hemingway, ernest - islands in the stream-第13章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
¨They get sick and they die；〃 young Tom said。 ¨But what proves that itˇs seasick？〃
¨I think you could say they were really seasick；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨I donˇt know whether they would be if they could swim freely； though。〃
¨But donˇt you see that in the reef they canˇt swim freely either； papa？〃 David said。 ¨They have their holes and certain places they move out in。 But they have to stay in the holes for fear of bigger fish and the surge bangs them around just the way it would if they were in the well of a smack。〃
¨Not quite as much；〃 young Tom disagreed。
¨Maybe not quite as much；〃 David admitted judiciously。
¨But enough；〃 Andrew said。 He whispered to his father； ¨If they keep it up； we wonˇt have to go。〃
¨Donˇt you like it？〃
¨I like it wonderful but Iˇm scared of it。〃
¨What scares you？〃
¨Everything underwater。 Iˇm scared as soon as I let my air out。 Tommy can swim wonderfully but heˇs scared underwater too。 Davidˇs the only one of us that isnˇt scared underwater。〃
¨Iˇm scared lots of times；〃 Thomas Hudson told him。
¨Are you really？〃
¨Everybody is； I think。〃
¨David isnˇt。 No matter where it is。 But Davidˇs scared now of horses because they threw him so many times。〃
¨Listen； punk；〃 David had heard him。 ¨How was I thrown？〃
¨I donˇt know。 It was so many times I donˇt remember。〃
¨Well let me tell you。 I know how I was thrown so much。 When I used to ride Old Paint that year he used to swell himself up when they cinched him and then later the saddle would slip with me。〃
¨I never had that trouble with him；〃 Andrew said smartly。
¨Oh； the devil；〃 David said。 ¨Probably he liked you like everybody does。 Maybe somebody told him who you were。〃
¨I used to read out loud to him about me out of the papers；〃 Andrew said。
¨Iˇll bet he went off on a dead run then；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨You know what happened to David was that he started to ride that old broken…down quarter horse that got sound on us and there wasnˇt any place for the horse to run。 Horses arenˇt supposed to go like that across that sort of country。〃
¨I wasnˇt saying I could have ridden him； papa；〃 Andrew said。
¨You better not；〃 David said。 Then； ¨Oh hell； you probably could have。 Sure you could have。 But honestly； Andy； you donˇt know how he used to be going before I would spook。 I was spooked of the saddle horn。 Oh the hell with it。 I was spooked。〃
¨Papa； do we actually have to go goggle…fishing？〃 Andrew asked。
¨Not if itˇs too rough。〃
¨Who decides if itˇs too rough？〃
¨I decide。〃
¨Good；〃 Andy said。 ¨It certainly looks too rough to me。〃
¨Papa； have you still got Old Paint out at the ranch？〃 Andy asked。
¨I believe so；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨I rented the ranch； you know。〃
¨Really？〃
¨Yes。 The end of last year。〃
¨But we can still go there； canˇt we？〃 David asked quickly。
¨Oh sure。 We have the big cabin on the beach down by the river。〃
¨The ranch is the best place I was ever at；〃 Andy said。 ¨Outside of here； of course。〃
¨I thought you used to like Rochester best；〃 David teased him。 That was where he used to be left with his nurse when she stayed with her family in the summer months when the other boys went west。
¨I did； too。 Rochester was a wonderful place。〃
¨Do you remember when we came home that fall the time we killed the three grizzlies and you tried to tell him about it； Dave； and what he said？〃 Thomas Hudson asked。
¨No； papa。 I canˇt remember exactly that far back。〃
¨It was in the butlerˇs pantry where you guys ate and you were having childrenˇs supper and telling him about it and Anna was saying； ˉOh my gracious； David； that must have been exciting。 And what did you do then？ˇ and this wicked old man； he must have been about five or six then； spoke up and said； ˉWell thatˇs probably very interesting； David； to people who are interested in that sort of thing。 But we donˇt have grizzlies in Rochester。ˇ 〃
¨See； horseman？〃 David said。 ¨How you were then？〃
¨All right； papa；〃 Andrew said。 ¨Tell him about when he would read nothing but the funny papers and read funny papers on the trip through the Everglades and wouldnˇt look at anything after he went to that school the fall we were in New York and got to be a heel。〃
¨I remember it；〃 David said。 ¨Papa doesnˇt have to tell it。〃
¨You came out of it all right；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨I had to； I guess。 It certainly would have been something pretty bad to have stayed in。〃
¨Tell them about when I was little；〃 young Tom said； rolling over and taking hold of Davidˇs ankle。 ¨Iˇll never get to be as good in real life as the stories about me when I was little。〃
¨I knew you when you were little；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨You were quite a strange character then。〃
¨He was just strange because he lived in strange places；〃 the smallest boy said。 ¨I could have been strange in Paris and Spain and Austria。〃
¨Heˇs strange now； horseman；〃 David said。 ¨He doesnˇt need any exotic backgrounds。〃
¨Whatˇs exotic backgrounds？〃
¨What you havenˇt got。〃
¨Iˇll bet Iˇll have them； then。〃
¨Shut up and let papa tell；〃 young Tom said。 ¨Tell them about when you and I used to go around together in Paris。〃
¨You werenˇt so strange then；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨As a baby you were an awfully sound character。 Mother and I used to leave you in the crib that was made out of a clothes basket in that flat where we lived over the sawmill and F。 Puss the big cat would curl up in the foot of the basket and wouldnˇt let anybody come near you。 You said your name was GˇNing GˇNing and we used to call you GˇNing GˇNing the Terrible。〃
¨Where did I get a name like that？〃
¨Off a street car or an autobus I think。 The sound the conductor made。〃
¨Couldnˇt I speak French？〃
¨Not too well then。〃
¨Tell me about a little later by the time I could speak French。〃
¨Later on I used to wheel you in the carriage； it was a cheap； very light； folding carriage； down the street to the Closerie des Lilas where weˇd have breakfast and Iˇd read the paper and youˇd watch everything that went past on the boulevard。 Then weˇd finish breakfast〃
¨What would we have？〃
¨Brioche and caf？ au lait。〃
¨Me too？〃
¨Youˇd just have a taste of coffee in the milk。〃
¨I can remember。 Where would we go then？〃
¨Iˇd wheel you across the street from the Closerie des Lilas and past the fountain with the bronze horses and the fish and the mermaids and down between the long all？es of chestnut trees with the French children playing and their nurses on the benches beside the gravel paths〃
¨And the ？cole Alsacienne on the left；〃 young Tom said。
¨And apartment buildings on the right〃
¨And apartment buildings and apartments with glass roofs for studios all along the street that goes down to the left and quite triste from the darkness of the stone because that was the shady side；〃 young Tom said。
¨Is it fall or spring or winter？〃 Thomas Hudson asked。
¨Late fall。〃
¨Then you were cold in the face； and your cheeks and your nose were red and we would go into the Luxembourg through the iron gate at the upper end and down toward the lake and around the lake once and then turn to the right toward the Medici Fountain and the statues and out of the gate in front of the Od？on and down a couple of side streets to the Boulevard Saint…Michel〃
¨The Boulˇ Michˇ〃
¨And down the Boulˇ Michˇ past the Cluny〃
¨On our right〃
¨That was very dark and gloomy looking and across the Boulevard Saint…Germain〃
¨That was the most exciting street with the most traffic。 Itˇs strange how exciting and dangerous seeming it was there。 And down by the Rue de Rennes it always seemed perfectly safebetween the Deux Magots and Lippˇs crossing I mean。 Why was that； Papa？〃
¨I donˇt know； Schatz。〃
¨I wish something would happen beside the names of streets；〃 Andrew said。 ¨I get tired of the names of streets in a place Iˇve never been。〃
¨Make something happen； then； papa；〃 young Tom said。 ¨We can talk about s
