hemingway, ernest - islands in the stream-第53节
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ke cast。 Actually； the color always reminded Thomas Hudson of well…seasoned mahagua lumber when it is freshly cut； then simply sanded smooth and waxed lightly。 Nowhere else had he ever seen that smoky almost greenish color。 But the mahagua did not have the rose tint。 The rose tint was just the color that she used but it was almost as smooth as a Chinese girlˇs。 There was this lovely face looking down the bar at him； lovelier all the time as he came closer。 Then he was beside her and there was the big body and the rose color was artificial now and there was no mystery about any of it； although it was still a lovely face。
¨You look beautiful； Honest；〃 he said to her。
¨Oh； Tom； I am so big now。 I am ashamed。〃
He put his hand on her great haunches and said； ¨Youˇre a nice big。〃
¨Iˇm ashamed to walk down the bar。〃
¨You do it beautifully。 Like a ship。〃
¨How is our friend？〃
¨Heˇs fine。〃
¨When am I going to see him？〃
¨Any time。 Now？〃
¨Oh no。 Tom； what was Willie talking about？ The part I couldnˇt understand？〃
¨He was just being crazy。〃
¨No； he wasnˇt。 It was about you and a sorrow Was it about you and your se？ora。〃
¨No。 Fuck my se？ora。〃
¨I wish you could。 But you canˇt when she is away。〃
¨Yeah。 I found that out。〃
¨What is the sorrow； then？〃
¨Nothing。 Just a sorrow。〃
¨Tell me about it。 Please。〃
¨Thereˇs nothing to tell。〃
¨You can tell me； you know。 Henry tells me about his sorrows and cries in the night。 Willie tells me dreadful things。 They are not sorrows； so much as terrible things。 You can tell me。 Everyone tells me。 Only you donˇt tell me。〃
¨Telling never did me any good。 Telling is worse for me than not telling。〃
¨Tom； Willie says such bad things。 Doesnˇt he know it hurts me to hear such words？ Doesnˇt he know Iˇve never used those words and have never done a piglike thing nor a perverted thing？〃
¨Thatˇs why we call you Honest Lil。〃
¨If I could be rich doing perverted things and be poor doing normal things； I would be poor。〃
¨I know。 What about the sandwich？〃
¨Iˇm not hungry just yet。〃
¨Do you want another drink？〃
¨Yes。 Please； Tom。 Tell me。 Willie said there was a cat in love with you。 That isnˇt true； is it？〃
¨Yes。 Itˇs true。〃
¨I think itˇs dreadful。〃
¨No。 Itˇs not。 Iˇm in love with the cat； too。〃
¨Thatˇs terrible to say。 Donˇt tease me； Tom； please； Willie teased me and made me cry。〃
¨I love the cat；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨I donˇt want to hear about it。 Tom； when will you take me out to the bar of the crazies？〃
¨One of these days。〃
¨Do the crazies really come there just like ordinary people come here to meet and have drinks？〃
¨Thatˇs right。 The only difference is they wear shirts and trousers made out of sugar sacks。〃
¨Did you really play on the ball team of the crazies against the lepers？〃
¨Sure。 I was the best knuckle…ball pitcher the crazies ever had。〃
¨How did you get to know them？〃
¨I just stopped there one time on the way back from Rancho Boyeros and liked the place。〃
¨Will you really take me out to the bar of the crazies？〃
¨Sure。 If you wonˇt be scared。〃
¨Iˇll be scared。 But I wonˇt be too scared if Iˇm with you。 Thatˇs why I want to go out there。 To be scared。〃
¨Thereˇs some wonderful crazies out there。 Youˇll like them。〃
¨My first husband was a crazy。 But he was the difficult kind。〃
¨Do you think Willie is crazy？〃
¨Oh no。 He just has a difficult character。〃
¨Heˇs suffered very much。〃
¨Who hasnˇt？ Willie presumes on his suffering。〃
¨I donˇt think so。 I know about it。 I promise you。〃
¨Letˇs talk about something else； then。 Do you see that man down there at the bar talking to Henry？〃
¨Yes。〃
¨All he likes in bed are piglike things。〃
¨Poor man。〃
¨Heˇs not poor。 Heˇs rich。 But all he cares for is porquer？as。〃
¨Didnˇt you ever like porquer？as？〃
¨Never。 You can ask anyone。 And Iˇve never done anything with girls in my life。〃
¨Honest Lil；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨Wouldnˇt you rather have me that way？ You donˇt like porquer？as。 You like to make love and be happy and go to sleep。 I know you。〃
¨Todo el mundo me conoce。〃
¨No； they donˇt。 They have all sorts of different ideas about you。 But I know you。〃
He was drinking another of the frozen daiquiris with no sugar in it and as he lifted it； heavy and the glass frost…rimmed； he looked at the clear part below the trapped top and it reminded him of the sea。 The frapp？d part of the drink was like the wake of a ship and the clear part was the way the water looked when the bow cut it when you were in shallow water over marl bottom。 That was almost the exact color。
¨I wish they had a drink the color of sea water when you have a depth of eight hundred fathoms and there is a dead calm with the sun straight up and down and the sea full of plankton；〃 he said。
¨What？〃
¨Nothing。 Letˇs drink this shallow water drink。〃
¨Tom； whatˇs the matter？ Do you have some problem？〃
¨No。〃
¨Youˇre awfully sad and youˇre a little bit old today。〃
¨Itˇs the norther。〃
¨But you always used to say a norther gave you pep and cheered you up。 How many times have we made love because there was a norther？〃
¨Plenty。〃
¨You always liked a norther and you bought me this coat to wear when we have them。〃
¨Itˇs a pretty coat； too。〃
¨I could have sold it half a dozen times；〃 Honest Lil said。 ¨More people were crazy for this coat than you can imagine。〃
¨This is a fine norther for it。〃
¨Be happy； Tom。 You always get happy when you drink。 Drink that drink and have another one。〃
¨If I drink it too fast it hurts across the front of my forehead。〃
¨Well just drink slow and steady； then。 Iˇm going to have another highbalito。〃
She made it herself from the bottle Seraf？n had left in front of her on the bar and Thomas Hudson looked at it and said； ¨Thatˇs a fresh water drink。 That is the color of the water in the Firehole River before it joins the Gibbon to become the Madison。 If you put a little more whisky in it you could make it the color of a stream that comes out of a cedar swamp to flow into the Bear River at a place called Wab…Me…Me。〃
¨Wab…Me…Me is funny；〃 she said。 ¨What does it mean？〃
¨I donˇt know；〃 he said。 ¨It is an Indian place…name。 I ought to know what it means but Iˇve forgotten。 Itˇs Ojibway。〃
¨Tell me about Indians；〃 Honest Lil said。 ¨I like to hear about the Indians even more than about the crazies。〃
¨There are quite a few Indians down the coast。 They are sea Indians and they fish and dry the fish and are charcoal burners。〃
¨I donˇt want to hear about Cuban Indians。 Theyˇre all mulatos。〃
¨No； theyˇre not。 Some are real Indians。 But they may have captured them in the early days and brought them over from Yucatan。〃
¨I donˇt like yucatecos。〃
¨I do。 Very much。〃
¨Tell me about Wabmimi。 Is it in the Far West？〃
¨No； itˇs up north。 In the part thatˇs near Canada。〃
¨I know Canada。 I came into Montreal up the river once on a Princess ship。 But it was raining and we could see nothing and we left that same evening for New York on the train。〃
¨Did it rain all the time on the river？〃
¨All the time。 And outside； before we came into the river there was fog and part of the time it snowed。 You can have Canada。 Tell me about Wabmimi。〃
¨It was just a village where there was a sawmill on the river and the train ran through it。 There were always great piles of sawdust beside the railroad tracks。 They had booms across the river to hold the logs and they were almost solid across the river。 The river was covered with logs a long way above the town。 One time I had been fishing and I wanted to cross the river and I crawled across on the logs。 One rolled with me and I went into the water。
When I came up it was all logs above me and I could not get through between them。 It was dark under them and all I could feel with my hands was their bark。 I could not spread two of them apart to get up to the air。〃
¨What did you do？〃
¨I drowned。〃
¨Oh；〃 she said。 ¨Donˇt say it。 Tell me quick what you did？〃
¨I thought very hard and I knew I had to get through very quickly。 I felt carefully around the bottom of a log until I came to where it was pushed against another log。 Then I put my two hands together and pushed up and the logs spread apart just a little。 Then I got my hands through and then my forearms and elbows through and then I spread the two logs apart with my elbows until I got my head up and I had an arm over each log。 I loved each log very much and I lay there like that a long time between them。 That water was brown from the logs in it。 The water thatˇs like your drink was in a little stream that flowed into that river。〃
¨I donˇt think I could ever have come up between the logs。〃
¨I didnˇt think I could for a long time。〃
¨How long were you underwater？〃
¨I donˇt know。 I know I rested a long time with my arms on the logs before I tried to do anything else。〃
¨I like that story。 But it will make
