I HAD shut the door to. Then I turned around. and there he was. I used to be scared of him all the time, he tanned me so much. I reckoned I was scared now, too; but in a minute I see I was mistaken -- that is, after the first jolt1, as you may say, when my breath sort of hitched2, he being so unexpected; but right away after I see I warn't scared of him worth bothring about.
He was most fifty, and he looked it. His hair was long and tangled3 and greasy4, and hung down, and you could see his eyes shining through like he was behind vines. It was all black, no gray; so was his long, mixed-up whiskers. There warn't no color in his face, where his face showed; it was white; not like another man's white, but a white to make a body sick, a white to make a body's flesh crawl -- a tree-toad white, a fish-belly white. As for his clothes -- just rags, that was all. He had one ankle resting on t'other knee; the boot on that foot was busted5, and two of his toes stuck through, and he worked them now and then. His hat was laying on the floor -- an old black slouch with the top caved in, like a lid.
I stood a-looking at him; he set there a-looking at me, with his chair tilted6 back a little. I set the candle down. I noticed the window was up; so he had clumb in by the shed. He kept a-looking me all over. By and by he says:
"Starchy clothes -- very. You think you're a good deal of a big-bug, DON'T you?"
"Maybe I am, maybe I ain't," I says.
"Don't you give me none o' your lip," says he. "You've put on considerable many frills since I been away. I'll take you down a peg7 before I get done with you. You're educated, too, they say -- can read and write. You think you're better'n your father, now, don't you, because he can't? I'LL take it out of you. Who told you you might meddle8 with such hifalut'n foolishness, hey? -- who told you you could?"
"The widow. She told me."
"The widow, hey? -- and who told the widow she could put in her shovel9 about a thing that ain't none of her business?"
"Nobody never told her."
"Well, I'll learn her how to meddle. And looky here -- you drop that school, you hear? I'll learn people to bring up a boy to put on airs over his own father and let on to be better'n what HE is. You lemme catch you fooling around that school again, you hear? Your mother couldn't read, and she couldn't write, nuther, before she died. None of the family couldn't before THEY died. I can't; and here you're a-swelling yourself up like this. I ain't the man to stand it -- you hear? Say, lemme hear you read."
I took up a book and begun something about General Washington and the wars. When I'd read about a half a minute, he fetched the book a whack10 with his hand and knocked it across the house. He says:
"It's so. You can do it. I had my doubts when you told me. Now looky here; you stop that putting on frills. I won't have it. I'll lay for you, my smarty; and if I catch you about that school I'll tan you good. First you know you'll get religion, too. I never see such a son.
He took up a little blue and yaller picture of some cows and a boy, and says:
"What's this?"
"It's something they give me for learning my lessons good."
He tore it up, and says:
"I'll give you something better -- I'll give you a cowhide.
He set there a-mumbling and a-growling a minute, and then he says:
"AIN'T you a sweet-scented dandy, though? A bed; and bedclothes; and a look'n'-glass; and a piece of carpet on the floor -- and your own father got to sleep with the hogs12 in the tanyard. I never see such a son. I bet I'll take some o' these frills out o' you before I'm done with you. Why, there ain't no end to your airs -- they say you're rich. Hey? -- how's that?"
"They lie -- that's how."
"Looky here -- mind how you talk to me; I'm astanding about all I can stand now -- so don't gimme no sass. I've been in town two days, and I hain't heard nothing but about you bein' rich. I heard about it away down the river, too. That's why I come. You git me that money to-morrow -- I want it."
"I hain't got no money."
"It's a lie. Judge Thatcher13's got it. You git it. I want it."
"I hain't got no money, I tell you. You ask Judge Thatcher; he'll tell you the same."
"All right. I'll ask him; and I'll make him pungle, too, or I'll know the reason why. Say, how much you got in your pocket? I want it."
"I hain't got only a dollar, and I want that to --"
"It don't make no difference what you want it for -- you just shell it out."
He took it and bit it to see if it was good, and then he said he was going down town to get some whisky; said he hadn't had a drink all day. When he had got out on the shed he put his head in again, and cussed me for putting on frills and trying to be better than him; and when I reckoned he was gone he come back and put his head in again, and told me to mind about that school, because he was going to lay for me and lick me if I didn't drop that.
Next day he was drunk, and he went to Judge Thatcher's and bullyragged him, and tried to make him give up the money; but he couldn't, and then he swore he'd make the law force him.
The judge and the widow went to law to get the court to take me away from him and let one of them be my guardian14; but it was a new judge that had just come, and he didn't know the old man; so he said courts mustn't interfere15 and separate families if they could help it; said he'd druther not take a child away from its father. So Judge Thatcher and the widow had to quit on the business.
That pleased the old man till he couldn't rest. He said he'd cowhide me till I was black and blue if I didn't raise some money for him. I borrowed three dollars from Judge Thatcher, and pap took it and got drunk, and went a-blowing around and cussing and whooping16 and carrying on; and he kept it up all over town, with a tin pan, till most midnight; then they jailed him, and next day they had him before court, and jailed him again for a week. But he said HE was satisfied; said he was boss of his son, and he'd make it warm for HIM.
When he got out the new judge said he was a-going to make a man of him. So he took him to his own house, and dressed him up clean and nice, and had him to breakfast and dinner and supper with the family, and was just old pie to him, so to speak. And after supper he talked to him about temperance and such things till the old man cried, and said he'd been a fool, and fooled away his life; but now he was a-going to turn over a new leaf and be a man nobody wouldn't be ashamed of, and he hoped the judge would help him and not look down on him. The judge said he could hug him for them words; so he cried, and his wife she cried again; pap said he'd been a man that had always been misunderstood before, and the judge said he believed it. The old man said that what a man wanted that was down was sympathy, and the judge said it was so; so they cried again. And when it was bedtime the old man rose up and held out his hand, and says:
"Look at it, gentlemen and ladies all; take a-hold of it; shake it. There's a hand that was the hand of a hog11; but it ain't so no more; it's the hand of a man that's started in on a new life, and'll die before he'll go back. You mark them words -- don't forget I said them. It's a clean hand now; shake it -- don't be afeard."
So they shook it, one after the other, all around, and cried. The judge's wife she kissed it. Then the old man he signed a pledge -- made his mark. The judge said it was the holiest time on record, or something like that. Then they tucked the old man into a beautiful room, which was the spare room, and in the night some time he got powerful thirsty and clumb out on to the porch-roof and slid down a stanchion and traded his new coat for a jug17 of forty-rod, and clumb back again and had a good old time; and towards daylight he crawled out again, drunk as a fiddler, and rolled off the porch and broke his left arm in two places, and was most froze to death when somebody found him after sun-up. And when they come to look at that spare room they had to take soundings before they could navigate18 it.
The judge he felt kind of sore. He said he reckoned a body could reform the old man with a shotgun, maybe, but he didn't know no other way.
我关上门，一掉头，就看见了他。从前我一直怕他，我挨他的揍挨得太多了。我觉得我现在还怕他，但我一见他，就知道自己想错了。也就是说，我先吃了一惊，气都喘不过来了--他来得太突然了，可很快地，我就知道，我并不怎么怕他。他已经快50 了，看起来也像。头发很长，乱糟糟地一团，油乎乎的，朝下耷拉着，眼睛在乱发后闪着光，好像是人躲在葡葡藤后面一样。头发还全是黑的，没有白发；又长又乱的络腮胡子也是黑的。面色苍白，能看得出来，脸是惨白的，又不像一般人那种白法，而是白得让人难受，白得叫人浑身起鸡皮疙瘩--像雨蛙，像鱼肚那种白。他的衣服--就是一堆破烂儿。他的一只脚放在另一条腿的膝盖上；那只靴子张着嘴，两个脚趾头露了出来，他时不时地摆弄着那两个脚趾。帽子丢在地板上；那是一顶破旧的黑毡帽，顶塌下去了，跟个锅盖儿似的。
我站着看他，他坐在那里看我，椅子朝后边翘着。我放在蜡烛，看到窗户正开着；他肯定是从木棚上爬进来的。他在从头到脚打量着我。过了一阵，他说："笔挺的衣服，不错。你认为你是个大人物了，对吗？""也许是，也许不是。" 我说。
"别跟我斗嘴，"他说，" 我走之后，你就摆起了臭架子。我得先刹刹你的威风，再跟你一刀两断。他们说你还受了教育，能读会写。如今你觉得你比你老子强了，是不是？毕竟他不会。我就是要把这个给你连根拔掉。谁说你可以瞎掺合这些无聊的傻事啦，嗯？谁跟你说的？""寡妇。她跟我说的。""寡妇，嗯？又有谁跟寡妇说她可以管闲事管到别人头上来呢？""没人跟她说。""好吧，我要教教她怎么管闲事。记着，你马上退学，听到没有？我要教训教训那帮人，把儿子养大了却叫他跟自己的亲老子摆架子，还装得比老子都强。可别让我再抓住你在那个学校瞎混，听到没？你妈不识字，不会写，过了一辈子。全家没一个人会，连我也不会，你倒在这儿自己抖起来了。我可受不了这个，听见没有？喂--你读书，让我听听。"我拿起一本书，开始读关于华盛顿将军与打仗的事。我读了大约有半分钟，他伸手一拳，我的书便被他打到了屋子另一边去了。他说："真是这样，你会读。你跟我讲的时候我还不大相信。现在记住，你停止摆臭架子。我不吃这套'我要看着你，聪明的小家伙，要是我在那个学校边上抓住你，就好好地揍你一顿。你要明白，上了学你还会信教。我可没有这么个儿子。"他拾起一小张黄蓝相间的图画，画的是几头母牛和一个男孩儿，他问："这是什么？""这是因为我功课好，他们发给我作奖励的。"他给撕了，说道："我要发给你点儿更好的东西--拿牛皮鞭抽你一通。"他坐在那里嘟嘟囔囔，吵吵嚷嚷，过了一阵，又说："你这不是个香喷喷的花花公子了吗？一张床，还有铺盖，还有面镜子，地上铺着地毯--可你亲老子还得在制革厂和猪睡在一起。我可没见过这种儿子。我一定要打掉你这些臭架子，再跟你断绝关系。喂，你倒是神气个没完了--他们说你发财了。嗯？有这么一回事吗？""他们扯谎，就这么回事。""听着，跟我说话小心点儿；该受的我可全受够了，别跟我顶嘴。我来这镇上两天了，都说你发财了。在河下游我也听到了。所以，我就来了。你明天把那些钱给我，我要。""我没钱。""胡说。萨切尔法官拿着。你去他那里把钱拿来。我要。""我告诉你，我没钱。你去问萨切尔法官，他也会这么对你说的。""好吧。我要去问问他；我还会让他把钱交出来，否则我就得弄明白缘由。喂，你口袋里有多少钱？我要。""我只有一块钱，我想用它..""你想用它干什么都不重要，你交出来就行。"他拿过钱，咬了咬，看是否是真的，然后，他说他要去镇上弄点威士忌，说他一天都没沾酒了。他钻出去站到木棚上，又把头伸进来，骂我摆臭架子，还想超过他；等我觉得他走开了，他又回来伸着头，叫我小心点儿那个学校，如果我不退学，他就等着揍我。
第二天，他喝醉了，跑到萨切尔法官家去吓唬他，想让法官放弃那笔钱，可他没得逞，后来，他就发誓说他会让法院强制法官交出那笔钱来。
法官和寡妇就去打官司，想让法院判我同他脱离关系，让他俩任何一个当我的监护人。可那刚到任的新法官不了解老头儿，他说要是这家人能凑合，法院就不该干预并拆散一家亲骨肉；还说他不想让一个孩子和他父亲断绝往来。这么一来，法官和寡妇只好作罢。
这一下叫老头儿高兴得不得了。他说如果我不给他弄俩钱儿花，他就把我揍个鼻青脸肿。我朝萨切尔法官借了三块钱，爸拿去喝了个烂醉，又吹口哨儿，又骂街，四处吵吵嚷嚷。胡闹了一气，把整个镇上都闹翻了，他拎只铁锅，一直折腾到小半夜，后来，人们把他关了起来，第二天将他送到法院，又关了他一个星期。可是，他说他还比较满意，说他管得住儿子，他还要给他点儿颜色看。
他被放出来时，新法官劝他重新做人。所以，他就带他到自己家，给他穿得既干净又漂亮，早饭、午饭和晚饭都让他和家里人一块儿吃，对他简直好透了。吃过晚饭，法官就给他讲戒酒之类的大道理，把老头儿都说哭了，他说自己一直以来是个傻瓜，这辈子全给糟蹋了；但是现在，他要改过自新，不叫任何人再替他害臊，他希望法官能够帮助他，别瞧不起他。法官说就冲他说这些话，他就应该紧紧地拥抱他。因此，连法官都哭了，法官太太也哭了；爸说他这个人过去总是被人误解，法官就说他相信这点。老头儿说一个倒了霉的人需要的是同情，法官就说非常正确。于是，他们又哭了。临近睡觉时，老头儿站起来伸出了他的手，说："看看它吧，诸位先生女士们；抓住它，握一握。这只手啊，过去简直是个猪爪子，现在可不是这样了，它是一个开始新生的人的手，死也不会走老路了。请你们记住这些话--记着我这么讲过。现在，这是一只干净的手，握握它--用不着害怕。"于是，他们跟他握握手，一个接一个握了个遍儿，都哭了。法官太太还吻了他的手。随后，老头儿签了个保证书，划了押。法官说这是有史以来最神圣的时刻，或许是类似的话。后来，他们把老头儿安置在一个漂亮的房间里，那是一间客房。在当天夜里不知什么时候，他酒瘾上来熬不住了，就爬出去从门廊顶上顺着一根柱子溜了下来，拿新上衣换了一大壶酒，又爬回来，美美地喝了一阵子；天快亮时，又往外爬，醉得东倒西歪，从门廊顶上摔了下来，左胳膊摔坏了两处，天亮后，才有人发现了他，都快冻僵了。当人们去看那间客房的时候，几乎没有什么下脚的地方。
法官有些恼火。他说也许给那老头儿一枪才能让他改邪归正，但是，他也想不出什么高招来。
收听单词发音 |
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jolt
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| v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸 | |
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hitched
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| （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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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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greasy
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| adj. 多脂的，油脂的 | |
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busted
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| adj. 破产了的，失败了的，被降级的，被逮捕的，被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词 | |
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tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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peg
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| n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定 | |
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meddle
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| v.干预，干涉，插手 | |
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shovel
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| n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出 | |
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whack
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| v.敲击，重打，瓜分；n.重击，重打，尝试，一份 | |
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hog
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| n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占 | |
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hogs
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| n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人 | |
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thatcher
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| n.茅屋匠 | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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whooping
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| 发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的 | |
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jug
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| n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂 | |
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navigate
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| v.航行，飞行；导航，领航 | |
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