Twenty feet away, a stout2, elderly woman interrupted the girl's persuasions3. The elderly woman's back was turned, and the back--loose, bulging4, and misshapen—began a convulsive heaving.
“Gawd!” she cried out. “O Gawd!”
She flung wild glances, like those of an entrapped5 animal, up and down the big whitewashed6 room that panted with heat and that was thickly humid with the steam that sizzled from the damp cloth under the irons of the many ironers. From the girls and women near her, all swinging irons steadily7 but at high pace, came quick glances, and labor8 efficiency suffered to the extent of a score of suspended or inadequate9 movements. The elderly woman's cry had caused a tremor10 of money-loss to pass among the piece-work ironers of fancy starch11.
She gripped herself and her iron with a visible effort, and dabbed12 futilely13 at the frail14, frilled garment on the board under her hand.
“I thought she'd got'em again—didn't you?” the girl said.
“It's a shame, a woman of her age, and... condition,” Saxon answered, as she frilled a lace ruffle15 with a hot fluting-iron. Her movements were delicate, safe, and swift, and though her face was wan16 with fatigue17 and exhausting heat, there was no slackening in her pace.
“An' her with seven, an' two of 'em in reform school,” the girl at the next board sniffed18 sympathetic agreement. “But you just got to come to Weasel Park to-morrow, Saxon. The Bricklayers' is always lively—tugs-of-war, fat-man races, real Irish jiggin', an'... an' everything. An' the floor of the pavilion's swell19.”
But the elderly woman brought another interruption. She dropped her iron on the shirtwaist, clutched at the board, fumbled20 it, caved in at the knees and hips21, and like a half-empty sack collapsed22 on the floor, her long shriek23 rising in the pent room to the acrid24 smell of scorching25 cloth. The women at the boards near to her scrambled27, first, to the hot iron to save the cloth, and then to her, while the forewoman hurried belligerently28 down the aisle29. The women farther away continued unsteadily at their work, losing movements to the extent of a minute's set-back to the totality of the efficiency of the fancy-starch room.
“Enough to kill a dog,” the girl muttered, thumping30 her iron down on its rest with reckless determination. “Workin' girls' life ain't what it's cracked up. Me to quit—that's what I'm comin' to.”
“Mary!” Saxon uttered the other's name with a reproach so profound that she was compelled to rest her own iron for emphasis and so lose a dozen movements.
Mary flashed a half-frightened look across.
“I didn't mean it, Saxon,” she whimpered. “Honest, I didn't. I wouldn't never go that way. But I leave it to you, if a day like this don't get on anybody's nerves. Listen to that!”
The stricken woman, on her back, drumming her heels on the floor, was shrieking31 persistently32 and monotonously33, like a mechanical siren. Two women, clutching her under the arms, were dragging her down the aisle. She drummed and shrieked34 the length of it. The door opened, and a vast, muffled35 roar of machinery36 burst in; and in the roar of it the drumming and the shrieking were drowned ere the door swung shut. Remained of the episode only the scorch26 of cloth drifting ominously37 through the air.
“It's sickenin',” said Mary.
And thereafter, for a long time, the many irons rose and fell, the pace of the room in no wise diminished; while the forewoman strode the aisles38 with a threatening eye for incipient39 breakdown40 and hysteria. Occasionally an ironer lost the stride for an instant, gasped41 or sighed, then caught it up again with weary determination. The long summer day waned42, but not the heat, and under the raw flare43 of electric light the work went on.
By nine o'clock the first women began to go home. The mountain of fancy starch had been demolished—all save the few remnants, here and there, on the boards, where the ironers still labored44.
Saxon finished ahead of Mary, at whose board she paused on the way out.
“Saturday night an' another week gone,” Mary said mournfully, her young cheeks pallid45 and hollowed, her black eyes blue-shadowed and tired. “What d'you think you've made, Saxon?”
“Twelve and a quarter,” was the answer, just touched with pride. “And I'd a-made more if it wasn't for that fake bunch of starchers.”
“My! I got to pass it to you,” Mary congratulated. “You're a sure fierce hustler—just eat it up. Me—I've only ten an' a half, an' for a hard week... See you on the nine-forty. Sure now. We can just fool around until the dancin' begins. A lot of my gentlemen friends'll be there in the afternoon.”
Two blocks from the laundry, where an arc-light showed a gang of toughs on the corner, Saxon quickened her pace. Unconsciously her face set and hardened as she passed. She did not catch the words of the muttered comment, but the rough laughter it raised made her guess and warmed her checks with resentful blood. Three blocks more, turning once to left and once to right, she walked on through the night that was already growing cool. On either side were workingmen's houses, of weathered wood, the ancient paint grimed with the dust of years, conspicuous46 only for cheapness and ugliness.
Dark it was, but she made no mistake, the familiar sag47 and screeching48 reproach of the front gate welcome under her hand. She went along the narrow walk to the rear, avoided the missing step without thinking about it, and entered the kitchen, where a solitary49 gas-jet flickered50. She turned it up to the best of its flame. It was a small room, not disorderly, because of lack of furnishings to disorder51 it. The plaster, discolored by the steam of many wash-days, was crisscrossed with cracks from the big earthquake of the previous spring. The floor was ridged, wide-cracked, and uneven52, and in front of the stove it was worn through and repaired with a five-gallon oil-can hammered flat and double. A sink, a dirty roller-towel, several chairs, and a wooden table completed the picture.
An apple-core crunched53 under her foot as she drew a chair to the table. On the frayed54 oilcloth, a supper waited. She attempted the cold beans, thick with grease, but gave them up, and buttered a slice of bread.
The rickety house shook to a heavy, prideless tread, and through the inner door came Sarah, middle-aged55, lop-breasted, hair-tousled, her face lined with care and fat petulance56.
“Huh, it's you,” she grunted57 a greeting. “I just couldn't keep things warm. Such a day! I near died of the heat. An' little Henry cut his lip awful. The doctor had to put four stitches in it.”
Sarah came over and stood mountainously by the table.
“What's the matter with them beans?” she challenged.
“Nothing, only...” Saxon caught her breath and avoided the threatened outburst. “Only I'm not hungry. It's been so hot all day. It was terrible in the laundry.”
Recklessly she took a mouthful of the cold tea that had been steeped so long that it was like acid in her mouth, and recklessly, under the eye of her sister-in-law, she swallowed it and the rest of the cupful. She wiped her mouth on her handkerchief and got up.
“I guess I'll go to bed.”
“Wonder you ain't out to a dance,” Sarah sniffed. “Funny, ain't it, you come home so dead tired every night, an' yet any night in the week you can get out an' dance unearthly hours.”
Saxon started to speak, suppressed herself with tightened58 lips, then lost control and blazed out. “Wasn't you ever young?”
Without waiting for reply, she turned to her bedroom, which opened directly off the kitchen. It was a small room, eight by twelve, and the earthquake had left its marks upon the plaster. A bed and chair of cheap pine and a very ancient chest of drawers constituted the furniture. Saxon had known this chest of drawers all her life. The vision of it was woven into her earliest recollections. She knew it had crossed the plains with her people in a prairie schooner59. It was of solid mahogany. One end was cracked and dented60 from the capsize of the wagon61 in Rock Canyon62. A bullet-hole, plugged, in the face of the top drawer, told of the fight with the Indians at Little Meadow. Of these happenings her mother had told her; also had she told that the chest had come with the family originally from England in a day even earlier than the day on which George Washington was born.
Above the chest of drawers, on the wall, hung a small looking-glass. Thrust under the molding were photographs of young men and women, and of picnic groups wherein the young men, with hats rakishly on the backs of their heads, encircled the girls with their arms. Farther along on the wall were a colored calendar and numerous colored advertisements and sketches63 torn out of magazines. Most of these sketches were of horses. From the gas-fixture hung a tangled64 bunch of well-scribbled dance programs.
Saxon started to take off her hat, but suddenly sat down on the bed. She sobbed65 softly, with considered repression66, but the weak-latched door swung noiselessly open, and she was startled by her sister-in-law's voice.
“NOW what's the matter with you? If you didn't like them beans—”
“No, no,” Saxon explained hurriedly. “I'm just tired, that's all, and my feet hurt. I wasn't hungry, Sarah. I'm just beat out.”
“If you took care of this house,” came the retort, “an' cooked an' baked, an' washed, an' put up with what I put up, you'd have something to be beat out about. You've got a snap, you have. But just wait.” Sarah broke off to cackle gloatingly. “Just wait, that's all, an' you'll be fool enough to get married some day, like me, an' then you'll get yours—an' it'll be brats67, an' brats, an' brats, an' no more dancin', an' silk stockin's, an' three pairs of shoes at one time. You've got a cinch--nobody to think of but your own precious self—an' a lot of young hoodlums makin' eyes at you an' tellin' you how beautiful your eyes are. Huh! Some fine day you'll tie up to one of 'em, an' then, mebbe, on occasion, you'll wear black eyes for a change.”
“Don't say that, Sarah,” Saxon protested. “My brother never laid hands on you. You know that.”
“No more he didn't. He never had the gumption68. Just the same, he's better stock than that tough crowd you run with, if he can't make a livin' an' keep his wife in three pairs of shoes. Just the same he's oodles better'n your bunch of hoodlums that no decent woman'd wipe her one pair of shoes on. How you've missed trouble this long is beyond me. Mebbe the younger generation is wiser in such things—I don't know. But I do know that a young woman that has three pairs of shoes ain't thinkin' of anything but her own enjoyment69, an' she's goin' to get hers, I can tell her that much. When I was a girl there wasn't such doin's. My mother'd taken the hide off me if I done the things you do. An' she was right, just as everything in the world is wrong now. Look at your brother, a-runnin' around to socialist70 meetin's, an' chewin' hot air, an' diggin' up extra strike dues to the union that means so much bread out of the mouths of his children, instead of makin' good with his bosses. Why, the dues he pays would keep me in seventeen pairs of shoes if I was nannygoat enough to want 'em. Some day, mark my words, he'll get his time, an' then what'll we do? What'll I do, with five mouths to feed an' nothin' comin' in?”
“Oh, Sarah, please won't you shut the door?” Saxon pleaded.
The door slammed violently, and Saxon, ere she fell to crying again, could hear her sister-in-law lumbering73 about the kitchen and talking loudly to herself.
该作者的其它作品
The Sea-Wolf海狼
白牙 White Fang
野性的呼唤 The Call of the Wild该作者的其它作品
The Sea-Wolf海狼
白牙 White Fang
The Iron Heel 铁蹄
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1
vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
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persuasions
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| n.劝说，说服（力）( persuasion的名词复数 )；信仰 | |
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bulging
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| 膨胀； 凸出（部）； 打气； 折皱 | |
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entrapped
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| v.使陷入圈套，使入陷阱( entrap的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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whitewashed
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| 粉饰，美化，掩饰( whitewash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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starch
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| n.淀粉；vt.给...上浆 | |
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12
dabbed
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| （用某物）轻触( dab的过去式和过去分词 )； 轻而快地擦掉（或抹掉）； 快速擦拭； （用某物）轻而快地涂上（或点上）… | |
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13
futilely
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| futile（无用的）的变形； 干 | |
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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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ruffle
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| v.弄皱，弄乱；激怒，扰乱；n.褶裥饰边 | |
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16
wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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18
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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19
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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21
hips
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| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
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collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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acrid
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| adj.辛辣的，尖刻的，刻薄的 | |
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scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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scorch
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| v.烧焦，烤焦；高速疾驶；n.烧焦处，焦痕 | |
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27
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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belligerently
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29
aisle
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| n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道 | |
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30
thumping
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| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
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31
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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32
persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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monotonously
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| adv.单调地，无变化地 | |
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34
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35
muffled
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| 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） | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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ominously
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| adv.恶兆地，不吉利地；预示地 | |
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38
aisles
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| n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊 | |
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incipient
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| adj.起初的，发端的，初期的 | |
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breakdown
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| n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌 | |
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41
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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42
waned
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| v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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43
flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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44
labored
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| adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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45
pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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46
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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47
sag
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| v.下垂，下跌，消沉；n.下垂，下跌，凹陷，[航海]随风漂流 | |
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48
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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49
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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50
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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52
uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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53
crunched
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| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的过去式和过去分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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54
frayed
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| adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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56
petulance
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| n.发脾气，生气，易怒，暴躁，性急 | |
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57
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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58
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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59
schooner
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| n.纵帆船 | |
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60
dented
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| v.使产生凹痕( dent的过去式和过去分词 )；损害；伤害；挫伤（信心、名誉等） | |
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61
wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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62
canyon
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| n.峡谷，溪谷 | |
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63
sketches
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| n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概 | |
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64
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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65
sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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66
repression
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| n.镇压，抑制，抑压 | |
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67
brats
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| n.调皮捣蛋的孩子( brat的名词复数 ) | |
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68
gumption
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| n.才干 | |
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69
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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70
socialist
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| n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的 | |
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71
seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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72
tirade
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| n.冗长的攻击性演说 | |
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lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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