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an old town by the sea(滨海古城)-第17节

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proprietors      of  these    little  knick…knack      establishments       were   the   nicest 

creatures; somehow suggesting venerable doves。 They were always aged 

ladies; sometimes spinsters; sometimes relicts of daring mariners; beached 

long     before。    They    always     wore    crisp   muslin     caps   and    steel…rimmed 

spectacles; they were not always amiable; and no wonder; for even doves 

may have their rheumatism; but such as they were; they were cherished in 

young hearts; and are; I take it; impossible to…day。 

     When I look back to Portsmouth as I knew it; it occurs to me that it 

must   have   been   in   some   respects   unique   among   New   England   towns。 

There   were;  for   instance; no   really  poor persons   in   the place;   every  one 

had some sufficient calling or an income to render it unnecessary; vagrants 

and   paupers   were   instantly   snapped   up   and   provided   for   at   〃the   Farm。〃 



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There was; however; in a gambrel…roofed house here and there; a decayed 

old    gentlewoman;         occupying       a  scrupulously       neat    room     with    just  a 

suspicion of maccaboy snuff in the air; who had her meals sent in to her by 

the    neighborhoodas         a  matter    of   course;    and    involving     no   sense    of 

dependency  on   her   side。   It   is   wonderful   what   an   extension   of   vitality  is 

given to an old gentlewoman in this condition! 

     I   would   like   to   write   about   several   of   those   ancient   Dames;   as   they 

were   affectionately  called;   and   to   materialize   others   of   the   shadows   that 

stir   in   my   recollection;   but   this   would   be   to   go   outside   the   lines   of   my 

purpose; which is simply to indicate one of the various sorts of changes 

that    have    come    over    the   vie  intime    of   formerly     secluded     places    like 

Portsmouththe obliteration of odd personalities; or; if not the obliteration; 

the general disregard of them。 Everywhere in New England the impress of 

the   past   is   fading   out。   The   few   old…fashioned   men   and   womenquaint; 

shrewd;       and   racy    of   the   soilwho      linger   in   little;  silvery…gray      old 

homesteads strung along the New England roads and by…ways will shortly 

cease     to  exist   as  a   class;  save    in  the   record    of  some     such    charming 

chronicler as Sarah Jewett; or Mary Wilkins; on whose sympathetic page 

they have already taken to themselves a remote air; an atmosphere of long… 

kept lavender and pennyroyal。 

     Peculiarity      in  any    kind   requires     encouragement        in   order   to   reach 

flower。   The   increased   facilities   of   communication   between   points   once 

isolated;   the   interchange   of   customs   and   modes   of   thought;   make   this 

encouragement          more     and    more     difficult   each    decade。     The    naturally 

inclined     eccentric     finds   his   sharp    outlines    rubbed    off   by   unavoidable 

attrition with a larger world than owns him。 Insensibly he lends himself to 

the   shaping   hand   of   new   ideas。   He   gets   his   reversible   cuffs   and   paper 

collars   from   Cambridge;   Massachusetts;   the   scarabaeus   in   his   scarf…pin 

from  Mexico;  and   his ulster   from  everywhere。  He   has   passed   out   of   the 

chrysalis state of Odd Stick; he has ceased to be parochial; he is no longer 

distinct; he is simply the Average Man。 



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                    INDEX OF NAMES 



    ADAMS;      NATHANIEL       ADDISON;      JOSEPH    ALLEN;     WILLIAM 

ANANIAS          ATKINSON;        THEODORE          AUSTIN;        REBECCA 

BEAUJOLAIS;   DUC   DE   BLAY;   RUTH   BOGGS; AMOS   BREWSTER; 

CHARLES       WARREN      BRIDGET;     MOLLY   BROWN;        REV。   ARTHUR 

BROWN; CAPTAIN ELIHU D。 BRUCE; CYRUS BURROUGHS; REV。 

DR。     CHARLES       BYLES;     REV。    MATHER       CAROLINE;       QUEEN 

CHADBORN;         HUMPHREY         CHARLES;       PRINCE     CHASTELLUX; 

MARQUIS DE CLAGETT; WYSEMAN COPLEY; JOHN SINGLETON 

D'ORLEANS;        DUC    DUNYON;       WILLIAM       ELIZABETH;       QUEEN 

FENTON;      JOHN    FOWLE;     DANIEL   FOWLE;       PRIMUS     FRANKLIN; 

BENJAMIN        FURBER;     THOMAS       GEORGE      I  GERRY;    ELBRIDGE 

GORGES;      SIR   FERDINAND       GUAST;     PIERRE    DE   HAM;    SUPPLY 

HANCOCK;  JOHN   HAWTHORNE;   NATHANIEL  HILTON;   MARTHA 

HOLMES;   OLIVER   WENDELL   HOLMES;   SOL   JAFFREY;   GEORGE 

JAFFRIES;      GEORGE      JAFFREY     JEWETT;     SARAH     ORNE     KEAIS; 

SAMUAL        KEKUANAOA        KENNY;     PENELOPE       KNOX;     GENERAL 

HENRY        LAFAYETTE;        MARQUIS       DE     LAIGHTON;        ALBERT 

LAIGHTON;         OSCAR       LANGDON;        COLONEL        JOHN      LEAR; 

BENJAMIN LONGFELLOW; HENRY WADSWORTH MACPHEADRIS; 

ARCHIBALD MCDONOUGH; JAMES MASON; JEREMIAH MASON; 

JOHN MASON; JOHN TUFTON MARCH; CLEMENT MATHER; REV。 

COTTON        MESERVE;        GEORGE       MICHELANGELO           MITCHEL; 

LETTUCE MOFFATT; CATHERINE MOLIERE MONTPENSIER; DUC 

DE     MOSES;      JOSEPH     NEWMAN;        EDWARD        NOBLE;      MARK 

ODIORNE;       EBEN     L。  PACKER;      THOMAS       PEDUZZI;     DOMINIC 

PENHALLOW;          WIBIRD      PEPPERELL;       SIR    WILLIAM       PEPYS; 

SAMUAL         PHILIPPE;      LOUIS      PHIPPES;      THOMAS        PHIPPS; 

GOVERNOR          PICKERING;       JOHN      PITT;    WILLIAM       POTTLE; 

WILLIAM   PRING;   MARTIN   QUINCY;   DOROTHY   ROCHAMBEAU; 

COUNT       DE    ROUSSELET;       NICHOLAS        RUTLEDGE;       EDWARD 

SERAT; LEONARD SEWELL; JONATHAN SHAKESPEARE SHEAFE; 

JACOB      SHERBURNE;        HENRY     SHURTLEFF;       MARY      ATKINSON 



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SHURTLEFF; REV。 WILLIAM SIMPSON; SARAH SMITH; CAPTAIN 

JOHN   SOCRATES   STAVERS;   DAME   STAVERS;   JOHN   STEDMAN; 

EDMUND        CLARENCE        STOODLEY;       JAMES      THAXTER;      CELIA 

THOREAU;       HENRY   DAVID       TILTON;    JOHNNY   TOWLE;       GEORGE 

WILLIAM          WALTON;         GEORGE          WARNER;         JONATHAN 

WASHINGTON;          GEORGE       WEBSTER;       DANIEL      WENTWORTH; 

BENNING         WENTWORTH;          JOHN      WENTWORTH;          JOHN      2D 

WENTWORTH;            COLONEL        JOSHUA       WENTWORTH;           MARY 

WENTWORTH;          MICHAEL       WENTWORTH;         SARAH      WESTWERE; 

EDWARD        WHITTIER;      JOHN     GREENLEAF        WIBIRD;     RICHARD 

WILKINS;       MARY      E。   WINN;     TIMOTHY        WITHER;      GEORGE 

XANTIPPE 



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