american tragedy

Chapter 26

Chapter 118
Everyone dances and drinks.Hegglund once again told everyone about the small river and how to play on the river.So this afternoon's activities set off a climax.Hegglund looked out the window and suddenly called out, "Look, what beautiful ice! Who dares to skate with me?"

They ran away one after another.Ratterer and Tina Kogle ran hand in hand, Sparser was with his partner Lucille Nicholas, and Higby thought Laura Sepp was not bad, so he pulled her on.Clyde is with Hortense.They were on the ice, like the fabled young satyrs and nymphs.They laughed, chased, fell down, laughed and got up and continued chasing.

Hortense supported Clyde, carefully rubbing forward.Then he ran and screamed.At this time, Sparser and Higby are vying to get close to Hortense regardless of Clyde's side.They chased her on ice skates, tripping her up and grabbing her hands in mid-air, dragging her out of the bend of the upstream creek where no one could see, no matter what anyone else thought.Clyde refrained from expressing jealousy, so he didn't follow.But he couldn't help wondering wildly whether Sparser took the opportunity to kiss her and make a date for a tryst.Even if she pretended to refuse, she would always be kissed by that guy.His heart ached, and he wanted to rush over several times to see what happened.Hegglund asked them to join hands and play a game.He had Lucille on his arm, and Lucille had Metta on his arm, and Metta had Rattler on his arm.Sparsit and Hortense slipped back to follow, followed by Higby and Laura Cyper.Then they galloped forward, faster and faster, advancing and retreating, and it wasn't long before those behind Mehta fell one by one.Clyde saw that Hortense and Sparsit bumped deliberately as they fell, and slid together to the river.Hortense sat with her skirts up to her knees, not in the least shy, but laughed heartily, and Sparser lay beside her, holding her hand.That Laura Sepp knocked Higby down, and Higby fell on top of her in such a way that it was crazy.Laura Cypour's skirt was raised above her knees, and Sparser stood up, pointing to her slender legs, and grinning loudly.Everyone laughed shrilly.

"Bastard!" Clyde cursed inwardly, "that bastard keeps hanging on to her. Why doesn't he bring a girl over himself? Why are they hiding out in the dark? She probably thinks I'll do it if she does." Don't mind! When was she so happy when she was with me? I'm so easy to bully, and she treats me like that?" He frowned deeply.At this time the line was lined up again.Lucille took his hand, Hortense and Sparser last.Hegglund didn't understand Clyde's mood, and only thought about how to have fun.He called, "Anyone else at the end!" Ratterer and Mehta, Clyde and Lucille went to the back, Higby and Laura Sepp, Hortense and Sparser in front.Clyde saw that Hortense came forward, holding Sparser with her left hand and him with her right hand.Sparser clutched Hortense's hand tightly, Clyde's lungs were about to explode with rage.Why didn't he even look at Laura Cyprus, who came here just for him? But Hortense was still seducing him.

He was so heartbroken that he didn't even want to play the game anymore.He really wanted to have a quarrel with Sparser, but Hegglund was very enthusiastic, and the team was quickly activated.

He couldn't stand, fell down with Lucille Rattler, Mehta, and the others, spinning around on the ice.But Hortense stretched out her hand and grabbed Sparser.Clyde held hands and slid more than 40 feet along the smooth ice surface, and fell down one by one by the river like an arhat.He found Lucille lying face down on his lap, looking ridiculous.And Mehta, who deliberately fell on his back, fell beside Ratterer, with his feet in the air.Clyde thought, she was too presumptuous.The vulgar laughter even spread half a mile away.Hegglund, who likes humor, crawled desperately forward on the ice on his knees, slapped his buttocks with his hands and roared vigorously.Sparser opened his mouth wide, giggled, made all kinds of faces, and flushed.The atmosphere was so warm that Clyde, forgetting his sorrow, laughed happily.But he was always a little awkward.

The game was almost over, and Lucille and Tina got tired and quit.Hortense also withdrew, and Clyde followed immediately.Then Ratterer followed Lucille and left.Everyone dispersed, and Hegglund dragged Mehta out of sight beyond the downstream turn.Higby dragged Tina upstream as well.Rattler and Lucille went into the jungle, looking for something interesting, talking and laughing loudly as they went.Sparser and Laura were gone too.Clyde and Hortense were left alone.

They walked towards a tree stump.Hortense sat down, but Clyde, still in pain, refused to sit down or speak.Hortense noticed, and took him by the sash, and sat him down.

"Come on, honey," she aired, "now it's time to skate with me!"

Clyde shot her a sideways look, furious, and thought he must not let it go.

"Why do you keep that Sparsher kid around you?" he demanded. "I saw you two go over there just now. What did he say to you there?"

"No, I didn't say anything."

"Hmph, I didn't say anything, of course I didn't say anything." His words were stinging, "Maybe he didn't even kiss you once!"

"Of course not!" She was also angry, and said forcefully, "What do you think of me! Listen to me: I will never allow others to kiss me when they meet for the first time. I didn't allow you to ah!"

"Don't mention it, but you're obviously not as warm to me as you are to him."

"Oh, really? Well, even so, what right do you have to say who I like and who I don't! Can you stop watching me and let me relax, can you? I'm annoying you." She resented his air of thinking she belonged to him.

Clyde had nothing to say to this objection, and immediately decided to address her in a different tone.After all, she hadn't really said "I love you" to him, although she had hinted at it.

After a while he said in a sad tone, "Hey, forget it. But let me just say that if I said I loved someone like you once said to me, I wouldn't go to Flirtatious."

"you will not?"

"Never."

"Very good. I would like to ask, today, who is the one who is promiscuous?"

"you."

"You're talking nonsense! If you only know how to fight with me, then go away and leave me alone here. Didn't I just dance with him for a while? Why do you say that about me? You are so annoying .”

"Am I?"

"Exactly."

"Then I'd better go away, so as not to annoy you." He replied with a little motherly courage.

"If you're always guessing, go ahead." She kicked the ice hard with her foot.Clyde was not willing to let go.He was, after all, completely infatuated with her.He softened and looked at her carefully.And when she thought about the coat, she softened a little.

His words turned back again: "Did you stare into his eyes? Make it clear!"

"When are you talking about?"

"When dancing together."

"No, I don't know anyway. Even if I stared at him, what's the matter? Can't I look into other people's eyes? You heartless thing."

"Do you see it that way? All I know is that I will never allow you to fall in love with someone else." Clyde frowned and narrowed his eyes.Hortense clicked her tongue impatiently.

"A bunch of nonsense."

"Also, I was skating just now," Clyde said resolutely and pitifully. "When you came back from there, you didn't come to me, but you followed him to the back. I saw it all. You came all the way, pulled His hand, until you fell down, still holding hands. Excuse me, what is this, isn't this flirting? That guy must have thought so in his heart."

"Ah, I didn't try to flirt with him. No matter what you say, I don't care. You are so small, you can't stand other people's own activities. You are very picky, how do you play on the ice without holding hands? You Speak! You devil, what are you with that Lucille Nicholas? Don't I see how happy you are with her lying on your lap? I don't give a damn. What do you want from me? Want me to sit here without saying a word, like a fool? Want me to follow you all the time, to be your tail? Do you take me for a fool? Dream on!"

She thought it was Clyde who robbed her, and she didn't like being robbed.She was thinking of Sparser.From the current point of view, he is indeed better than Clyde.He was more practical, much more open-minded, and less fanciful.

Clyde turned away, took off his hat, and scratched his head sullenly.Hortense looked at him, but thought of Sparser.Sparser is more like a man than him, with a sad face and a childlike look.Sparsit would surely stand aside and whine.He might just throw her aside and ignore her.But then again, Clyde is also good for this.At least not as willing to contribute to her as he used to.And when everyone else went aside, he didn't force her to go with her.She was worried that he would intimidate her before the time she had planned, but the argument made it dodge.

After a while, she thought it would be better to comfort him before talking.Anyway, this is small and easy to deal with. "Listen, Clyde, are we going to keep arguing? What's the use of arguing? Did you ask me out just to quarrel with me? I knew I wouldn't come out."

She turned and kicked the little ice cube.Clyde was fascinated by her again, hugged her tightly, and groped her chest for a while.However, she broke free.Because she suddenly had a crush on Sparsher, and she had something else to ask for Clyde, she was also deeply troubled.She doesn't want to be forced by him to do what she doesn't want to do now.She didn't promise to be nice to him today.She doesn't want to be controlled by others, that's not okay.Clyde noticed this, and stepped back sullenly, staring at her with eyes about to burst into flames.But she looked at him flatly.

"I thought you really liked me." He said firmly.He obviously understood that the dream of this trip had completely dissipated.

"As long as you are honest, I still like you." She answered very smoothly.She was thinking that she had to find a way to keep the original promise from causing trouble.

"Hey, you like me very much. Today I finally know how you like me. We came to play, but you didn't let me touch you. Then what did you say before?"

"What? What did I say?" She tried to buy time to think about the words.

"You really don't seem to know."

"Yes, I did, but now is not the time. I said..." She hesitated.

"I clearly remember what you said. But now I find that you don't love me at all. After all, that's it. If you really love me, why don't you say it's time to treat me now Well, what's the difference between next week and next week? Hmph, you only look at what I've done for you, but you don't think about what you have to pay." In addition to his heartache, he was more courageous than before.

"Absolutely not!" she interrupted him roughly, because she resented him telling the truth. "You are not allowed to talk to me like this again. To tell you the truth, I don't care about that old lady at all. Take your filthy money away, I don't care. From now on, don't talk to me anymore " She said again: "What do I need your help for? I can get any coat I want." After saying that, she turned around and left angrily.

Clyde chased after him: "Wait a minute, Hortense, you misunderstood, I didn't mean that, I really didn't. Can't you see? I'm going crazy for you. I didn't lend you money for anything Yes. If you like it, take it. I don't want anything. In this world, I only love you, there is absolutely no second person. You take the money, take it, I don't care at all But let me ask you, Hortense, do you love me or not?" he asked anxiously.And she, finding herself so fascinated by him, backs off a little:

"Love." She said seriously, "but you can't imagine that you can treat me like you used to! You should understand this: it is impossible for a girl to obey your orders."

"What do you mean?" Clyde asked.He didn't quite understand her words. "I don't quite understand what you're saying."

"Oh, you should understand." She couldn't believe he didn't understand her.

"Well, I think I understood what you said just now, and I also know what you should say next." He looked very disappointed: "Other people have played this kind of tricks a lot, and I know what's going on."

His words were exactly the same as those of the other waiters in the restaurant, as well as Higby, Ratterer, Eddie Doyle, and even the accent.These people had told him similar stories about how some women lied and cheated in order to understand the needs of the moment.He knew it well, and Hortense realized that he did.

"Oh, you're so bad." She went on, looking aggrieved, "I don't know how to tell you to believe it. Believe it or not, I'm telling the truth."

"Hey, I know what's going on," he replied angrily. "Anyway, you don't pay me much attention. I can see that clearly."

She continued as if she had been wronged even more: "I didn't tell a single lie. Whether you believe it or not, it's the truth."

Clyde stood there dumbfounded.He really has nothing to say.He knew there was nothing he could do if she put on airs and lied.He tried to avoid the strong feeling of sadness.He has lost her love.He turned away.Hortense knew, too, that he had seen all this, and that now she had to try to impress him with new tricks.

"Come on, Clyde." She said it very smartly: "I'm telling the truth, I swear, Clyde. How about next week? I mean what I say. I really like you, believe me, okay?"

At last Clyde fell into her trap again, shaking from head to toe.He hastened to say that he must believe her, and when it was getting dark, Hegglund called everyone into the car.He kept holding her hand and kissed her several times.He firmly believes that the day will come soon, and the dream he has had for a long time will become a reality! How fascinating it is that the dream comes true!

(End of this chapter)