CHAPTER XIII—DICK

WHEN Charlie Gaston reached his home after a never-to-be-forgotten day in the woods with the Preacher, he found a ragged¹ little dirt-smeared negro boy peeping through the fence into the woodyard.

“What you want?” cried Charlie.

“Nuttin!”

“What’s your name?”

“Dick.”

“Who’s your father?”

“Haint got none. My mudder say she was tricked, en I’se de trick!” he chuckled² and walled his eyes.

Charlie came close and looked him over. Dick giggled³ and showed the whites of his eyes.

“What made that streak⁴ on your neck?”

“Nigger done it wid er axe⁵.”

“What nigger?”

“Low life nigger name er Amos what stays roun’ our house Sundays.”

“What made him do it?”

“He low he wuz me daddy, en I sez he wuz er liar⁶, en den⁷ he grab de axe en try ter chop me head off.”

“Gracious, he ’most killed you!”

“Yassir, but de doctor sewed me head back, en hit grow’d.”

“Goodness me!”

“Say!” grinned Dick.

“What?”

“I likes you.”

“Do you?”

“Yassir, en I aint gwine home no mo’. I done run away, en I wants ter live wid you.”

“Will you help me and Nelse work?”

“Dat I will. I can do mos’ anyting. You ax yer Ma fur me, en doan let dat nigger Nelse git holt er me.” Charlie’s heart went out to the ragged little waif. He took him by the hand, led him into the yard, found his mother, and begged her to give him a place to sleep and keep him.

His mother tried to persuade him to make Dick go back to his own home. Nelse was loud in his objections to the new comer, and Aunt Eve looked at him as though she would throw him over the fence.

But Dick stuck doggedly⁸ to Charlie’s heels.

“Mama dear, see, they tried to cut his head oft with an axe,” cried the boy, and he wheeled Dick around and showed the terrible scar across the back of his neck.

“I spec hits er pity dey didn’t cut hit clean off,” muttered Nelse.

“Mama, you can’t send him back to be killed!”

“Well, darling, I’ll see about it to-morrow.”

“Come on Dick, I’ll show you where to sleep!”

The next day Dick’s mother was glad to get rid of him by binding⁹ him legally to Mrs. Gaston, and a lonely boy found a playmate and partner in work, he was never to forget.

1 ragged   

adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的

参考例句：

• A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
• Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

2 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。

3 giggled   

v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
• The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

5 axe   

n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减

参考例句：

• Be careful with that sharp axe.那把斧子很锋利，你要当心。
• The edge of this axe has turned.这把斧子卷了刃了。

6 liar   

n.说谎的人

参考例句：

• I know you for a thief and a liar!我算认识你了，一个又偷又骗的家伙！
• She was wrongly labelled a liar.她被错误地扣上说谎者的帽子。

7 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。

8 doggedly   

adv.顽强地，固执地

参考例句：

• He was still doggedly pursuing his studies.他仍然顽强地进行着自己的研究。
• He trudged doggedly on until he reached the flat.他顽强地、步履艰难地走着，一直走回了公寓。

9 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。