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第4章

the cruise of the jasper b.-第4章

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voice:



〃No!  Do you?〃



〃Ierdo I what?〃  It had taken the old man so long to answer

that Cleggett had forgotten his own question; and the shrill

fierceness of the voice was disconcerting。



He regarded Cleggett contemptuously; spat on the deck; and then

demanded truculently:



〃D'ye want to buy any seed potatoes?〃



〃Whyer; no;〃 said Cleggett。



〃Humph!〃 said the brown one; with the air of meaning that it was

only to be expected of an idiot like Cleggett that he would NOT

want to buy any seed potatoes。  But after a further embarrassing

silence he relented enough to give Cleggett another chance。



〃You want some seed corn!〃 he announced  rather than asked。



〃No。  I〃



〃Tomato plants!〃 shrilled the brown one; as if daring him to deny

it。



〃No。〃



He turned his back on Cleggett; as if he had lost interest; and

began to wind up his fishing line on a squeaky reel。



〃Who owns this boat?〃 Cleggett touched him on the elbow。



〃Thinkin' of buyin' her?〃



〃Perhaps。  Who owns her?〃



〃What would you do with her?〃



〃I might fix her up and sail her。  Who owns her?〃



〃She'll take a sight o' fixin'。〃



〃No doubt。  Who did you say owned her?〃



The old man; who had finished with the rusty reel; deigned to

look at Cleggett again。



〃Dunno as I said。〃



〃But who DOES own her?〃



〃She's stuck fast in the mud and her rudder's gone。〃



〃I see you know a lot about ships;〃 said Cleggett; deferentially;

giving up the attempt to find out who owned her。  〃I picked you

out for an old sailor the minute I saw you。〃  He thought he

detected a kindlier gleam in the old man's eye as that person

listened to these words。



〃The' ain't a stick in her;〃 said the ancient fisherman。  〃She's

got no wheel and she's got no nothin'。  She used to be used as a

kind of a barroom and dancin' platform till the fellow that used

her for such went out o' business。〃



He paused; and then added:



〃What might your name be?〃



〃Cleggett。〃



He appeared to reflect on the name。  But he said:



〃If you was to ask me; I'd say her timbers is sound。〃



〃Tell me;〃 said Cleggett; 〃was she a deep…water ship?  Could a

ship like her sail around the world; for instance?  I can tell

that you know all about ships。〃



Something like a grin of gratified vanity began to show on the

brown one's features。  He leaned back against the rail and looked

at Cleggett with the dawn of approval in his eyes。



〃My name's Abernethy;〃 he suddenly volunteered。  〃Isaiah

Abernethy。  The fellow that owns her is Goldberg。  Abraham

Goldberg。  Real estate man。〃



〃Cleggett began to get an insight into Mr。 Abernethy's peculiar

ideas concerning conversation。  A native spirit of independence

prevented Mr。 Abernethy from dealing with an interlocutor's

remarks in the sequence that seemed to be desired by the

interlocutor。  He took a selection of utterances into his mind;

rolled them over together; and replied in accordance with some

esoteric system of his own。



〃Where is Mr。 Goldberg's office?〃 asked Cleggett。



〃You've come to the proper party to get set right about ships;〃

said Mr。 Abernethy; complacently。 〃Either you was sent to me by

someone that knows I'm the proper party to set you right about

ships; or else you got an eye in your own head that can recognize

a man that comes of a seafarin' fambly。〃



〃You ARE an old sailor; then?  Maybe you are an old skipper? 

Perhaps you're one of the retired Long Island sea captains we're

always hearing so much about?〃



〃So fur as sailin' her around the world is concerned;〃 said Mr。

Abernethy; glancing over the hulk; 〃if she was fixed up she could

be sailed anywheresanywheres!〃



〃What would you call hera schooner?〃



〃This here Goldberg;〃 said Mr。 Abernethy; 〃has his office over

town right accost from the railroad depot。〃



And with that he put his fishing pole over his shoulder and

prepared to leavea tall; strong…looking old man with long legs

and knotty wrists; who moved across the deck with surprising

spryness。 At the gangplank he sang out without turning his head:



〃As far as my bein' a skipper's concerned; they's no law agin'

callin' me Cap'n Abernethy if you want to。  I come of a seafarin'

fambly。〃



He crossed the platform; when he had gone thirty yards further he

stopped; turned around; and shouted:



〃Is she a schooner; hey?  You want to know is she a schooner?  If

you was askin' me; she ain't NOTHIN' now。  But if you was to ask

me again I might say she COULD be schooner…rigged。  Lots of boats

IS schooner…rigged。〃



There are affinities between atom and atom; between man and

woman; between man and man。 There are also affinities between men

and things…if you choose to call a ship; which has a spirit of

its own; merely a thing。  There must have been this affinity

between Cleggett and the Jasper B。  Only an unusual person would

have thought of buying her。  But Cleggett loved her at first

sight。



Within an hour after he had first seen her he was in Mr。 Abraham

Goldberg's office。



As he was concluding his purchaseMr。 Goldberg having phoned

Cleggett's bankershe was surprised to discover that he was

buying about half an acre of Long Island real estate along with

her。 For that matter he had thought it a little odd in the first

place when he had been directed to a real estate agent as the

owner of the craft。  But as he knew very little about business;

and nothing at all about ships; he assumed that perhaps it was

quite the usual thing for real estate dealers to buy and sell

ships abutting on the coast of Long Island。



〃I had only intended to buy the vessel;〃 said Cleggett。  〃I don't

know that I'll be able to use the land。〃



Mr。 Goldberg looked at Cleggett with a slight start; as if he

were not sure that he had heard aright; and opened his mouth as

if to say something。  But nothing came of itnot just then; at

least。  When the last signature had been written; and Clegget's

check had been folded by Mr。 Goldberg's plump; bejeweled fingers

and put into Mr。 Goldberg's pocketbook; Mr。 Goldberg remarked:



〃You say you can't use the ship?〃



〃No; the land。  I'm surprised to find that the land goes with the

ship。〃



〃Why; it doesn't;〃 said Mr。 Goldberg。  〃It's the ship that goes

with the land。  She was on the land when I bought the plot; and I

just left her there。  Nobody's paid any attention to her for

years。〃



The words 〃on the land〃 grated on Cleggett。



〃You mean on the water; don't you?〃



〃In the mud; then;〃 suggested Mr。 Goldberg。



〃But she'll sail all right;〃 said Cleggett。



〃I suppose if she was decorated up with sails and things she'd

sail。  Figuring on sailing her anywhere in particular?〃



〃Subtly irritated; Cleggett answered: 〃Oh; no; no! Not anywhere

in particular!〃



〃Going to live on her this summer?Outdoor sleeping room; and

all that?〃



〃I'm thinking of it。〃



〃You could turn her into a house boat easy enough。  I had a

friend who turned an old barge like that into a house boat and

had a lot of fun with her。〃



〃Barge?〃  Cleggett rose and buttoned his coat; the conversation

was somehow growing more and more distasteful to him。  〃You

wouldn't call the Jasper B。 a BARGE; would you?〃 



〃Well; you wouldn't call her a YACHT; would you?〃 said Mr。

Goldberg。



〃Perhaps not;〃 admitted Cleggett; 〃perhaps not。 She's more like a

bark than a yacht。〃



〃A bark?  I dunno。  Always thought a bark was bigger。  A scow's

more her size; ain't it?〃



〃Scow?〃  Cleggett frowned。  The Jasper B。 a scow!  〃You mean a

schooner; don't you?〃



〃Schooner?〃  Mr。 Goldberg grinned good…naturedly at his departing

customer。  〃A kind of a schooner…scow; huh?〃



〃No; sir; a schooner!〃 said Cleggett; reddening; and turning in

the doorway。  〃Understand me; Mr。 Goldberg; a schooner; sir!  A

schooner!〃



And standing

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