HellFerSartain.docx

1、HellFerSartainHell-Fer-Sartain and Other Stories by John Fox, Jr.TOMY BROTHERJAMESCONTENTSON HELL-FER-SARTAIN CREEKTHROUGH THE GAPA TRICK O TRADEGRAYSONS BABYCOURTIN ON CUTSHINTHE MESSAGE IN THE SANDTHE SENATORS LAST TRADEPREACHIN ON KINGDOM-COMETHE PASSING OF ABRAHAM SHIVERSA PURPLE RHODODENDRONON

2、HELL-FER-SARTAIN CREEKThar was a dancin-party Christmas night on Hell fer Sartain. Jes tun up the fust crick beyond the bend thar, an climb onto a stump, an holler about ONCE, an youll see how the name come.Stranger, hits HELL fer sartain! Well, Rich Harp was thar from the head-waters, an Harve Hall

3、 toted Nance Osborn clean across the Cumberlan.Fust one ud swing Nance, an then tother. Then theyd take a pull outn the same bottle o moonshine, an-fust one an then tother-theyd swing her agin. An Abe Shivers a-settin thar by the fire a-bitin his thumbs!Well, things was sorter whoopin, when somebody

4、 ups an tells Harve that Rich had said somepn agin Nance an him, an somebody ups antells Rich that Harve had said somepnagin Nance an HIM. In a minute, stranger, hit was like two wild-cats in thar.Folks got em parted, though, but thar was no more a-swingin of Nance that night. Harve toted her back o

5、ver the Cumberlan, an Richs kinsfolks tuk him up Hell fer Sartain; but Rich got loose, an lit out lickety-split fer Nance Osborns. He knowed Harve lived too fer over Black Mountain to go home that night, an he rid right across the river an up to Nances house, anhollered fer Harve. Harve poked his he

6、ad outn the loft-he knowed whut was wanted-an Harve says, Uh, come in hyeh an go to bed. Hits too late!An Rich seed him a-gapin like a chicken, an in he walked, stumblin mightnigh agin the bed whar Nance was a-layin, listenin an not sayin a word.Stranger, them two fellers slept together plum frienly

7、, an they et together plum frienly next mornin, an they santered down to the grocery plum frienly.An Rich says, Harve, says he, lets have a drink. All right, Rich,says Harve. An Rich says, Harve,says he, you go outn that door anIll go outn this door. All right, Rich, says Harve, an out they walked,

8、steady, an thar was two shoots shot, an Rich an Harve both drapped, an in ten minutes they was stretched out on Nances bed an Nance was a-lopin away fer the yarb doctor.The gal nussed em both plum faithful.Rich didnt hev much to say, anHarve didnt hev much to say. Nance was sorter quiet, an Nances m

9、ammy, ole Nance, jes grinned. Folks come in to ax atter em right peart. Abe Shivers come clar cross the river-powerful frienly-an ever time Nance ud walk out to the fence with him. One time she didnt come back, an ole Nance fotched the boys thar dinner, an ole Nance fotched thar supper, an then Rich

10、 he axed whut was the matter with young Nance. An ole Nance jes snorted. Atter a while Rich says:Harve, says he, who tol you that I said that word agin you an Nance?Abe Shivers, says Harve. An who tol you, says Harve, that I said that word agin Nance an YOU? Abe Shivers,says Rich. An both says, Well

11、, damn me! An Rich tuned right over an begun pullin straws outn the bed. He got two out, an he bit one off, an he says: Harve, says he, Ireckon we better draw fer him. The shortes gits him. An they drawed.Well, nobody ever knowed which got the shortes straw, stranger, but-Tharll be a dancin-party co

12、minChristmas night on Hell fer Sartain.Rich Harp ll be thar from the head-waters. Harve Halls a-goin to tote the Widder Shivers clean across the Cumberlan. Fust one ll swing Nance, an then tother. Then theyll take a pull outn the same bottle o moonshine, an-fust one an then tother-theyll swing her a

13、gin, jes the same.ABE wont be thar. Hes a-settin by a bigger fire, I reckon (ef he aint in it), a-bitin his thumbs!THROUGH THE GAPWhen thistles go adrift, the sun sets down the valley between the hills;when snow comes, it goes down behind the Cumberland and streams through a great fissure that peopl

14、e call the Gap.Then the last light drenches the parsons cottage under Imboden Hill, and leaves an after-glow of glory on a majestic heap that lies against the east.Sometimes it spans the Gap with a rainbow.Strange people and strange tales come through this Gap from the Kentucky hills. Through it cam

15、e these two, late one day-a man and a woman-afoot. I met them at the foot-bridge over Roaring Fork.Is thar a preacher anywhar arounhyeh? he asked. I pointed to the cottage under Imboden Hill. The girl flushed slightly and turned her head away with a rather unhappy smile.Without a word, the mountaine

16、er led the way towards town. A moment more and a half-breed Malungian passed me on the bridge and followed them.At dusk the next day I saw the mountaineer chopping wood at a shanty under a clump of rhododendron on the river-bank. The girl was cooking supper inside. The day following he was at work o

17、n the railroad, and on Sunday, after church, I saw the parson.The two had not been to him. Only that afternoon the mountaineer was on the bridge with another woman, hideously rouged and with scarlet ribbons fluttering from her bonnet. Passing on by the shanty, I saw the Malungian talking to the girl

18、. She apparently paid no heed to him until, just as he was moving away, he said something mockingly, and with a nod of his head back towards the bridge. She did not look up even then, but her face got hard and white, and, looking back from the road, I saw her slipping through the bushes into the dry

19、 bed of the creek, to make sure that what the half-breed told her was true.The two men were working side by side on the railroad when I saw them again, but on the first pay-day the doctor was called to attend the Malungian, whose head was split open with a shovel. I was one of two who went out to ar

20、rest his assailant, and I had no need to ask who he was. The mountaineer was a devil, the foreman said, and I had to club him with a pistol-butt before he would give in.He said he would get even with me;but they all say that, and I paid no attention to the threat. For a week he was kept in the calab

21、oose, and when Ipassed the shanty just after he was sent to the county-seat for trial, Ifound it empty. The Malungian, too, was gone. Within a fortnight the mountaineer was in the door of the shanty again. Having no accuser, he had been discharged. He went back to his work, and if he opened his lips

22、 I never knew. Every day I saw him at work, and he never failed to give me a surly look. Every dusk I saw him in his door-way, waiting, and Icould guess for what. It was easy to believe that the stern purpose in his face would make its way through space and draw her to him again.And she did come bac

23、k one day. Ihad just limped down the mountain with a sprained ankle. A crowd of women was gathered at the edge of the woods, looking with all their eyes to the shanty on the river-bank. The girl stood in the door-way. The mountaineer was coming back from work with his face down.He haint seed her yit

24、, said one.Hes goin to kill her shore. I tolher he would. She said she reckoned he would, but she didnt keer.For a moment I was paralyzed by the tragedy at hand. She was in the door looking at him when he raised his head. For one moment he stood still, staring, and then he started towards her with a

25、 quickened step. Istarted too, then, every step a torture, and as I limped ahead she made a gesture of terror and backed into the room before him. The door closed, and I listened for a pistol-shot and a scream. It must have been done with a knife, I thought, and quietly, for when I was within ten pa

26、ces of the cabin he opened the door again. His face was very white; he held one hand behind him, and he was nervously fumbling at his chill with the other.As he stepped towards me I caught the handle of a pistol in my side pocket and waited. He looked at me sharply.Did you say the preacher lived up

27、thar? he asked.Yes, I said, breathlessly.In the door-way just then stood the girl with a bonnet in her hand, and at a nod from him they started up the hill towards the cottage. They came down again after a while, he stalking ahead, and she, after the mountain fashion, behind. And after this fashion

28、I saw them at sunset next day pass over the bridge and into the mouth of the Gap whence they came. Through this Gap come strange people and strange tales from the Kentucky hills.Over it, sometimes, is the span of a rainbow.A TRICK O TRADEStranger, Im a separATE man, an Idont inQUIZite into no mans b

29、usiness;but you ax me straight, an I tell ye straight: You watch ole Tom!Now, Ill take ole Tom Perkins word agin anybodys ceptin when hit comes to a hoss trade ur a piece o land. Fer in the tricks o sech, ole Tom lows-well, hits diffent; an I reckon, stranger, as how hit sorter is. He was a-stayinat

30、 Toms house, the furriner was, a-dickerinfer a piece o lan-the same piece, mebbe, that youre atter now-an Tom keeps him thar fer a week to beat him outn a dollar, an then wont let him pay nary a cent fer his boad.Now, stranger, thats Tom.Well, Abe Shivers was a-workin fer Tom-youve heerd tell o Abe-

31、anthe furriner wasnt moren half gone afore Tom seed that Abe was up to some of his devilMINT. Abe kin hatch up more devilMINT in a minit than Satan hisself kin in a week; so Tom jes got Abe outn the stable under a hoe-handle, an tol him to tell the whole thing straight ur hed have to go to glory right thar. An Abe tol!Pears like Abe had foun a streak oiron ore on the lan, an had racked his jinny right down to Hazlan an tol the furriner, who was thar a-buyin wild lands right an left. Cose, Abe was goin to make the furriner whack