Chapter 79

The men laughed uncertainly, puzzled by the calm tact¹ of this man. They waited, watching him at his solitary² table toying with his glass. But when he didn’t go on, the crowd turned its attention back to Evenwrite, who still stood clutching his empty glass. Evenwrite felt the attention burn at his back: balls. He’d been going good before that bastard³ had showed up; real good. But some way Draeger had made him the fool again, though damned if he could see how. He tried to study the fact for a moment, then gave up and vented⁴ his frustration⁵ on Teddy by demanding a free glass on account of dammit for all the juice he’d throwed down in there tonight if it’d been real stuff he’d be drunk on his ear, now ain’t that so? Without comment, Teddy refilled the glass. Evenwrite drank it with a gulp⁶, not even closing his eyes, then smacked⁷ his lips thoughtfully. “Pigeon piss,” he decided⁸ and spat⁹ in the direction of the spittoon. There was a little wave of laughter, still uncertain. The men looked back and forth¹⁰ from their president to their representative, waiting for the next move. Draeger seemed unaware¹¹ of the silence that had risen up after his entrance; he peered through the little glass he twisted in his fingers, his eyes patient as his smile. Evenwrite leaned against the bar. He knew he was on the spot. Draeger had made it his move. He rubbed his neck and finally broke the quiet by throwing the glass at the brass¹² pot wired to the corner of the bar and shouting “Pigeon piss” again. “That ain’t whisky, that’s pure hundred-fifty-proof pigeon piss.” There was more laughter and he turned then toward Draeger, confident again. He was leaning slightly, eyes very bright. “Okay, Jonathan Bailey Draeger, since you’re so fuckin’ smart let’s hear what you say we should do. You called this walkout the first place. Ain’t that so? Since you’re so smart, okay let’s hear what you’re gonna do to get us outa this mess. I’m jus’ a dumb-ass sawyer! I mean, nobody pays us dumb-asses to think. Since you’re so smart—” Draeger brought the glass down on the cocktail¹³ napkin on the Formica table top; there was a muffled¹⁴ yet resonant¹⁵ click, sounding at once distant and very near, like a click heard under water. “If you’ll just sit down and take it easy, Floyd—” “Ho ho. Don’t you Floyd old boy me, Jonathan Bailey Draeger. Legal? All right, if you want to be legal then, you know and I know what we gotta do. Maybe we beat our gums here the rest the night but we know! An’ me hollering to go out there after Stamper was a dumb-ass thing, sure . . . but not no more dumb-ass than you suckin’ us into this strike none of us wanted!” “Floyd, to hear you tell it last August you boys were all starving to death.” “Last August you told us we’d settle without a walkout!” “Are you scared to gut¹⁶ it out, Floyd? Scared you might miss a couple of paychecks?” Draeger still spoke¹⁷ so softly that it was difficult to tell if the voice came from him or not. Evenwrite’s voice grew louder to overpower the silence that Draeger had brought down on the room. “No, I ain’t scared to miss a couple of paychecks! I done it before. All of us have. We’ve struck before and we’ve gutted¹⁸ it out. We’ve gutted it out since the days before the Wobs came to back us up. And we’ll do it again, won’t we, boys?” He looked about at the men, nodding. The men nodded with him, watching Draeger. “You’re damn right. We ain’t scared to gut it or miss a couple paychecks, but we ain’t scared to back off when we’re dead whipped, neither!” “Floyd, if you’ll—” “And legally, if you want to be that way about it, we are whipped! Whipped comin’ an’ goin’.” He stopped speaking to Draeger and turned toward the men again, wiping his nose. “I been wantin’ to cash it a long time now. It was the wrong time of year to walk out; we all knew that—hell, middle of winter, not a whole lot in the strike fund—but Draeger figured if he could just swing this one he was on his way to him a big spot, make a goddam king or something of hisself ...so he got us—” “Floyd . . .” “Draeger, if you’re so fuckin’ smart—” “Floyd.” Click. Again that light, restrained touch of the glass against the table, as light as a hammer cocking. The heads swung back to Draeger. I see now; now I understand. ...From behind his bar Teddy marveled at the man’s power and timing¹⁹. . . . You know how to wait. As soon as you started speaking . . . watch these idiots draw in toward you without leaving their places, straining without motion toward your voice as metal particles strain in toward a magnet ... “Floyd ...doesn’t the foreman from the Stamper mill, Orland Stamper, live right next door to you?” . . . Straining in to you without even moving; it doesn’t make any difference what you say. Because you are one of the forces yourself, a force, and that’s what matters. Not what you say. Like Walker the Healing Preacher is sometimes a force. But not that way either, because you know more than Brother Walker and his God put together... “And Sitkins, you and your brother, I heard you both have children in the same class as some of the Stamper children. It seems I recall hearing that. Those kids are just kids, aren’t they, just like your kids?” ...You know what it is—the cold force in the dark—that makes people move. And that you don’t have to have all those drums and guitars and organ music to make the idiots dance. You know that Brother Walker’s God is just a straw God, a make-do doll to wave in the face of the true All-Powerful. . . . “And the Stamper wives, aren’t they just women? Worried just like any women about how their house looks for company? What the new hairdo is?—and, boy oh boy, have you men seen some of those styles?—just like any woman, the Stamper wives?” ...A make-do deity²⁰ doll, not even as powerful as the other make-do gods like What the Fool Next Door Thinks, and The Great Things to Be Done . . . none of them a fraction as powerful or terrible as the Force that created them, the Fear that created them. “Men...Floyd ...there are one or two things to keep in mind: that it doesn’t make any difference what their name is— they want the same things from life that you want, the same things you men fought for when we put this union together, the same things you want now...because it’s natural.” .... Natural for animals to bunch together for protection. You don’t need drums and guitars. No. All you need is just to have people around with the natural fear, like all a magnet needs to be a force is just the pieces of iron to pull against. “I take my stand behind the human heart, not alongside violence . . .” . . . Not be right or wrong or good or bad, just be pulling. In a minute the idiots won’t even be listening, they’ll just be pulling. They don’t have to think. Just be afraid naturally and pulling together. Like specks²¹ of mercury rolling into the big piece. Like little specks of mercury rolling into bigger specks and then bigger and then just one piece, and nothing to be scared about or hurt about because you’re just a piece of a bigger piece getting bigger rolling across the land into an ocean of mercury . . . “So here is what I’ve been doing the last four days, over in Eugene—toward the benefit of all, with no violence, no bloodshed . . . I’ve been appropriating funds from the union treasury²² . . .” . . . And you know all this, Mr. Draeger. It is the thing that makes you special. And you have the courage to use it. I can only stand awed²³ by the true All-Powerful; you can use it. You are beautiful . . . “What are you driving at, Draeger?” Evenwrite asked, feeling suddenly tired again. “Not quite all we need, perhaps,” Draeger continued as though he hadn’t heard Evenwrite, “but I am sure some local businessman with a little capital and a shrewd investment eye can raise the rest of the money....” “Muddy for what, Draeger?” Draeger smiled sadly at Floyd. “You’ve got a dilly of one, haven’t you, Floyd? Too bad; especially since we have to take us another little joyride up the river and have another talk with Mr. Stamper.” “Now just a goddam minute! I know this man, he’s less likely now than he was a week ago to change his—” Evenwrite squinted²⁴ at Draeger. “Money for what? I asked.” “We are going to buy the Stamper Enterprises, Floyd, lock, stock and barrel, kit²⁵ and kaboo—” “He won’t sell,” Evenwrite said, a little desperately²⁶. “Hank Stamper? Never . . .” “I think he will. I talked to him on the phone. I quoted some figures that he would be a fool to pass up—” “He said yes? Hank Stamper?” “Not absolutely, no, but I don’t see what would stop him. He’ll never get a better offer.” Draeger turned back to the others, shrugging. “The price will be a little stiff, men, but he had us by the short hairs, as Floyd puts it. It will still work out to our advantage: the business will be owned locally, in conjunction with the union; the investors²⁷ will share in the profits; the Wakonda Pacific will be over a barrel. . . .” Teddy listened through his thoughts to the muffled, distant voice and fell in love from behind his barricade²⁸ of rainbows. Evenwrite leaned against the bar, stunned²⁹ completely sober. He didn’t listen to the rest of the excited questions, or Draeger’s optimistic plans. For a while, the prospect³⁰ of another river trip almost jolted³¹ him out of his stupor³², but when he raised his head to protest he saw all the other men so enthusiastic that he couldn’t bring himself to speak. And when Draeger left in the direction of Mama Olson’s he put on his coat and docilely³³ followed along. On the street outside he shook his head and repeated, “Hank Stamper . . . just won’t sell.” “What difference?” Draeger said happily. “We aren’t even going to make an offer.” “Then where we going?” “Just for a walk, Floyd. A stroll. I just thought folks would be more inclined to believe we made that offer if we strolled down toward the docks. . . .” “Believe? What are you talking about? Hank Stamper’ll never believe we went up to his place just because we—” “But he’ll be the only one who won’t believe it, Floyd.” He chuckled³⁴, confident. “By the way, do you play cribbage? Fine game for two. Come on; I have a board up in my hotel room....There should be just about enough time to teach you while we supposedly have another ‘joyride.’ ” And back in the bar Teddy, standing³⁵ in his spot by the window, is the only one to see them double back from the docks and duck into the side door of the hotel.

1 tact   

n.机敏，圆滑，得体

参考例句：

• She showed great tact in dealing with a tricky situation.她处理棘手的局面表现得十分老练。
• Tact is a valuable commodity.圆滑老练是很有用处的。

2 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

3 bastard   

n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子

参考例句：

• He was never concerned about being born a bastard.他从不介意自己是私生子。
• There was supposed to be no way to get at the bastard.据说没有办法买通那个混蛋。

4 vented   

表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He vented his frustration on his wife. 他受到挫折却把气发泄到妻子身上。
• He vented his anger on his secretary. 他朝秘书发泄怒气。

5 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

6 gulp   

vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽

参考例句：

• She took down the tablets in one gulp.她把那些药片一口吞了下去。
• Don't gulp your food,chew it before you swallow it.吃东西不要狼吞虎咽，要嚼碎了再咽下去。

7 smacked   

拍，打，掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He smacked his lips but did not utter a word. 他吧嗒两下嘴，一声也不言语。
• She smacked a child's bottom. 她打孩子的屁股。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 spat   

n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声

参考例句：

• Her parents always have spats.她的父母经常有些小的口角。
• There is only a spat between the brother and sister.那只是兄妹间的小吵小闹。

10 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

11 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

12 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

13 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

14 muffled   

adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己）

参考例句：

• muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
• There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 resonant   

adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的

参考例句：

• She has a resonant voice.她的嗓子真亮。
• He responded with a resonant laugh.他报以洪亮的笑声。

16 gut   

n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏

参考例句：

• It is not always necessary to gut the fish prior to freezing.冷冻鱼之前并不总是需要先把内脏掏空。
• My immediate gut feeling was to refuse.我本能的直接反应是拒绝。

17 spoke   

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。

18 gutted   

adj.容易消化的v.毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的过去式和过去分词 )；取出…的内脏

参考例句：

• Disappointed? I was gutted! 失望？我是伤心透了！
• The invaders gutted the historic building. 侵略者们将那幢历史上有名的建筑洗劫一空。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

19 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

20 deity   

n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物)

参考例句：

• Many animals were seen as the manifestation of a deity.许多动物被看作神的化身。
• The deity was hidden in the deepest recesses of the temple.神藏在庙宇壁龛的最深处。

21 specks   

n.眼镜；斑点，微粒，污点( speck的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Minutes later Brown spotted two specks in the ocean. 几分钟后布朗发现海洋中有两个小点。 来自英汉非文学 - 百科语料821
• Do you ever seem to see specks in front of your eyes? 你眼睛前面曾似乎看见过小点吗？ 来自辞典例句

22 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

23 awed   

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 )

参考例句：

• The audience was awed into silence by her stunning performance. 观众席上鸦雀无声，人们对他出色的表演感到惊叹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I was awed by the huge gorilla. 那只大猩猩使我惊惧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 squinted   

斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看

参考例句：

• Pulling his rifle to his shoulder he squinted along the barrel. 他把枪顶肩，眯起眼睛瞄准。
• I squinted through the keyhole. 我从锁眼窥看。

25 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

26 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

27 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

28 barricade   

n.路障，栅栏，障碍；vt.设路障挡住

参考例句：

• The soldiers make a barricade across the road.士兵在路上设路障。
• It is difficult to break through a steel barricade.冲破钢铁障碍很难。

29 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

30 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

31 jolted   

（使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• She was jolted out of her reverie as the door opened. 门一开就把她从幻想中惊醒。

32 stupor   

v.昏迷；不省人事

参考例句：

• As the whisky took effect, he gradually fell into a drunken stupor.随着威士忌酒力发作，他逐渐醉得不省人事。
• The noise of someone banging at the door roused her from her stupor.梆梆的敲门声把她从昏迷中唤醒了。

33 docilely   

adv.容易教地，易驾驶地，驯服地

参考例句：

• They had let themselves be married off so docilely. 但是，她们还是依依顺顺地嫁了出去。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译

34 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

35 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。