VOA慢速英语2019 短篇小说《归乡大兵》 BY 哈姆林·加兰

（单词翻译）

'The Return of a Private' by Hamlin Garland

Our story today is called, "The Return of a Private. " It was written by Hamlin Garland. Here is Harry¹ Monroe with our story.

The soldiers cheered as the train crossed the border into the state of Wisconsin. It had been a long trip from the south back to their homes in the north.

One of the men had a large red scar² across his forehead. Another had an injured leg that made it painful for him to walk. The third had unnaturally³ large and bright eyes because he had been sick with malaria⁴.

The three soldiers spread their blankets on the train seats and tried to sleep. It was a cold evening even though it was summertime.

Private Smith, the soldier with the fever, shivered in the night air.

His joy in coming home was mixed with fear and worry. He knew he was sick and weak. How could he take care of his family? Where would he find the strength to do the heavy work all farmers have to do? He had given three years of his life to his country. And now he had very little money and strength left for his family.

Morning came slowly with a pale yellow light. The train was slowing down as it came into the town of La Crosse where the three soldiers would get off the train. The station was empty because it was Sunday.

"I'll get home in time for dinner," Smith thought. "She usually has dinner about one o'clock on Sunday afternoon,” and he smiled.

Smith and the other two soldiers jumped off the train together.

"Well, boys," Smith began, "here's where we say good-bye. We've marched together for many miles. Now, I suppose, we are done."

The three men found it hard to look at each other.

"We ought to go home with you," one of the soldiers said to Smith. "You'll never be able to walk all those miles with that heavy pack on your back."

"Oh, I'm all right," Smith said, putting on his army cap. "Every step takes me closer to home."

They all shook hands.

"Good-bye!"

"Good luck!"

"Same to you!"

"Good-bye!"

Smith turned and walked away quickly. After a few minutes, he turned again and waved his cap. His two friends did the same. Then they marched away with their long steady soldier's step.

Smith walked for a while thinking of his friends. He remembered the many days they had been together during the war. He thought of his friend, Billy Tripp, too. Poor Billy! A bullet came out of the sky one day and tore a great hole in Billy's chest.

Smith knew he would have to tell the sad story to Billy's mother and young wife. But there was little to tell. The sound of a bullet cutting through the air. Billy crying out, then falling with his face in the dirt.

The fighting he had done since then had not made him forget the horror of that moment when Billy died.

Soon, the fields and houses became familiar. Smith knew he was close to home. The sun was burning hot as he began climbing the last hill.

Finally, he reached the top and looked down at his farm in the beautiful valley. He was almost home.

Misses Smith was alone on the farm with her three children. Mary was nine years old. Tommy was six and little Teddy had just turned four.

Misses Smith had been dreaming about her husband when the chickens awakened⁵ her that Sunday morning. She got out of bed, got dressed, and went out to feed the chickens. Then she saw the broken fence near the chicken house. She had tried to fix it again and again. Misses Smith sat down and cried.

The farmer who had promised to take care of the farm while her husband was away had been lazy and dishonest. The first year he shared the wheat with Misses Smith. But the next year, he took almost all of it for himself. She had sent him away.

Now, the fields were full of wheat. But there was no man on the farm to cut it down and sell it.

Six weeks before, her husband told her in a letter that he would be coming home soon. Other soldiers were returning home, but her husband had not come. Every day, she watched the road leading down the hill.

This Sunday morning she could no longer stand being alone. She jumped up, ran into the house, and quickly dressed the children. She carefully locked the door and started walking down the road to the farmhouse⁶ of her neighbor, Misses Gray.

Mary Gray was a widow with a large family of strong sons and pretty daughters. She was poor. But she never said 'no' to a hungry person who came to her farm and asked for food. She worked hard, laughed often and was always in a cheerful mood.

When she saw Misses Smith and the children coming down the road, Misses Gray went out to meet them. "Please come right in, Misses Smith. We were just getting ready to have dinner."

Misses Smith went into the noisy house. Misses Gray's children were laughing and talking all at the same time. Soon she was laughing and singing with the rest of them.

The long table in the kitchen was piled with food. There were potatoes, fresh corn, apple pies, hot bread, sweet pickles⁸, bread and butter and honey. They all ate until they could eat no more. Then the men and children left the table. The women stayed to drink their tea.

"Mamma," said one of Misses Gray's daughters. “Please read our fortunes in the tea leaves! Tell us about our futures⁹!"

Misses Gray picked up her daughter's cup and stirred it first to the left, then to the right. Then she looked into it with a serious expression.

"I see a handsome man with a red beard in your future," she said. Her daughter screamed with laughter.

Misses Smith trembled with excitement when it was her turn. "Somebody is coming home to you," Misses Gray said slowly. "He's carrying a rifle on his back and he's almost there."

Misses Smith felt as if she could hardly breathe. "And there he is!" Misses Gray cried, pointing to the road. They all rushed to the door to look.

A man in a blue coat, with a gun on his back, was walking down the road toward the Smith farm. His face was hidden by a large pack on his back.

Laughing and crying, Misses Smith grabbed¹⁰ her hat and her children and ran out of the house. She hurried down the road after him, calling his name and pulling her children along with her. But the soldier was too far away for her voice to reach him.

When she got back to their farm, she saw the man standing¹¹ by the fence. He was looking at the little house and the field of yellow wheat. The sun was almost touching¹² the hills in the west. The cowbells rang softly as the animals moved toward the barn.

"How peaceful it all is," Private Smith thought. "How far away from the battles, the hospitals, the wounded and the dead. My little farm in Wisconsin. How could I have left it for those years of killing¹³ and suffering?”

Trembling and weak with emotion, Misses Smith hurried up to her husband. Her feet made no sound on the grass, but he turned suddenly to face her. For the rest of his life, he would never forget her face at that moment.

"Emma!" he cried.

The children stood back watching their mother kissing this strange man. He saw them, and kneeling down he pulled from his pack three huge, red apples. In a moment, all three children were in their father's arms. Together, the family entered the little unpainted farmhouse.

Later that evening, after supper, Smith and his wife went outside. The moon was bright, above the eastern hills. Sweet, peaceful stars filled the sky as the night birds sang softly, and tiny insects buzzed¹⁴ in the soft air.

His farm needed work. His children needed clothing. He was no longer young and strong. But he began to plan for next year. With the same courage he had faced the war, Private Smith faced his difficult future.

You have just heard the story, "The Return of a Private." It was written by Hamlin Garland, and adapted for Special English by Dona de Sanctis.

Your narrator was Harry Monroe.

我们今天要讲述的故事是哈姆林·加兰撰写的短篇小说《归乡大兵》，讲述人哈里·门罗。当火车越过州界进入威斯康星州时，士兵们欢呼雀跃。这是一次从南方回归北方家园的长途旅行。其中一个士兵前额上有一个红色的大疤痕；另一个人腿部受了伤，走路时很疼；第三个人因为患上疟疾，眼睛大得怪异，还异常明亮。三名士兵把毯子铺在火车座位上想睡觉，那是一个寒冷的夜晚，尽管当时正值夏季。大兵史密斯，因为发烧而在夜里瑟瑟发抖。在他归家的喜悦中夹杂着恐惧和忧虑，他知道自己因为患病致使身体非常虚弱，他怎么能照顾自己的家人呢？他哪能找到力气去做繁重的农活呢？他服了三年兵役，现在，既没有钱给家人，也没有力气干活。

在淡黄色的晨光下，清晨缓缓到来。列车进入拉克罗斯镇时减速，三名士兵将在这里下车。因为那天是星期天，所以车站里空无一人。“我到家时正好赶上吃午饭，”史密斯想。“她通常在星期天下午一点左右吃午饭，”想到这他笑了。史密斯和另外两名士兵一起跳下火车。史密斯说：“好了，伙计们，我们就此告别吧。我们一起奋战了那么久，我想我们现在要分别了。”三个人都发现，此时此刻难以正视彼此的双眼。“我们应该陪你一起回家，”一个士兵对史密斯说。“你背着沉重的包走不了那么长的路。”“哦，我没事，”史密斯戴上军帽说。“每走一步，我就离家更近了。” 他们彼此握了握手。“再见！”“祝你好运！”“你们也是！”“再见！”史密斯转过身，很快走开了。几分钟后，他又转过身来，挥舞着军帽，他的两个朋友也转着身向他挥舞军帽。随后，他们迈着军人特有的稳健大步离开了。

史密斯走了一会儿，想起了自己的朋友。他记得他们在战争期间一起度过了许多的日日夜夜。他也想起了朋友比利·特里普。可怜的比利！有一天，一颗子弹从天空中射出来，在比利的胸口上炸开一个大洞。史密斯知道他必须把这个悲伤的故事告诉比利的母亲和他年轻的妻子，但没太多可讲的，只有子弹穿过空气的声音，比利的惨叫声，然后他的脸就扎到土里了。从那以后，他参与的战斗都未曾令他忘记比利死时的恐怖时刻。不久，田野和房屋变得熟悉起来，史密斯知道他离家很近了。当他开始爬上最后一座山时，阳光灼热难当。最后，他爬到山顶上，俯瞰到他家的农场，农场就在这片风景优美的山谷中。他马上就要到家了。史密斯的妻子独自一人带着三个孩子住在农场里，玛丽九岁，汤米六岁，小泰迪刚满四岁。星期天早上，鸡鸣声把史密斯的妻子从睡梦中叫醒，她梦见了自己的丈夫。她起床后穿好衣服，出去喂鸡。然后，她看到鸡舍附近的栅栏破损了。这个栅栏已经修过无数次了，她坐下来哭了。

那个答应在她丈夫不在时照料农场的农夫既懒惰又不诚实。第一年，他和史密斯太太平摊小麦。但第二年，他几乎独吞了所有小麦，她就把他打发走了。现在，地里全是小麦。但是农场里却没人能把它们收割后卖掉。六周前，丈夫在寄给她的信中说，他很快就会回家。其他士兵都纷纷归家了，但她的丈夫还没回来。每天，她都望着通往山下的路。星期天早上，她再也无法忍受一个人呆在家中。她跳起来，跑进屋，迅速给孩子们穿好衣服，然后小心地锁上门，沿着小路走向邻居格雷太太的农舍。玛丽·格雷是一个寡妇，家里有许多强壮的儿子和漂亮的女儿。她很穷，但从来没对一个来到她农场、饥肠辘辘的讨食者说过“不”。她辛勤劳作，经常大笑，而且总是心情愉快。当格雷太太看到史密斯的妻子带着孩子们从小路上走下来时，她出门去迎接他们。“史密斯太太，快进屋，我们正准备吃饭呢。”

史密斯的妻子走进嘈杂的房子，格雷太太的孩子们正笑着聊天。很快，她就和其他人一起欢笑歌唱起来。厨房里的长桌上堆满了食物，有土豆、鲜玉米、苹果派、热面包、甜泡菜、面包、黄油和蜂蜜。每个人都吃得饱饱的，然后，男人和男孩们离开了长桌，女人们留下来喝茶。 “妈妈，”格雷太太的一个女儿说。“用茶叶给我们算命吧！讲讲我们的未来！”格雷太太拿起女儿的杯子，先往左搅拌，再往右搅拌，然后认真地看了看。她说：“我看到你未来生活中会出现一个留着红胡子的英俊男人。”她女儿笑得尖叫起来。轮到史密斯太太时，她激动得浑身发抖。“有人正在回家的路上，”格雷太太慢悠悠地说。“他背着枪，很快就要到家了。”史密斯太太觉得快喘不过气来了。“他在那儿！”格雷太太指着小路喊道，她们都冲到门口去看。一个身穿蓝色外套，背着枪的男人，正沿着小路朝史密斯家的农场走去。他的脸被背上的大包裹挡住了。

史密斯太太喜极而泣，她抓起帽子，领着孩子们跑出房子。她匆匆走下小路去追赶他，喊着他的名字，孩子们被她拉在身边一起快步前行。但那个士兵离得太远，听不到她的喊叫声。她回到农场时，看见那个人站在栅栏边。他望着那所小房子和黄色的麦田。太阳几乎要落下西边的小山了，牲畜走回谷仓时，牛铃轻轻地响了起来。“这一切是多么平静啊，”史密斯心想。“我离战场、医院、伤员和死者是多么遥远，我在威斯康星州的小农场里，我怎么会离开它，去做了那么多年的杀戮，承受了那么多年的煎熬啊？”史密斯太太激动得浑身发抖，虚弱无力，她急忙走向丈夫，双脚落在草地上时没有一点声响，但他突然转向她。他余生永远都不会忘记妻子此刻的面容。“艾玛！”他喊道。孩子们站在后面，看着母亲亲吻这个陌生的男人。他看见他们后跪下来，从背包里拿出三个大红苹果。他一下子把三个孩子抱进怀里，一家人一起走进这座没刷漆的小农舍。那天晚上，史密斯和妻子在晚饭后出门散步。月亮挂在东面山顶上空，月光皎洁。夜间活动的鸟儿轻声歌唱，小虫子在和风中嗡嗡鸣叫，天空中挂满了甜美、宁静的星星。农活要做，孩子们需要衣服穿，他虽然不再年轻力壮，但他已经开始为明年做打算。大兵史密斯以面对战争时的勇气，面对自己艰难的未来。

Words in This Story

scar - n. a mark that is left on your skin after a wound heals

forehead - n. the part of the face above the eyes

malaria - n. a serious disease that causes chills¹⁵ and fever and that is passed from one person to another by the bite of mosquitoes

mood - n. the way someone feels : a person's emotional state

pickle⁷ - n. chiefly US: a cucumber that is preserved in salt water or vinegar

barn - n. a building on a farm that is used for storing grain and hay and for housing farm animals or equipment

courage - n. the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerou