hemingway, ernest - islands in the stream-第13节
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he was such a good friend of mine I felt proud and happy； too。 I remember he played with the pigeon and then he would push his paws up and down on my chest and purr and then play with the pigeon again。 Finally I remember he and I and the pigeon all went to sleep together。 I had one hand on the pigeon and he had one paw on the pigeon and then in the night I woke up and he was eating him and purring loud like a tiger。〃
¨Thatˇs a lot better than names of streets；〃 Andrew said。 ¨Were you scared； Tommy； when he was eating him？〃
¨No。 The big cat was the best friend I had then。 I mean the closest friend。 I think he would have liked me to eat the pigeon too。〃
¨You ought to have tried it；〃 Andrew said。 ¨Tel some more about slingshots。〃
¨Mother gave you the other slingshot for Christmas；〃 young Tom said。 ¨She saw it in a gun store and she wanted to buy you a shotgun but she never had enough money。 She used to look at the shotguns in the window every day when she went past the store to the Epicene and one day she saw the slingshot and she bought it because she was afraid they would sell it to somebody else and she kept it hid until Christmas。 She had to falsify the accounts so you wouldnˇt know about it。 Sheˇs told me about it lots of times。 I can remember when you got it for Christmas and you gave me the old one。 But I wasnˇt strong enough to pull it then。〃
¨Papa； werenˇt we ever poor？〃 Andrew asked。
¨No。 Iˇd gotten over being poor by the time you guys were born。 We were broke lots of times but never really poor the way we were with Tom and his mother。〃
¨Tell us some more about in Paris；〃 David said。 ¨What else did you and Tommy do？〃
¨What did we do； Schatz？〃
¨In the fall？ We used to buy roasted chestnuts from a roast chestnut man and I used to keep my hands warm on them too。 We went to the circus and saw the crocodiles of Le Capitaine Wahl。〃
¨Can you remember that？〃
¨Very well。 The Capitaine Wahl wrestled with a crocodile （he pronounced it crowcodeel； the crow as in the bird of that name） and a beautiful girl poked them with a trident。 But the biggest crocodiles wouldnˇt move。 The circus was beautiful and round and red with gold paint and smelled of horses。 There was a place in back where you went to drink with Mr。 Crosby and the tamer of lions and his wife。〃
¨Do you remember Mr。 Crosby？〃
¨He never wore a hat nor an overcoat no matter how cold it was and his little girl had hair that hung down her back like Alice in Wonderland。 In the illustrations I mean。 Mr。 Crosby was always very very nervous。〃
¨Who else do you remember？〃
¨Mr。 Joyce。〃
¨What was he like？〃
¨He was tall and thin and he had a moustache and a small beard that grew straight up and down on his chin and he wore thick； thick glasses and walked with his head held very high。 I remember him passing us on the street and not speaking and you spoke to him and he stopped and saw us through the glasses like looking out of an aquarium and he said； ˉAh； Hudson； I was looking for you；ˇ and we three went to the caf？ and it was cold outside but we sat in a corner with one of those what do you call thems？〃
¨Braziers。〃
¨I thought that was what ladies wore；〃 Andrew said。
¨Itˇs an iron can with holes in it they burn coal or charcoal in to heat any place outside like a caf？ terrace where you sit close to them to keep warm or a race track where you stand around and get warm from them；〃 young Tom explained。 ¨At this caf？ where papa and I and Mr。 Joyce used to go they had them all along the outside and you could be warm and comfortable in the coldest weather。〃
¨I guess youˇve spent the biggest part of your life in caf？s and saloons and hot spots；〃 the youngest boy said。
¨Quite a bit of it；〃 Tom said。 ¨Havenˇt we； papa？〃
¨And sound asleep in the car outside while papa has just a quick one；〃 David said。 ¨Boy； I used to hate that word quick one。 I guess a quick one is about the slowest thing on earth。〃
¨What did Mr。 Joyce talk about？〃 Roger asked young Tom。
¨Gee； Mr。 Davis； I canˇt remember much about that time。 I think it was about Italian writers and about Mr。 Ford。 Mr。 Joyce couldnˇt stand Mr。 Ford。 Mr。 Pound had gotten on his nerves； too。 ˉEzraˇs mad； Hudson；ˇ he said to papa。 I can remember that because I thought mad meant mad like a mad dog and I remember sitting there and watching Mr。 Joyceˇs face； it was sort of red with awfully smooth skin； cold weather skin； and his glasses that had one lens even thicker than the other； and thinking of Mr。 Pound with his red hair and his pointed beard and his nice eyes； with white stuff sort of like lather dripping out of his mouth。 I thought it was terrible Mr。 Pound was mad and I hoped we wouldnˇt run into him。 Then Mr。 Joyce said； ˉOf course Fordˇs been mad for years；ˇ and I saw Mr。 Ford with his big； pale； funny face and his pale eyes and his mouth with the teeth loose in it and always about half open and that awful lather dripping down his jaws too。〃
¨Donˇt say any more；〃 Andrew said。 ¨Iˇll dream about it。〃
¨Go on please；〃 David said。 ¨Itˇs like werewolves。 Mother locked up the werewolf book because Andrew had such bad dreams。〃
¨Did Mr。 Pound ever bite anybody？〃 Andrew asked。
¨No； horseman；〃 David told him。 ¨Itˇs just a way of talking。 He means mad out of his head mad。 Not hydrophobia mad。 Why did he think they were mad？〃
¨I canˇt tell you；〃 young Tom said。 ¨I wasnˇt as young then as when we used to shoot pigeons in the gardens。 But I was too young to remember everything and the idea of Mr。 Pound and Mr。 Ford with that dreadful slaver coming out of their mouths all ready to bite； drove everything out of my head。 Did you know Mr。 Joyce； Mr。 Davis？〃
¨Yes。 He and your father and I were very good friends。〃
¨Papa was much younger than Mr。 Joyce。〃
¨Papa was younger than anybody； then。〃
¨Not than me；〃 young Tom said proudly。 ¨I figure I was probably about Mr。 Joyceˇs youngest friend。〃
¨Iˇll bet he misses you a lot；〃 Andrew said。
¨It certainly is a shame he never could have met you；〃 David said to Andrew。 ¨If you hadnˇt been hanging around Rochester all the time he could have had the privilege。〃
¨Mr。 Joyce was a great man；〃 young Tom said。 ¨He wouldnˇt have wanted to have anything to do with you two punks。〃
¨Thatˇs your opinion；〃 Andrew said。 ¨Mr。 Joyce and David might have been pals。 David writes for the paper at school。〃
¨Papa； tell us some more about when you and Tommy and Tommyˇs mother were poor。 How poor did you ever get？〃
¨They were pretty poor；〃 Roger said。 ¨I can remember when your father used to make up all young Tomˇs bottles in the morning and go to the market to buy the best and the cheapest vegetables。 Iˇd meet him coming back from the market when I would be going out for breakfast。〃
¨I was the finest judge of poireaux in the sixth arrondissement；〃 Thomas Hudson told the boys。
¨Whatˇs poireaux？〃
¨Leeks。〃
¨It looks like long； green； quite big onions；〃 young Tom said。 ¨Only itˇs not bright shiny like onions。 Itˇs dull shiny。 The leaves are green and the ends are white。 You boil it and eat it cold with olive oil and vinegar mixed with salt and pepper。 You eat the whole thing； top and all。 Itˇs delicious。 I believe Iˇve eaten as much of it as maybe anyone in the world。〃
¨Whatˇs the sixth whatever it is？〃 Andrew asked。
¨You certainly hold up conversation；〃 David told him。
¨If I donˇt know French I have to ask。〃
¨Paris is divided into twenty arrondissements or city districts。 We lived in the sixth。〃
¨Papa； can we skip the arrondissements and you tell us something else？〃 Andrew asked。
¨You canˇt stand to learn anything； you athlete；〃 David said。
¨I want to learn；〃 Andrew said。 ¨But arrondissements is too old for me。 Youˇre always telling me things are too old for me。 I admit that is too old for me。 I canˇt follow it。〃
¨Whatˇs Ty Cobbˇs lifetime batting average？〃 David asked him。
¨Three sixty…seven。〃
¨Thatˇs not too old for you。〃
¨Cut it out； David。 Some people like baseball and you like arrondissements。〃
¨I suppose we donˇt have arrondissements in Rochester。〃
¨Oh cut it out。 I just thought papa and Mr。 Davis knew things that would be more interesting to everybody than those damnOh hell； I canˇt even remember the name of them。〃
¨Youˇre not supposed to swear when we are around；〃 Thomas Hudson corrected。
¨Iˇm sorry； papa；〃 the small boy said。 ¨I canˇt help it that Iˇm so damn young。 Iˇm sorry again。 I mean so young。〃
He was upset and hurt。 David could tease him pretty successfully。
¨Youˇll get over being young；〃 Thomas Hudson told him。 ¨I know itˇs hard not to swear when your feelings get working。 Only donˇt swear in front of grown people。 I donˇt care what you say by yourselves。〃
¨Please； papa。 I said I was sorry。〃
¨I know；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨I wasnˇt bawling you out。 I was just explaining。 I see you guys so seldom it makes a lot of explaining。〃
¨Not much really； papa；〃 David said。
¨No；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨It isnˇt much。〃
¨Andrew neve
