（20 Great American Short Stories）。

1. The dead mother lay cold and still amid her wretched children. This woman had been despised by nearly every man, woman, and child in the village. Neighbours went hastily to her old tumble-down hut, in which she had secured her half-starving children, three in number.

死去的母亲冷冰冰地，一动不动地躺在那里，她可怜的孩子们就围在她身边。这个女人活着时，几乎被村里的每个男人、女人和孩子鄙视。几位邻居匆匆忙忙来到她那破旧不堪、摇摇欲坠的小屋子里，在那里她曾经勉强养活了她的三个孩子。

2. Of these, John, the oldest, a boy of twelve, was a stout lad, able to earn his living with any farmer. Kate, between ten and eleven, was a bright , active girl, out of whom something clever might be made; but poor little Maggie, the youngest, was hopelessly diseased. Two years before, a fall from a window had injured her spine , and she had not been able to leave her bed since. So no one said: "I'll take Maggie", while Kate and John quickly were taken care of by kind, childless couples. After all; who wanted a bed-ridden child?

三个孩中年龄最长的是约翰，一个身体壮实的12岁大男孩，已经能够与其他农夫一起干活谋生。不到11岁的凯特是一个聪明、活泼的小女孩，她的脑子里总是会蹦出许多机灵的想法。但可怜的小玛吉，年龄最小，却患上了不治之症。两年前，她从窗户掉下来伤到了脊椎，从那以后她再也没下过床。所以没有一个人说：“我来收养玛吉”，而凯特和约翰很快就被善良且没有子女的夫妇收养照顾了。毕竟，谁会想要一个卧床不起的孩子？

Amid (prep.)

英 /ə'mɪd/ 美 /ə'mɪd/

在其中，在其间

Wretched (adj.)

英 /'retʃɪd/ 美 /'rɛtʃɪd/

可怜的；令人苦恼或难受的

Tumble-down hut (adj. + noun)

摇摇欲坠的小屋

Stout lad (adj. + noun)

强壮的小伙子

Bright (adj.)

英 /braɪt/ 美 /braɪt/

聪明的；愉快的

Spine (noun)

英 /spaɪn/ 美 /spaɪn/

脊柱，脊椎；

Childles s (adj.)

美 /'tʃaɪldləs/

Bed-ridden (adj.)

卧床不起的

3. "Take her to the poorhouse ," said a rough man. "For this brat it will prove a blessed change, she will be kept clean, have healthy food, and be doctored, which is more than can be said of her past condition." Joe Thompson, a wheelwright who happened to pass by, paused, and said to him: "It's a cruel thing to put her there." "O, Mr. Thompson!" Maggie cried out, "don't leave me here all alone!"

“把她送到救济院，”一个举止粗鲁的男人说。“对于这个乳臭未干的小孩儿，这肯定是个幸运的改变，在那里，她会有干净的环境，吃上健康的食物，生病了有医生给她看病，可以说这比她过去的状况好多了。”此时，一位名叫乔•汤普森的车匠碰巧从这里经过。他停下脚步，对那个男人说：“把她送到那种地方太残忍了。”“啊，汤普森先生！”玛吉哀求道，“不要把我一个人留在这里！”

4. Though rough in exterior , Joe Thompson had a heart, and it was very tender in some places. He liked children, and was pleased to have them come to his shop. "No, dear," he answered, "You shall not be left alone." Lifting her in his strong arms, he bore her out into the air and across the field to his home.

尽管外表粗糙，但乔•汤普森是个非常有同情心的人，而且有时候还非常温柔。他喜欢孩子们，很愿意他们到他的店里来。“不，亲爱的，”他回答说，“你不会一个人留在这里的。”他用自己强壮的臂膀将她抱起来，带她走出门外，穿越田野来到了他家。

Poorhouse (noun)

英 /'pɔːhaʊs; 'pʊəhaʊs/ 美 /'pɔrhaʊs/

Brat (noun)

英 /bræt/ 美 /bræt/

乳臭未干的小孩；顽童

Wheelwright (noun)

英 /'wiːlraɪt/ 美 /'wil'raɪt/

车匠；车轮制造人

Exterior (noun)

英 /ɪk'stɪərɪə; ek-/ 美 /

ɪk'stɪrɪɚ/

外部；表面；外型；外貌

5. "What have you there?" sharply questioned Mrs. Thompson upon his return home. "Wait a moment for explanations, and be gentle;" Joe said equally sharply back. He carried Maggie to a small chamber on the first floor, and laid her on a bed. Then, stepping back, he shut the door, and stood face to face with his vinegar-tempered wife.

“你手里抱着什么？”汤普森太太急切地向刚刚回到家的汤普森先生发问道。“等一下向你解释，先别急，”乔用同样急切的语气回答道。他把玛吉带到一楼的一个小房间里，把她放在床上。然后，他走出房间，关上门，与他那有些尖酸刻薄的妻子面面相觑。

6. "You haven't brought home that sick brat!" Her face was in a flame. "I think women's hearts are sometimes very hard," said Joe. Usually he got out of his cold wife's way, or kept silent and non-combativ e when she fired up. "Women's hearts are not half so hard as men's!" She said. Joe saw that his sudden resoluteness had impressed his wife and he answered quickly: "Farmer Jones tossed her brother John into his wagon, and drove off. Her sister Kate went home with Mrs. Ellis; but nobody wanted the poor sick one. 'Send her to the poorhouse,' was the concluding cry." "What did you bring her here for then?”, his wife snapped. "She can't walk to the poorhouse," said Joe; "somebody's arms must carry her, and mine are strong enough for that task."

“你不会把那病怏怏的孩子带回家了吧！？”她怒火中烧地问道。“我觉得女人的心肠有时候很硬，”乔说。他通常会对他妻子的冷漠不予理会，或者在她发火时保持沉默，不予回应。“女人的心还没男人的心一半硬！”她说。乔看到他突然的坚决态度触怒了他的妻子，于是迅速回答道：“农夫琼斯把她的哥哥约翰扔进他的马车里，然后驱车离开了。她的姐姐凯特和埃利斯太太一起回家了。但是，没人想要这个可怜的病孩子。‘把她送到救济院去，’便成了最终的呼声。” “那你把她带到这里干什么？”他的妻子厉声说道，“她没法自己走去救济院，”乔回答说，“必须有人伸出臂膀把他抱过去，而且我臂膀非常有劲，足够完成这项任务。”

Vinegar-tempered

(expression)

Non-combative

(adj.) 不好斗的

Fired up

(expression)

Resoluteness (noun)

/'rezə,lutnis/

Tossed (verb, from: to toss)

抛；突然抬起；使上下摇动；摇摆

7. "Then why did you stop here?" demanded the wife. "Because the poorhouse’s Guardians must first be seen, and a permit obtained." "When will you see the Guardians?" She asked impatiently. "Tomorrow." "Why put it off till tomorrow?" "Jane," said the wheelwright, with an impressiveness of tone that greatly subdued his wife, "It is a small thing for us to keep this poor motherless little one for a single night; to be kind to her for a single night; to make her life comfortable for a single night."

“那你为什么要把她放在家里？”妻子追问道。“因为把她送去之前，必须先见到救济院的管理员，并取得入院许可。”“你什么时候去见管理员？”她不耐烦地问道。“明天。”“为什么要推迟到明天？”“简，”车匠用一种令人印象深刻的征服式的口吻对他妻子说，“对于我们来说，收留这个可怜的失去母亲的小家伙一个晚上只是小事一桩。只善待她一个晚上，让她在这里舒舒服服地呆一个晚上而已。”

8. The voice of the strong, rough man shook, and he turned his head away, so that the moisture in his eyes could not be seen. Mrs. Thompson did not answer, but a soft feeling crept into her heart. "Look at her kindly, Jane; speak to her kindly," said Joe. "Think of her dead mother, and the loneliness, the pain, the sorrow that must be on all her coming life." Mrs. Thompson did not reply, but turned towards the little chamber where her husband had deposited Maggie; and, pushing open the door, went quietly in. Joe did not follow; he felt that it would be best to leave her alone with the child. So he went to his shop, and worked until the evening released him from labour. A light shining through the little chamber window was the first thing that made Joe eager to return to the house: it was a good omen .

这个强壮、粗狂的男人的声音开始颤抖，然后他将头转向了另一侧，这样他湿润的眼睛就不会被看到了。汤普森太太没有作答，但一种温柔的感觉悄悄进入了她的内心。“和蔼地看着她，简，然后和蔼地跟她说几句话，”乔说，“想想她死去的母亲，还有她必须在即将到来的生活中面对的孤独、痛苦和悲伤。”汤普森太太还是没有作答，却转向她丈夫暂时安置玛吉的那个小房间，推开门，安静地走了进去。乔没有跟进去——他觉得最好让她独自和孩子呆一会儿。于是，他去了他的店铺，一直工作到傍晚才回家。家门口透过小房间的窗户照射出的灯光，唤起了乔赶快回到家里的渴望——这是一个好兆头。

Guardians (noun)

美 /'gɑrdɪən/ 保护人，[法] 监护人

（guardian的复数形式）

Permit (noun)

英 /pə'mɪt/ 美 /pɚ'mɪt/

许可证，执照

Subdued

(verb, from: to subdue) 英 /

səb'djuːd/ 美 /səb'dud/

使服从，压制，减弱

Deposited

(verb, from: to deposit)

存放；储存；放置

Omen (noun)

英 /'əʊmən/ 美 /'omən/

预兆；征兆

9. He could not help looking in through the little chamber window. Maggie’s eyes were intently fixed upon his wife; her expression was sad and tender; but he saw nothing of her usual coldness, bitterness or pain. On entering, Joe did not go immediately to the little chamber. His wife somewhat hurriedly came to him from the room where she had been with Maggie. "How soon will supper be ready?" he asked. "Right soon," answered Mrs. Thompson in a feigned , cold tone while she began to bustle about.

他忍不住透过小房间的窗户看了进去——玛吉的双眼正聚精会神地盯着他的妻子。他妻子的表情悲伤而温柔，但他并没有从她脸上看到她平时的冷漠、怨恨或痛苦。进入家门后，乔没有立即去小房间。他的妻子却有点匆忙地从她和玛吉所在的房间出来找他。“多久能吃晚餐？”他问。“很快，”汤普森太太以一种假装冷酷的语调回答道，随即便忙活开了。

10. Joe waited, after sitting down to the table, for his wife to introduce the subject uppermost in both of their thoughts; but she kept silent on that theme , for many minutes. At last she said, abruptly; "What are you going to do with that child?" "I thought you understood me that she was to go to the poorhouse," replied Joe, as if surprised at her question. Mrs. Thompson looked rather strangely at her husband, and then lowered her eyes. The subject was not again referred to during the meal. After they finished Mrs. Thompson toasted a slice of bread and softened it with milk and butter. Adding to this a cup of tea, she took this into Maggie’s room. The hungry child ate with every sign of pleasure possible and gave Mrs. Thompson a look of gratitude that awoke old human feelings which had been slumbering in her heart for years.

乔坐在桌子旁等待他的妻子挑开这个同时萦绕在他们俩头脑中的最重要的话题，但过了好一阵，她仍没有提到它。最后，她突然说道：“那个孩子，你打算怎么办？”“我觉得你理解我的意思，她会去救济院的，”乔回答说，表现出似乎对她的问题很惊讶的样子。汤普森太太用非常奇怪的眼神看着她的丈夫，然后目光向下看去。晚餐时这个话题没有再被提起。他们吃完饭后，汤普森太太烤了一片面包，然后用牛奶和黄油把它泡软了，又砌上一杯茶。她把这些一起带进了玛吉的房间。饥肠辘辘的孩子一边吃着，一边用各种可能的方式表达着内心的快乐，并向汤普森太太露出了感激的表情，这表情唤醒了她心中沉睡多年的古老的人类情感。

11. "We'll keep her a day or two longer; she is so weak and helpless," said Mrs. Thompson, in answer to her husband's remark, at breakfast time on the next morning. "She'll be so much in your way," said Joe. "I shan’t mind that for a day or two. Poor thing!" In fact, in less than a week Mrs. Thompson would leave all thought of sending Maggie to the poorhouse. She carried her in her heart as well as in her arms; a precious burden. As for Joe Thompson, an angel had come into his house, disguised as a sick, helpless, and miserable child, and filled all its dreary chambers with the sunshine of love.

“我们可以留她多住一两天，她太虚弱，太无助了，”汤普森太太在第二天吃早餐时对他丈夫前一天的话做出了这样的回答。“她会多少影响到你的生活的，”乔说，“对于我来说，不会介意她多住一两天的，可怜的孩子！”事实上，此后不到一个星期，汤普森太太已经把玛吉送到救济院的念头丢到了一边。但，当她把孩子抱在怀里时，孩子也进入了她的心里——真是个珍贵的负担。对于乔•汤普森来说，这个孩子的到来，就相当于家里住进了一个伪装成一个生病、无助、悲惨的孩子的天使，让他沉闷的家中充满了爱的阳光。

Intently (adv.)

英 /ɪn'tentlɪ/ 美 /ɪn'tɛntli/

专心地；一心一意地；心无旁骛地

Bitterness (noun)

英 /bɪtənəs/ 美 /'bɪtɚnɪs/

苦味；苦难；怨恨

Feigned (verb, from: to feign)

英 /feɪnd/ 假装；捏造

To bustle about

(expression) 忙活

Theme (noun)

英 /θiːm/ 美 /θim/

主题；主旋律；题目

Slumbering

(verb, from: to slumber)

英 /'slʌmbə/ 美 /'slʌmbɚ/

睡眠的；蛰伏的；麻木的

Dreary (adj.)

英 /'drɪərɪ/ 美 /'drɪri/

沉闷的，枯燥的

The End

单身的母亲去世后，

留下了一贫如洗的家和三个还未长大的孩子。

这些孩子何去何从？

年纪最大的，12岁，已经可以做农活了。

他被一位农夫带走。

排行老二的女儿，可以做针线活了。

他被一位农妇带走。

年纪最小的Maggie，因为意外以致身体瘫痪，

只能躺在床上。谁会想要收养她？

一个一辈子的负担？有人提议把她送到济贫院。

对于无法动弹的Maggie，那里与地狱无异。

葬礼结束后，邻人们一个个离去，

他们彼此之间甚至不敢互相对视。

他们心知等待着Maggie的，会是怎样的命运。

最后留下来的是一位车匠，

许是心里的那点不忍，让他最终留了下来。

当他抱着Maggie回家的时候，他不敢看他妻子的眼睛。

他恳求的她的妻子，至少让这个孩子在这待一晚，

哪怕一晚也好。 他的妻子同意了。

他出门去干活，直到天完全黑了，

他才从繁重的体力活中得到解脱。

内心深处，他希望收养这个孩子，

然而他不敢奢望他的妻子会同意。

苦难已经磨去生活的热情，只留下冰冷与重复。

回家的路上，看着小屋里透露出的一点点灯光

让他感觉到些许希望。站在窗户外，

他看到他的妻子正和Maggie说话，背对着他，

他看不到她的表情。回到家，他没有说话，妻子也没有。

第二天，她的妻子说，再让那孩子留一两天吧。

就这样，明日复明日，

他们再也没有提过送孩子去济贫院了。

作者在结尾留下了这样一段话：

Maggie的到来对这个家意味着什么？

她让车匠的妻子明白了爱，

在苦难的生活里得到解脱，

从暴躁自私中得到了解脱；

她让车匠从嗜酒如命的生活里摆脱出来。

她给黑暗冰冷的小屋带来了阳光。

Maggie是来到这个家的天使，只

是伪装成了一个无助的孩子。

By 小韦