第 21 节
作者:连过十一人      更新:2021-02-27 02:16      字数:9321
  ding Company; there was a look of a couple of fires
  and an eviction all over the place。
  〃The tenants began to pack up feather beds; rub…
  ber boots; strings of garlic; hot…water bags; porta…
  ble canoes and scuttles of coal to take along for the
  sake of comfort。  The sidewalk looked like a Russian
  camp in Oyama's line of mareb。  There was waiting
  and lamenting up and down stairs from Danny Geog…
  hegan's flat on the top floor to the apartments of
  Missis Goldsteinupski on the first。
  〃'For why;〃 says Danny; coming down and raging
  in his blue yarn socks to the janitor; 'should I be
  turned out of me comfortable apartments to lay in
  the dirty grass like a rabbit?  'Tis like Jerome to
  stir up trouble wid small matters like this instead
  of  〃
  〃'Whist!' says Officer Reagan on the sidewalk;
  rapping with his club。  ''Tis not Jerome。  'Tis by
  order of the Polis Commissioner。  Turn out every
  one of yez and hike yerselves to the park。'
  〃Now; 'twas a peaceful and happy home that all
  of us had in them same Beersheba Flats。  The
  O'Dowds and the Steinowitzes and the Callahans and
  the Cohens and the Spizzinellis and the McManuses
  and the Spiegelmayers and the Joneses  all nations
  of us; we lived like one big family together。  And
  when the hot nights come along we kept a line of
  children reaching from the front door to Kelly's on the
  corner passing along the cans of beer from one to
  another without the trouble of running after it。  And
  with no more clothing on than is provided for in the
  statutes; sitting in all the windies; with a cool growler
  in every one; and your feet out in the air; and the
  Rosenstein girls singing on the fire…escape of the sixth
  floor; and Patsy Rourke's flute going in the eighth;
  and the ladies calling each other synonyms out the win…
  dies; and now and then a breeze sailing in over Mister
  Depew's Central  I tell you the Beersheba Flats was
  a summer resort that made the Catskills look like
  a bole in the ground。  With his person full of beer
  and his feet out the windy and his old woman frying
  pork chops over a charcoal furnace and the children
  dancing in cotton slips on the sidewalk around the
  organ…grinder and the rent paid for a week  what
  does a man want better on a hot night than that?
  And then comes this ruling of the polis driving people
  out o' their comfortable homes to sleep in parks
  'twas for all the world like a ukase of them Rus…
  sians  'twill be heard from again at next election
  time。
  〃Well; then; Officer Reagan drives the whole lot
  of us to the park and turns us in by the nearest
  gate。  'Tis dark under the trees; and all the children
  sets up to howling that they want to go home。
  〃'Ye'll pass the night in this stretch of woods
  and scenery;' says Officer Reagan。  ''Twill be fine
  and imprisonment for insoolting the Park Commis…
  sioner and the Chief of the Weather Bureau if ye re…
  fuse。  I'm in charge of thirty acres between here and
  the Agyptian Monument; and I advise ye to give no
  trouble。  'Tis sleeping on the grass yez all have been
  condemned to by the authorities。  Yez'll be permitted
  to leave in the morning; but ye must retoorn be night。
  Me orders was silent on the subject of bail; but I'11
  find out if 'tis required and there'll be bondsmen at
  the gate。'
  〃There being no lights except along the automo…
  bile drives; us 179 tenants of the Beersheba Flats
  prepared to spend the night as best we could in the
  raging forest。  Them that brought blankets and kin…
  dling wood was best off。  They got fires started and
  wrapped the blankets round their heads and laid
  down; cursing; in the grass。  There was nothing to
  see; nothing to drink; nothing to do。  In the dark we
  had no way of telling friend or foe except by feeling
  the noses of 'em。  I brought along me last winter
  overcoat; me toothbrush; some quinine pills and the
  red quilt off the bed in me flat。  Three times during
  the night somebody rolled on me quilt and stuck his
  knees against the Adam's apple of me。  And three
  times I judged his character by running me hand over
  his face; and three times I rose up and kicked the in…
  truder down the hill to the gravelly walk below。  And
  then some one with a flavor of Kelly's whiskey snug…
  gled up to me; and I found his nose turned up the
  right way; and I says: ' Is that you; then; Patsey?
  and he says; 'It is; Carney。  How long do you think
  it'll last?'
  〃' I'm no weather…prophet;' says I; 'but if they
  bring out a strong anti…Tammany ticket next fall it
  ought to get us home in time to sleep on a bed once
  or twice before they line us up at the polls。'
  〃A…playing of my flute into the airshaft; I says
  Patsey Rourke; 'and a…perspiring in me own windy
  to the joyful noise of the passing trains and the smell
  of liver and onions and a…reading of the latest mur…
  der in the smoke of the cooking is well enough for
  me;' says he。  'What is this herding us in grass for;
  not to mention the crawling things with legs that walk
  up the trousers of us; and the Jersey snipes that
  peck at us; masquerading under the name and denom…
  ination of mosquitoes。  What is it all for Carney; and
  the rint going on just the same over at the flats?'
  〃Tis the great annual Municipal Free Night
  Outing Lawn Party;' says I; 'given by the polis;
  Hetty Green and the Drug Trust。  During the heated
  season they hold a week of it in the principal parks。
  'Tis a scheme to reach that portion of the people
  that's not worth taking up to North Beach for a
  fish fry。'
  〃' I can't sleep on the ground;' says Patsey; 'wid
  any benefit。  I have the hay fever and the rheuma…
  tism; and me car is full of ants。'
  〃Well; the night goes on; and the ex…tenants of
  the Flats groans and stumbles around in the dark;
  trying to find rest and recreation in the forest。  The
  children is screaming with the coldness; and the jan…
  itor makes hot tea for 'em and keeps the fires going
  with the signboards that point to the Tavern and the
  Casino。  The tenants try to lay down on the grass by
  families in the dark; but you're lucky if you can sleep
  next to a man from the same floor or believing in
  the same religion。  Now and then a Murpby; acci…
  dental; rolls over on the grass of a Rosenstein; or
  a Cohen tries to crawl under the O'Grady bush; and
  then there's a feeling of noses and somebody is rolled
  down the hill to the driveway and stays there。  There
  is some hair…pulling among the women folks; and
  everybody spanks the nearest howling kid to him by
  the sense of feeling only; regardless of its parentage
  and ownership。  'Tis hard to keep up the social dis…
  tinctions in the dark that flourish by daylight in the
  Beersheba Flats。  Mrs。 Rafferty; that despises the
  asphalt that a Dago treads on; wakes up in the morn…
  ing with her feet in the bosom of Antonio Spizzinelli。
  And Mike O'Dowd; that always threw peddlers down…
  stairs as fast as he came upon 'em; has to unwind old
  Isaacstein's whiskers from around his neck; and wake
  up the whole gang at daylight。  But here and there
  some few got acquainted and overlooked the discom…
  forts of the elements。  There was five engagements to
  be married announced at the flats the next morning。
  About midnight I gets up and wrings the dew out
  of my hair; and goes to the side of the driveway
  and sits down。  At one side of the park I could see
  the lights in the streets and houses; and I was thinking
  how happy them folks was who could chase the duck
  and smoke their pipes at their windows; and keep cool
  and pleasant like nature intended for 'em to。
  Just then an automobile stops by me; and a fine…
  looking; well…dressed man steps out。
  'Me man;' says he; 'can you tell me why all these
  people are lying around on the grass in the park?
  I thought it was against the rules。'
  〃''Twas an ordinance;' says I; 'just passed by
  the Polis Department and ratified by the Turf Cut…
  ters' Association; providing that all persons not car…
  rying a license number on their rear axles shall keep
  in the public parks until further notice。  Fortu…
  nately; the orders comes this year during a spell of
  fine weather; and the mortality; except on the borders
  of the lake and along the automobile drives; will not
  be any greater than usual。'
  〃'Who are these people on the side of the bill?'
  asks the man。
  〃'Sure;' says I; 'none others than the tenants of
  the Beersheba Flats  a fine home for any man;
  especially on hot nights。  May daylight come soon!'
  〃'They come here be night;' says be; 'and breathe
  in the pure air and the fragrance of the flowers and
  trees。  They do that;' says be; 'coming every night
  from the burning beat of dwellings of brick and stone。'
  〃'And wood;' says I。 'And marble and plaster
  and iron。'
  〃'The matter will be attended to at once;' says the
  man; putting up his book。
  〃'Are ye the Park Commissioner?' I asks。
  〃'I