The Call Of The Canyon by Zane Grey (most inspirational books .txt) 📕

"Married!" Cried Carley,  Convulsively Clasping Him. "Of Course We'll Be

Married. Glenn,  You Wouldn't Jilt Me?"

"Carley,  What I Mean Is That You Might Never Really Marry Me," He Answered,

Seriously.

"Oh,  If That's All You Need Be Sure Of,  Glenn Kilbourne,  You May Begin To

Make Love To Me Now."

It Was Late When Carley Went Up To Her Room. And She Was In Such A Softened

Mood,  So Happy And Excited And Yet Disturbed In Mind,  That The Coldness And

The Darkness Did Not Matter In The Least. She Undressed In Pitchy

Blackness,  Stumbling Over Chair And Bed,  Feeling For What She Needed. And

In Her Mood This Unusual Proceeding Was Fun. When Ready For Bed She Opened

The Door To Take A Peep Out. Through The Dense Blackness The Waterfall

Showed Dimly Opaque. Carley Felt A Soft Mist Wet Her Face. The Low Roar Of

The Falling Water Seemed To Envelop Her. Under The Cliff Wall Brooded

Impenetrable Gloom. But Out Above The Treetops Shone Great Stars,

Wonderfully White And Radiant And Cold,  With A Piercing Contrast To The

Deep Clear Blue Of Sky. The Waterfall Hummed Into An Absolutely Dead

Silence. It Emphasized The Silence. Not Only Cold Was It That Made Carley

Shudder. How Lonely,  How Lost,  How Hidden This Canyon!

Then She Hurried To Bed,  Grateful For The Warm Woolly Blankets. Relaxation

And Thought Brought Consciousness Of The Heat Of Her Blood,  The Beat And

Throb And Swell Of Her Heart,  Of The Tumult Within Her. In The Lonely

Darkness Of Her Room She Might Have Faced The Truth Of Her Strangely

Renewed And Augmented Love For Glenn Kilbourne. But She Was More Concerned

With Her Happiness. She Had Won Him Back. Her Presence,  Her Love Had

Overcome His Restraint. She Thrilled In The Sweet Consciousness Of Her

Woman's Conquest. How Splendid He Was! To Hold Back Physical Tenderness,

The Simple Expressions Of Love,  Because He Had Feared They Might Unduly

Influence Her! He Had Grown In Many Ways. She Must Be Careful To Reach Up

To His Ideals. That About Flo Hutter's Toil-Hardened Hands! Was That

Significance Somehow Connected With The Rift In The Lute? For Carley

Admitted To Herself That There Was Something Amiss,  Something

Incomprehensible,  Something Intangible That Obtruded Its Menace Into Her

Dream Of Future Happiness. Still,  What Had She To Fear,  So Long As She

Could Be With Glenn?

And Yet There Were Forced Upon Her,  Insistent And Perplexing,  The

Questions--Was Her Love Selfish? Was She Considering Him? Was She Blind To

Something He Could See? Tomorrow And Next Day And The Days To Come Held

Promise Of Joyous Companionship With Glenn,  Yet Likewise They Seemed Full

Of A Portent Of Trouble For Her,  Or Fight And Ordeal,  Of Lessons That Would

Make Life Significant For Her.

Carley Was Awakened By Rattling Sounds In Her Room. The Raising Of Sleepy

Eyelids Disclosed Flo On Her Knees Before The Little Stove,  In The Act Of

Lighting A Fire.

"Mawnin',  Carley," She Drawled. "It's Shore Cold. Reckon It'll Snow Today,

Worse Luck,  Just Because You're Here. Take My Hunch And Stay In Bed Till

The Fire Burns Up."

"I Shall Do No Such Thing," Declared Carley,  Heroically.

"We're Afraid You'll Take Cold," Said Flo. "This Is Desert Country With

High Altitude. Spring Is Here When The Sun Shines. But It's Only Shinin' In

Streaks These Days. That Means Winter,  Really. Please Be Good."

"Well,  It Doesn't Require Much Self-Denial To Stay Here Awhile Longer,"

Replied Carley,  Lazily.

Flo Left With A Parting Admonition Not To Let The Stove Get Red-Hot. And

Carley Lay Snuggled In The Warm Blankets,  Dreading The Ordeal Of Getting

Out Into That Cold Bare Room. Her Nose Was Cold. When Her Nose Grew Cold,

It Being A Faithful Barometer As To Temperature,  Carley Knew There Was

Frost In The Air. She Preferred Summer. Steam-Heated Rooms With Hothouse

Flowers Lending Their Perfume Had Certainly Not Trained Carley For

Primitive Conditions. She Had A Spirit,  However,  That Was Waxing A Little

Rebellious To All This Intimation As To Her Susceptibility To Colds And Her

Probable Weakness Under Privation. Carley Got Up. Her Bare Feet Landed Upon

The Board Floor Instead Of The Navajo Rug,  And She Thought She Had

Encountered Cold Stone. Stove And Hot Water Notwithstanding,  By The Time

She Was Half Dressed She Was Also Half Frozen. "Some Actor Fellow Once Said

W-When You W-Went West You Were C-Camping Out," Chattered Carley. "Believe

Me,  He Said Something."

The Fact Was Carley Had Never Camped Out. Her Set Played Golf,  Rode

Horseback,  Motored And House-Boated,  But They Had Never Gone In For

Uncomfortable Trips. The Camps And Hotels In The Adirondacks Were As Warm

And Luxurious As Carley's Own Home. Carley Now Missed Many Things. And

Assuredly Her Flesh Was Weak. It Cost Her Effort Of Will And Real Pain To

Finish Lacing Her Boots. As She Had Made An Engagement With Glenn To Visit

His Cabin,  She Had Donned An Outdoor Suit. She Wondered If The Cold Had

Anything To Do With The Perceptible Diminishing Of The Sound Of The

Waterfall. Perhaps Some Of The Water Had Frozen,  Like Her Fingers.

Carley Went Downstairs To The Living Room,  And Made No Effort To Resist A

Rush To The Open Fire. Flo And Her Mother Were Amused At Carley's

Impetuosity. "You'll Like That Stingin' Of The Air After You Get Used To

It," Said Mrs. Hutter. Carley Had Her Doubts. When She Was Thoroughly

Thawed Out She Discovered An Appetite Quite Unusual For Her,  And She

Enjoyed Her Breakfast. Then It Was Time To Sally Forth To Meet Glenn.

"It's Pretty Sharp This Mawnin'," Said Flo. "You'll Need Gloves And

Sweater."

Having Fortified Herself With These,  Carley Asked How To Find West Fork

Canyon.

"It's Down The Road A Little Way," Replied Flo. "A Great Narrow Canyon

Opening On The Right Side. You Can't Miss It."

Flo Accompanied Her As Far As The Porch Steps. A Queer-Looking Individual

Was Slouching Along With Ax Over His Shoulder.

At Flo's Call The Fellow Halted With A Grin. He Was Long,  Lean,  Loose

Jointed,  Dressed In Blue Overalls Stuck Into The Tops Of Muddy Boots,  And

His Face Was Clear Olive Without Beard Or Line. His Brow Bulged A Little,

And From Under It Peered Out A Pair Of Wistful Brown Eyes That Reminded

Carley Of Those Of A Dog She Had Once Owned.

"Wal,  It Ain't A-Goin' To Be A Nice Day," Remarked Charley,  As He Tried To

Accommodate His Strides To Carley's Steps.

"How Can You Tell?" Asked Carley. "It Looks Clear And Bright."

"Naw,  This Is A Dark Mawnin'. Thet's A Cloudy Sun. We'll Hev Snow On An'

Off."

"Do You Mind Bad Weather?"

"Me? All The Same To Me. Reckon,  Though,  I Like It Cold So I Can Loaf Round

A Big Fire At Night."

"I Like A Big Fire,  Too."

"Ever Camped Out?" He Asked.

"Not What You'd Call The Real Thing," Replied Carley.

"Wal,  Thet's Too Bad. Reckon It'll Be Tough Fer You," He Went On,  Kindly.

"There Was A Gurl Tenderfoot Heah Two Years Ago An' She Had A Hell Of A

Time. They All Joked Her,  'Cept Me,  An' Played Tricks On Her. An' On Her

Side She Was Always Puttin' Her Foot In It. I Was Shore Sorry Fer Her."

"You Were Very Kind To Be An Exception," Murmured Carley.

"You Look Out Fer Tom Hutter,  An' I Reckon Flo Ain't So Darn Above Layin'

Traps Fer You. 'Specially As She's Sweet On Your Beau. I Seen Them Together

A Lot."

"Yes?" Interrogated Carley,  Encouragingly.

"Kilbourne Is The Best Fellar Thet Ever Happened Along Oak Creek. I Helped

Him Build His Cabin. We've Hunted Some Together. Did You Ever Hunt?"

"No."

"Wal,  You've Shore Missed A Lot Of Fun," He Said. "Turkey Huntin'. Thet's

What Fetches The Gurls. I Reckon Because Turkeys Are So Good To Eat. The

Old Gobblers Hev Begun To Gobble Now. I'll Take You Gobbler Huntin' If

You'd Like To Go."

"I'm Sure I Would."

"There's Good Trout Fishin' Along Heah A Little Later," He Said,  Pointing

To The Stream. "Crick's Too High Now. I Like West Fork Best. I've Ketched

Some Lammin' Big Ones Up There."

Carley Was Amused And Interested. She Could Not Say That