Nelly's Silver Mine: A Story of Colorado LifeJackson, Helen Hunt
History
Nelly's Silver Mine: A Story of Colorado Life
Jackson, Helen Hunt
Colorado -- History -- To 1876 -- Juvenile fiction
"Yo-ho! yo-ho! yo-ho!" The syllables are pronounced one after the
other just as fast as you can, in a high shrill tone, and there is a
sort of tune to it which I could not describe; but perhaps you know
some traveller who has been in Switzerland, who can describe it to
you. Rob used to "jodel" beautifully; and many a time when he was on
a high rock, way up above the road, and saw people riding or driving
below him, he would ring out such a "jodel," that the people would
stop and look up amazed. They could not believe they were in
America. Rob was fast growing as strong and well as Nelly. He
never had sore throats here: and Mr. and Mrs. March often said that
they would be glad they had come to Colorado, if it were for nothing
except that it had made Rob so well. As he grew stronger, he grew to
be a much better boy. He was not selfish nor cross as he used to be
at home; and he was as full of fun as a squirrel, all day long. One
thing he very much enjoyed doing, was taking Fox and Pumpkinseed up
to the tops of the high hills to graze. The best grass grew very
high up on the hills; but neither Fox nor Pumpkinseed had ever been
used to such steep hills, and they both hated to climb them. Deacon
Plummer was very droll about it. "Don't blame 'em," said he, "don't
blame 'em a mite. Who'd want to be for ever climbing up garret to
get a mouthful of something to eat?" However, since the food was
chiefly "up garret," as the Deacon called it, "up garret" the horses
must go; and it was somebody's duty every morning to lead them up.
Often, in the course of the day, they would ramble slowly down: then
they would have to be taken up again; and Rob was always on the
lookout for a chance to do this. He always took Fox; he was easier
to lead than Pumpkinseed. You had to lead only one: the other would
follow; and it was a funny sight to see Rob way up on the steep
hill, tugging away at Fox's halter, and Fox half holding back, half
going along, and Pumpkinseed behind, following on slowly with a most
disgusted expression, every now and then stopping short and looking
up at Rob and Fox, as much as to say, "Oh, dear! why will you drag
us up this horrible hill?"
The hill opposite the house was so high that when Rob was at the
very top of it with the horses, he didn't look bigger than a
"Hop-o'-my-thumb," and the horses looked like goats. After he got
them fairly up, and saw them grazing contentedly, Rob would run down
the hill at full speed. At first he got many a tumble flat on his
nose doing this; but after a while he learned how to slant his body
backwards, and then he did not tumble.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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