平安夜的來復(fù)槍

父親雖然沒有把我朝思暮想的圣誕禮物送給我，但卻讓我過了一生中最有意義的圣誕節(jié)。

It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in1) on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted so badly that year for Christmas.

After supper， Dad bundled up2) and went outside. Soon he came back in. It was a cold night out and there was ice in his beard. \"Come on， Matt，\" he said. \"Bundle up. It's cold out tonight.\"

I was really upset. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas， now Dad was dragging me out in the cold， and for no earthly reason that I could see. But I knew Dad was not very patient at one dragging one's feet3) when he'd told them to do something， so I got up and put my boots on and got my cap， coat， and mittens. Mum gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up4)， but I didn't know what.

There in front of the house was the work-team5)， already hitched6) to the big sled7).

When I was on， Dad pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. Dad went in and came out with an armload of wood. \"Dad，\" I asked， \"what are you doing?\"

\"You've been by the widow Jensen's lately?\" he asked.

The widow Jensen lived two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year before and left her with three children. Sure， I'd been by， but so what?

\"Yeah，\" I said. \"Why?\"

\"I rode by just today，\" Dad said. \"Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood， Matt.\"

And then he went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him.

We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Then we went to the smoke house and Dad took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. \"What's in the little sack?\" I asked.

\"Shoes. They're out of shoes. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy.\"

We rode to widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Dad was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course， we did have a big woodpile; we also had meat and flour， so we could spare that， but I knew we didn't have any money， so why was Dad buying them shoes and candy? Really， why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us. It shouldn't have been our concern.

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible， then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in.

\"We brought you a few things， Ma'am，\" Dad said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Dad handed her the sack with shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Dad like she wanted to say something， but it wouldn't come out.

\"We brought a load of wood too， Ma'am，\" Dad said， then he turned to me and said， \"Matt， go bring enough in to last for a while. Let's get that fire up and heat this place up.\"

I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump8) in my throat and tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing widow Jensen standing there with tears running down her cheeks and so much gratitude9) in her heart that she couldn't speak. My heart swelled within me and a joy filled my soul that I'd never known before.

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling10) when Dad handed them each a piece of candy and widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time.

Tears were running down widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave.

Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a long way， Dad turned to me and said， \"Matt， I want you to know something. Your Mum and I have been tucking a little money away11) here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you， but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square12). Your Mum and I were real excited， thinking that now we could get you that rifle， and I started into town this morning to do just that. But on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunnysacks13) and I knew what I had to do. So， son， I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand.\"

I understood very well， and I was so glad Dad had done it. Just then the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities14). Dad had given me much more than a rifle that night—he had given me the best Christmas of my life.

1881年的平安夜，我才15歲，卻感覺好像整個(gè)世界都坍塌在我身上，因?yàn)槲曳浅？释悄晔フQ節(jié)能收到一支來復(fù)槍作禮物，可是家里卻沒有足夠的錢。

吃完晚飯，爸爸便穿戴嚴(yán)實(shí)出了門。很快他又回來進(jìn)了屋。外面很冷，他胡子上都有了冰碴?！翱禳c(diǎn)，馬特，”他說，“穿暖和點(diǎn)。今天晚上外面很冷。”

我真是煩透了。我不僅沒有得到來復(fù)槍作為圣誕禮物，現(xiàn)在爸爸居然還要把我拽出門到冰天雪地里去，鬼才知道是怎么回事呢。但我知道爸爸叫人做什么的時(shí)候，對(duì)拖拖拉拉的人是沒什么耐心的，于是我站起來，套上靴子，把帽子、外套和手套都穿戴好。我打開門出去的時(shí)候，媽媽沖我神秘地一笑。一定有什么事，只是我不知道而已。

屋前停著一隊(duì)整裝待發(fā)的馬匹，已經(jīng)套到了大雪橇上。

我坐上去，爸爸拉著雪橇，繞過房子，停在柴房前。他走進(jìn)去，抱著一抱木柴出來了?！鞍?，”我問道，“你在干什么?”

“你最近路過詹森寡婦家了嗎?”他問我。

詹森寡婦住在沿路兩英里遠(yuǎn)的地方。她丈夫一年前死了，留下她和三個(gè)孩子。我當(dāng)然路過了，但那又怎么樣呢?

“是的，”我說，“怎么了?”

“我今天駕雪橇剛路過她家，”爸爸說，“小杰基在外面木柴堆里東挖西挖的，想找些碎木片。他們沒有木柴了，馬特。”

然后他回到柴房又抱了一抱木柴。我也跟著他去抱。

我們把木柴裝進(jìn)雪橇，堆得老高，我都開始擔(dān)心馬兒們能不能拉得動(dòng)。接著我們來到熏烤室，爸爸取下了一大塊火腿和一塊咸肉。他把火腿和咸肉遞給我，讓我拿到雪橇上等著。他回來時(shí)，右肩上扛著一袋面粉，左手拎著一小袋東西?！靶〈永锸鞘裁?”我問道。

“鞋子。他們沒有鞋子穿了。我還給孩子們帶了點(diǎn)糖果。沒有糖果那還能叫圣誕節(jié)嗎?”

我們駕著雪橇前往詹森寡婦家，一路上幾乎一句話也沒說。我努力想弄明白爸爸到底在干些什么。按世俗標(biāo)準(zhǔn)來看，我們并不富裕。的確，我們家有一大堆木柴，也有肉和面粉，所以我們可以分出一些來。但是我知道，家里窮得一分錢都沒有，為什么爸爸還要給這家人買鞋子和糖果呢?說真的，他為什么要這么做?詹森寡婦有比我們離得更近的鄰居。這本不該是由我們?nèi)リP(guān)心的事兒。

我們來到詹森家的房屋后面，盡可能輕地卸下木柴，然后拿著熏肉、面粉和鞋子走到門口。我們敲了敲門。詹森寡婦打開門，讓我們進(jìn)了屋。

“夫人，我們給您帶了點(diǎn)兒東西?！卑职忠贿呎f，一邊放下那袋面粉。我把肉放到桌子上。然后爸爸把裝著鞋的袋子遞給她。她有些遲疑地打開袋子，一雙接一雙地把鞋子拿出來。有一雙鞋是給她的，孩子們也是一人一雙。她緊咬著不住顫抖的下唇，滿眼淚水奪眶而出，順著臉頰滑落。她抬頭看著爸爸，欲言又止。

“夫人，我們還帶來了一車木柴。”爸爸說道，然后轉(zhuǎn)身對(duì)我說:“馬特，去多拿些木柴進(jìn)來好好燒上一會(huì)兒。我們把火燒起來，讓屋里暖和點(diǎn)?！?/p>

當(dāng)我再到屋外取木柴時(shí)，就像換了一個(gè)人似的。我也變得喉嚨哽咽，滿眼淚水。我腦海中不斷浮現(xiàn)這一情景:詹森寡婦站在那兒，淚流滿面，滿懷無限感激，卻一句話也說不出來。我心潮澎湃，一陣前所未有的快樂在心頭蕩漾。

我很快就把火燒旺了，大家的情緒也隨之高漲。爸爸給孩子們每人發(fā)一顆糖果，他們都咯咯地笑了起來。詹森寡婦看著這一切，臉上露出了那可能已經(jīng)久違的笑容。

當(dāng)我們起身離開時(shí)，詹森寡婦的淚水又一次順著臉頰流了下來。

坐在屋外的雪橇上，我感到一股暖流從心底涌出，我甚至一點(diǎn)兒也不覺得冷了。走了很長一段路，爸爸轉(zhuǎn)過頭對(duì)我說:“馬特，我想告訴你一件事。我和你媽媽一年來緊緊巴巴攢了點(diǎn)錢，想給你買那支來復(fù)槍，可錢還是不夠。有個(gè)人欠了我們一點(diǎn)錢已經(jīng)很多年，昨天他過來把這筆錢還清了。我和你媽媽真的很高興，心想現(xiàn)在可以給你買來復(fù)槍了，于是今天一早我就動(dòng)身進(jìn)城去給你買槍。但是在路上，我看見小杰基腳上裹著粗麻布袋，在外面的木柴堆里翻來揀去，那時(shí)我就知道該怎么做了。就這樣，兒子，我用這筆錢給孩子們買了鞋子和一點(diǎn)兒糖果。我希望你能夠理解?！?/p>

我非常理解，而且很高興爸爸這么做了。此時(shí)此刻，來復(fù)槍對(duì)我來說似乎一點(diǎn)兒也不重要了。那天晚上爸爸給予我的遠(yuǎn)非一支來復(fù)槍所能比，他給了我這一生中最好的圣誕節(jié)。

Vocabulary

1.cave in: 塌落，倒坍;(由于疲勞等)垮下來

2.bundle up: (使)穿得暖和(或臃腫)

3.drag one's feet: 拖著腳走，遲緩誤事，拖拉，不合作

4.up [Qp] adj. 在活動(dòng)中;進(jìn)入運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)狀態(tài);(搜尋等)在進(jìn)行中

5.work-team [5w\\:kti:m] n. (一起拉車或拉犁的)一組馬(或牛等)

6.hitch [hItF] vt. 套(馬等);套(車等);掛上(犁等)

7.sled [sled] n. 雪橇

8.lump [lQmp] n. 隆起，腫塊

9.gratitude [5^rAtItju:d] n. 感激之情，感恩圖報(bào)之心

10.giggle [5^I^l] vi. 咯咯地笑;傻笑

11.tuck away: 將錢存放在安全的地方以備用

12.square [skweE(r)] adj. (賬目)結(jié)清的;兩訖的

13.gunnysack [5gQnIsAk] n. 黃麻袋

14.priority [praI5CrEtI] n. 優(yōu)先考慮的事