"Here she comes," yelled one of them suddenly.
The group of urchins burst instantly asunder3 and its individual fragments were spread in a wide, respectable half circle about the point of interest. The saloon door opened with a crash, and the figure of a woman appeared upon the threshold. Her grey hair fell in knotted masses about her shoulders. Her face was crimsoned4 and wet with perspiration6. Her eyes had a rolling glare.
"Not a damn cent more of me money will yehs ever get, not a damn cent. I spent me money here fer t'ree years an' now yehs tells me yeh'll sell me no more stuff! T'hell wid yeh, Johnnie Murckre! 'Disturbance7'? Disturbance be damned! T'hell wid yeh, Johnnie—"
The door received a kick of exasperation8 from within and the woman lurched heavily out on the sidewalk.
The gamins in the half-circle became violently agitated9. They began to dance about and hoot10 and yell and jeer11. Wide dirty grins spread over each face.
The woman made a furious dash at a particularly outrageous12 cluster of little boys. They laughed delightedly and scampered13 off a short distance, calling out over their shoulders to her. She stood tottering14 on the curb-stone and thundered at them.
"Yeh devil's kids," she howled, shaking red fists. The little boys whooped16 in glee. As she started up the street they fell in behind and marched uproariously. Occasionally she wheeled about and made charges on them. They ran nimbly out of reach and taunted17 her.
In the frame of a gruesome doorway18 she stood for a moment cursing them. Her hair straggled, giving her crimson5 features a look of insanity19. Her great fists quivered as she shook them madly in the air.
The urchins made terrific noises until she turned and disappeared. Then they filed quietly in the way they had come.
The woman floundered about in the lower hall of the tenement20 house and finally stumbled up the stairs. On an upper hall a door was opened and a collection of heads peered curiously21 out, watching her. With a wrathful snort the woman confronted the door, but it was slammed hastily in her face and the key was turned.
"Come out in deh hall, Mary Murphy, damn yeh, if yehs want a row. Come ahn, yeh overgrown terrier, come ahn."
She began to kick the door with her great feet. She shrilly23 defied the universe to appear and do battle. Her cursing trebles brought heads from all doors save the one she threatened. Her eyes glared in every direction. The air was full of her tossing fists.
"Come ahn, deh hull24 damn gang of yehs, come ahn," she roared at the spectators. An oath or two, cat-calls, jeers25 and bits of facetious26 advice were given in reply. Missiles clattered27 about her feet.
"What deh hell's deh matter wid yeh?" said a voice in the gathered gloom, and Jimmie came forward. He carried a tin dinner-pail in his hand and under his arm a brown truckman's apron28 done in a bundle. "What deh hell's wrong?" he demanded.
"Come out, all of yehs, come out," his mother was howling. "Come ahn an' I'll stamp her damn brains under me feet."
"Shet yer face, an' come home, yeh damned old fool," roared Jimmie at her. She strided up to him and twirled her fingers in his face. Her eyes were darting29 flames of unreasoning rage and her frame trembled with eagerness for a fight.
"T'hell wid yehs! An' who deh hell are yehs? I ain't givin' a snap of me fingers fer yehs," she bawled30 at him. She turned her huge back in tremendous disdain31 and climbed the stairs to the next floor.
Jimmie followed, cursing blackly. At the top of the flight he seized his mother's arm and started to drag her toward the door of their room.
She raised her arm and whirled her great fist at her son's face. Jimmie dodged34 his head and the blow struck him in the back of the neck. "Damn yeh," gritted he again. He threw out his left hand and writhed35 his fingers about her middle arm. The mother and the son began to sway and struggle like gladiators.
"Hi, ol' lady, dat was a dandy!"
"T'ree to one on deh red!"
"Ah, stop yer damn scrappin'!"
The door of the Johnson home opened and Maggie looked out. Jimmie made a supreme37 cursing effort and hurled38 his mother into the room. He quickly followed and closed the door. The Rum Alley tenement swore disappointedly and retired39.
The mother slowly gathered herself up from the floor. Her eyes glittered menacingly upon her children.
"Here, now," said Jimmie, "we've had enough of dis. Sit down, an' don' make no trouble."
He grasped her arm, and twisting it, forced her into a creaking chair.
"Keep yer hands off me," roared his mother again.
"Damn yer ol' hide," yelled Jimmie, madly. Maggie shrieked and ran into the other room. To her there came the sound of a storm of crashes and curses. There was a great final thump40 and Jimmie's voice cried: "Dere, damn yeh, stay still." Maggie opened the door now, and went warily41 out. "Oh, Jimmie."
He was leaning against the wall and swearing. Blood stood upon bruises42 on his knotty43 fore-arms where they had scraped against the floor or the walls in the scuffle. The mother lay screeching44 on the floor, the tears running down her furrowed45 face.
Maggie, standing46 in the middle of the room, gazed about her. The usual upheaval47 of the tables and chairs had taken place. Crockery was strewn broadcast in fragments. The stove had been disturbed on its legs, and now leaned idiotically to one side. A pail had been upset and water spread in all directions.
He walked over to Maggie and whispered in her ear. "Ah, what deh hell, Mag? Come ahn and we'll have a hell of a time."
"Teh hell wid him and you," she said, glowering50 at her daughter in the gloom. Her eyes seemed to burn balefully. "Yeh've gone teh deh devil, Mag Johnson, yehs knows yehs have gone teh deh devil. Yer a disgrace teh yer people, damn yeh. An' now, git out an' go ahn wid dat doe-faced jude of yours. Go teh hell wid him, damn yeh, an' a good riddance. Go teh hell an' see how yeh likes it."
Maggie gazed long at her mother.
"Go teh hell now, an' see how yeh likes it. Git out. I won't have sech as yehs in me house! Get out, d'yeh hear! Damn yeh, git out!"
The girl began to tremble.
At this instant Pete came forward. "Oh, what deh hell, Mag, see," whispered he softly in her ear. "Dis all blows over. See? Deh ol' woman 'ill be all right in deh mornin'. Come ahn out wid me! We'll have a hell of a time."
The woman on the floor cursed. Jimmie was intent upon his bruised51 fore-arms. The girl cast a glance about the room filled with a chaotic52 mass of debris53, and at the red, writhing54 body of her mother.
"Go teh hell an' good riddance."
She went.
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1
urchins
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| n.顽童( urchin的名词复数 )；淘气鬼；猬；海胆 | |
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2
expectancy
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| n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额 | |
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3
asunder
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| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
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crimsoned
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| 变为深红色（crimson的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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7
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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8
exasperation
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| n.愤慨 | |
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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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10
hoot
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| n.鸟叫声，汽车的喇叭声； v.使汽车鸣喇叭 | |
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11
jeer
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| vi.嘲弄，揶揄；vt.奚落；n.嘲笑，讥评 | |
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12
outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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13
scampered
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
tottering
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| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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15
whoop
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| n.大叫，呐喊，喘息声；v.叫喊，喘息 | |
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16
whooped
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| 叫喊( whoop的过去式和过去分词 )； 高声说； 唤起 | |
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17
taunted
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| 嘲讽( taunt的过去式和过去分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落 | |
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18
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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19
insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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20
tenement
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| n.公寓；房屋 | |
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21
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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22
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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23
shrilly
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| 尖声的； 光亮的，耀眼的 | |
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24
hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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25
jeers
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| n.操纵帆桁下部（使其上下的）索具；嘲讽( jeer的名词复数 )v.嘲笑( jeer的第三人称单数 ) | |
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26
facetious
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| adj.轻浮的，好开玩笑的 | |
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27
clattered
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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28
apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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29
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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30
bawled
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| v.大叫，大喊( bawl的过去式和过去分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物） | |
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31
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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32
gritted
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| v.以沙砾覆盖（某物），撒沙砾于( grit的过去式和过去分词 )；咬紧牙关 | |
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33
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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35
writhed
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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37
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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38
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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39
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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40
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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41
warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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42
bruises
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| n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
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43
knotty
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| adj.有结的，多节的，多瘤的，棘手的 | |
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44
screeching
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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45
furrowed
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| v.犁田，开沟( furrow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
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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47
upheaval
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| n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱 | |
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48
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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49
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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50
glowering
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| v.怒视( glower的现在分词 ) | |
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51
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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52
chaotic
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| adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的 | |
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53
debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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54
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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