But William was longing8 to dance. For many years he had fondly cherished the belief that he was possessed9 of much inborn10 ability in that art—a genius compelled to remain dormant11, by the narrowness of his family’s views. Many a rainy afternoon had he given vent12 to his desire by swinging corners and deux-et-deux-ing about his father’s barn-floor, with no other partner than a[203] sheaf of wheat and no other music than that produced by his own capacious lips.
So one beautiful July day, when, attired14 in his best, he stepped into his buggy, tapped his sleek15 mare16 with the whip and started at a brisk pace toward the Kuchenbach farm, his stern father believed that he was going to the great bush-meeting, twelve miles up the turnpike and was devoutly17 thankful to see his son growing in piety3. William’s best was a black frock coat, with short tails, trousers of the same material reaching just below his shoe-tops, a huge derby, once black but now green from long exposure to the elements, and a new pair of shoes well tallowed. As he drove up to the gate of the neighboring farm Mary was waiting for him, looking very buxom19 and rosy20 and neat in her plain black dress, the sombreness of which was relieved by a white kerchief at the neck and the gray poke21 bonnet22 of her sect. As she took the vacant place beside him in the buggy and the vehicle rattled24 away, Henry Kuchenbach called after them, “Don’t fergit to bring back some o’ the good things the brethren sais.” And good Mrs. Kuchenbach threw up her hands and exclaimed, “Ain’t them a lovely pair?”
“Yais,” said her husband grimly, “an’ fer six year they’ve ben keepin’ comp’ny an’ he ain’t yit spoke25 his mind.”
The buggy sped along the road, the rattle23 of[204] its wheels, the clatter26 of the mare’s hoofs27 and the shrill28 calls of the killdeer skimming over the meadows, being the sole sounds to break the silence of the country.
A mile was gone over. Then the girl said falteringly29, “Beel, a’n’t it wrong?”
In response William gave his horse a vicious cut with the whip and replied, “It don’t seem jest right to fool ’em, but you’ll fergit all about it ’hen we git dancin’.”
There was silence between them—a silence broken only at rare intervals30 when one or the other ventured some commonplace remark which would be rewarded with a laconic31 “Yais” or “Ye don’t say.”
Up hill and down rattled the buggy, following the crooked32 road across the valley, over three low wooded ridges34, then up the broad meadows that border the river, until at length the grove35 in which lies Blue Bottle Spring was reached. The festivities had already begun. The outskirts36 of the wood were filled with vehicles of every description—buggies, buckboards, spring-wagons, omnibuses and ancient phaetons. The horses had been unhitched and tied to trees and fences, and were munching37 at their midday meal, gnawing38 the bark from the limbs, snatching at the leaves or kicking at the flies while their masters gave themselves up to the pursuit of pleasure. Having seen his mare comfortably settled at a small[205] chestnut39, William Larker took his lunch basket on one arm and his companion on the other and proceeded eagerly to the inner part of the grove, whence came the sounds of the fiddle40 and cornet. They passed through the outer circle of elderly women, who were unpacking41 baskets and tastefully arranging their contents on table-cloths spread on the ground—jars of pickles42, cans of fruit, bags of sandwiches, bottles of cold tea, layer cakes of wondrous43 size and construction, and the scores of other dainties necessary to pass a pleasant day with nature. They went through a second circle of venders of peanuts, lemonade and ice-cream, about whose stands were gathered many elderly men discussing the topics of the day and exchanging greetings.
The young Dunkards had now arrived at the center of interest, the platform, and joined the crowd that was eagerly watching the course of the dance. An orchestra of three pieces, a bass-viol, a violin and a cornet, operated by three men in shirt sleeves, sent forth44 wheezy strains to the time of which men and women, young and old, gaily45 swung corners and partners, galloped46 forward and back, made ladies’ chains, winding48 in and out, then back and bowing, until William Larker and his companion fairly grew dizzy.
The crowd of dancers was a heterogeneous49 one. There were young men from the neighboring county town, gorgeous in blazers of variegated[206] colors, and young farmers whose movements were not the less agile50 for the reason that they wore heavy sombre clothing and high-crowned, broad-brimmed felt hats. There were three particularly forward youths in bicycle attire13, and three gay young men from a not far distant city, whose shining silk hats and dancing pumps made them centers of admiration51 and envy. The women, likewise, went to both extremes. Gaily flowered, airy calico, cashmere and gingham bobbed about among glistening52, frigid53 satins and silks.
“Oh, ain’t it grand?” cried Mary Kuchenbach, clasping her hands.
“That’s good dancin’, I tell ye,” replied her companion with enthusiasm.
She had seated herself on a stump54, and he was leaning against a tree at her side, both with eyes fixed55 on the platform.
Now in seemingly inextricable chaos56; now in perfectly57 orderly form, six sets bowing and scraping; now winding into a dazzling mass of silk, calico, high hats, felt hats, flower-covered bonnets58 and blazers, then out again went the dancers.
“Good dancin’, I should say!” William exclaimed. “Jest look at them th’ee ceety fellys, with them shiny hats, a-swingin’ corners. Now, a’n’t they cuttin’ it? Next comes ‘a-la-man-all.’ Watch ’em—them two in the fur set—the way they th’ow their feet—the gal47 in pink with the felly in short pants an’ a stripped coat. Now[207] back! Thet there is dancin’, I tell ye, Mary! ‘Gents dozy-dough’ next. Thet ’ere felly don’t call figgers loud ’nough. There they goes—bad in the rear set—thet’s better. See them ceety fellys agin, swingin’ partners. Grand chain! Good all ’round—no—there’s a break. See thet girl in blue sating—she turned too soon. Thet’s better. T’other way—bow yer corners—now yer own. What! so soon? Why, they otter59 kep’ it up.”
The music had stopped. The dancers, panting from their exertions60, mopping and fanning, left the platform and scattered61 among the audience.
William Larker’s eyes were aglow62. His companion, seated upon the stump, gazed curiously63, timidly, at the gay crowd about her, while he stood frigidly64 beside her mentally picturing the pleasure to come. He was to dance to real music with a flesh-and-blood partner after all those years of secret practise with a wheat sheaf in the seclusion65 of his father’s barn. He was to put his arms around Mary Kuchenbach. His feet could hardly keep still when a purely66 imaginary air floated through his brain and he fancied himself “dozy-doughing” and “goin’-a-visitin’” with the rosy girl at his side.
The man with the bass-viol was rubbing resin67 on his bow, the violinist was tuning68 up and the cornetist giving the stops of his instrument the usual preliminary exercise when the floor-master[208] announced the next dance. One after another the couples sifted69 from the crowd and clambered on to the platform.
“Two more pair,” cried the conductor.
“Come ’long, Mary. Now’s our chancet,” whispered the young Dunkard to his companion.
“Oh, Beel, really I can’t. I never danced in puberlick afore.”
“But you kin18. It ain’t hard. All ye’ll hev to do is to keep yer feet a-movin’ an’ mind the felly thet’s callin’ figgers.”
The girl hesitated.
“One more couple,” roared the floor-master.
William was getting excited.
“You can dance with the best of ’em. Come ’long.”
“Really now, Beel, jest a minute.”
The twang of the fiddle commenced and the cracked, quavering notes of the horn arose above the buzz of conversation.
“Bow yer corners—now yer own,” cried the leader.
And the young man sat down on the stump in disgust.
“We’ll hev to git in the next,” he said. “Why, it’s eesy. You see this here’s only a plain quadreel. Ye otter see one thet ain’t plain—one o’ them where they hes sech figgers ez ‘first lady on the war-dance,’ like they done at the big weddin’ up in Raccoon Walley th’ee year ago. These[209] is plain. I never danced ’em afore meself, but I’ve seen ’em do it an’ I’ve ben practisin’. All ye’ll hev to do is to mind me.”
So the following dance found them on the platform among the first. The girl was trembling, blushing and self-conscious; the young man self-conscious but triumphant70 and composed.
“Bow yer partners,” cried the floor-master when the orchestra had started its scraping.
Down went the gray poke bonnet. Down went the great derby, and a smile of joy overspread the broad face beneath it.
“Swing yer partners!”
The great arms went around the plump form, lifting it from its feet; their owner spun71 about, carefully replaced his burden on the floor, bowed, smiled and whispered, “Ain’t it grand?”
“Corners!”
The young woman in blue satin gave a slight scream that was metamorphosed into a giggle72, as she felt herself swung through space in the arms of the muscular person toward whom she had careened. Her partner, one of the city men with silk hats, grinned and whispered in her ear, “Oatcake.”
“Leads for’a’d an’ back!”
William Larker seized his partner’s plump hand and bounded forward, bowing and twisting, his free arm gesticulating in unison73 with his legs and feet. He was in the thick of the dance now; in it with his[210] whole heart. Whenever there was any “dozy-doughing” to be done, William did it. If a couple went “visitin’,” he was with them. When “ladies in the center” was called, he was there. In every grand chain he turned the wrong way. He gripped the women’s hands until they groaned74 inwardly. He tramped on and crushed the patent leather pumps of a young city man, and in response to a muttered something smiled his unconcern, bolted back to his corner, swung his partner and murmured, “Ain’t it grand?” The young women giggled75 and winked76 at their acquaintances in the next set; the forward youth in a bicycle suit talked about roadsweepers, and the city man said again, “Oatcake.”
But the young Dunkard was unconscious of it all to the end—the end that came most suddenly and broke up the dancing.
“Swing yer partners!” bawled77 the floor-master.
William Larker obeyed. A ragged78 bit of the sole of his shoe caught in a crack and over he went, off the high platform, with his partner clasped tight in his arms.
When he recovered his senses he found himself lying by the spring, the center of all eyes. His first glance fell upon Mary, who was seated at his side, weeping heartily79, despite the efforts of a large crowd of sympathizing women to allay80 her fears.
Next his eyes met those of the young woman in blue satin, and he saw her laugh and turn and[211] speak to the crowd. He thought that he noticed a silk hat and heard the word “Oatcake.” And then and there he resolved to return to and never again depart from the quiet ways of his fathers.
William and Mary drove back in the early evening. They had crossed the last ridge33 and were looking out over the broad valley toward the dark mountain at whose foot lay their homes, when the first word was spoken.
“Beel,” said the girl with a sidelong glance, “ain’t dancin’ dangerous?”
The young man cut the mare with the whip and flushed.
“Yais, kind o’,” he replied. “But I’m sorry I drug you off o’ the platform like thet.”
She covered her mouth with her hand. William just saw the corner of one of her eyes as she looked up at him from under the gray bonnet.
“Oh, I didn’t min’ thet,” she said. “It was jes’ lovely tell we hit.”
The mare swerved81 to one side, toward the fence. The driver seized the rein82 he had dropped and pulled her back into the beaten track. Then the whip fell from his hands, and he stopped and clambered down into the road and recovered it. But when he regained83 his place in the buggy he wrapped his reins84 twice around the whip, and the intelligent beast trotted85 home unguided.
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收听单词发音
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1
carousal
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| n.喧闹的酒会 | |
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2
impiety
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| n.不敬；不孝 | |
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piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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sect
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| n.派别，宗教，学派，派系 | |
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5
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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frivolity
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| n.轻松的乐事，兴高采烈；轻浮的举止 | |
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scant
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| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
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8
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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inborn
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| adj.天生的，生来的，先天的 | |
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dormant
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| adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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13
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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mare
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| n.母马，母驴 | |
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devoutly
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| adv.虔诚地，虔敬地，衷心地 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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buxom
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| adj.（妇女）丰满的，有健康美的 | |
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rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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poke
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| n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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spoke
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| 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 | |
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clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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27
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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28
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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falteringly
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| 口吃地，支吾地 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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31
laconic
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| adj.简洁的；精练的 | |
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crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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munching
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| v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 ) | |
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gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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chestnut
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| n.栗树，栗子 | |
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fiddle
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| n.小提琴；vi.拉提琴；不停拨弄，乱动 | |
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unpacking
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| n.取出货物，拆包[箱]v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的现在分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等） | |
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42
pickles
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| n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 )；处于困境；遇到麻烦；菜酱 | |
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43
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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46
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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47
gal
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| n.姑娘，少女 | |
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48
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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49
heterogeneous
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| adj.庞杂的；异类的 | |
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50
agile
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| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
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51
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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52
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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53
frigid
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| adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的 | |
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54
stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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55
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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56
chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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58
bonnets
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| n.童帽( bonnet的名词复数 )；（烟囱等的）覆盖物；（苏格兰男子的）无边呢帽；（女子戴的）任何一种帽子 | |
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59
otter
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| n.水獭 | |
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exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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61
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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aglow
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| adj.发亮的；发红的；adv.发亮地 | |
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63
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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frigidly
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| adv.寒冷地；冷漠地；冷淡地；呆板地 | |
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seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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resin
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| n.树脂，松香，树脂制品；vt.涂树脂 | |
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68
tuning
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| n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
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69
sifted
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| v.筛( sift的过去式和过去分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审 | |
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70
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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71
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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72
giggle
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| n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说 | |
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unison
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| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
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74
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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75
giggled
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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76
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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77
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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78
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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79
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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80
allay
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| v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等) | |
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81
swerved
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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82
rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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83
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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84
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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85
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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