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'The Blue Hotel,' by Stephen Crane, Part Three

时间:2018-06-24 03:45来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

 

We present the third of four parts of the short story "The Blue Hotel," by Stephen Crane1. The story was originally adapted by the U.S. Department of State. The audio2 was recorded and produce by VOA Learning3 English.

The men prepared to go out. The Easterner was so nervous that he had great difficulty putting on his new leather coat. As the cowboy pulled his fur cap down over his ears, his hands trembled. In fact, Johnnie and old Scully were the only ones who displayed no emotion. No words were spoken during these proceedings6.

Scully threw open the door. Instantly7 a wild wind caused the flame of the lamp to struggle for its life. The men lowered their heads and pushed out into the cold.

No snow was falling, but great clouds of it, swept up from the ground by the fierce winds, were streaming all around. The covered land was a deep blue, and there was no other color except one light shining from the low, black railroad8 station. It looked like a tiny jewel.

The Swede was calling out something. Scully went to him, put a hand on his shoulder, and indicated an ear.

“What did you say?”

“I said,” screamed the Swede again, “I won’t have a chance against this crowd. I know you’ll all jump on me.”

“No, no, man—” called Scully. But the wind tore the words from his lips and scattered9 them far.

The Swede shouted a curse10, but the storm also seized the remainder11 of the sentence.

The men turned their backs upon the wind, and walked to the sheltered side of the hotel. Here a V-shaped piece of icy grass had not been covered by the snow. When they reached the spot, it was heard that the Swede was still screaming.

“Oh, I know what kind of a thing this is! I know you’ll jump on me. I can’t beat you all!”

Scully turned on him angrily. “You won’t have to beat all of us. You’ll have to beat my son Johnnie. And the man that troubles you during that time will have to deal with me.”

The arrangements were quickly made. The two men faced each other, obeying the short commands of Scully. The Easterner was already cold and he was jumping up and down. The cowboy stood rock-like.

The fighters had not removed any clothing. Their hands were ready, and they eyed each other in a calm way that had the elements of fierce cruelty in it.

“Now!” said Scully.

The two leaped forward and struck together like oxen. There was heard the dull sound of blows, and of a curse pressed out between the tight teeth of one.

As for the watchers, the Easterner’s held-in breath burst from him in relief, pure relief after the anxious waiting. The cowboy leaped into the air with a scream. Scully stood unmoving, as if in complete surprise and fear at the fierceness of the fight which he himself had permitted and arranged.

For a time the fight in the darkness was such a scene of flying arms that it showed no more detail than a moving wheel. Sometimes a face would shine out, frightful12 and marked with pink spots. A moment later, the men would be only shadows.

Suddenly the cowboy was caught by warlike desires, and he leaped forward with the speed of a wild horse. “Hit him, Johnnie! Hit him! Kill him! Kill him!”

“Keep still,” said Scully, icily.

Then there was a sudden loud sound, dull, incomplete13, cut short. Johnnie’s body fell away from the Swede, with sickening heaviness to the grass. The cowboy hardly had time to prevent the mad Swede from throwing himself upon the fallen body.

Scully was at his son’s side. “Johnnie! Johnnie, my boy!” His voice had a quality of sad tenderness14. “Johnnie! Can you fight some more?” He looked anxiously down into the bloody15, beaten face of his son.

There was a moment of silence. And then Johnnie answered in his ordinary voice, “Yes—I—it—yes.”

Helped by his father, he struggled to his feet. “Wait a minute now till you get your breath,” said the old man.

A few steps away, the cowboy was telling the Swede, “No you don’t. Wait a second.”

The Easterner was pulling at Scully’s arm. “Oh, this is enough!” he begged. “This is enough! Let it go as it is. This is enough!”

“Bill,” said Scully, “get out of the way.” The cowboy stepped aside. “Now.”

The fighters advanced toward16 each other. Then the Swede aimed a lightning blow that carried with it his entire weight. Johnnie, though faint from weakness, luckily stepped aside, and the unbalanced Swede fell to the ground.

The cowboy, Scully, and the Easterner cheered, but before its finish the Swede was up and attacking his enemy madly. There were more wildly moving arms and Johnnie’s body again fell away, like a stone.

The Swede quickly struggled to a little tree and leaned upon it, breathing hard, while his fierce and flame-lit eyes wandered from face to face as the men bent18 over Johnnie.

“Can you still fight, Johnnie?” asked Scully in a voice of despair19.

After a moment, the son answered, “No—I—can’t fight—any— more.” Then, from shame and bodily ill, he began to weep, the tears pouring down through the blood on his face. “He was too—too—too heavy for me.”

Scully straightened and spoke4 to the waiting figure. “Stranger,” he said calmly, “we’re finished.” Then his voice changed into that deep and quiet tone17 which is the tone of the most simple and deadly announcements. “Johnnie is beaten.”

Without replying, the winner moved away to the door of the hotel. The others raised Johnnie from the ground, and, as soon as he was on his feet, he refused all attempts at help. When the group came around the corner they were almost blinded by the blowing snow. It burned their faces like fire. The cowboy carried Johnnie through the piles of snow to the door.

Inside they were greeted by a warm stove and women who took Johnnie to the kitchen. The three others sat around the heat, and the sad quiet was broken only by the sounds overhead20 when the Swede moved about in his room.

Soon they heard him on the stairs. He threw the door open and walked straight to the middle of the room. No one looked at him. “Well,” he said loudly to Scully, “I suppose you’ll tell me now how much I owe you?”

The old man, with a dull expression, remained calm. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“Mr. Scully,” called the Swede again, “how much do I owe you?” He was dressed to go, and he had his bag in his hand.

“You don’t owe me anything,” repeated Scully in the same unmoved way.

“I guess you’re right. I guess the truth would be that you would owe me something. That’s what I guess.” He turned to the cowboy.

“Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!” he repeated, in the tone the cowboy had used. Then he laughed.

But he might have been laughing at the dead. The three men did not move or speak—just stared with glassy eyes at the stove.

The Swede opened the door and passed into the storm, giving one last glance at the still group.

Words in This Story

proceeding5 - n. things that are said or done at a meeting, conference or ceremony

fierce - adj. having or showing a lot of strong emotion; very strong or intense21

stream - v. a continuous22 flow of liquid, gas or air

jewel - n. a valuable stone that has been cut and polished

arrangement - n. the way that things or people are organized for a particular purpose or activity

cruelty - n. a desire to cause others to suffer; the quality or state of being cruel

curse - n. an offensive23 word that people say when they are angry

tenderness - n. a gentle form of affection24

anxious - adj. afraid or nervous especially about what may happen; feeling anxiety

shame - n. a feeling of guilt, regret or sadness that you have because you know you have done something wrong


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 crane KzmxD     
v.伸长(脖子);n.起重机,吊车
参考例句:
  • We used a crane to lift the piano into the theatre.我们使用起重机将钢琴搬进剧场。
  • Must we wait till the crane arrives before we start loading?非要等起重机来了才能装运吗?
2 audio 9yOziJ     
n./adj.音频(响)(的);声音(的),听觉(的)
参考例句:
  • Often,the meeting is recorded on audio or video media for later reference.通常这种会议会以视频或者音频形式记录下来,供以后查阅。
  • You don't even have to pay for audio programs.你大可不必为自己听这些节目付费。
3 learning wpSzFe     
n.学问,学识,学习;动词learn的现在分词
参考例句:
  • When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时,常会从车上掉下来。
  • Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。
4 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
5 proceeding Vktzvu     
n.行动,进行,(pl.)会议录,学报
参考例句:
  • This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
  • The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。
6 proceedings Wk2zvX     
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报
参考例句:
  • He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
  • to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼
7 instantly S6CxP     
adv.立即,立刻
参考例句:
  • She was used to having her orders instantly obeyed.她习惯了让人即刻服从她的命令。
  • Though he slept soundly,he awoke instantly.他虽然睡得很香,但是马上就醒了。
8 railroad ATIxl     
n.铁路;vi.由铁路运输
参考例句:
  • The railroad connects two cities,namely,New York and Chicago.这条铁路连接两个城市,即纽约与芝加哥。
  • My brother is working on the railroad.我兄弟在铁路系统工作。
9 scattered 7jgzKF     
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的
参考例句:
  • Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来,塞进文件夹里。
10 curse bnmzh     
n.祸因,祸根;诅咒,咒骂;骂人话
参考例句:
  • His wealth proved a curse to him.他的财富成了祸根。
  • The rabbits are a curse in this part of the country.兔子在这一带农村是一种祸害。
11 remainder wBRzr     
n.余下的部分,剩下的人数
参考例句:
  • They joined up with us to spend the remainder of the holiday.他们来跟我们一起共度余下的假期。
  • He spent the remainder of his years in Japan.他在日本度过了余生。
12 frightful Ghmxw     
adj.可怕的;讨厌的
参考例句:
  • How frightful to have a husband who snores!有一个发鼾声的丈夫多讨厌啊!
  • We're having frightful weather these days.这几天天气坏极了。
13 incomplete L89xt     
adj.不完全的,不完善的
参考例句:
  • The building was left incomplete.那座楼没有完工就停下来了。
  • His novel was incomplete when he died.他死的时候他的小说没有写完。
14 tenderness 6gNzdI     
n.柔软;温和;亲切;心软难处理
参考例句:
  • He felt a brief wave of tenderness towards his old teacher. 他对他年迈的老师湧起了一股爱怜之情。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • There was tenderness in his face as he looked at her. 他看着她的时候满脸温柔。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 bloody kWHza     
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染
参考例句:
  • He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
  • He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。
16 toward on6we     
prep.对于,关于,接近,将近,向,朝
参考例句:
  • Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
  • Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了,并跑了过去。
17 tone bqFyP     
n.语气,音调,气度,色调;vt.(up)增强
参考例句:
  • There was a tone of mockery in his voice.他说话的语气含有嘲笑的意味。
  • Holmes used an informal,chatty tone in his essays.霍姆斯在文章中语气轻松随便。
18 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
19 despair rmjzP     
vi.灰心丧气,感到沮丧绝望;n.绝望,沮丧
参考例句:
  • If you are in the depths of despair,you will be extremely unhappy.如果你彻底地失望,你会十分不开心。
  • Don't despair;things will get better soon.不必绝望,事情不久就会好起来。
20 overhead bjhyZ     
adj.在头顶上的,悬空的;n.间接开支
参考例句:
  • A number of birds are circling overhead.很多鸟在头顶上空盘旋。
  • Many stars overhead are invisible to the naked eye.天上的许多星星是肉眼看不到的。
21 intense G5axf     
adj.认真的,专注的;强烈的;紧张的;热情的
参考例句:
  • Susan was an intense young lady.苏珊是一个热情的年轻姑娘。
  • The quarrel caused her intense unhappiness.争吵令她极其不快。
22 continuous jYHzi     
adj.继续的,连续的,持续的,延伸的
参考例句:
  • She finally got in after 10 years'continuous effort.坚持不懈地努力了十年后,她终于当选了。
  • We must be continuous to study.我们必须不断学习。
23 offensive OI9xc     
adj.令人不快的,侮辱的,攻击用的;n.进攻
参考例句:
  • His mode of doing business is offensive to me.他干事情的方式叫我很不喜欢。
  • If all else fails,I will take the offensive.如果其他方法不行,我将采取攻势。
24 affection LxGzj     
n.喜爱;爱慕,感情;倾向,意向
参考例句:
  • The handsome young man excited affection in a girl.那位英俊的年轻男子引起了一个女孩的爱慕之情。
  • He has a deep affection for his old friend.他对老朋友感情很深。
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