So the dingy3 white wagon was anchored across from Betsey Pilrig’s, to Philena’s delight, and, while Thurley’s father stayed inside to sob4 in half-drunken fashion about “his loss,” Thurley made rapid inroads on Betsey’s and Philena’s hearts.
For that matter, she had made inroads upon the hearts of Birge’s Corners en masse. Even Lorraine loaned her a black hat for the funeral and stripped her garden of late blossoms to lay in the wasted fingers.
Thurley had sung at her mother’s funeral. “They always have music,” she told them, and, besides, “it made her feel better inside.” So, standing5 at the newly dug grave, the curious mourners watched this long-legged, blue-eyed child-woman in every one’s discarded black clothes sing bravely:
Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me,
Bless thy little lambs to-night,
In the darkness hear me calling,
Lead me to eternal light—
[29]
“Says she learned ’em from a gypsy evangelist,” Ali Baba answered, happy to be able to inform Submit Curler, rather than be informed.
“She hasn’t a shoe for the winter,” Betsey Pilrig was telling Hopeful. “Don’t it seem sinful to think of Abby Clergy7 with her thousands?”
Hopeful nodded. “But I wouldn’t dare to mention it. I’ve got some things of my own, Betsey. Come around after dark. Ain’t it a disgrace to have that man come drunk to his wife’s funeral? If God is just, Betsey, tell me why He gave that beautiful young ’un with an angel’s voice those parents?”
But the minister began to pray, so Betsey was spared answering.
After the funeral, Thurley and her father had retired8 within the box-car wagon to “grieve proper,” Ali Baba summarized, and every one left them alone, except Dan Birge, junior, who promptly9 knocked at the wreck10 of a door.
Ali Baba tried to stop him, although it was nearing four o’clock, sacred hour for Miss Clergy’s drive.
“I got business with her,” Dan retorted, knocking more boldly.
“You don’t own this town any more’n I do. You come down off that step, you upstart.”
“Chase yourself—I got to speak to Thurley.” Dan made a tantalizing12 face. “You don’t dare touch me—you ghost coachman—aha—aha—” Thurley opened the door just in time to allow Dan to make good his escape.
“What is it, Dan?” she asked mournfully. “If it’s[30] the money you gave me—it’s gone. I’m sorry, but Pa needed ‘comfort’ for the burial.”
“Oh, that’s nothing—he got the ‘comfort’ at my pa’s store, so it’s back in the till. I wanted to say I was sorry and we won’t have the circus until you’re feeling fit.”
Thurley’s eyes filled with tears. “Your mother’s dead, too, ain’t she?” she asked.
“My mother died when I was born,” he confided14. “I guess I’d rather have it that way. It would hurt worse to lose your mother, after you really knew her. Say, Thurley, I wanted to tell you I’d like to have you join our gang. There’s about eight of us now—all boys—but I think you’d be just as good. Maybe it would make you forget; maybe your father will go to work and you’ll never go away from here; maybe my father will give him a job, if he can tote barrels. I’ll ask him and you join our gang and we’ll be happy.”
“I’ll have to work,” Thurley corrected. “Pa’s awful sick; Ma thought he would die when we was on the road. He can’t tote barrels and neither can I, but I’d like to join the gang, Dan, if I have time. And when your circus plays at South Wales, I’ll come and sing.” She held out her hand in gratitude15.
The boy took it awkwardly. “I liked you right off,” he admitted. “If you see me getting too fresh or mis-spelling words or things like that—tell me. I’ll take it from you. Everybody thinks because my father made money selling beer that I’m going to be hung. Maybe I’ll go to school like you said—I’m not going to be any old bum17, anyhow—and, if you decide to join the gang, we meet at Wood’s Hollow by Dog Creek18 every afternoon it ain’t raining, but don’t tell Lorraine McDowell,[31] because she wanted to be my girl this winter and I won’t let her.”
With which he strutted19 out of the wagon with the serious feeling of a muchly married man. Somehow Dan had “adopted” Thurley. He felt personally responsible for her happiness and support, and, when he tried convincing his father that Thurley ought to get nine dollars a week for doing nothing and his father jokingly dismissed the matter, Daniel registered a vow20 that he must see to it that she had everything for which her feminine soul should desire! It was the first time in his life that the finer part of the lad had had a chance to show itself.
Philena Pilrig told her grandmother after Thurley’s first visit, “She makes my fingers tingle21 down at the ends, and, when she smiles, I want to hug her, and, when she sings, I want to cry and dance all at once.”
Philena, who was eleven but small because of the twisted spine22, sat in the window facing the old wagon car, so she could catch glimpses of Thurley striding about bare-legged, her ragged23 dress fluttering gracefully24 in the breeze, whistling or singing or calling out to her father who lay on the lounge and coughed and complained.
Having invited the Precores to camp on her land, Betsey Pilrig also felt responsible for their welfare. She saw to it that Thurley washed dishes and ran errands in return for food, and, once, when she ventured over to interview her father as to his intentions of ever working, Thurley stood guard on the steps to tell her “Pa was sleeping—he’s getting that gray look around his lips.”
“Thurley, did you ever go to Sunday school?” she asked one afternoon when Thurley and Philena were intent on paper dolls.
[32]
“No, but it’s where you learn about the Lord and you have a Christmas tree—the evangelist told me.”
“Philena gets there except in bad weather—maybe you and she could go together,” Betsey suggested.
“I’ve the loveliest teacher!” Philena supplemented. “Her name is Kate Sills, and she’s going to marry the postmaster—she has a beautiful white plume25 on her hat.”
“I’d like to go, if I had shoes. I guess you can’t get in barefoot.”
“Maybe we can find shoes, if that’s all that’s wrong.”
“I can be a home missionary26, granny,” Philena’s little old face lighted with smiles. “You know—the money in my bank.”
Thurley flushed. “I don’t want any one’s money—least of all Philena’s. What is a home missionary?”
“I’m going to be a foreign missionary when I’m big and strong,” Philena answered. “It’s some one who sails off to China or Africa where they find heathens ready to eat them up; the heathens throw their babies into the river and don’t believe in God, and the missionaries27 teach them to build nice houses and dress their babies in white and sing songs. I heard a real true one tell about it last winter—she stayed two days at Lorraine’s house—and that’s what I’m going to be, isn’t it, granny?”
“If you’re well enough.”
“Why couldn’t I go with you to Africa or China and sing the songs, and you could pray and teach and I’d mind the babies while you stitched up the white dresses?” Thurley rattled28 on. “Let’s be missionaries together—listen, I’ll sing some songs.”
“Granny, fetch all the dolls—they can be heathen—that’s the ship we’re going on—and there is Africa all[33] full of savages29—get my Bible, Thurley, and my bag—we’ll pretend we’re there now.” Philena’s crutch30 tapped quickly over the floor.
Betsey Pilrig, supposed to be busy with her mending, paused to listen to Philena pray for the heathen, her crutch laid aside, kneeling on the floor of “awful Africa,” alias31 the south room alcove32. The heathen, six subdued33, disinterested34 dolls and a fast unravelling35 Teddy-bear, stood in a row listening to her sweet, thin voice conclude:
“Oh, Lord, you have sent us here to save these people, and, if they don’t understand what I mean and how wrong it is to sacrifice their young and eat us up—Thurley, isn’t it awful to have to say that to the Lord?—but it’s so—may their hearts be inspired by the sweet, sweet voiced singer who has come with me into the wilderness36, forsaking37 wealth and love to serve the cause. Amen. Now, ladies of Africa,” finished Philena, opening her eyes, “Miss Precore will sing.” She picked up her crutch and gave way to Thurley.
Whereat Thurley, balancing Philena’s pink parasol with one hand and a pretended hymnal in the other, sang “Throw Out the Life Line” and “Onward, Christian38 Soldiers,” until Betsey Pilrig, unable to remain incognito39 any longer, came to the doorway40 to say,
“Thurley, Thurley, how did you ever learn to sing?”
Annoyed that the game be interrupted Thurley answered shortly, “God taught me, I guess, but He made my long legs, too. And now, Mrs. Pilrig, unless we finish, we may be taken prisoner any minute and roasted to ashes—look out, Philena, that big one is after you,” brandishing41 her parasol to ward16 him off.
Properly rebuked42 Mrs. Pilrig stole away to prepare the missionaries’ supper, while Thurley and Philena drew up a compact, signing and dating it to read as follows:
[34]
“Thurley Precore and Philena Pilrig of Birge’s Corners do swear they will go as missionaries to convert the heathen from eating flesh and all the other bad things they do. Thurley will sing the songs and mind the babies so the mothers can attend the meetings and Philena is to preach and pray and make white dresses for every one. If Lorraine McDowell wants to she can travel in America and raise funds for the cause but nobody shall ever be the same dear friends as Thurley Precore and Philena Pilrig. Amen.
“Thurley Precore and Philena Pilrig.”
They put it between the pages of the illustrated43 Bible and then, descending44 to things of the earth earthy, fell upon a batch45 of newly-baked cookies with the ferocity of the unconverted savages.
In the midst of her cookie Philena paused to remark, “Thurley, do you think my being lame46 will make any difference—you’re so straight and strong—”
Thurley finished her cookie, while she thought up her defense47. Spying tears in Philena’s eyes she went over to fling her arms about the crooked48 back and declare, “Philena Pilrig, you’ll be armed with your crutch—like a soldier with a gun. You’ll really be better to go as a missionary than folks that haven’t crutches,” clapping her hands in delight at the rainbow smile.
“But nobody ever thinks much of cripples—Oyster Jim fought in the Civil War, and, when he came back lame, nobody married him and he started in having a store—they say he wanted to be a lawyer.”
“Then he should have been a lawyer just the same. Wait, Philena, I guess God wants to say something—ssh!” Her eyes were like stars, and she warded49 off Philena’s outstretched arm as if afraid mortal touch[35] might dim the celestial50 message. “Oh, lots of times,” she added a moment later, “God does tell me things—queer things. Sometimes they rhyme like poems in books and sometimes they’re cross—’cause some one has to scold little girls and Pa and Ma never said anything to me—so God had to scold me, and now He’s telling me something to comfort you, Philena. What do you think it is?”
“Oh, you scare me most—talking like a book—God never tells folks things, except what He wrote down in the Bible—whisper it, Thurley—”
“He says, ‘Tell Philena that cripples can be conquerors,’” sang Thurley in a clear monotone, “cripples can be conquerors—there—I guess you’ll be as good a missionary as ever lived.”
Philena repeated it in an awed51 tone. “That’s beautiful—now I don’t care about my crutch ... but how can you tell for sure it’s God talking?”
Thurley’s eyes were like sapphires52 in the sun. “Something taps at my heart and I know I’m going to have a wonderful something told me—or a terrible scolding—and then whatever it is God wants to say is just sung into my head and I know—I do know, Philena, I am right.”
“No, there’s as much about children that grownups don’t understand, as there is about grownups we don’t understand,” Thurley said sagely54. “But you can always remember that God said that straight to me—‘cripples can be conquerors’—just like He told me at Midland City, Illinois, ‘You let me catch you cutting off your hair and trying to run away and I’ll stop your singing mighty55 quick!’ See, Philena?”
“Isn’t it funny?” Thurley told her father that night, “I’m to belong to the gang and play robbers and Indians, and I’m to be a missionary with Philena, and there must be different halves of me, and Dan has seen one half and thinks it is a whole, and so has Philena. I wonder what I’d do if the gang met the same day I’d promised to play missionary?”
Regretfully Thurley produced the bottle. “Don’t drink until you see things,” she begged. “Makes me shiver when you talk down low—there—that’s enough for now.... I guess if the gang met on missionary day, I’d make ’em all sit down in front of me and I’d sing to ’em—something awful different from gang stuff or missionary hymns57, and then neither could be cross.”
“I guess,” her father hiccoughed, “you’ll—hic—always be a good fellow.”
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1
nags
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| n.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的名词复数 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责v.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的第三人称单数 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责 | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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4
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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5
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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6
hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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7
clergy
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| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
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8
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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9
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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10
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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11
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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12
tantalizing
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| adj.逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的；煽情的v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的现在分词 ) | |
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13
abashed
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| adj.窘迫的，尴尬的v.使羞愧，使局促，使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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15
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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16
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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17
bum
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| n.臀部；流浪汉，乞丐；vt.乞求，乞讨 | |
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18
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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19
strutted
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| 趾高气扬地走，高视阔步( strut的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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21
tingle
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| vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动 | |
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22
spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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23
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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24
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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25
plume
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| n.羽毛；v.整理羽毛，骚首弄姿，用羽毛装饰 | |
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26
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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27
missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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28
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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29
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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30
crutch
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| n.T字形拐杖；支持，依靠，精神支柱 | |
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31
alias
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| n.化名；别名；adv.又名 | |
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32
alcove
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| n.凹室 | |
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33
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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34
disinterested
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| adj.不关心的，不感兴趣的 | |
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35
unravelling
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| 解开，拆散，散开( unravel的现在分词 )； 阐明； 澄清； 弄清楚 | |
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36
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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37
forsaking
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| 放弃( forsake的现在分词 )； 弃绝； 抛弃； 摒弃 | |
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38
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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39
incognito
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| adv.匿名地；n.隐姓埋名；adj.化装的，用假名的，隐匿姓名身份的 | |
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40
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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41
brandishing
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| v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀 | |
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42
rebuked
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| 责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
illustrated
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| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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44
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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45
batch
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| n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量 | |
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46
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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47
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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48
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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49
warded
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| 有锁孔的，有钥匙榫槽的 | |
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50
celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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51
awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
sapphires
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| n.蓝宝石，钢玉宝石( sapphire的名词复数 )；蔚蓝色 | |
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53
enviously
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| adv.满怀嫉妒地 | |
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54
sagely
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| adv. 贤能地，贤明地 | |
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55
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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56
fretted
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| 焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的 | |
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57
hymns
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 ) | |
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