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the friendly road(友好的路)-第19章

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found   that   I   was   standing   there   in   the   middle   of   the   public   road;   one 

clenched fist absurdly raised in air; delivering an oration to a congregation 

of rural…mail boxes! 

     And yet; in spite of the humorous aspects of the idea; it still appeared 

to me that such an experiment would not only fit in with the true object of 

my     journeying;     but   that  it  might    be  full   of  amusing     and    interesting 

adventures。   Straightway   I   got   my   notebook   out   of   my   bag   and;   sitting 

down   near   the   roadside;   wrote   my   letter。   I   wrote   it   as   though   my   life 

depended upon it; with the intent of making some one household there in 

the hills feel at least a little wave of warmth and sympathy from the great 

world that was passing in the road below。 I tried to prove the validity of a 

kindly thought with no selling device attached to it; I tried to make it such 

a   word   of   frank   companionship   as   I   myself;   working   in   my   own   fields; 

would like to receive。 

     Among       the  letter…boxes     in  the  group;    was    one   that  stood    a  little 

detached and behind the others; as though shrinking from such prosperous 

company。 It was made of unpainted wood; with leather hinges; and looked 

shabby in comparison with the jaunty red; green; and gray paint of some 

of the other boxes (with their cocky little metallic flags upraised)。 It bore 

the good American name of ClarkT。 N。 Clarkand it seemed to me that I 

could tell something of the Clarks by the box at the crossing。 



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     〃I think they need a friendly word;〃 I said to myself。 

     So I wrote the name T。 N。 Clark on my envelope and put the letter in 

his box。 

     It was with a sense of joyous adventure that I now turned aside into the 

sandy road and climbed the hill。 My mind busied itself with thinking how 

I   should   carry   out   my   experiment;   how   I  should   approach   these   Clarks; 

and how  and   what   they  were。 A  thousand   ways   I  pictured to   myself   the 

receipt     of  the   letter:  it  would     at  least  be   something      new     for  them; 

something just a little disturbing; and I was curious to see whether it might 

open the rift of wonder wide enough to let me slip into their lives。 

     I have often wondered why it is that men should be so fearful of new 

ventures   in   social   relationships;   when   I   have   found   them   so   fertile;   so 

enjoyable。 Most of us fear (actually fear) people who differ from ourselves; 

either up or down the scale。 Your Edison pries fearlessly into the intimate 

secrets of matter; your Marconi employs the mysterious properties of the 

〃jellied   ether;〃   but   let   a   man   seek   to   experiment   with   the   laws   of   that 

singular      electricity   which     connects     you    and    me    (though     you    be   a 

millionaire   and   I   a   ditch…digger);  and   we   think   him  a   wild   visionary;   an 

academic person。 I think sometimes that the science of humanity to…day is 

in about the state of darkness that the natural sciences were when Linneus 

and Cuvier and Lamarck began groping for the great laws of natural unity。 

Most of the human race is still groaning under the belief that each of us is 

a special and unrelated creation; just as men for ages saw no relationships 

between the fowls of the air; the beasts of the field; and the fish of the sea。 

But; thank God; we are beginning to learn that unity is as much a law of 

life as selfish struggle; and love a more vital force than avarice or lust of 

power   or   place。   A  Wandering   Carpenter   knew   it;   and   taught   it;   twenty 

centuries ago。 

     〃The   next   house   beyond   the   ridge;〃   said   the   toothless   old   woman; 

pointing   with   a   long   finger;   〃is   the   Clarks'。   You    can't   miss   it;〃   and  I 

thought she looked at me oddly。 

     I had been walking briskly for some three miles; and it was with keen 

expectation that   I   now  mounted   the   ridge   and   saw   the   farm  for   which   I 



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was looking; lying there in the valley before me。 It was altogether a wild 

and   beautiful   bit   of   countrystunted   cedars   on   the   knolls   of   the   rolling 

hills;   a   brook   trailing   its   way   among   alders   and   willows   down   a   long 

valley; and shaggy old fields smiling in the sun。 As I came nearer I could 

see that the only disharmony in the valley was the work (or idleness) of 

men。 A broken mowing…machine stood in the field where it had been left 

the summer before; rusty and forlorn; and dead weeds marked the edges of 

a field wherein the spring ploughing was now only half done。 The whole 

farmstead;     indeed;    looked    tired。  As   for  the  house    and   barn;   they   had 

reached that final stage of decay in which the best thing that could be said 

of them was that they were picturesque。 Everything was as different from 

the farm of the energetic and joyous Stanleys; whose work I had   shared 

only a few days before; as anything that could be imagined。 

     Now; my usual way of getting into step with people is simplicity itself。 

I take off my coat and go to work with them and the first thing I know we 

have   become   first…rate   friends。   One   doesn't   dream   of   the   possibilities   of 

companionship in labour until he has tried it。 

     But how shall one get into step with a man who is not stepping? 

     On the porch of the farmhouse; there in the mid…afternoon; a man sat 

idly;   and   children   were   at   play   in   the   yard。   I   went   in   at   the   gate;   not 

knowing in the least what I should say or do; but determined to get hold of 

the problem somewhere。 As I approached the step; I swung my bag from 

my shoulder。 

     〃Don't want to buy nothin';〃 said the man。 

     〃Well;〃 said I; 〃that is fortunate; for I have nothing to sell。 But you've 

got something I want。〃 

     He looked at me dully。 

     〃What's that?〃 

     〃A drink of water。〃 

     Scarcely moving his head; he called to a shy older girl who had just 

appeared in the doorway。 

     〃Mandy; bring a dipper of water。〃 

     As   I   stood   there   the   children   gathered   curiously   around   me;   and   the 



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man continued to sit in his chair; saying absolutely nothing; a picture of 

dull discouragement。 

     〃How they need something to stir them up;〃 I thought。 

     When I had emptied the dipper; I sat down on the top step of the porch; 

and;   without   saying   a   word   to   the   man;   placed   my   bag   beside   me   and 

began to open it。 The shy girl paused; dipper in hand; the children stood on 

tiptoe;    and   even    the   man     showed     signs    of  curiosity。    With    studied 

deliberation I took out two books I had with me and put them on the porch; 

then I proceeded to rummage for a long time in the bottom of the bag as 

though I could not find what I wanted。 Every eye was glued upon me; and 

I even heard the step of Mrs。 Clark as she came to the but I did not look up 

or speak。 Finally I pulled out my tin whistle and; leaning back against the 

porch column; placed it to my lips; and began playing in Tom Madison's 

best style (eyes half closed; one toe tapping to the music; head nodding; 

fingers   lifted   high   from  the  stops);  I began   playing   〃Money  Musk;〃   and 

〃Old Dan Tucker。〃 Oh;  I put   vim into it;  I can   tell you! And bad   as  my 

playing   was;   I   had   from   the   start   an   absorption   of   attention   from   my 

audience that Paderewski himself might have envied。 I wound up with a 

lively   trill   in   the   high   notes   and   took   my   whistle   from   my   lips   with   a 

hearty    laugh;    for  the  whole    thing   had    been   downright     good    fun;   the 

playing     itself;  the  make…believe      which    went    with   it;  the  surprise   and 

interest   in   the   children's   faces;   the   slow…breaking   smile   of   the   little   girl 

with the dipper。 

     〃I'll warrant you; madam;〃 I said to the woman who now stood frankly 

in the doorway with her hands wrapped in her apron; 〃you haven't heard 

those tunes since you were a girl and danced to 'em。〃 

     〃You're right;〃 she responded heartily。 

     〃I'll give you another jolly one;〃。I said; and; replacing my。 whistle; I 

began with even greater zest to play 〃Yankee Doodle。〃 

     When      I  had  gone    through    it  half  a  dozen    times   with   such   added 

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