Dad was inside grunting2 and groaning4 with toothache. He had had it a week, and was nearly mad. For a while he sat by the fire, prodding5 the tooth with his pocket-knife; then he covered his jaw6 with his hand and went out and walked about the yard.
Joe asked him if he had seen Nell’s foal anywhere that day. He didn’t answer.
“Did y’ see the brown foal any place ter-day, Dad?”
“Damn the brown foal!”— and Dad went inside again.
He walked round and round the table and in and out the back room till Mother nearly cried with pity.
“Isn’t it any easier at all, Father?” she said commiseratingly.
“How the devil can it be easier? . . . Oh-h!”
The kangaroo-dog had coiled himself snugly7 on a bag before the fire. Dad kicked him savagely8 and told him to get out. The dog slunk sulkily to the door, his tail between his legs, and his back humped as if expecting another kick. He got it. Dad sat in the ashes then, and groaned9 lamentably10. The dog walked in at the back door and dropped on the bag again.
Joe came in to say that “Two coves11 out there wants somethink.”
Dad paid no attention.
The two “coves”— a pressman, in new leggings, and Canty, the storekeeper — came in. Mother brought a light. Dad moaned, but didn’t look up.
“Well, Mr. Rudd,” the pressman commenced (he was young and fresh-looking), “I’m from the (something-or-other) office. I’m — er — after information about the crops round here. I suppose — er ——”
“Oh-h-h!” Dad groaned, opening his mouth over the fire, and pressing the tooth hard with his thumb.
The pressman stared at him for awhile; then grinned at the storekeeper, and made a derisive13 face at Dad’s back. Then —“What have you got in this season, Mr. Rudd? Wheat?”
“I don’t know. . . . Oh-h — it’s awful!”
Another silence.
“Didn’t think toothache so bad as THAT,” said the man of news, airily, addressing Mother. “Never had it much myself, you see!”
He looked at Dad again; then winked14 slyly at Canty, and said to Dad, in an altered tone: “Whisky’s a good thing for it, old man, if you’ve got any.”
Nothing but a groan3 came from Dad, but Mother shook her head sadly in the negative.
“Any oil of tar12?”
Mother brightened up. “There’s a little oil in the house,” she said, “but I don’t know if we’ve any tar. Is there, Joe — in that old drum?”
“Nurh.”
The Press looked out the window. Dad commenced to butcher his gums with the pocket-knife, and threatened to put the fire out with blood and saliva15.
“Let’s have a look at the tooth, old man,” the pressman said, approaching Dad.
Dad submitted.
“Pooh! — I’ll take that out in one act!” . . . To Joe —“Got a good strong piece of string?”
Joe couldn’t find a piece of string, but produced a kangaroo-tail sinew that had been tied round a calf’s neck.
The pressman was enthusiastic. He buzzed about and talked dentistry in a most learned manner. Then he had another squint16 at Dad’s tooth.
“Sit on the floor here,” he said, “and I won’t be a second. You’ll feel next to no pain.”
Dad complied like a lamb.
“Hold the light down here, missis — a little lower. You gentlemen” (to Canty and Dave) “look after his legs and arms. Now, let your head come back — right back, and open your mouth — wide as you can.” Dad obeyed, groaning the whole time. It was a bottom-tooth, and the dentist stood behind Dad and bent17 over him to fasten the sinew round it. Then, twisting it on his wrist, he began to “hang on” with both hands. Dad struggled and groaned — then broke into a bellow18 and roared like a wild beast. But the dentist only said, “Keep him down!” and the others kept him down.
Dad’s neck was stretching like a gander’s, and it looked as if his head would come off. The dentist threw his shoulders into it like a crack oarsman — there was a crack, a rip, a tear, and, like a young tree leaving the ground, two huge, ugly old teeth left Dad’s jaw on the end of that sinew.
“Holy!” cried the dentist, surprised, and we stared. Little Bill made for the teeth; so did Joe, and there was a fight under the table.
Dad sat in a lump on the floor propping19 himself up with his hands; his head dropped forward, and he spat20 feebly on the floor.
The pressman laughed and slapped Dad on the back, and asked “How do you feel, old boy?” Dad shook his head and spat and spat. But presently he wiped his eyes with his shirt-sleeve and looked up. The pressman told Mother she ought to be proud of Dad. Dad struggled to his feet then, pale but smiling. The pressman shook hands with him, and in no time Dad was laughing and joking over the operation. A pleased look was in Mother’s face; happiness filled the home again, and we grew quite fond of that pressman — he was so jolly and affable, and made himself so much at home, Mother said.
“Now, sit over, and we’ll have supper,” said Dad, proud of having some fried steak to offer the visitors. We had killed a cow the evening before — one that was always getting bogged21 in the dam and taking up much of Dad’s time dragging her out and cutting greenstuff to keep her alive. The visitors enjoyed her. The pressman wanted salt. None was on the table. Dad told Joe to run and get some — to be quick. Joe went out, but in a while returned. He stood at the door with the hammer in his hand and said:
“Did you shift the r-r-r-rock-salt from where S-Spotty was lickin’ it this evenin’, Dave?”
Dave reached for the bread.
“Don’t bother — don’t bother about it,” said the pressman. “Sit down, youngster, and finish your supper.”
“No bother at all,” Dad said; but Joe sat down, and Dad scowled22 at him.
Then Dad got talking about wheat and wallabies — when, all at once, the pressman gave a jump that rattled23 the things on the table.
“Oh-h-h! . . . I’VE got it now!” he said, dropping his knife and fork and clapping his hands over his mouth. “Ooh!”
We looked at him. “Got what?” Dad asked, a gleam of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.
“The toothache! — the d —— d toothache! . . . Oh-h!”
“Ha! ha! Hoo! hoo! hoo!” Dad roared. In fact, we all roared — all but the pressman. “OH-H!” he said, and went to the fire. Dad laughed some more.
We ate on. The pressman continued to moan.
Dad turned on his seat. “What paper, mister, do you say you come from?”
“OH-H! . . . Oh-h, Lord!”
“Well, let me see; I’ll have in altogether, I daresay, this year, about thirty-five acres of wheat — I suppose as good a wheat ——”
“Damn the wheat! . . . OOH!”
“Eh!” said Dad, “why, I never thought toothache was THET bad! You reminds me of this old cow we be eatin’. SHE moaned just like thet all the time she was layin’ in the gully, afore I knocked ’er on the head.”
Canty, the storekeeper, looked up quickly, and the pressman looked round slowly — both at Dad.
“Here,” continued Dad —“let’s have a look at yer tooth, old man!”
The pressman rose. His face was flushed and wild-looking. “Come on out of this — for God’s sake!” he said to Canty —“if you’re ready.”
“What,” said Dad, hospitably24, “y’re not going, surely!” But they were. “Well, then — thirty-five acres of wheat, I have, and” (putting his head out the door and calling after them) “NEXT year — next year, all being well, please God, I’ll have SIXTY!”
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收听单词发音
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1
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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2
grunting
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| 咕哝的，呼噜的 | |
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3
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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4
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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5
prodding
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| v.刺，戳( prod的现在分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳 | |
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6
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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7
snugly
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| adv.紧贴地；贴身地；暖和舒适地；安适地 | |
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8
savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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9
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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10
lamentably
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| adv.哀伤地，拙劣地 | |
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11
coves
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| n.小海湾( cove的名词复数 )；家伙 | |
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12
tar
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| n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于 | |
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13
derisive
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| adj.嘲弄的 | |
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14
winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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15
saliva
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| n.唾液，口水 | |
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16
squint
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| v. 使变斜视眼, 斜视, 眯眼看, 偏移, 窥视; n. 斜视, 斜孔小窗; adj. 斜视的, 斜的 | |
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17
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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18
bellow
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| v.吼叫，怒吼；大声发出，大声喝道 | |
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19
propping
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| 支撑 | |
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spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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21
bogged
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| adj.陷于泥沼的v.（使）陷入泥沼， （使）陷入困境( bog的过去式和过去分词 )；妨碍，阻碍 | |
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22
scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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hospitably
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| 亲切地，招待周到地，善于款待地 | |
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