CHAPTER VIII—AN EXPERIMENT IN MATRIMONY

NELSE was informed by the Agent of the Freedman’s Bureau when summoned before that tribunal that he must pay a fee of one dollar for a marriage license¹ and be married over again.

“What’s dat? Dis yer war bust² up me en Eve’s marryin’?”

“Yes,” said the Agent. “You must be legally married.”

Nelse chucked on a brilliant scheme that flashed through his mind.

“Den⁴ I see you ergin ’bout dat,” he said as he hastily took his leave.

He made his way homeward revolving⁵ his brilliant scheme. “But won’t I fetch dat nigger Eve down er peg⁶ er two! I gwine ter make her t’ink I won’ marry her nohow. I make’er ax my pardon fur all dem little disergreements. She got ter talk mighty⁷ putty now sho nuf!” And he smiled over his coming triumph.

It was four o’clock in the afternoon when he reached his cabin door on the lot back of Mrs. Gaston’s home. Eve was busy mending some clothes for their little boy now nearly five years old.

“Good evenin’, Miss Eve!”

Eve looked up at him with a sudden flash of her eye. “What de matter wid you nigger?”

“Nuttin’ tall. Des drapped in lak ter pass de time er day, en ax how’s you en yer son stallin’ dis hot wedder!” Nelse bowed and smiled.

“What ail⁸ you, you big black baboon⁹?”

“Nuttin’ tall M’am, des callin’ roun’ ter see my frien’s.” Still smiling Nelse walked in and sat down.

Eve put down her sewing, stood up before him, her arms akimbo, and gazed at him steadily¹⁰ till the whites of her eyes began to shine like two moons.

“You wants me ter whale you ober de head wid dat poker¹¹?”

“Not dis evenin’, M’am.”

“Den what ail you?”

“De Buro des inform me, dat es I’se er young han’some man en you’se er gittin’ kinder ole en fat, dat we aint married nohow. En dey gimme er paper fur er dollar dat allow me ter marry de young lady er my choice. Dat sho is er great Buro!”

“We aint married?”

“Nob-um.”

“Atter we stan’ up dar befo’ Marse John Durham en say des what all dem white folks say?”

“Nob-um.”

Eve slowly took her seat and gazed down the road thoughtfully.

“I t’ink I drap eroun’ ter see you en gin you er chance wid de odder gals¹³ fo’ I steps off,” explained Nelse with a grin.

No answer.

“You ’member dat night I say sumfin’ ’bout er gal³ I know once, en you riz en grab er poun’ er wool outen my head fo’ I kin¹² move?”

No answer yet.

“Min’ dat time, you bust de biscuit bode¹⁴ ober my head, en lam me wid de fire-shovel, en hit me in de burr er de year wid er flatiron es I wuz makin’ fur de do’?”

“Yas, I min’s dat sho!” said Eve with evident satisfaction.

“Doan you wish you nebber done dat?”

“You black debbil!”

“Dat’s hit! I’se er bad nigger, M’am,—bad nigger fo’ de war. En I’se gittin’ wuss en wuss,” Nelse chuckled¹⁵.

She looked at him with gathering¹⁶ rage and contempt.

“En den fudder mo, M’am, I doan lak de way you talk ter me sometimes. Yo voice des kinder takes de skin off same’s er file. I laks ter hear er ’oman’s voice lak my Missy’s, des es sof’ es wool. Sometime one word from her keep me warm all winter. De way you talk sometime make me cole in de summer time.”

Nelse rose while Eve sat motionless.

“I des call, M’am, ter drap er little intent inter¹⁷ dem years er yourn, dat’ll percerlate froo you min’, en when I calls ergin I hopes ter be welcome wid smiles.”

Nelse bowed himself out the door in grandiloquent¹⁸ style.

All the afternoon he was laughing to himself over his triumph, and imagining the welcome when he returned that evening with his marriage license and the officer to perform the ceremony. At supper in the kitchen he was polite and formal in his manners to Eve. She eyed him in a contemptuous sort of way and never spoke¹⁹ unless it was absolutely necessary.

It was about half past eight when Nelse arrived at home with the license duly issued and the officer of the Bureau ready to perform the ceremony.

“Des wait er minute here at de corner, sah, twell I kinder breaks de news to ’em,” said Nelse to the officer. He approached the cabin door and knocked.

It was shut and fastened. He got no response.

He knocked loudly again.

Eve thrust her head out the window.

“Who’s dat?”

“Hits me, M’am, Mister Nelson Gaston, I’se call ter see you.”

“Den you hump yo’se’f en git away from dat do, you rascal²⁰.”

“De Lawd, honey, I’se des been er foolin’ you ter day. I’se got dem licenses²¹ en de Buro man right out dar now ready ter marry us. You know yo ole man nebber gwine back on you—I des been er foolin’.”

“Den you been er foolin’ wid de wrong nigger!”

“Lawd, honey, doan keep de bridegroom er waitin’.”

“Git er way from dat do!”

“G’long chile, en quit yer projeckin’.” Nelse was using his softest and most persuasive²² tones now.

“G’way from dat do!”

“Come on, Eve, de man waitin’ out dar fur us!”

“Git away I tells you er I scald you wid er kittle er hot water!”

Nelse drew back slightly from the door.

“But, honey, whar yo ole man gwine ter sleep?”

“Dey’s straw in de barn, en pine shatters in de dog house!” she shouted slamming the window.

“Eve, honey!”—

“Doan you come honeyin’ me, I’se er spec’able ’oman I is. Ef you wants ter marry me you got ter come cotin’ me in de day time fust, en bring me candy, en ribbins en flowers and sich, en you got ter talk purtier’n you ebber talk in all yo born days. Lots er likely lookin’ niggers come settin up ter me while you gone in dat wah, en I keep studin’ ’bout you, you big black rascal. Now you got ter hump yo’se’f ef you eber see de inside er dis cabin ergin.”

Crestfallen²³ Nelse returned to the officer.

“Wall sah, deys er kinder hitch²⁴ in de perceedins.”

“What’s the matter?”

“She ’low I got ter come cotin’ her fust. En I spec I is.”

The officer laughed and returned to his home. She made Nelse sleep in the barn for three weeks, court her an hour every day, and bring her five cents worth of red stick candy and a bouquet²⁵ of flowers as a peace offering at every visit. Finally she made him write her a note and ask her to take a ride with him. Nelse got Charlie to write it for him, and made his own boy carry it to his mother. After three weeks of humility²⁶ and attention to her wishes, she gave her consent, and they were duly married again.

1 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

2 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

3 gal   

n.姑娘，少女

参考例句：

• We decided to go with the gal from Merrill.我们决定和那个从梅里尔来的女孩合作。
• What's the name of the gal? 这个妞叫什么？

4 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

5 revolving   

adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想

参考例句：

• The theatre has a revolving stage. 剧院有一个旋转舞台。
• The company became a revolving-door workplace. 这家公司成了工作的中转站。

6 peg   

n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定

参考例句：

• Hang your overcoat on the peg in the hall.把你的大衣挂在门厅的挂衣钩上。
• He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet.他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。

7 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

8 ail   

v.生病，折磨，苦恼

参考例句：

• It may provide answers to some of the problems that ail America.这一点可能解答困扰美国的某些问题。
• Seek your sauce where you get your ail.心痛还须心药治。

9 baboon   

n.狒狒

参考例句：

• A baboon is a large monkey that lives in Africa.狒狒是一种生活在非洲的大猴子。
• As long as the baboon holds on to what it wants,it's trapped.只要狒狒紧抓住想要的东西不放手，它就会被牢牢困住。

10 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

11 poker   

n.扑克；vt.烙制

参考例句：

• He was cleared out in the poker game.他打扑克牌，把钱都输光了。
• I'm old enough to play poker and do something with it.我打扑克是老手了，可以玩些花样。

12 kin   

n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的

参考例句：

• He comes of good kin.他出身好。
• She has gone to live with her husband's kin.她住到丈夫的亲戚家里去了。

13 gals   

abbr.gallons （复数）加仑（液量单位）n.女孩，少女( gal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jim came skipping out at the gate with a tin pail, and singing Buffalo Gals. 这时，吉姆手里提着一个锡皮桶，嘴中唱着“布法罗的女娃们”蹦蹦跳跳地从大门口跑出来。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• An' dey thinks dey wants mousy lil gals wid bird's tastes an' no sense at all. 他们想要的是耗子般的小姑娘，胃口小得像雀子，一点儿见识也没有。 来自飘（部分）

14 bode   

v.预示

参考例句：

• These figures do not bode well for the company's future.这些数字显示出公司的前景不妙。
• His careful habits bode well for his future.他那认真的习惯预示著他会有好的前途。

15 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。

16 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

17 inter   

v.埋葬

参考例句：

• They interred their dear comrade in the arms.他们埋葬了他们亲爱的战友。
• The man who died in that accident has been interred.在那次事故中死的那个人已经被埋葬了。

18 grandiloquent   

adj.夸张的

参考例句：

• He preferred,in his grandiloquent way,to call a spade a spade.他喜欢夸夸其谈地谈出事实的真相来。
• He was a performer who loved making grandiloquent gesture.他是一个喜欢打夸张手势的演员。

19 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。

20 rascal   

n.流氓；不诚实的人

参考例句：

• If he had done otherwise,I should have thought him a rascal.如果他不这样做，我就认为他是个恶棍。
• The rascal was frightened into holding his tongue.这坏蛋吓得不敢往下说了。

21 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

22 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

23 crestfallen   

adj. 挫败的，失望的，沮丧的

参考例句：

• He gathered himself up and sneaked off,crushed and crestfallen.他爬起来，偷偷地溜了，一副垂头丧气、被斗败的样子。
• The youth looked exceedingly crestfallen.那青年看上去垂头丧气极了。

24 hitch   

v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉

参考例句：

• They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程，最后决定搭便车。
• All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。

25 bouquet   

n.花束，酒香

参考例句：

• This wine has a rich bouquet.这种葡萄酒有浓郁的香气。
• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。

26 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。