Have Doubtless Obtained By So Long

A Sojourn In The Wilds,  Which,  However They May Be Corrupted By

Preconceived Opinions,  Will Prove Acceptable Bequests To Those Whom,

As You Say,  You Must Shortly Leave For Ever."

 

"Friend Physicianer," Returned The Trapper,  Looking The Other Steadily

In The Face,  "As It Would Be No Easy Matter To Judge Of The Temper Of

The Rattler By Considering The Fashions Of The Moose,  So It Would Be

Hard To Speak Of The Usefulness Of One Man By Thinking Too Much Of The

Deeds Of Another. You Have Your Gifts Like Others,  I Suppose,  And

Little Do I Wish To Disturb Them. But As To Me,  The Lord Has Made Me

For A Doer And Not A Talker,  And Therefore Do I Consider It No Harm To

Shut My Ears To Your Invitation."

 

"It Is Enough," Interrupted Middleton,  "I Have Seen And Heard So Much

Of This Extraordinary Man,  As To Know That Persuasions Will Not Change

His Purpose. First We Will Hear Your Request,  My Friend,  And Then We

Will Consider What May Be Best Done For Your Advantage."

 

"It Is A Small Matter,  Captain," Returned The Old Man,  Succeeding At

Length In Opening His Bundle. "A Small And Trifling Matter Is It,  To

What I Once Used To Offer In The Way Of Bargain; But Then It Is The

Best I Have,  And Therein Not To Be Despised. Here Are The Skins Of

Four Beavers,  That I Took,  It Might Be A Month Afore We Met,  And Here

Is Another From A Racoon,  That Is Of No Great Matter To Be Sure,  But

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Which May Serve To Make Weight Atween Us."

 

"And What Do You Propose To Do With Them?"

 

"I Offer Them In Lawful Barter. Them Knaves The Siouxes,  The Lord

Forgive Me For Ever Believing It Was The Konzas! Have Stolen The Best

Of My Traps,  And Driven Me Altogether To Make-Shift Inventions,  Which

Might Foretell A Dreary Winter For Me,  Should My Time Stretch Into

Another Season. I Wish You Therefore To Take The Skins,  And To Offer

Them To Some Of The Trappers You Will Not Fail To Meet Below In

Exchange For A Few Traps,  And To Send The Same Into The Pawnee Village

In My Name. Be Careful To Have My Mark Painted On Them; A Letter N,

With A Hound's Ear,  And The Lock Of A Rifle. There Is No Red-Skin Who

Will Then Dispute My Right. For All Which Trouble I Have Little More

To Offer Than My Thanks,  Unless My Friend,  The Bee-Hunter Here,  Will

Accept Of The Racoon,  And Take On Himself The Special Charge Of The

Whole Matter."

 

"If I Do,  May I B--!" The Mouth Of Paul Was Stopped By The Hand Of

Ellen,  And He Was Obliged To Swallow The Rest Of The Sentence,  Which

He Did With A Species Of Emotion That Bore No Slight Resemblance To

The Process Of Strangulation.

 

"Well,  Well," Returned The Old Man,  Meekly; "I Hope There Is No Heavy

Offence In The Offer. I Know That The Skin Of A Racoon Is Of Small

Price,  But Then It Was No Mighty Labour That I Asked In Return."

 

"You Entirely Mistake The Meaning Of Our Friend," Interrupted

Middleton,  Who Observed,  That The Bee-Hunter Was Looking In Every

Direction But The Right One,  And That He Was Utterly Unable To Make

His Own Vindication. "He Did Not Mean To Say That He Declined The

Charge,  But Merely That He Refused All Compensation. It Is

Unnecessary,  However,  To Say More Of This; It Shall Be My Office To

See That The Debt We Owe,  Is Properly Discharged,  And That All Your

Necessities Shall Be Anticipated."

 

"Anan!" Said The Old Man,  Looking Up Enquiringly Into The Other's

Face,  As If To Ask An Explanation.

 

"It Shall All Be As You Wish. Lay The Skins With My Baggage. We Will

Bargain For You As For Ourselves."

 

"Thankee,  Thankee,  Captain; You Grand'ther Was Of A Free And Generous

Mind. So Much So,  In Truth,  That Those Just People,  The Delawares,

Called Him The 'Openhand.' I Wish,  Now,  I Was As I Used To Be,  In

Order That I Might Send In The Lady A Few Delicate Martens For Her

Tippets And Overcoats,  Just To Show You That I Know How To Give

Courtesy For Courtesy. But Do Not Expect The Same,  For I Am Too Old To

Give A Promise! It Will All Be Just As The Lord Shall See Fit. I Can

Offer You Nothing Else,  For I Haven't Liv'd So Long In The Wilderness,

Not To Know The Scrupulous Ways Of A Gentleman."

 

"Harkee,  Old Trapper," Cried The Bee-Hunter,  Striking His Own Hand

Into The Open Palm Which The Other Had Extended,  With A Report But

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Little Below The Crack Of A Rifle,  "I Have Just Two Things To Say--

Firstly,  That The Captain Has Told You My Meaning Better Than I Can

Myself; And,  Secondly,  If You Want A Skin,  Either For Your Private Use

Or To Send Abroad,  I Have It At Your Service,  And That Is The Skin Of

One Paul Hover."

 

The Old Man Returned The Grasp He Received,  And Opened His Mouth To

The Utmost,  In His Extraordinary,  Silent,  Laugh.

 

"You Couldn't Have Given Such A Squeeze,  Boy,  When The Teton Squaws

Were About You With Their Knives! Ah! You Are In Your Prime,  And In

Your Vigour And Happiness,  If Honesty Lies In Your Path." Then The

Expression Of His Rugged Features Suddenly Changed To A Look Of

Seriousness And Thought. "Come Hither,  Lad," He Said,  Leading The Bee-

Hunter By A Button To The Land,  And Speaking Apart In A Tone Of

Admonition And Confidence; "Much Has Passed Atween Us On The Pleasures

And Respectableness Of A Life In The Woods,  Or On The Borders. I Do

Not Now Mean To Say That All You Have Heard Is Not True,  But Different

Tempers Call For Different Employments. You Have Taken To Your Bosom,

There,  A Good And Kind Child,  And It Has Become Your Duty To Consider

Her,  As Well As Yourself,  In Setting Forth In Life. You Are A Little

Given To Skirting The Settlements But,  To My Poor Judgment,  The Girl

Would Be More Like A Flourishing Flower In The Sun Of A Clearing,  Than

In The Winds Of A Prairie. Therefore Forget Any Thing You May Have

Heard From Me,  Which Is Nevertheless True,  And Turn Your Mind On The

Ways Of The Inner Country."

 

Paul Could Only Answer With A Squeeze,  That Would Have Brought Tears

From The Eyes Of Most Men,  But Which Produced No Other Effect On The

Indurated Muscles Of The Other,  Than To Make Him Laugh And Nod,  As If

He Received The Same As A Pledge That