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A poor man once undertook to emigrate from Castine, Me., to Illinois.
从前，一位穷人率全家老小从缅因州卡斯廷准备移居到伊利诺斯州。
When he was attempting to cross a river in New York, his horse broke through the rotten timbers of the bridge, and was drowned.
在纽约州过河时，他家里的马撞断桥上已经朽烂的栅栏，不幸掉到河里淹死了。
He had but this one animal to convey all his property and his family to his new home.
那淹死的马是全家唯一的运输工具，是驮运他家所有家产搬迁到新家的所有指望。
His wife and children were almost miraculously saved from sharing the fate of the horse;
很难相信，这家穷人的妻小最终从丢失马匹的绝望深渊中恢复过来，
but the loss of this poor animal was enough.
不过，马的损失本身够大。
By its aid the family, it may be said, had lived and moved;
或许可以这么说，无论居住或者搬迁，马对这个处于迁徙状态中的家来说，毕竟举足轻重。
now they were left helpless in a land of strangers, without the ability to go on or return, without money or a single friend to whom to appeal.
如今，全家人在这块举目无亲的土地上求告无门，缺少盘缠无人可以求助。他们甚至没有办法决定是否继续前行，还是原路返回。
The case was a hard one.
当时境况的确非常糟糕。
There were a great many who "passed by on the other side."
那时，还有大批移民逆向涌来，
Some even laughed at the predicament in which the man was placed;
甚至有人嘲笑这家穷人手足无措的窘困。
but by degrees a group of people began to collect, all of whom pitied him.
不过，慢慢地，有的人开始为这家人募捐，大家都很怜悯这不幸的一家人。
