【英文读物】The Southerner.docx

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1、【英文读物】The SouthernerPROLOGUE ITom seated himself at the table and looked into his wifes face with a smile:Nancy, its a meal fit for a king!The supper over, he smoked his pipe before the cabin fire of blazing logs, while she cleared the wooden dishes. He watched her get the paper, goose-quill pen and

2、 ink as a prisoner sees the scaffold building for his execution.Now were all ready, she said cheerfully.The man laid his pipe down with a helpless look. A brief respite flashed through his mind. Maybe he could sidestep the lessons before she pinned him down.Lord, Nancy, I forgot my gun. I must greas

3、e her right away, he cried.He rose with a quick decisive movement and took his rifle from the rack. She knew it was useless to protest and let him have his way.Over every inch of its heavy barrel and polished walnut stock he rubbed a piece of greased linen with loving care, drew back the flint-lock

4、and greased carefully every nook and turn of its mechanism, lifted the gun finally to his shoulder and drew an imaginary bead on the head of a turkey gobbler two hundred yards away. A glowing coal of hickory wood in the fire served for his game.He lowered the gun and held it before him with pride:Na

5、ncy, shes the dandiest piece o iron that wuz ever twisted inter the shape of a weepon. Old Speakeasys her name! Shes got the softest voice that ever whispered death to a varmint or an Injunhit aint much loudern the crack of a whip, but, man alive, when she talks she says somethin. Kerpeow! she whisp

6、ers soft an low! Shes got a voice like yourn, Nancykinder sighs when she speaksWell, the wife broke in with a shake of her dark head, has mothers little boy played long enough with his toy?I reckon so, Tom laughed.Then its time for school. She gently took the rifle from his hands, placed it on the b

7、uck horns and took her seat at the table.The man looked ruefully at the stool, suddenly straightened his massive frame, lifted his hand above his head and cocked his eye inquiringly:May I git er drink er water fust?The teacher laughed in spite of herself:Yes, you big lubber, and hurry up.Tom seized

8、the water bucket and started for the door.Where are you going? she cried in dismay.Ill jest run down to the spring fer a fresh bucketO Tom! she exclaimed.Ill be right back in a minute, Honey, he protested softly. Hits goin ter be powerful hotIll need a whole bucket time Im through.Before she could a

9、nswer he was gone.He managed to stay nearly a half hour. She put the baby to sleep and sat waiting with her pensive young eyes gazing at the leaping flames. She heard him stop and answer the call of an owl from the woods. A whip-poor-will was softly singing from the bushes nearby. He stopped to call

10、 him also, and then found an excuse to linger ten minutes more fooling with his dogs.The laggard came at last and dropped on his stool by her side. He sat for five minutes staring helplessly at the copy she had set. Big beads of perspiration stood on his forehead when he took the pen. He held it awk

11、wardly and timidly as if it were a live reptile. She took his clumsy hand in hers and showed him how to hold it.My, but yo hands soft an sweet, Nancy,jest lemme hold that a whileShe rapped his knuckles.All right, teacher, Ill be good, he protested, and bent his huge shoulders low over his task. He b

12、ore so hard on the frail quill pen the ink ran in a big blot.Not so hard, Tom! she cried.But I got so much strenk in my right arm I jist cant hold it back.You must try again.He tried again and made a heavy tremulous line. His arm moved at a snails gait and wobbled frightfully.Make the line quicker,

13、she urged encouragingly. Begin at the top and come downHere, you show me how!She took his rough hand quietly in hers, and guided it swiftly from right to left in straight smooth lines until a dozen were made, when he suddenly drew her close, kissed her lips, and held the slender fingers in a grip of

14、 iron. She lay still in his embrace for a moment, released herself and turned from him with a sigh. He drew her quickly to the light of the fire and saw the unshed tears in her eyes.Whats the use ter worry, Nancy gal? he said. Give it up ez a bad job. I wouldnt fool with no sech scholar ef I wuz you

15、. Ye cant teach an old dog new tricksI wont give up! she cried with sudden energy. I can teach you and I will. I wont give up and be nobody. O Tom, you promised me before we were married to let me teach youdidnt you promise?Yes, Honey, I did he paused and his fine teeth gleamed through the black bea

16、rdbut ye know a fellerll promise any thing ter git his galDidnt you mean to keep your word? She broke in sharply.Of course I did, Nancy, I never wuz more earnest in my lifeceptin when I got religion. But I had no idee larnin come so hard. Id ruther fight Injuns an wil cats or rob a bee tree any day

17、than ter tackle them pot hooks youre sickin after meWell, I wont give up, she interrupted impatiently, and youd just as well make up your mind to stick to it. You can do what other men have done. Youre good, honest and true, youre kindhearted and popular. Theyve already made you the road supervisor

18、of this township. Learn to read and write and you can make a good speech and go to the Legislature.Ah, Nancy, what do ye want me ter do that fur, anyhow, gal? Id be the happiest man in the world right here in this cabin by the woods ef youd jest be happy with me. Cant ye quit hankerin after them thi

19、ngs, Honey?She shook her dark head firmly.You know, Nancy, we wuz neighbors to Danl Boone. We thought he wuz about the biggest man that ever lived. Somehow the love o the woods an fields is always singin in my heart. Them still shinin stars up in the sky out thar to-night keep a callin me. I could h

20、ear the music o my hounds in my soul ez I stood by the spring a while ago. Ye know what scares me most ter death sometimes, gal? He paused and looked into her eyes intently.No, what? she asked.That youll make a carpenter outen me yit ef I dont mind.Again a smile broke through the cloud in her eyes:

21、I dont think theres much danger of that, TomYes ther is, too, he laughed. Ye see, I love you so and try ter make ye happy, an ef there wuz ter come er time that there wuz plenty o work an real money in it, Id stick to it jist ter please you, an be a lost an ruined soul! Yessir, theyd carve on my hea

22、dstone jest one line:BORN A MANAND DIED A JACKLEG CARPENTER.Wouldnt that be awful?The momentary smile on the womans sensitive face faded into a look of pain. She tried to make a good-natured reply, but her lips refused to move.The man pressed on eagerly:O Nancy, why cant ye be happy here? Weve a snu

23、g little cabin nest, weve enough to eat and enough to wear. The babys laughin at yer heels all day and snugglin in her little bed at night. The birds make music fur ye in the trees. The creek down thars laughin an singing winter an summer. The worlds too purty an lifes too short ter throw hit away f

24、ightin an scramblin fur nothin.For somethingTomsomething bigDont keer how big tiswhat of it? All turns ter ashes in yer hands bye an bye an yer lifes gone. We cant live these young days over again, can we? Ye know the preacher says: What shall hit profit a man ef he gain the whole world an lose his

25、life? Let me offn these lessons, Honey? Im too old; ye cant larn me new tricks now. Let me off fer good an all, wont ye?No, was the firm answer. It means too much. I wont give up and let the man I love sign his name forever with a cross mark.I aint goin ter sign no more papers nohow! Tom broke in.I

26、signed our marriage bond with a mark, Tom, she went on evenly, just because you couldnt write your name. Youve got to learn, I wont give up!Well, its too late to-night fur any more lessons, now aint it?Yes, well make up for it next time.The tired hunter was soon sound asleep dreaming of the life tha

27、t was the breath of his nostrils.Through the still winters night the young wife lay with wide staring eyes. Over and over again she weighed her chances in the grim struggle begun for the mastery of his mind. The longer she asked herself the question of success or failure the more doubtful seemed the

28、 outcome. How still the world!The new life within her strong young body suddenly stirred, and a feeling of awe thrilled her heart. God had suddenly signalled from the shores of Eternity.When her husband waked at dawn he stared at her smiling face in surprise.What ye laughin about, Nancy? he cried.Sh

29、e turned toward him with a startled look:I had a vision, Tom!A dream, I reckon.God had answered the prayer of my heart, she went on breathlessly, and sent me a son. I saw him a strong, brave, patient, wise, gentle man. Thousands hung on his words and great men came to do him homage. With bowed head

30、he led me into a beautiful home that had shining white pillars. He bowed low and whispered in my ear: This is yours, my angel mother. I bought it for you with my life. All that I am I owe to you.She paused a moment and whispered:O Tom, man, a new song is singing in my soul!PROLOGUE 2The woman rose q

31、uietly and went the rounds of her daily work. She made her bed to-day in trance-like silence. It was no gilded couch, but it had been built by the hand of her lover and was sacred. It filled the space in one corner of the cabin farthest from the fire. A single post of straight cedar securely fixed i

32、n the ground held the poles in place which formed the side and foot rail. The walls of the cabin formed the other side and head. Across from the pole were fixed the slender hickory sticks that formed the springy hammock on which the first mattress of moss and grass rested. On this was placed a feath

33、er bed made from the wild fowl Tom had killed during the past two years. The pillows were of the finest feathers from the breasts of ducks. A single quilt of ample size covered all, and over this was thrown a huge counterpane of bear skins. Two enormous bear rugs almost completely covered the dirt f

34、loor, and a carpet of oak leaves filled out the spaces.The feather bed beaten smooth, the fur covering drawn in place and the pillows set upright against the cabin wall, she turned to the two bunks in the opposite corner and carefully re-arranged them. They might be used soon. This was the corner of

35、 her home set aside for guests. Tom had skillfully built two berths boat fashion, one above the other, in this corner, and a curtain drawn over a smooth wooden rod cut this space off from the rest of the room when occupied at night by visitors.The master of this cabin never allowed a stranger to pas

36、s without urging him to stop and in a way that took no denial.A savory dish of stewed squirrel and corn dumplings served for lunch. The babys face was one glorious smear of joy and grease at its finish.The mother took the bucket from its shelf and walked leisurely to the spring, whose limpid waters

37、gushed from a rock at the foot of the hill. The child toddled after her, the little moccasined feet stepping gingerly over the sharp gravel of the rough places.Before filling the bucket she listened again for the crack of Toms rifle, and could hear nothing. A death-like stillness brooded over the wo

38、ods and fields. He was probably watching for muskrat under the bluff of the creek. He had promised to stay within call to-day.The afternoon dragged wearily. She tried to read the one book she possessed, the Bible. The pages seemed to fade and the eyes refused to see.O Man, Man, why dont you come hom

39、e! she cried at last.She rose, walked to the door, looked and listenedonly the distant rattle of a woodpeckers beak on a dead tree in the woods. The snow began to fall in little fitful dabs. It was two miles to the nearest cabin, and her soul rose in fierce rebellion at her loneliness. It was easy f

40、or a man who loved the woods, the fields and running waters, this life, but for the woman who must wait and long and eat her heart out aloneshe vowed anew that she would not endure it. By the sheer pull of her will she would lift this man from his drifting life and make him take his place in the rea

41、l battle of the world. If her new baby were only a boy, he could help her and she would win. Again she stood dreaming of the vision she had seen at dawn.The dark young face suddenly went white and her hand gripped the facing of the door.She waited half doubting, half amused at her fears. It was only

42、 the twinge of a muscle perhaps. She smiled at her sudden panic. The thought had scarcely formed before she blanched the second time and the firm lips came together with sudden energy as she glanced at the child playing on the rug at her feet.She seized the horn that hung beside the door and blew th

43、e pioneers long call of danger. Its shrill note rang through the woods against the hills in cadences that seemed half muffled by the falling snow.Again her anxious eyes looked from the doorway. Would he never come! The trembling slender hand once more lifted the horn, a single wild note rang out and

44、 broke suddenly into silence. The horn fell from her limp grasp and she lifted her eyes to the darkening sky in prayer, as Toms voice from the edge of the woods came strong and full:Yes, Honey, Im comin!There was no question of doctor or nurse. The young pioneer mother only asked for her mate.For tw

45、o fearful hours she gripped his rough hands until at last her nails brought the blood, but the man didnt know or care. Every smothered cry that came from her lips began to tear the heart out of his body at last. He could hold the long pent agony no longer without words.My God, Nancy, what can I do f

46、or ye, Honey?Her breath came in gasps and her eyes were shining with a strange intensity.Nothing, Tom, nothing nowIm looking Death in the face and Im not afraidPlease lemme give ye some whiskey, he pleaded, pressing the glass to her lips.Nono, take it awayI hate it. My baby shall be clean and strong

47、 or I want to die.The decision seemed to brace her spirit for the last test when the trembling feet entered the shadows of the dim valley that lies between Life and Death.The dark, slender figure lay still and white at last. A sharp cry from lusty lungs, and the grey eyes slowly opened, with a timid wondering look.Tom! she cried with quick eager tones.Yes, Nancy, yes!A boy?Of courseand a buster he is, too.Give him to mequick!The stalwart figure bent over the bed and laid the little re