英语沙龙:A valuable letter of reply珍贵的回信

A valuable letter of reply

A letter of reply is sometimes a most treasured thing．Here is a story that tells about this common and natural human sentiment1)．

The busiest woman in Labrador during one bitter cold Christmas not very long ago，was an Australian nurse by the name of Kate Austen．But Nurse Austen was not too busy to acknowledge¹ with a long，friendly letter every gift of food or clothing received for distribution2) to the natives in that bleak² and barren³ outpost of the north．Among the gifts was a box of knittings3) for children，knitted⁵ and sent by a woman in Toronto．

Nurse Austen，was busy，harassed4) and not feeling too well that winter．She could have written just ordinary routine notes of acknowledgement．But that was not her  way．She sat down and wrote the woman in Toronto a real letter telling all about the village，and the names of the children who were wearing the knitted gloves and caps，and what they said when they got them，and how they looked when they wore them．She wanted the woman who had knitted and sent all those lovely knittings “to see how much happiness and warmth she had created．”Not long after，she received the following answer from Canada．

Dear Miss Austen，

Your letter made me happy．I did not expect such a full return．I am eighty years old，and I am blind．There is little I can do except knit⁴，and that is why I knit so many caps and sweaters and scarves．Of course I cannot write this，so my daughter－in－law is doing it for me．She also sewed the seams⁶ and made the buttonholes for the knitted things．

I know something of the work you are doing．At the age of nineteen I married a man who was going to China to be a missionary5)．For forty years，with an occasional year at home in America，we worked in China，and during that time our two sons and a daughter were born to us，of whom only one son survives．After forty years，my husband' s health began to fail．We returned to the States where he took charge of a settlement house in Brooklyn，New York．A surprising number of the problems we faced there were similar to problems we had met in China．When my husband died，I came to Toronto to live with my  son and daughter－in－law．They are very good to me，and I pride myself that I am little trouble to them，though it is hard for a blind old lady to be sure of anything．

What I most wanted to say，my dear，is this．For sixty years I have been making up missionary⁷ packages of such clothing or food or medicine or books as I could collect．In various parts of the world and to various parts of the world I have sent them．Sometimes I have received a printed slip of acknowledgement from the headquarters depot6) or mission board，sometimes nothing．Occasionally I have been informed that my contribution was destined⁸ for7) Syria or Armenia or the upper Yangtze．But never before in all that time have I had a personal letter picturing the village and telling me who is wearing the clothing and what they said．I did not suppose t hat ever in my lifetime I should receive a letter like that．May God bless you．

                                                   Sincerely yours，

                                                   Laura N．Russell
珍贵的回信

回信有时是很珍贵的。这里有一个故事讲述了人类的这种普遍自然的感情。

不久以前一个寒冷的圣诞节，在澳大利亚拉布拉多，有一位最忙碌的女人，她就是护士凯特·奥斯汀。可是，她再忙也要写一封封长长的、亲切的信，感谢为这个地处北澳大利亚边区荒凉、贫困的村落寄来食品和衣服的每一位捐助者。在这些寄来的东西中，有一箱毛线编织品，是多伦多的一位妇女亲手给孩子们织的。

这个冬天奥斯汀护士很忙，心情和身体都不太好，她本来可以随便写一封公文格式的感谢信，但她没有这样做。她坐下来好好地写了一封信，告诉加拿大的那位妇女村里的情况，哪些孩子戴上了寄来的毛线手套和帽子，以及他们戴上新手套和新帽子时说的高兴话和那种快活的样子。奥斯汀要让那位亲手编织了这些可爱的毛线织物并把它们寄来的妇女“知道她创造了多少幸福和温暖”。不久，她收到了这封来自加拿大的回信。

亲爱的奥斯汀小姐：

你的来信使我很高兴，也非常出乎意料。我已经８０岁了，而且双目失明。我现在除了织些毛线物外，已做不了什么事情，所以我就织了许多帽子、外套和围巾。当然，我也写不了信，所以我请我的儿媳代笔，她还给我的织物缝接口和开纽孔。对你的工作，我有一些了解。我１９岁那年，嫁给了一名去中国的传教士。整整４０年中，除了偶尔回美国一年半载外，我们一直在中国工作。在那期间，我们生了两个儿子和一个女儿，但只活下来一个儿子。４０年过去了，我丈夫的身体逐渐不行了。我们回到美国，我丈夫在纽约布鲁克林负责一个居民区的事务。在那里我们碰到的一大堆问题和我们在中国碰到的情况是何等相似。我丈夫去世以后，我移居多伦多，和我的儿子、儿媳生活在一起。他们待我很好，我为我自己没有给他们带来太多麻烦而自豪。当然，对于一个上了年纪的盲人来讲，做什么事都不太容易了。亲爱的，我特别想告诉你，６０年来我一直在为教会收集捐助的衣服、食物、药品或书籍。我在世界各地将这些东西寄往世界各地，有时收到过有关组织总部或教会负责机构寄来的打印的短信，表示感谢，有时什么也没有。偶尔也来信告知，我寄去的东西已分发到叙利亚，或亚美尼亚，或长江上游地区。可是从来没有人给我写过一封亲笔信，给我描述一些村里的事，告诉我谁穿上了寄去的衣服，以及他们说了些什么。我万万没有想到，在我的一生中竟会收到一封如此珍贵的回信。愿上帝保佑你。

你诚挚的劳拉·N·拉塞尔
 

1 acknowledge   

vt.承认...的权威，告知，收到，报偿

参考例句：

• With so much evidence against him he had to acknowledge his error.在这么多的证据面前，他不得不承认错误。
• It is ungracious of me not to acknowledge your help.你大力帮助而我尚未表示谢意，十分失礼。

2 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

3 barren   

adj.贫瘠的，不（生）育的，没有结果的

参考例句：

• The place used to be a stretch of barren land.早先这里是一片不毛之地。
• The barren land could produce little food.那贫瘠的土地几乎不长庄稼。

4 knit   

vt.编织，密接，结合，皱眉；vi.编织，变得紧凑，愈合；n.编织

参考例句：

• She could knit up a baby's coat in an afternoon.她能在一个下午织好一件婴儿的衣服。
• Our letters enabled us to knit up our old friendship.通信使我们恢复了旧日的友谊。

5 knitted   

v.（使）愈合( knit的过去式和过去分词 )；编结；（使）紧密地结合；织平针

参考例句：

• I knitted this cardigan myself. 我自己织的这件开襟毛衣。
• Our two nations are knitted together by common concerns. 共同关心的问题使我们两国团结一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 seams   

缝( seam的名词复数 )； （合在一起的两块木板等之间的）接缝； 层； 接口

参考例句：

• The seams of the boat must be filled in if they leak. 如果船板接缝漏水就一定要填补好。
• His coat has split open at the seams. 他的外套在接缝处裂开。

7 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

8 destined   

adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的

参考例句：

• It was destined that they would marry.他们结婚是缘分。
• The shipment is destined for America.这批货物将运往美国。