Алая чума
Chapter 1
ThemailcontractswiththeNewYorkandSanFranciscoLimiteddemandedthatfortheminimum. Therewasachap,aFrenchman,Iforgethisname,whosucceededinmakingthreehundred; butthethingwasrisky,tooriskyforconservativepersons. Buthewasontherightclew,andhewouldhavemanageditifithadn’tbeenfortheGreatPlague. WhenIwasaboy,thereweremenalivewhorememberedthecomingofthefirstaeroplanes,andnowIhavelivedtoseethelastofthem,andthatsixtyyearsago.”
Theoldmanbabbledon,unheededbytheboys,whowerelongaccustomedtohisgarrulousness,andwhosevocabularies,besides,lackedthegreaterportionofthewordsheused. ItwasnoticeablethatintheseramblingsoliloquieshisEnglishseemedtorecrudesceintobetterconstructionandphraseology. Butwhenhetalkeddirectlywiththeboysitlapsed,largely,intotheirownuncouthandsimplerforms.
“Butthereweren’tmanycrabsinthosedays,”theoldmanwanderedon. “Theywerefishedout,andtheyweregreatdelicacies. Theopenseasonwasonlyamonthlong,too. Andnowcrabsareaccessiblethewholeyeararound. Thinkofit—catchingallthecrabsyouwant,anytimeyouwant,inthesurfoftheCliffHousebeach!”
Asuddencommotionamongthegoatsbroughttheboystotheirfeet. Thedogsaboutthefirerushedtojointheirsnarlingfellowwhoguardedthegoats,whilethegoatsthemselvesstampededinthedirectionoftheirhumanprotectors. Ahalfdozenforms,leanandgray,glidedaboutonthesandhillocksandfacedthebristlingdogs.
