Returning from a hunting trip, I waited at the little town of Los Pinos, in New Mexico, for the south-bound train, which was one hour late. —
从狩猎之旅归来，我在新墨西哥州的小镇洛斯皮诺斯等候南行的火车，火车晚点了一个小时。 —

I sat on the porch of the Summit House and discussed the functions of life with Telemachus Hicks, the hotel proprietor.
我坐在山顶旅舍的门廊上，与旅馆老板特勒马库斯·希克斯讨论生活的功能。

Perceiving that personalities were not out of order, I asked him what species of beast had long ago twisted and mutilated his left ear. —
察觉到个性没有问题，我问他长时间以前是什么动物扭曲并毁坏了他的左耳。 —

Being a hunter, I was concerned in the evils that may befall one in the pursuit of game.
作为一个猎人，我关心在追逐猎物时可能发生的问题。

“That ear,” says Hicks, “is the relic of true friendship.”
“那只耳朵，”希克斯说，”是真正友谊的遗物。”

“An accident?” I persisted.
“一次意外吗？”我坚持问道。

“No friendship is an accident,” said Telemachus; and I was silent.
“没有友谊是偶然的，”特勒马库斯说，我沉默了。

“The only perfect case of true friendship I ever knew,” went on my host, “was a cordial intent between a Connecticut man and a monkey. —
“我所知道的唯一完美的真正友谊的例子，”我的主人继续说道，” 是康涅狄格州人和一只猴子之间的友好意图。 —

The monkey climbed palms in Barranquilla and threw down cocoanuts to the man. —
这只猴子在巴兰基利亚爬上棕榈树，把椰子扔给这个人。 —

The man sawed them in two and made dippers, which he sold for two reales each and bought rum. —
这个人把它们锯成两半，做成了水罐，每个水罐售价两雷亚尔，然后买了朗姆酒。 —

The monkey drank the milk of the nuts. Through each being satisfied with his own share of the graft, they lived like brothers.
猴子喝了坚果的牛奶。通过每个人都满足自己的赃款份额，他们像兄弟一样生活。

“But in the case of human beings, friendship is a transitory art, subject to discontinuance without further notice.
“但对于人类来说，友谊是一门暂时的艺术，可以随时中断而不需要进一步通知。

“I had a friend once, of the entitlement of Paisley Fish, that I imagined was sealed to me for an endless space of time. —
“曾经有一个朋友，叫佩斯利·费什，我想他与我之间的友谊将永恒。 —

Side by side for seven years we had mined, ranched, sold patent churns, herded sheep, took photographs and other things, built wire fences, and picked prunes. —
我们并肩工作了七年，开矿、经营牧场、销售专利酥油器、放牧绵羊、拍照片等等。 —

Thinks I, neither homocide nor flattery nor riches nor sophistry nor drink can make trouble between me and Paisley Fish. We was friends an amount you could hardly guess at. —
我想，不论是杀人、恭维、财富、诡辩还是酗酒都不能在我和佩斯利·费什之间制造麻烦。我们的友谊是你难以想象的。 —

We was friends in business, and we let our amicable qualities lap over and season our hours of recreation and folly. —
我们在生意上是朋友，我们让我们友好的品质渗透和调味我们的娱乐和愚行时光。 —

We certainly had days of Damon and nights of Pythias.
我们当然有过达蒙和皮时亚斯般的日子和夜晚。

“One summer me and Paisley gallops down into these San Andres mountains for the purpose of a month’s surcease and levity, dressed in the natural store habiliments of man. —
有一个夏天，我和佩斯利一起穿着男人的自然商店服装，骑马下到圣安德烈斯山脉度过一个月的休闲和轻松。 —

We hit this town of Los Pinos, which certainly was a roof-garden spot of the world, and flowing with condensed milk and honey. —
我们来到了洛斯皮诺斯这个世界上绝对是屋顶花园的地方，流动着浓缩乳和蜂蜜。 —

It had a street or two, and air, and hens, and a eating-house; —
它有几条街道、空气和母鸡，还有一个餐馆； —

and that was enough for us.
对我们来说这已经足够了。

“We strikes the town after supper-time, and we concludes to sample whatever efficacy there is in this eating-house down by the railroad tracks. —
“我们在晚饭后来到了这个小镇，并决定尝试一下铁路轨道旁的这家餐馆的特效。 —

By the time we had set down and pried up our plates with a knife from the red oil-cloth, along intrudes Widow Jessup with the hot biscuit and the fried liver.
当我们坐下来用刀子从红色油布上翘起我们的盘子时，突然出现了吉塞普寡妇，她拿着炙肝和热饼干。

“Now, there was a woman that would have tempted an anchovy to forget his vows. —
“那真是一个让凡鱼们忘记自己的誓言的女人。 —

She was not so small as she was large; and a kind of welcome air seemed to mitigate her vicinity. —
她不是小巧娇小，而是庞大身材；她周围散发着一种友好的气息。 —

The pink of her face was the in hoc signo of a culinary temper and a warm disposition, and her smile would have brought out the dogwood blossoms in December.
她脸上的粉红色是烹饪才情和温暖性格的体现，她的微笑甚至能在12月里让山茱萸盛开。

“Widow Jessup talks to us a lot of garrulousness about the climate and history and Tennyson and prunes and the scarcity of mutton, and finally wants to know where we came from.
“杰萨普寡妇向我们喋喋不休地谈论气候、历史、丁尼生、梅干和羊肉短缺，最后想知道我们从哪儿来。

”‘Spring Valley,’ says I.
“’斯普林谷，’我说。

”‘Big Spring Valley,’ chips in Paisley, out of a lot of potatoes and knuckle-bone of ham in his mouth.
“’斯普林谷除外，’佩斯利在嘴里含着一些土豆和火腿骨头咬出来。

“That was the first sign I noticed that the old fidus Diogenes business between me and Paisley Fish was ended forever. —
那是我注意到我和佩斯利·费什之间那段老朋友般的背井离乡的生活的第一个迹象。 —

He knew how I hated a talkative person, and yet he stampedes into the conversation with his amendments and addendums of syntax. —
他知道我多么讨厌话多的人，然而他却在谈话中插入他的文法修改和补充。 —

On the map it was Big Spring Valley; but I had heard Paisley himself call it Spring Valley a thousand times.
在地图上是大斯普林谷，但我听佩斯利自己称其为斯普林谷上千次。

“Without saying any more, we went out after supper and set on the railroad track. —
“我们吃过晚饭后没有再说什么，而是出去坐在铁道上。 —

We had been pardners too long not to know what was going on in each other’s mind.
我们做了太久的伙伴，所以清楚地知道对方心里在想些什么。

”‘I reckon you understand,’ says Paisley, ‘that I’ve made up my mind to accrue that widow woman as part and parcel in and to my hereditaments forever, both domestic, sociable, legal, and otherwise, until death us do part.’
“‘我相信你明白，’佩斯利说，‘我已经下定决心将那个寡妇视为我永久的传家宝，既在家庭生活、社交活动、法律事务上，也在其他方面，直到死亡将我们分开。’”

”‘Why, yes,’ says I, ‘I read it between the lines, though you only spoke one. —
“‘是的，’我说，‘虽然你只说了一句话，我已经在字里行间读出了你的意思。’” —

And I suppose you are aware,’ says I, ‘that I have a movement on foot that leads up to the widow’s changing her name to Hicks, and leaves you writing to the society column to inquire whether the best man wears a japonica or seamless socks at the wedding!’
“‘而我想你应该知道，’我说，‘我正在进行一项行动，旨在让这位寡妇改姓希克斯，并让你写信给社会专栏，询问最佳男士在婚礼上穿和衣服还是无缝袜子！’”

”‘There’ll be some hiatuses in your program,’ says Paisley, chewing up a piece of a railroad tie. —
“‘在你的计划中会有些间断，’佩斯利说着，咀嚼着一块铁路枕木碎片。” —

‘I’d give in to you,’ says he, ‘in ‘most any respect if it was secular affairs, but this is not so. —
“‘如果涉及世俗事务，我会向你让步，’他说，‘但是这不是世俗的。’” —

The smiles of woman,’ goes on Paisley, ‘is the whirlpool of Squills and Chalybeates, into which vortex the good ship Friendship is often drawn and dismembered. —
“佩斯利继续说道，‘女人的微笑就像西昆斯和茶里比尼的旋涡，好友船会被卷入其中，并支离破碎。’” —

I’d assault a bear that was annoying you,’ says Paisley, ‘or I’d endorse your note, or rub the place between your shoulder-blades with opodeldoc the same as ever; —
“’我会攻击那只让你烦恼的熊，’佩斯利说，‘或者我会在你便条上签名，或者像以前一样给你在肩胛骨之间搽风油精； —

but there my sense of etiquette ceases. In this fracas with Mrs. Jessup we play it alone. —
但在与杰萨普夫人的争执中，礼节对我来说就止步了。我们自己解决这场争端。 —

I’ve notified you fair.’
我已经通知你了，公平地。”

“And then I collaborates with myself, and offers the following resolutions and by-laws:
“然后我与自己合作，提出以下决议和章程：

”‘Friendship between man and man,’ says I, ‘is an ancient historical virtue enacted in the days when men had to protect each other against lizards with eighty-foot tails and flying turtles. —
“‘人与人之间的友谊，’我说，‘是古老的历史美德，源于人们必须相互保护免受拥有八十英尺长尾巴和飞行乌龟的蜥蜴的侵害的时代。 —

And they’ve kept up the habit to this day, and stand by each other till the bellboy comes up and tells them the animals are not really there. —
他们一直保持这种习惯，相互支持，直到旅馆服务员上来告诉他们那些动物实际上是不存在的。 —

I’ve often heard,’ I says, ‘about ladies stepping in and breaking up a friendship between men. —
我经常听说，’我说，‘有关女士插足并破坏男人之间友谊的事情。 —

Why should that be? I’ll tell you, Paisley, the first sight and hot biscuit of Mrs. Jessup appears to have inserted a oscillation into each of our bosoms. —
为什么会这样？我告诉你，佩斯利，杰萨普夫人的第一眼和热饼似乎在我们每个人的心中引入了一种摆动。” —

Let the best man of us have her. I’ll play you a square game, and won’t do any underhanded work. —
让我们中最好的人来追求她吧。我会与你进行公平的竞争，不会有任何不诚实的手段。 —

I’ll do all of my courting of her in your presence, so you will have an equal opportunity. —
我会在你面前追求她，这样你也有同等机会。 —

With that arrangement I don’t see why our steamboat of friendship should fall overboard in the medicinal whirlpools you speak of, whichever of us wins out.’
在这样的安排下，我不明白为什么我们的友谊之船会在你所说的竞争中翻覆，无论我们中的哪一个获胜。

”‘Good old hoss!’ says Paisley, shaking my hand. ‘And I’ll do the same,’ says he. —
“好伙计！”Paisley 说着握了握我的手。“我也是这么想的，”他说。 —

‘We’ll court the lady synonymously, and without any of the prudery and bloodshed usual to such occasions. —
“我们会同时追求这位女士，而不会出现常见的做作和流血情节。 —

And we’ll be friends still, win or lose.’
无论输赢，我们仍将是朋友。

“At one side of Mrs. Jessup’s eating-house was a bench under some trees where she used to sit in the breeze after the south-bound had been fed and gone. —
在杰西普太太的饭店旁边有一张长凳，靠着一些树，她常在南行车辆吃饭并离去后在那里吹风。 —

And there me and Paisley used to congregate after supper and make partial payments on our respects to the lady of our choice. —
晚饭后，我们常常在那里聚集并向我们心仪的女士表示敬意的部分付款。 —

And we was so honorable and circuitous in our calls that if one of us got there first we waited for the other before beginning any gallivantery.
我们在通话过程中非常光荣和绕圈子，如果其中一个人先到了，我们就等待另一个人才开始任何花言巧语。

“The first evening that Mrs. Jessup knew about our arrangement I got to the bench before Paisley did. Supper was just over, and Mrs. Jessup was out there with a fresh pink dress on, and almost cool enough to handle.
“伯里·佩斯利他妈第一天晚上得知我们的安排之前，我比佩斯利坐在长椅上。晚饭已经结束，杰斯普夫人穿着一件新的粉红色连衣裙出现，几乎凉爽得让人舒服。

“I sat down by her and made a few specifications about the moral surface of nature as set forth by the landscape and the contiguous perspective. —
我坐在她旁边，对大自然的道德表面以及景观和相邻透视作了一些具体说明。 —

That evening was surely a case in point. —
那个晚上无疑是一个例子。 —

The moon was attending to business in the section of sky where it belonged, and the trees was making shadows on the ground according to science and nature, and there was a kind of conspicuous hullabaloo going on in the bushes between the bullbats and the orioles and the jack-rabbits and other feathered insects of the forest. —
月亮在天空中履行职责，树木按照科学和自然的原则在地面上投下阴影，并且丛林中的牛蛙、朱鹭和丛林中的其他鸟类昆虫之间的喧哗声非常显眼。 —

And the wind out of the mountains was singing like a Jew’s-harp in the pile of old tomato-cans by the railroad track.
从山上吹来的风在铁路轨道旁的一堆旧罐头中响起，像口琴一样唱歌。

“I felt a kind of sensation in my left side–something like dough rising in a crock by the fire. —
“我在左侧感到了一种感觉，就像火炉旁边的坛子里面的面团在发酵一样。” —

Mrs. Jessup had moved up closer.
杰萨女士挪动到离我更近的位置。

”‘Oh, Mr. Hicks,’ says she, ‘when one is alone in the world, don’t they feel it more aggravated on a beautiful night like this?’
“’哦，希克斯先生，’她说，’当一个人独自一人在世界上时，他们不会在这样美丽的夜晚感到更加痛苦吗？’

“I rose up off the bench at once.
我立刻从长凳上站了起来。

”‘Excuse me, ma’am,’ says I, ‘but I’ll have to wait till Paisley comes before I can give a audible hearing to leading questions like that.’
“’对不起，夫人，’我说，’在佩斯利来之前，我没有办法对这样的引导性问题做出可听见的回答。’

“And then I explained to her how we was friends cinctured by years of embarrassment and travel and complicity, and how we had agreed to take no advantage of each other in any of the more mushy walks of life, such as might be fomented by sentiment and proximity. —
然后我向她解释了我们是多年来受困、旅行和共谋的朋友，我们同意在任何感性和亲近的领域都不对彼此利用。 —

Mrs. Jessup appears to think serious about the matter for a minute, and then she breaks into a species of laughter that makes the wildwood resound.
杰萨夫人似乎认真思考了一会儿，然后爆发出一种使野林回响的笑声。

“In a few minutes Paisley drops around, with oil of bergamot on his hair, and sits on the other side of Mrs. Jessup, and inaugurates a sad tale of adventure in which him and Pieface Lumley has a skinning-match of dead cows in ‘95 for a silver-mounted saddle in the Santa Rita valley during the nine months’ drought.
“几分钟后，佩斯利带着佛手柑油的头发过来了，坐在杰萨普夫人的另一边，在九个月的干旱期间，他和派斐斯·伦利在圣里塔山谷进行了一场死牛脱皮比赛，赢得了镶银马鞍。”

“Now, from the start of that courtship I had Paisley Fish hobbled and tied to a post. —
“所以，从求爱开始，我就把佩斯利·费什绑住了，拴在一根柱子上。” —

Each one of us had a different system of reaching out for the easy places in the female heart. —
“我们每个人都有自己的方式去触及女性心灵的温柔地带。” —

Paisley’s scheme was to petrify ‘em with wonderful relations of events that he had either come across personally or in large print. —
“佩斯利的计策是通过讲述他亲自经历或在大字报上看到的事件来震慑她们。” —

I think he must have got his idea of subjugation from one of Shakespeare’s shows I see once called ‘Othello.’ There is a coloured man in it who acquires a duke’s daughter by disbursing to her a mixture of the talk turned out by Rider Haggard, Lew Dockstader, and Dr. Parkhurst. —
“我觉得他受到了莎士比亚的一部戏剧的启发，我曾经看过一部叫《奥赛罗》的戏剧。”“里面有个有色人物通过散布莱德·哈伽德、刘·多克斯泰德和帕克赫斯特博士的对话而得到了公爵的女儿。” —

But that style of courting don’t work well off the stage.
“但是这种求爱方式在舞台以外并不奏效。”

“Now, I give you my own recipe for inveigling a woman into that state of affairs when she can be referred to as ‘nee Jones.’ Learn how to pick up her hand and hold it, and she’s yours. —
“现在，我给你提供一个我自己的吸引女人进入那种可以称为’尼.琼斯’的境地的秘方。学会如何握住她的手，她就属于你了。 —

It ain’t so easy. Some men grab at it so much like they was going to set a dislocation of the shoulder that you can smell the arnica and hear ‘em tearing off bandages. —
这可不容易。有些男人抓得那么猛，就像他们要脱臼肩膀一样，你能闻到花椒和听到他们撕下绷带的声音。 —

Some take it up like a hot horseshoe, and hold it off at arm’s length like a druggist pouring tincture of asafoetida in a bottle. —
有些人拿起来就像拿热马蹄铁一样，将手臂伸得老远，就像药剂师将阿斯韦酚溶液倒进瓶子里那样。 —

And most of ‘em catch hold of it and drag it right out before the lady’s eyes like a boy finding a baseball in the grass, without giving her a chance to forget that the hand is growing on the end of her arm. —
而大多数人在女士眼前抓住它，像男孩在草地里找到棒球一样，不给她忘记她的手是长在她胳膊上的机会。 —

Them ways are all wrong.
这些方法都是错误的。

“I’ll tell you the right way. Did you ever see a man sneak out in the back yard and pick up a rock to throw at a tomcat that was sitting on a fence looking at him? —
“我告诉你正确的方法。你见过一个男人悄悄走到后院，拿起一块石头扔向坐在栅栏上盯着他看的公猫吗？ —

He pretends he hasn’t got a thing in his hand, and that the cat don’t see him, and that he don’t see the cat. —
他假装手上一无所有，猫也没看见他，他也没看见猫。 —

That’s the idea. Never drag her hand out where she’ll have to take notice of it. —
那就对了。永远别把她的手拉出来，让她注意到。 —

Don’t let her know that you think she knows you have the least idea she is aware you are holding her hand. —
不要让她知道你觉得她知道你知道她握着你的手。 —

That was my rule of tactics; and as far as Paisley’s serenade about hostilities and misadventure went, he might as well have been reading to her a time- table of the Sunday trains that stop at Ocean Grove, New Jersey.
那是我的战术原则；至于佩斯利关于敌对和不幸的小夜曲，他倒不如给她读一份在新泽西州海洋公园停靠的星期日火车时刻表。

“One night when I beat Paisley to the bench by one pipeful, my friendship gets subsidised for a minute, and I asks Mrs. Jessup if she didn’t think a ‘H’ was easier to write than a ‘J.’ In a second her head was mashing the oleander flower in my button-hole, and I leaned over and–but I didn’t.
“有一个晚上，当我在长凳上比佩斯利多抽了一根烟后，我的友谊得到了一分钟的资助，我问杰索夫夫人是不是觉得写’H’比写’J’容易。她的头转瞬间压在了我钮扣孔上的桂花上，我弯下腰——但我没有。

”‘If you don’t mind,’ says I, standing up, ‘we’ll wait for Paisley to come before finishing this. —
“‘如果你不介意的话，’我站起身说，‘我们还是等佩斯利回来再结束这件事吧。 —

I’ve never done anything dishonourable yet to our friendship, and this won’t be quite fair.’
我对我们的友谊从未做出过不体面的事情，这样做不太公平。

”‘Mr. Hicks,’ says Mrs. Jessup, looking at me peculiar in the dark, ‘if it wasn’t for but one thing, I’d ask you to hike yourself down the gulch and never disresume your visits to my house.’
““希克斯先生，”杰萨普夫人在黑暗中用奇怪的眼神看着我说，“如果不是因为一个事情，我会请你闪开，并且再也不光顾我的家。”

”‘And what is that, ma’am?’ I asks.
““那是什么呢，夫人？”我问道。

”‘You are too good a friend not to make a good husband,’ says she.
““因为你是一个太好的朋友，必然会成为一个好丈夫，”她说。

“In five minutes Paisley was on his side of Mrs. Jessup.
五分钟后，佩斯利回到了杰萨普夫人那边。

”‘In Silver City, in the summer of ‘98,’ he begins, ‘I see Jim Batholomew chew off a Chinaman’s ear in the Blue Light Saloon on account of a crossbarred muslin shirt that–what was that noise?’
““在98年的夏天，我在银城见到吉姆·巴托洛缪因为一件有横条的纱衬衫咬掉了一个中国人的耳朵——那是什么声音？”

“I had resumed matters again with Mrs. Jessup right where we had left off.
我和杰萨普夫人又继续了我们之前的事情。

”‘Mrs. Jessup,’ says I, ‘has promised to make it Hicks. And this is another of the same sort.’
““杰萨普夫人，”我说，“已经答应叫我希克斯了。这是同样一种情况。”

“Paisley winds his feet round a leg of the bench and kind of groans.
佩斯利把脚绕在长椅的一条腿上，有点呻吟。

”‘Lem,’ says he, ‘we been friends for seven years. —
““莱姆，”他说，“我们已经是朋友七年了。你介意不要那么大声地亲吻杰萨普夫人吗？” —

Would you mind not kissing Mrs. Jessup quite so loud? —
我又重复了一遍，确保与杰萨普夫人的事情继续下去。 —

I’d do the same for you.’
我会为你做同样的事情。

”‘All right,’ says I. ‘The other kind will do as well.’
“好吧，”我说。“其他种类也可以。”

”‘This Chinaman,’ goes on Paisley, ‘was the one that shot a man named Mullins in the spring of ‘97, and that was–’
“这个中国人，”佩斯利接着说，“是在’97年春天杀死一个叫穆林斯的人的那个人，而那就是–”

“Paisley interrupted himself again.
佩斯利再次打断了自己。

”‘Lem,’ says he, ‘if you was a true friend you wouldn’t hug Mrs. Jessup quite so hard. —
“莱姆，”他说，“如果你是个真正的朋友，你就不会这么紧紧地拥抱杰塞普夫人。” —

I felt the bench shake all over just then. —
我感觉到长椅子在那一刻全身都在晃动。 —

You know you told me you would give me an even chance as long as there was any.’
你知道你告诉我只要还有机会，你会给我一个公平的机会。”

”‘Mr. Man,’ says Mrs. Jessup, turning around to Paisley, ‘if you was to drop in to the celebration of mine and Mr. Hicks’s silver wedding, twenty-five years from now, do you think you could get it into that Hubbard squash you call your head that you are nix cum rous in this business? —
“曼先生，”杰塞普夫人转身对佩斯利说，“如果你从现在开始到我和希克斯先生的银婚庆典，二十五年后走来的话，你觉得你能不能把自己称为在这件事上什么都没有的人放进你那个称之为你的头的胡巴德南瓜里呢？” —

I’ve put up with you a long time because you was Mr. Hicks’s friend; —
我容忍了你很长时间，因为你是希克斯先生的朋友； —

but it seems to me it’s time for you to wear the willow and trot off down the hill.’
但是在我看来，是时候让你戴上柳树帽子，走下山去了。

”‘Mrs. Jessup,’ says I, without losing my grasp on the situation as fiance, ‘Mr. Paisley is my friend, and I offered him a square deal and a equal opportunity as long as there was a chance.’
“‘杰苏普夫人，’我说，作为未婚夫，我握住了局势，‘佩斯利先生是我的朋友，只要还有机会，我会给他一个公平的交易和平等的机会。’

”‘A chance!’ says she. ‘Well, he may think he has a chance; —
“‘机会！’她说，‘嗯，他可能认为自己有机会； —

but I hope he won’t think he’s got a cinch, after what he’s been next to all the evening.’
过，我希望他不要以为自己一直在晚上的位置上都能得利。’

“Well, a month afterwards me and Mrs. Jessup was married in the Los Pinos Methodist Church; —
“一个月后，我和杰苏普夫人在洛斯皮诺斯卫理公会教堂结婚了； —

and the whole town closed up to see the performance.
个小镇都关门闭户去看这个表演。

“When we lined up in front and the preacher was beginning to sing out his rituals and observances, I looks around and misses Paisley. —
“当我们在前面排队，牧师开始吟唱他的礼仪和仪式时，我四处张望，却没有看到佩斯利。 —

I calls time on the preacher. ‘Paisley ain’t here,’ says I. ‘We’ve got to wait for Paisley. —
叫停了牧师的时间。“佩斯利不在这里，’我说，‘我们得等佩斯利。 —

A friend once, a friend always–that’s Telemachus Hicks,’ says I. Mrs. Jessup’s eyes snapped some; —
次朋友，永远朋友 — 这就是泰勒马克斯·希克斯，’我说。杰苏普夫人的眼睛闪着火花； —

but the preacher holds up the incantations according to instructions.
牧师按照指示举起咒语。

“In a few minutes Paisley gallops up the aisle, putting on a cuff as he comes. —
“几分钟后，佩斯利大步走进过道，一边走一边总结衣袖。” —

He explains that the only dry-goods store in town was closed for the wedding, and he couldn’t get the kind of a boiled shirt that his taste called for until he had broke open the back window of the store and helped himself. —
他解释说，镇上唯一的杂货店因婚礼而关门，他无法得到他喜欢的熨烫过的衬衫，直到他砸开了店后的窗户自己取了一件。 —

Then he ranges up on the other side of the bride, and the wedding goes on. —
然后他走到新娘的另一侧，婚礼继续进行。 —

I always imagined that Paisley calculated as a last chance that the preacher might marry him to the widow by mistake.
我一直认为佩斯利可能会计算着最后的机会，希望牧师可能会错娶寡妇。

“After the proceedings was over we had tea and jerked antelope and canned apricots, and then the populace hiked itself away. —
“仪式结束后，我们喝茶，吃干制羚羊肉和罐装杏子，然后人群自行散去。 —

Last of all Paisley shook me by the hand and told me I’d acted square and on the level with him and he was proud to call me a friend.
最后，佩斯利握住我的手，告诉我我对他是公正和真诚的，他自豪地称我为朋友。

“The preacher had a small house on the side of the street that he’d fixed up to rent; —
“牧师在街对面有一幢小房子，他把它修好以出租。 —

and he allowed me and Mrs. Hicks to occupy it till the ten-forty train the next morning, when we was going on a bridal tour to El Paso. His wife had decorated it all up with hollyhocks and poison ivy, and it looked real festal and bowery.
他允许我和希克斯夫人占据了那间房子，直到第二天早上十点四十分的火车出发，我们打算去埃尔帕索度蜜月。他的妻子用蜀葵和毒葛装饰了整间房子，看起来真是节日气氛浓厚。

“About ten o’clock that night I sets down in the front door and pulls off my boots a while in the cool breeze, while Mrs. Hicks was fixing around in the room. —
“大约晚上十点左右，我坐在前门口，享受着凉爽的微风，脱下了一会儿靴子，而希克斯夫人则在里屋忙碌。 —

Right soon the light went out inside; and I sat there a while reverberating over old times and scenes. —
不久后，屋子里的灯灭了；我坐在那里，回味着过去的时光和景象。 —

And then I heard Mrs. Hicks call out, ‘Ain’t you coming in soon, Lem?’
然后我听到希克斯夫人喊道：“林姆，你不快点进来吗？”

”‘Well, well!’ says I, kind of rousing up. ‘Durn me if I wasn’t waiting for old Paisley to–’
“唔，唔！”我有点清醒过来。“该死，我还在等着老派斯利——”

“But when I got that far,” concluded Telemachus Hicks, “I thought somebody had shot this left ear of mine off with a forty-five. —
“不过当我说到这儿的时候，”泰勒玛库斯·希克斯结束说道，“我感觉像是有人用四十五口径的手枪把我的左耳给打掉了。” —

But it turned out to be only a lick from a broomhandle in the hands of Mrs. Hicks.”
最后结果只是希克斯夫人手持扫帚抽了我一下左耳朵而已。”