-
Главная
-
- Книги
-
- Авторы
-
- Фрэнк Норрис
-
- Спрут: Калифорнийская история
-
- Стр. 226/416
Для того чтобы воспользоваться озвучкой предложений, необходимо
Войти или зарегистрироваться
Озвучка предложений доступна при наличии PRO-доступа
Купить PRO-доступ
As
the
wagon
passed
out
from
under
the
eucalyptus
trees
about
the
ranch
house
,
taking
Mrs
.
Dyke
,
Sidney
,
and
the
one
-
time
engineer
back
to
the
hop
ranch
,
Presley
leaning
from
his
window
heard
the
latter
remark
:
“
Caraher
is
right
.
There
is
only
one
thing
they
listen
to
,
and
that
’
s
dynamite
.
”
The
following
day
Presley
drove
Magnus
over
to
Guadalajara
to
take
the
train
for
San
Francisco
.
But
after
he
had
said
good
-
bye
to
the
Governor
,
he
was
moved
to
go
on
to
the
hop
ranch
to
see
the
condition
of
affairs
in
that
quarter
.
He
returned
to
Los
Muertos
overwhelmed
with
sadness
and
trembling
with
anger
.
The
hop
ranch
that
he
had
last
seen
in
the
full
tide
of
prosperity
was
almost
a
ruin
.
Work
had
evidently
been
abandoned
long
since
.
Weeds
were
already
choking
the
vines
.
Everywhere
the
poles
sagged
and
drooped
.
Many
had
even
fallen
,
dragging
the
vines
with
them
,
spreading
them
over
the
ground
in
an
inextricable
tangle
of
dead
leaves
,
decaying
tendrils
,
and
snarled
string
.
The
fence
was
broken
;
the
unfinished
storehouse
,
which
never
was
to
see
completion
,
was
a
lamentable
spectacle
of
gaping
doors
and
windows
—
a
melancholy
skeleton
.
Last
of
all
,
Presley
had
caught
a
glimpse
of
Dyke
himself
,
seated
in
his
rocking
chair
on
the
porch
,
his
beard
and
hair
unkempt
,
motionless
,
looking
with
vague
eyes
upon
his
hands
that
lay
palm
upwards
and
idle
in
his
lap
.
Magnus
on
his
way
to
San
Francisco
was
joined
at
Bonneville
by
Osterman
.
Upon
seating
himself
in
front
of
the
master
of
Los
Muertos
in
the
smoking
-
car
of
the
train
,
this
latter
,
pushing
back
his
hat
and
smoothing
his
bald
head
,
observed
:
“
Governor
,
you
look
all
frazeled
out
.
Anything
wrong
these
days
?
”
The
other
answered
in
the
negative
,
but
,
for
all
that
,
Osterman
was
right
.
The
Governor
had
aged
suddenly
.
His
former
erectness
was
gone
,
the
broad
shoulders
stooped
a
little
,
the
strong
lines
of
his
thin
-
lipped
mouth
were
relaxed
,
and
his
hand
,
as
it
clasped
over
the
yellowed
ivory
knob
of
his
cane
,
had
an
unwonted
tremulousness
not
hitherto
noticeable
.
But
the
change
in
Magnus
was
more
than
physical
.
At
last
,
in
the
full
tide
of
power
,
President
of
the
League
,
known
and
talked
of
in
every
county
of
the
State
,
leader
in
a
great
struggle
,
consulted
,
deferred
to
as
the
“
Prominent
Man
,
”
at
length
attaining
that
position
,
so
long
and
vainly
sought
for
,
he
yet
found
no
pleasure
in
his
triumph
,
and
little
but
bitterness
in
life
.
His
success
had
come
by
devious
methods
,
had
been
reached
by
obscure
means
.
He
was
a
briber
.
He
could
never
forget
that
.
To
further
his
ends
,
disinterested
,
public
-
spirited
,
even
philanthropic
as
those
were
,
he
had
connived
with
knavery
,
he
,
the
politician
of
the
old
school
,
of
such
rigorous
integrity
,
who
had
abandoned
a
“
career
”
rather
than
compromise
with
honesty
.
At
this
eleventh
hour
,
involved
and
entrapped
in
the
fine
-
spun
web
of
a
new
order
of
things
,
bewildered
by
Osterman
’
s
dexterity
,
by
his
volubility
and
glibness
,
goaded
and
harassed
beyond
the
point
of
reason
by
the
aggression
of
the
Trust
he
fought
,
he
had
at
last
failed
.
He
had
fallen
he
had
given
a
bribe
.
He
had
thought
that
,
after
all
,
this
would
make
but
little
difference
with
him
.
The
affair
was
known
only
to
Osterman
,
Broderson
,
and
Annixter
;
they
would
not
judge
him
,
being
themselves
involved
.
He
could
still
preserve
a
bold
front
;
could
still
hold
his
head
high
.
As
time
went
on
the
affair
would
lose
its
point
.
But
this
was
not
so
.
Some
subtle
element
of
his
character
had
forsaken
him
.
He
felt
it
.
He
knew
it
.
Some
certain
stiffness
that
had
given
him
all
his
rigidity
,
that
had
lent
force
to
his
authority
,
weight
to
his
dominance
,
temper
to
his
fine
,
inflexible
hardness
,
was
diminishing
day
by
day
.
In
the
decisions
which
he
,
as
President
of
the
League
,
was
called
upon
to
make
so
often
,
he
now
hesitated
.
He
could
no
longer
be
arrogant
,
masterful
,
acting
upon
his
own
judgment
,
independent
of
opinion
.
He
began
to
consult
his
lieutenants
,
asking
their
advice
,
distrusting
his
own
opinions
.
He
made
mistakes
,
blunders
,
and
when
those
were
brought
to
his
notice
,
took
refuge
in
bluster
.
He
knew
it
to
be
bluster
—
knew
that
sooner
or
later
his
subordinates
would
recognise
it
as
such
.
How
long
could
he
maintain
his
position
?
So
only
he
could
keep
his
grip
upon
the
lever
of
control
till
the
battle
was
over
,
all
would
be
well
.
If
not
,
he
would
fall
,
and
,
once
fallen
,
he
knew
that
now
,
briber
that
he
was
,
he
would
never
rise
again
.
