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第20章

the friendly road(友好的路)-第20章

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his observations on the eating of fish。 There are more uses than one for the 

classics。〃 

     So I ripped out a good part of another chapter; and thus; by coaxing; 

got my fire to going。 It was not difficult after that to find enough fuel to 

make it blaze up warmly。 

     I opened my bag and took out the remnants of the luncheon which Mrs。 

Clark   had   given   me   that   morning;   and   I   was   surprised   and   delighted   to 

find; among the other things; a small bottle of coffee。 This suggested all 

sorts    of  pleasing    possibilities   and;  the   spirit  of  invention    being   now 

awakened; I got out my tin cup; split a sapling stick so I could fit it into 

the handle; and set the cup; full of coffee; on the coals at the edge of the 

fire。 It was soon heated; and although I spilled some of it in getting it off; 

and although it was well spiced with ashes; I enjoyed it; with Mrs。 Clark's 

doughnuts and sandwiches (some of which I toasted with a sapling fork) 

as thoroughly; I think; as ever I enjoyed any meal。 

     How little we knowwe who dread lifehow much there is in life! 

     My activities around the fire had warmed me to the bone; and after I 

was well through with my meal I gathered a plentiful supply of wood and 

placed it near at hand; I got out   my waterproof cape and put it on;  and; 

finally piling more sticks on the fire; I sat down comfortably at the foot of 



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the tree。 

       I wish I could convey the mystery and the beauty of that night。 Did 

you ever sit by a campfire and watch the flames dance; and the sparks fly 

upward into the cool dark air? Did you ever see the fitful light among the 

tree…depths; at one moment opening vast shadowy vistas into the forest; at 

the next dying downward and leaving it all in sombre mystery? It came to 

me that night with the wonderful vividness of a fresh experience。 

     And   what   a   friendly   and   companionable   thing   a   campfire   is!   How 

generous and outright it is! It plays for you when you wish so be lively; 

and it glows for you when you wish to be reflective。 

     After a while; for I did not feel in the least sleepy; I stepped out of the 

woods to the edge of the pasture。 All   around me   lay the   dark and   silent 

earth; and above the blue bowl of the sky; all glorious with the blaze of a 

million worlds。 Sometimes I have been oppressed by this spectacle of utter 

space;     of  infinite   distance;    of  forces    too  great   for   me   to   grasp   or 

understand; but that night it came upon me with fresh wonder and power; 

and with a sense of great humility that I belonged here too; that I was a 

part of it alland would not be neglected or forgotten。 It seemed to me I 

never had a moment of greater faith than that。 

     And so; with a sense of satisfaction and peace; I returned to my fire。 

As   I   sat   there   I   could   hear   the   curious   noises   of   the   woods;   the   little 

droppings; cracklings; rustlings which seemed to make all the world alive。 

I even   fancied I  could see  small   bright eyes   looking out   at my  fire;  and 

once or twice I was almost sure I heard voiceswhisperingperhaps the 

voices of the woods。 

     Occasionally   I     added;    with   some    amusement;      a  few   dry   pages   of 

Montaigne to the fire; and watched the cheerful blaze that followed。 

     〃No;〃   said   I;   〃Montaigne   is   not   for   the   open   spaces   and   the   stars。 

Without a roof over his head Montaigne wouldwell; die of sneezing。〃 

     So I sat all night long there by the tree。 Occasionally I dropped into a 

light sleep; and then; as my fire died down; I grew chilly and awakened; to 

build up the fire and doze again。 I saw the first faint gray streaks of dawn 

above the trees; I saw the pink glow in the east before the sunrise; and I 



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watched the sun himself rise upon a new day 

     When I walked out into the meadow by daylight and looked about me 

curiously; I saw; not forty rods away; the back of a barn。 

       〃Be   you   the   fellow   that   was   daown   in   my   cowpasture   all   night?〃 

asked the sturdy farmer。 

     〃I'm that fellow;〃 I said。 

     〃Why didn't you come right up to the house?〃 

     〃Well〃 I said; and then paused。 

     〃Well 。 。 。〃 said I。 



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          CHAPTER VIII。 THE HEDGE 



     Strange; strange; how small the big world is! 

     〃Why   didn't   you   come   right   into   the   house?〃   the   sturdy   farmer   had 

asked   me   when   I   came   out   of   the   meadow   where   I   had   spent   the   night 

under the stars。 

     〃Well;〃 I said; turning the question as adroitly as I could; 〃I'll make it 

up by going into the house now。〃 

     So I went with him into his fine; comfortable house。 

     〃This is my wife;〃 said he。 

     A woman stood there facing me。 〃Oh!〃 she exclaimed; 〃Mr。 Grayson!〃 

     I recalled swiftly a childa child she seemed thenwith braids down 

her   back;   whom   I   had   known   when   I   first   came   to   my   farm。   She   had 

grown up; married; and had borne three children; while I had been looking 

the other way for a minute or two。 She had not been in our neighborhood 

for several years。 

     〃And how is your sister and Doctor McAlway?〃 

     Well;   we   had   quite   a   wonderful   visit;   she   made   breakfast   for   me; 

asking and talking eagerly as I ate。 

     〃We've just had news that old Mr。 Toombs is dead。〃 

     〃Dead!〃 I exclaimed; dropping my fork; 〃old Nathan Toombs!〃 

     〃Yes; he was my uncle。 Did you know him?〃 

     〃I knew Nathan Toombs;〃 I said。 

     I spent two days there with the Ransomes; for they would not hear of 

my  leaving;  and   half   of our   spare time;   I   think;  was   spent in   discussing 

Nathan Toombs。 I was not able to get him out of my mind for days; for his 

death was one of those   events which prove so   much and leave so   much 

unproven。 

     I can recall vividly my astonishment at the first evidence I ever had of 

the strange old man or of his work。 It was not very long after I came to my 

farm to live。 I had taken to spending my spare eveningsthe long evenings 

of   summerin      exploring    the  country    roads   for   miles   around;    getting 



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acquainted with each farmstead; each bit of grove and meadow and marsh; 

making my best bow to each unfamiliar hill; and taking everywhere that 

toll of pleasure which comes of quiet discovery。 

     One evening; having walked farther than usual; I came quite suddenly 

around     a   turn   in  the  road    and   saw    stretching    away    before   me    an 

extraordinary sight。 

     I feel that I am conveying no adequate impression of what I beheld by 

giving     it  any  such    prim   and   decorous     name    asa   Hedge。    It  was    a 

menagerie; a living; green menagerie! I had no sooner seen it than I began 

puzzling my brain as to whether one of the curious ornaments into which 

the upper   part   of the   hedge had been   clipped   and trimmed   was   made   to 

represent the head of a horse; or a camel; or an Egyptian sphinx。 

     The hedge was of arbor vite and as high as a man's waist。 At more or 

less regular intervals the trees in it had been allowed to grow much taller 

and had been wonderfully pruned into the similitude of towers; pinnacles; 

bells; and many other strange designs。 Here and there the hedge held up a 

spindling umbrella of greenery; sometimes a double umbrellaa little one 

above the big oneand over the gateway at the centre; as a sort of final 

triumph; rose a grandiose arch of interlaced branches upon which the artist 

had outdone himself in marvels of ornamentation。 

     I shall never forget the sensation of delight I had over this discovery; 

or of how I walked; tiptoe; along the road in front; studying each of the 

marvellous   adornments。   How   eagerly;   too;   I   looked   over   at   the   house 

beyonda rather bare; bleak house set on a slight knoll or elevation and 

guarded at one corner by a dark spruce tree。 At some distance behind I saw 

a   number   of   huge   barns;   a   cattle   yard   and   a   siloall   the   evidences   of 

prosperitywith      well…nurtured     fields;  now    yellowing     with   the  summer 

crops; spreading pleasantly away on every hand。 

     It was nearly dark before I left that bit of roadside; and I shall never 

forget the eerie impression I had as I turned back to take a final look at the 

hedge; the strange; grotesque aspect it presented there in the half light with 

the bare; lonely house rising from the knoll behind。 

       It  was   not   until  some    weeks    later  that  I  met   the   owner    of  the 



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wonderful hedge。 By that time; however; having learned of my interest; I 

found   the   whole   countryside   alive   with   stories   about   it   and   about   Old 

Nathan   Toombs;   its   owner。   It   was   as   though   I   had   struck   the   rock   of 

refreshment in a weary land。 

     I   remember   distinctly   how   puzzled   was   by   the   stories   I   heard。   The 

neighbourhood portraitand ours is really a friendly neighbourhoodwas 

by no means flattering。 Old Toombs was apparently of that type of hard… 

shelled; grasping; self…reliant; old…fashioned farmer not unfamiliar to many 

country neighbourhoods。 He had come of tough old American stock and 

he was a worker; a saver; and thus he had grown rich; the richest farmer in 

the whole neighbourhood。 He was a regular individualistic American。 

     〃A dour man;〃 said the Scotch Preacher; 〃but justyou must admit that 

he is just。〃 

     There was no man living about whom the Scotch Preacher could not 

find something good to say。 

     〃Yes; just;〃 replied Horace; 〃but hardhard; and as mean as pusley。〃 

     This portrait was true enough in itself; for I knew just the sort of an 

aggressive; undoubtedly irritable old fellow it pictured; but somehow; try 

as I would; I could not see any such old fellow wasting his moneyed hours 

clipping bells; umbrellas; and camel's heads on his ornamental greenery。 It 

left   just   that   incongruity   which   is   at   once   the   lure;   the   humour;   and   the 

perplexity   of   human   life。   Instead   of   satisfying   my   curio

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