第 9 节
作者:片片      更新:2024-04-07 21:07      字数:9322
  in the country arrive in their war…paint; and proceed to scare the rest
  of me to death with their tomahawks。  Take it altogether; I never had
  such a spirited time in all my life as I have had to…day。  No; I like
  you; and I like your calm unruffled way of explaining things to the
  customers; but you see I am not used to it。  The Southern heart is too
  impulsive; Southern hospitality is too lavish with the stranger。  The
  paragraphs which I have written to…day; and into whose cold sentences
  your masterly hand has infused the fervent spirit of Tennesseean
  journalism; will wake up another nest of hornets。  All that mob of
  editors will comeand they will come hungry; too; and want somebody for
  breakfast。  I shall have to bid you adieu。  I decline to be present at
  these festivities。  I came South for my health; I will go back on the
  same errand; and suddenly。  Tennesseean journalism is too stirring for
  me。〃
  After which we parted with mutual regret; and I took apartments at the
  hospital。
  THE STORY OF THE BAD LITTLE BOY'Written about 1865'
  Once there was a bad little boy whose name was Jimthough; if you will
  notice; you will find that bad little boys are nearly always called James
  in your Sunday…school books。  It was strange; but still it was true; that
  this one was called Jim。
  He didn't have any sick mother; eithera sick mother who was pious and
  had the consumption; and would be glad to lie down in the grave and be at
  rest but for the strong love she bore her boy; and the anxiety she felt
  that the world might be harsh and cold toward him when she was gone。
  Most bad boys in the Sunday books are named James; and have sick mothers;
  who teach them to say; 〃Now; I lay me down;〃 etc。; and sing them to sleep
  with sweet; plaintive voices; and then kiss them good night; and kneel
  down by the bedside and weep。  But it was different with this fellow。
  He was named Jim; and there wasn't anything the matter with his mother
  no consumption; nor anything of that kind。  She was rather stout than
  otherwise; and she was not pious; moreover; she was not anxious on Jim's
  account。  She said if he were to break his neck it wouldn't be much loss。
  She always spanked Jim to sleep; and she never kissed him good night; on
  the contrary; she boxed his ears when she was ready to leave him。
  Once this little bad boy stole the key of the pantry; and slipped in
  there and helped himself to some jam; and filled up the vessel with tar;
  so that his mother would never know the difference; but all at once a
  terrible feeling didn't come over him; and something didn't seem to
  whisper to him; 〃Is it right to disobey my mother?  Isn't it sinful to do
  this?  Where do bad little boys go who gobble up their good kind mother's
  jam?〃 and then he didn't kneel down all alone and promise never to be
  wicked any more; and rise up with a light; happy heart; and go and tell
  his mother all about it; and beg her forgiveness; and be blessed by her
  with tears of pride and thankfulness in her eyes。  No; that is the way
  with all other bad boys in the books; but it happened otherwise with this
  Jim; strangely enough。  He ate that jam; and said it was bully; in his
  sinful; vulgar way; and he put in the tar; and said that was bully also;
  and laughed; and observed 〃that the old woman would get up and snort〃
  when she found it out; and when she did find it out; he denied knowing
  anything about it; and she whipped him severely; and he did the crying
  himself。  Everything about this boy was curiouseverything turned out
  differently with him from the way it does to the bad Jameses in the
  books。
  Once he climbed up in Farmer Acorn's apple tree to steal apples; and the
  limb didn't break; and he didn't fall and break his arm; and get torn by
  the farmer's great dog; and then languish on a sickbed for weeks; and
  repent and become good。  Oh; no; he stole as many apples as he wanted and
  came down all right; and he was all ready for the dog; too; and knocked
  him endways with a brick when he came to tear him。  It was very strange
  nothing like it ever happened in those mild little books with marbled
  backs; and with pictures in them of men with swallow…tailed coats and
  bell…crowned hats; and pantaloons that are short in the legs; and women
  with the waists of their dresses under their arms; and no hoops on。
  Nothing like it in any of the Sunday…school books。
  Once he stole the teacher's penknife; and; when he was afraid it would be
  found out and he would get whipped; he slipped it into George Wilson's
  cap poor Widow Wilson's son; the moral boy; the good little boy of the
  village; who always obeyed his mother; and never told an untruth; and was
  fond of his lessons; and infatuated with Sunday…school。  And when the
  knife dropped from the cap; and poor George hung his head and blushed;
  as if in conscious guilt; and the grieved teacher charged the theft upon
  him; and was just in the very act of bringing the switch down upon his
  trembling shoulders; a white…haired; improbable justice of the peace did
  not suddenly appear in their midst; and strike an attitude and say;
  〃Spare this noble boythere stands the cowering culprit!  I was passing
  the school door at recess; and; unseen myself; I saw the theft
  committed!〃  And then Jim didn't get whaled; and the venerable justice
  didn't read the tearful school a homily; and take George by the hand and
  say such boy deserved to be exalted; and then tell him come and make his
  home with him; and sweep out the office; and make fires; and run errands;
  and chop wood; and study law; and help his wife do household labors; and
  have all the balance of the time to play and get forty cents a month; and
  be happy。  No it would have happened that way in the books; but didn't
  happen that way to Jim。  No meddling old clam of a justice dropped in to
  make trouble; and so the model boy George got thrashed; and Jim was glad
  of it because; you know; Jim hated moral boys。  Jim said he was 〃down on
  them milksops。〃  Such was the coarse language of this bad; neglected boy。
  But the strangest thing that ever happened to Jim was the time he went
  boating on Sunday; and didn't get drowned; and that other time that he
  got caught out in the storm when he was fishing on Sunday and didn't get
  struck by lightning。  Why; you might look; and look; all through the
  Sunday…school books from now till next Christmas; and you would never
  come across anything like this。  Oh; no; you would find that all the bad
  boys who go boating on Sunday invariably get drowned; and all the bad
  boys who get caught out in storms when they are fishing on Sunday
  infallibly get struck by lightning。  Boats with bad boys in them always
  upset on Sunday; and it always storms when bad boys go fishing on the
  Sabbath。  How this Jim ever escaped is a  mystery to me。
  This Jim bore a charmed lifethat must have been the way of it。  Nothing
  could hurt him。  He even gave the elephant in the menagerie a plug of
  tobacco; and the elephant didn't knock the top of his head off with his
  trunk。  He browsed around the cupboard after essence…of peppermint; and
  didn't make a mistake and drink aqua fortis。  He stole his father's gun
  and went hunting on the Sabbath; and didn't shoot three or four of his
  fingers off。  He struck his little sister on the temple with his fist
  when he was angry; and she didn't linger in pain through long summer
  days; and die with sweet words of forgiveness upon her lips that
  redoubled the anguish of his breaking heart。  No; she got over it。  He
  ran off and went to sea at last; and didn't come back and find himself
  sad and alone in the world; his loved ones sleeping in the quiet
  churchyard; and the vine…embowered home of his boyhood tumbled down and
  gone to decay。  Ah; no; he came home as drunk as a piper; and got into
  the station…house the first thing。
  And he grew up and married; and raised a large family; and brained them
  all with an ax one night; and got wealthy by all manner of cheating and
  rascality; and now he is the infernalest wickedest scoundrel in his
  native village; and is universally respected; and belongs to the
  legislature。
  So you see there never was a bad James in the Sunday…school books that
  had such a streak of luck as this sinful Jim with the charmed life。
  THE STORY OF THE GOOD LITTLE BOY'Witten about 1865'
  Once there was a good little boy by the name of Jacob Blivens。  He always
  obeyed his parents; no matter how absurd and unreasonable their demands
  were; and he always learned his book; and never was late at Sabbath…
  school。  He would not play hookey; even when his sober judgment told him
  it was the most profitable thing he could do。  None of the other boys
  could ever make that boy out; he acted so strangely。  He wouldn't lie; no
  matter how convenient it was。  He just said it was wrong to lie; and that
  was sufficient for him。  And he was so honest that he was simply
  ridiculous。  The curious ways that that Jacob had; surpassed everything。
  He wouldn't play marbles on Sunday; he wouldn't rob birds' nests; he
  wouldn't give hot pennies to organ…grinders' monkeys; he didn't seem to
  take any interest in any kind of rational amusement。  So the other boys
  used to try to reason it o