59:夏天的尾声(2)
Summer passed all too quickly. 夏天过得太快了。
On the last day of camp, Mr. Brickle called hiscounselors together and paid them what he owedthem.
夏令营的最后一天,布里克先生把他的辅导员们召集到一起,付给他们他应付的工资。
Louis received one hundred dollars--the first moneyhe had ever earned.
路易斯得到了一百美元——他有生以来挣得的第一笔钱。
He had no wallet and no pockets,
他没有钱夹和口袋,
so Mr. Brickle placed the money in a waterproof bag that had a drawstring.
因此布里克先生把这些钱装到了一个带拉绳的防水袋里。
He hung this moneybag around Louis's neck,
他把这个钱袋挂到路易斯的脖子上,
along with the trumpet, the slate, the chalk pencil, and the lifesa一ving medal.
和小号,石板,石笔,救生奖章放在一起。
Louis went to Sam Bea一ver's tent and found Sam packing his things.
路易斯来到了萨姆·比弗的帐篷,看见萨姆正在捆扎他的行李。
Louis took off his slate and pencil.
路易斯摘下了他的石板和石笔。
"I need another job," he wrote. "Where should I go?"
“我需要一个新工作,”他写,“我该去哪儿找呢?”
Sam sat down on his bed and thought for a while.
萨姆坐到他的床上想了一会儿。
Then he said, "Go to Boston.
然后他说道:“到波士顿去吧。
Maybe you can get a job with the Swan Boat."
你大概能在天鹅游艇上找到一个工作。”
Louis had never been to Boston, and he had no idea what the Swan Boat was,
路易斯从没去过波士顿,他也不知道天鹅游艇究竟是什么,
but he nodded his head.
可他还是点了点头。
Then on his slate he wrote: "Do me a fa一vor?"
他在石板上接着写道:“帮个忙好吗?”
"Sure," said Sam.
“可以,”萨姆说。
"Take a razor blade and slit the web on my right foot,
“请拿刀片把我右脚上的蹼割开,
so I can wiggle my toes." He held out his foot.
这样我就能活动我的脚趾了。”他伸出了他的脚。
"Why do you want to wiggle your toes?" asked Sam.
“你为什么要活动你的脚趾呢?”萨姆问。
"You'll see," wrote Louis.
“你会明白的。”路易斯写。
"I need my toes in my business."
“我要用我的脚趾来做我的事情。”
Sam hesitated.
萨姆犹豫了一会儿。
Then he borrowed a razor blade from one of the older counselors.
然后他朝一位年纪大的辅导员借来了一把刀片。
He made a long, neat cut between Louis's inner toe and middle toe.
他在路易斯的一内一趾和中趾之间齐齐地割了一道长长的口子。
Then he made another cut between Louis's middle toe and outer toe.
接着他又在路易斯的中趾和外趾之间割了一道。
"Does it hurt?" Louis shook his head.
“疼吗?” 路易斯摇摇头。
He lifted his trumpet, placed his toes on the valves,
他举起他的小号,把他的三个脚趾放到三个活瓣上,
and played do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do. Do, ti, la, sol, fa, mi, re, do.Ko-hoh!
顺利地吹出了“do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do. Do, ti, la, sol, fa, mi, re, do” 吭嗬!”
Sam grinned. "The Swan Boat will hire you, all right," he said. "You're a real trumpeter now.
萨姆咧嘴笑了。“天鹅游艇会雇佣你了,一定会的,”他说,“因为你现在是真正的号手了。
But with your web cut, swimming will be harder for you.
可是你的蹼被割开后,你游起泳来会困难些的。
You will ha一ve a tendency to swim in circles, because your left foot will push better than yourright foot."
你在游水时会很容易打转,因为的左脚划动得比你的右脚更有力。”
"I can manage," wrote Louis. "Thanks very much for the surgery."
“我能处理好这些的,”路易斯写,“非常感谢你为我做的外科手术。”