Lonesome Dove 孤鸽镇

She looked at Gus again, wondering if he would really be so bold or so foolish. He didn’t move to kiss her, but he still stood close and looked into her face.

“The older the violin, the sweeter the music,” he said with a smile.

“That proves you’re a deceiving man, if you think that,” she said. “You’ve had a long ride for nothing, I guess.” “Why, no,” he said. “It’s happiness to see you.” Clara felt a sudden irritation. “Do you think you can have us both?” she said. “My husband isn’t dead. I haven’t seen you in sixteen years. I’ve mostly raised children and horses during those years. Three of the children died, and plenty of the horses. It took all the romance out of me, if romance is what you were hoping for. I read about it in my magazines but I left it behind for myself when I left Austin.” “Don’t you regret it?” Augustus asked.

“Oh, well,” Clara said, “yes and no. I’m too strong for the normal man and too jealous once my feelings get started. I’m surprised you dare bring another woman into my house.” “I thought you liked her,” he said.

“I do like her,” Clara said. “I mind you doing it, though. Don’t you understand the facts of nature yet? She’s younger and prettier.” “It happened accidentally, like I mentioned,” Augustus said.

“I never noticed you having such accidents with ugly girls,” Clara said. “I don’t care how it happened. You’ve been my dream, Gus. I used to think about you two or three hours a day.” “I wish you’d wrote, then,” he said.“I didn’t want you here,” she said. “I needed the dreams. I knew you for a rake and a rambler but it was sweet to pretend you only loved me.” “I do only love you, Clara,” he said. “I’ve grown right fond of Lorie, but it ain’t like this feeling I have for you.” “Well, she loves you,” Clara said. “It would destroy her if I was to have you. Don’t you know that?” “Yes, I know that,” Augustus said, thinking there would never again be such a woman as the one who looked at him with anger in her face.

“Would you destroy her, then, if I said stay?” Clara asked.

“I expect so,” Augustus said.

“That ain’t an answer.” “Yes, you know I would,” he said. “I’d smother Bob for you and send Lorie to perdition.” Clara sighed, and her anger wore out with the sigh.

“Such talk,” she said. “Bob’ll die when he can manage it, and I’ll see what I can do for your bride. It’s just her beauty that set me off. I was always the youngest and prettiest, and now I’m not.” “You’re mighty pretty, and anyway pretty ain’t everything,” he said.

“Where men like you are concerned it’s ninety-nine percent,” she said. “You ain’t had time to look at me close. I ain’t the prettiest anymore. The prettiest is downstairs.” “I’d still like a kiss,” he said.

A tickle of amusement took her. He saw her smile and took it for encouragement. When he bent forward the result was so bland that after a moment Clara drew back her head and laughed.

“You’ve ridden a long way for some pretty weak courting,” she said, but she felt better. Gus looked rather hangdog at his failure—one of the few times she had ever seen him look that way.

“You beat any woman I ever saw for taking the starch out of a man,” he said, a little perplexed. Despite all the complications, he felt his old love for her returning with its old power. So much feeling flooded him, just looking at her, that he felt shaky. It was a puzzle to him that such a thing could happen, for it was true she had become rather bony and her face had thinned too much, and certainly she was as taxing as a woman could be. And yet the feeling made him shaky.

“Think I’m rough, Gus?” she asked with a smile.

“I ain’t been scorched by lightning, but I doubt it could be hotter than being scorched by you,” he said.

“Still think you’d have been up to being married to me?” “I don’t know,” he said truthfully.

Clara laughed and took his arm to lead him downstairs.

“What about the young sheriff?” he asked, stopping her. He was unwilling to end their privacy so soon.

“What sheriff?” “Why, July Johnson,” he said. “It seems you’ve adopted him.” “I mainly wanted the baby, but I guess it’s only fair to keep the father too,” she said.

“Keep him and do what with him?” “What do you care?” Clara said. “You’re engaged. You can ride all over the country with a pretty girl, I guess I can be allowed a man. I’d forgotten how jealous you were. You were jealous of Jake and I did little more than flirt with Jake.” “To hear him talk, you did,” Augustus said.

“Neither of us will hear him talk again,” Clara said. “And I won’t marry again.” “What makes you so sure?” “I don’t have enough respect for men,” she said. “I’ve found very few who are honest, and you ain’t one of the few.” “I’m about half honest,” Augustus said.

“That’s right,” she said, and led him on downstairs.

To his surprise, Clara simply walked into the kitchen and invited Lorena to stay with them while the herd went on to Montana.

“We could use your help and you’d be more than welcome,” she said. “Montana’s no place for a lady.”Lorena blushed when she said it—no one had ever applied the word “lady” to her before. She knew she didn’t deserve it.