THANKSGIVING AT TODD'S ASYLUM Winthrop Packard
托德庇护所的感恩节 温斯洛普·帕卡德
On this particular Thanksgiving, everything seemed to go wrong at Eph Todd's place.
在这个特别的感恩节,在伊夫·托德的住所似乎一切都出了问题。
The turkey that they had such a hard time catching was too tough to eat; Eph's horse ran away with him, he forgot to do his errands,
他们奋力抓来的火鸡太难吃了;伊夫的马跟他一起跑掉了,他忘了自己的差事,
and Aunt Tildy burned the food. But it all turned out happily, as you will learn.
蒂尔迪阿姨让食物燃烧起来,但这一切都是快乐的,正如你将了解到的。
THE INMATES OF THE ASYLUM
收容所的囚犯
People said that if it had not been for that legacy Eph Todd would have been at the poor farm himself instead of setting up a rival to it;
人们说,要不是有这样的遗产,埃弗·托德会亲自来到这个贫穷的农场,而不是与之竞争;
but there was the legacy, and that was the beginning of Todd's asylum.
但有遗产,那是托德避难的开始。
No matter who or what you were, if you were in hard luck, Todd's asylum was open to you. The old schoolhouse clock was a sample.
不管你是谁或是什么人,如果你运气不好,托德的避难所对你开放。旧校舍的钟是一个样品。
For thirty years it had smiled from the wall, until one day it ceased to tick. It was taken gently down,
三十年来它一直在墙上微笑,直到有一天它停止了跳动。它被轻轻地取下来,
laid out on a desk for a day or two, and finally was being taken to the rubbish heap when Eph Todd appeared.
躺在桌子上一两天,最后被带到垃圾堆里,这时埃弗·托德出现了。
You're not going to throw that good old clock away? Eph had asked of the man who was taking it.
你不会把那只旧钟扔掉吧?伊夫曾问过那人是谁拿的。
Guess I'll have to, replied the other. I've wound it up, put most a pint of kerosene in it, and shook it till I'm dizzy, and it won't tick.
“我想我必须去,”另一个回答。我把它包好,放上一品脱煤油,摇到头晕,它就不响了。
Guess the old clock's done for. Now see here, said Eph; you just let me have a try at it. Let me take it home for a while.
我猜那只旧钟已经坏了。“看这里,”伊夫说,“你就让我试试看吧。”。让我把它带回家一会儿。
Oh, for that matter I'll give it to you, the man replied. We've bought another for the schoolhouse.
“哦,那我就把它给你,”那人回答说。我们为校舍又买了一个。
A day or two after, the old clock ticked away as soberly as ever on the wall of the Todd kitchen.
一两天后,老钟像往常一样在托德厨房的墙上滴答作响。
Took it home and boiled it in potash, Eph used to say; and there it is, just as good as it was thirty years ago.
伊夫常说,拿回家用钾盐煮了,你看,和三十年前一样好。
This was not quite true, for enough enamel was gone from the face to make the exact location of the hour an uncertain thing;
这不完全是真的,因为表面的珐琅质已经消失了很多,所以时间的确切位置不确定;
and there were days when the hour hand needed assistance.
之前时针还需要修复。