登陆注册
4808200000051

第51章 THE CHILD OF LUCK(2)

It was of no use, therefore, for poor Inga to beg little Hans to go home with her. He had so much to do, he said, that he couldn't. He even tried to tear himself away from his mother when she took him by the arm and remonstrated with him. And then and there the conviction stole upon Inga that her child did not love her. She was nothing to him compared to what his father was. And was it right for Nils thus to rob her of the boy's affection? Little Hans could scarcely be blamed for loving his father better; for love is largely dependent upon habit, and Nils had been his constant companion since he was a year old. Abitter sense of loneliness and loss overcame the poor wife as she stood on the river-bank pleading with her child, and finding that she annoyed instead of moving him.

"Won't you come home with mamma, little Hans?" she asked, tearfully. "The kitten misses you very much; it has been mewing for you all the morning.""No," said little Hans, thrusting his hands into his pockets, and turning about with a manly stride; "we are going to have the lumber inspector here to-day? and then papa's big raft is going down the river.""But this dreadful noise, dear; how can you stand it? And the logs shooting down that slide and making such a racket. And these great piles of lumber, Hans--think, if they should tumble down and kill you!""Oh, I'm not afraid, mamma," cried Hans, proudly; and, to show his fearlessness, he climbed up the log pile, and soon stood on the top of it, waving his cap and shouting.

"Oh, do come down, child--do come down!" begged Inga, anxiously.

She had scarcely uttered the words when she heard a warning shout from the slope above, and had just time to lift her eyes, when she saw a big black object dart past her, strike the log pile, and break with a deafening crash. A long confused rumble of rolling logs followed, terrified voices rent the air, and, above it all, the deep and steady roar of the cataract. She saw, as through a fog, little Hans, serene and smiling as ever, borne down on the top of the rolling lumber, now rising up and skipping from log to log, now clapping his hands and screaming with pleasure, and then suddenly vanishing in the brown writhing river. His laughter was still ringing in her ears; the poor child, he did not realize his danger. The rumbling of falling logs continued with terrifying persistence. Splash! splash!

splash! they went, diving by twos, by fours, and by dozens at the very spot where her child had vanished. But where was little Hans? Oh, where was he? It was all so misty, so unreal and confused. She could not tell whether little Hans was among the living or among the dead. But there, all of a sudden, his head popped up in the middle of the river; and there was another head close to his--it was that of his father! And round about them other heads bobbed up; for all the lumbermen who were on the raft had plunged into the water with Nils when they saw that little Hans was in danger. A dozen more were running down the slope as fast as their legs could carry them; and they gave a tremendous cheer when they saw little Hans's face above the water. He looked a trifle pale and shivery, and he gave a funny little snort, so that the water spurted from his nose. He had lost his hat, but he did not seem to be hurt. His little arms clung tightly about his father's neck, while Nils, dodging the bobbing logs, struck out with all his might for the shore. And when he felt firm bottom under his feet, and came stumbling up through the shallow water, looking like a drowned rat, what a welcome he received from the lumbermen! They all wanted to touch little Hans and pat his cheek, just to make sure that it was really he.

"It was wonderful indeed," they said, "that he ever came up out of that horrible jumble of pitching and diving logs. He is a child of luck, if ever there was one."Not one of them thought of the boy's mother, and little Hans himself scarcely thought of her, elated as he was at the welcome he received from the lumbermen. Poor Inga stood dazed, struggling with a horrible feeling, seeing her child passed from one to the other, while she herself claimed no share in him.

Somehow the thought stung her. A sudden clearness burst upon her; she rushed forward, with a piercing scream, snatched little Hans from his father's arms, and hugging his wet little shivering form to her breast, fled like a deer through the underbrush.

From that day little Hans was not permitted to go to the river.

It was in vain that Nils pleaded and threatened. His wife acted so unreasonably when that question was broached that he saw it was useless to discuss it. She seized little Hans as a tigress might seize her young, and held him tightly clasped, as if daring anybody to take him away from her. Nils knew it would require force to get his son back again, and that he was not ready to employ. But all joy seemed to have gone out of his life since he had lost the daily companionship of little Hans. His work became drudgery; and all the little annoyances of life, which formerly he had brushed away as one brushes a fly from his nose, became burdens and calamities. The raft upon which he had expended so much labor went to pieces during a sudden rise of the river the night after little Hans's adventure, and three days later Thorkel Fossen was killed outright by a string of logs that jumped the chute.

同类推荐
  • 祖庭事苑

    祖庭事苑

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Political Arithmetick

    Political Arithmetick

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 桃花庵鼓词

    桃花庵鼓词

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 修真十书盘山语录卷

    修真十书盘山语录卷

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 金液大丹口诀

    金液大丹口诀

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 快穿之黑化男神请绕行

    快穿之黑化男神请绕行

    苏木兮做为一个刚化形不久的小妖怪,来到人世不到几个小时,就被从天而降的系统给绑定。开启了一场。拿着修炼幌子的攻略男神的旅程。
  • 三国1:桃园结义

    三国1:桃园结义

    吉川英治最耀眼的巅峰杰作,也是日本历史小说中空前的典范大作。作者用颇具个性的现代手法对中国古典名著《三国演义》进行了全新演绎,简化了战争场面,巧妙地加入原著中所没有的精彩对白,着墨重点在刘、关、张、曹操等经典人物的颠覆重塑和故事情节的丰富变幻,在忠于原著的基础上极大成功地脱胎换骨,将乱世群雄以天地为舞台而上演的一出逐鹿天下的人间大戏气势磅礴地书写出来。书中扑面而来的旷放雄卓之豪气、凄婉哀切之情愫、夸张幽约之谐趣,令人感慨不绝;其中的运筹与博弈、权术与诡道、用兵与驭人,则令人掩卷深思。
  • 左手论语,右手算盘

    左手论语,右手算盘

    《我读经管励志:左手论语,右手算盘》就是涩泽荣一的《左手论语,右手算盘》,既讲精打细算赚钱之术,也讲儒家的忠恕之道。《我读经管励志:左手论语,右手算盘》系涩泽荣一讲演与言论集,汇集了其一生学习《论语》的体会与经营企业的经验,集中表达了儒家的经营理念与儒商的处世之道。书中作者倡导的“《论语》加算盘”,伦理道德与工商经济的统一的经营模式,颠覆了鄙视金钱利益的传统观念,创造性地提出“义利合一”、“士魂商才”的现代儒商根本精神基础,对日本企业,乃至日本经济产生了深远的影响。
  • 没有方向的河流

    没有方向的河流

    本书呈现的是个人情感世界的横切面。细腻而真实。海飞有着编剧、小说家、文学期刊主编等多重身份,他以忧伤和自语式的笔记,完成了一种对局部生命的零星追忆;波澜不惊的文字里,隐藏着无处不在的、对生命意义的哲学追问。从文学角度而言,倾向于小说化的语言特点,不急不缓的叙述风格,富有想象力的表达方式,是《没有方向的河流》的最大亮色。
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 丽白楼诗话

    丽白楼诗话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 异能修武

    异能修武

    江城来到了一个古代修武世界,系统+异能+武功,当官、经商、经营门派当董事长,搞科研改善生活条件,有时候客串客串城管,有时候客串武功医生,找找武功漏洞,下副本捡点原版武功秘籍,更多的时候,生活是用来享受的!最后的破碎之路在何方?一个生病的武修世界,会被江城调理成什么样子?拭目以待!
  • 重返璀璨年华

    重返璀璨年华

    苏泽在恍惚之下回到了毕业后,刚准备入职时的2010年。在阴差阳错之下,他有了一个奇异的金手指……然后卯足了劲一路向前。在这个风起云涌,璀璨激荡的大时代里,他先后涉足了旅游、餐饮、移动互联网,终有机会留下自己的足迹。更为重要的是,外人眼里的女神,他眼里的女神经,曾经一度天人永隔的姐姐终于可以重新相见……已有200万字完本精品《逆流完美青春》,书友群:851601466。
  • 绝世龙帝

    绝世龙帝

    神龙世界,人人如龙,唯我苏烈,龙上之龙!苏烈,史无前例的帝龙体,丹武双修问道神龙世界!武道有最神奇莫测的帝龙九术!丹道有最奇妙的大龙丹术!且看苏烈如何在神龙世界热血激情中泡妞打怪闯下无敌威名!
  • 摄大乘义章卷第四

    摄大乘义章卷第四

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。