Shoe-Bar Stratton - Chapter 7

Swiftly the echoes of the shots died away, leaving the still serenity ¹ of the night again unruffled. For a moment or two Stratton waited expectantly; then his shoulders squared decisively., ,"I reckon it's up to us to find out what's going on down there," he said, turning toward his horse., ,Jessup nodded curt ² agreement. "Better take the sorrel along, hadn't we?" he asked., , ,Five minutes later they pulled up in front of a small adobe ⁴ shack ⁵ nestling against a background of cottonwoods that told of the near presence of the creek ⁶. The door stood open, framing a black rectangle which proclaimed the emptiness of the hut, and with scarcely a pause the two rode slowly on, searching the moonlit vistas ⁷ with keen alertness., ,On their right the country had grown noticeably rougher. Here and there low spurs from the near-by western hills thrust out into the flat prairie, and deep shadows which marked the opening of draw or gully loomed ⁸ up frequently. It was from one of these, about half a mile south of the hut, that a voice issued suddenly, halting the two riders abruptly ⁹ by the curtness ¹⁰ of its snarling ¹¹ menace., ,She escaped to the comparative serenity of the kitchen.她逃到相对安静的厨房里 。,He gave me an extremely curt answer.他对我作了极为草率的答复
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