hemingway, ernest - islands in the stream-第14章
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¨Make something happen； then； papa；〃 young Tom said。 ¨We can talk about streets when weˇre alone。〃
¨Nothing much happened then；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨We would go on down to the Place Saint…Michel and we would sit on the terrace of the caf？ and Papa would sketch with a caf？ cr？me on the table and youˇd have a beer。〃
¨Did I like beer then？〃
¨You were a big beer man。 But you liked water with a little red wine in it at meals。〃
¨I remember。 Lˇeau rougie。〃
¨Exactement；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨You were a very strong lˇeau rougie man but you liked an occasional bock。〃
¨I can remember in Austria going on a luge and our dog Schnautz and snow。〃
¨Can you remember Christmas there？〃
¨No。 Just you and snow and our dog Schnautz and my nurse。 She was beautiful。 And I remember mother on skis and how beautiful she was。 I can remember seeing you and mother coming down skiing through an orchard。 I donˇt know where it was。 But I can remember the Jardin du Luxembourg well。 I can remember afternoons with the boats on the lake by the fountain in the big garden with the trees。 The paths through the trees were all gravelled and men played bowling games off to the left under the trees as we went down toward the Palace and there was a clock high up on the Palace。 In the fall the leaves came down and I can remember the trees bare and the leaves on the gravel。 I like to remember the fall best。〃
¨Why？〃 David asked。
¨Lots of things。 The way everything smelled in the fall and the carnivals and the way the gravel was dry on top when everything was damp and the wind on the lake to sail the boats and the wind in the trees that brought the leaves down。 I can remember feeling the pigeons by me warm under the blanket when you killed them just before it was dark and how the feathers were smooth and I would stroke them and hold them close and keep my hands warm going home until the pigeons got cold too。〃
¨Where did you kill the pigeons； papa？〃 David asked。
¨Mostly down by the Medici Fountain just before they shut the gardens。 Thereˇs a high iron fence all around the gardens and they shut the gates at dark and everyone has to go out。 Guards go through warning people and locking up the gates。 After the guards went ahead I used to kill the pigeons with a slingshot when they were on the ground by the fountain。 They make wonderful slingshots in France。〃
¨Didnˇt you make your own if you were poor？〃 Andrew asked。
¨Sure。 First I had one I made from a forked branch of a sapling I cut down in the Forest of Rambouillet when Tommyˇs mother and I were on a walking trip there。 I whittled it out and we bought the big rubber bands for it at a stationery store on the Place Saint…Michel and made the leather pouch out of leather from an old glove of Tommyˇs mother。〃
¨What did you shoot in it？〃
¨Pebbles。〃
¨How close would you have to get？〃
¨As close as you could so you could pick them up and get them under the blanket as quick as you could。〃
¨I remember the time one came alive；〃 young Tom said。 ¨And I held him quiet and didnˇt say anything about it all the way home because I wanted to keep him。 He was a very big pigeon； almost purple color with a high neck and a wonderful head and white on his wings； and you let me keep him in the kitchen until we could get a cage for him。 You tied him by one leg。 But that night the big cat killed him and brought him in to my bed。 The big cat was so proud and he carried him just as though he were a tiger carrying a native and he jumped up to the bed with him。 That was when I had a square bed after the basket。 I canˇt remember the basket。 You and mother were gone to the caf？ and the big cat and I were alone and I remember the windows were open and there was a big moon over the sawmill and it was winter and I could smell the sawdust。 I remember seeing the big cat coming across the floor with his head high up so the pigeon barely dragged on the floor and then he made one jump and just sailed right up and into the bed with him。 I felt awfully that he had killed my pigeon but he was so proud and so happy and he was such a good friend of mine I felt proud and happy； too。 I remember he played with the pigeon and then he would push his paws up and down on my chest and purr and then play with the pigeon again。 Finally I remember he and I and the pigeon all went to sleep together。 I had one hand on the pigeon and he had one paw on the pigeon and then in the night I woke up and he was eating him and purring loud like a tiger。〃
¨Thatˇs a lot better than names of streets；〃 Andrew said。 ¨Were you scared； Tommy； when he was eating him？〃
¨No。 The big cat was the best friend I had then。 I mean the closest friend。 I think he would have liked me to eat the pigeon too。〃
¨You ought to have tried it；〃 Andrew said。 ¨Tel some more about slingshots。〃
¨Mother gave you the other slingshot for Christmas；〃 young Tom said。 ¨She saw it in a gun store and she wanted to buy you a shotgun but she never had enough money。 She used to look at the shotguns in the window every day when she went past the store to the Epicene and one day she saw the slingshot and she bought it because she was afraid they would sell it to somebody else and she kept it hid until Christmas。 She had to falsify the accounts so you wouldnˇt know about it。 Sheˇs told me about it lots of times。 I can remember when you got it for Christmas and you gave me the old one。 But I wasnˇt strong enough to pull it then。〃
¨Papa； werenˇt we ever poor？〃 Andrew asked。
¨No。 Iˇd gotten over being poor by the time you guys were born。 We were broke lots of times but never really poor the way we were with Tom and his mother。〃
¨Tell us some more about in Paris；〃 David said。 ¨What else did you and Tommy do？〃
¨What did we do； Schatz？〃
¨In the fall？ We used to buy roasted chestnuts from a roast chestnut man and I used to keep my hands warm on them too。 We went to the circus and saw the crocodiles of Le Capitaine Wahl。〃
¨Can you remember that？〃
¨Very well。 The Capitaine Wahl wrestled with a crocodile （he pronounced it crowcodeel； the crow as in the bird of that name） and a beautiful girl poked them with a trident。 But the biggest crocodiles wouldnˇt move。 The circus was beautiful and round and red with gold paint and smelled of horses。 There was a place in back where you went to drink with Mr。 Crosby and the tamer of lions and his wife。〃
¨Do you remember Mr。 Crosby？〃
¨He never wore a hat nor an overcoat no matter how cold it was and his little girl had hair that hung down her back like Alice in Wonderland。 In the illustrations I mean。 Mr。 Crosby was always very very nervous。〃
¨Who else do you remember？〃
¨Mr。 Joyce。〃
¨What was he like？〃
¨He was tall and thin and he had a moustache and a small beard that grew straight up and down on his chin and he wore thick； thick glasses and walked with his head held very high。 I remember him passing us on the street and not speaking and you spoke to him and he stopped and saw us through the glasses like looking out of an aquarium and he said； ˉAh； Hudson； I was looking for you；ˇ and we three went to the caf？ and it was cold outside but we sat in a corner with one of those what do you call thems？〃
¨Braziers。〃
¨I thought that was what ladies wore；〃 Andrew said。
¨Itˇs an iron can with holes in it they burn coal or charcoal in to heat any place outside like a caf？ terrace where you sit close to them to keep warm or a race track where you stand around and get warm from them；〃 young Tom explained。 ¨At this caf？ where papa and I and Mr。 Joyce used to go they had them all along the outside and you could be warm and comfortable in the coldest weather。〃
¨I guess youˇve spent the biggest part of your life in caf？s and saloons and hot spots；〃 the youngest boy said。
¨Quite a bit of it；〃 Tom said。 ¨Havenˇt we； papa？〃
¨And sound asleep in the car outside while papa has just a quick one；〃 David said。 ¨Boy； I used to hate that word quick one。 I guess a quick one is about the slowest thing on earth。〃
¨What did Mr。 Joyce talk about？〃 Roger asked young Tom。
¨Gee； Mr。 Davis；
