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第21章

the red cross girl(红十字姑娘)-第21章

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close to the Atlantic seaboard。 In obtaining orders he was not unsuccessful; 

and   at   the   end   of   the   first   month   received   from   the   firm   a   telegram   of 

congratulation。   This   was   of   importance   chiefly   because   it   might   please 

Emily。   But   he   knew   that   in   her   eyes   the   great…great…grandson   of   Hiram 

Greene could not rest content with a telegram from Burdett and Sons。 A 

year    before    she   would    have    considered     it  a  high   honor;   a  cause    for 

celebration。 Now; he could see her press her pretty lips together and shake 

her pretty head。 It was not enough。 But how could he accomplish more。 He 

began to hate his great…great…grandfather。 He began to wish Hiram Greene 

had lived and died a bachelor。 

     And then Dame Fortune took David in hand and toyed with him and 

spanked   him;  and   pelted   and petted   him;  until   finally  she   made   him  her 

favorite     son。   Dame     Fortune    went    about    this  work    in   an  abrupt    and 

arbitrary manner。 

     On the night of the 1st of March; 1897; two trains were scheduled to 

leave   the   Union   Station   at   Jacksonville   at   exactly   the   same   minute;   and 

they left exactly on time。 As never before in the history of any Southern 

railroad has this miracle occurred; it shows that when Dame Fortune gets 

on the job she is omnipotent。 She placed David on the train to Miami as 

the   train   he   wanted   drew   out   for   Tampa;   and   an   hour   later;   when   the 

conductor   looked   at   David's   ticket;   he   pulled   the   bell…cord   and   dumped 

David over the side into the heart of a pine forest。 If he walked back along 

the track for one mile; the conductor reassured him; he would find a flag 

station where at midnight he could flag a train going north。 In an hour it 

would deliver him safely in Jacksonville。 



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     There was a moon; but for the greater part of the time it was hidden by 

fitful; hurrying clouds; and; as David stumbled forward; at one moment he 

would      see   the   rails  like   streaks    of  silver;   and    the   next   would     be 

encompassed in a complete and bewildering darkness。 He   made his way 

from tie to tie only by feeling with his foot。 After an hour he came to a 

shed。 Whether it was or was not the flag station the conductor had in mind; 

he did not know; and he never did know。 He was too tired; too hot; and too 

disgusted   to   proceed;   and   dropping   his   suit   case   he   sat   down   under   the 

open roof of the shed prepared to wait either for the train or daylight。 So 

far as he could see; on every side of him stretched a swamp; silent; dismal; 

interminable。 From its black water rose dead trees; naked of bark and hung 

with streamers of funereal moss。 There was not a sound or sign of human 

habitation。     The    silence   was    the  silence    of  the   ocean    at  night   David 

remembered the berth reserved for him on the train to Tampa and of the 

loathing with which he had considered placing himself between its sheets。 

But   now   how   gladly   would   he   welcome   it!   For;   in   the   sleeping…car;   ill… 

smelling;   close;   and   stuffy;   he   at   least   would   have   been   surrounded   by 

fellow…sufferers       of  his  own    species。    Here   his   companions       were   owls; 

water…snakes; and sleeping buzzards。 

     I   am   alone;〃   he   told   himself;   〃on   a   railroad   embankment;   entirely 

surrounded by alligators。〃 

     And then he found he was not alone。 

     In the darkness; illuminated by a match; not a hundred yards from him 

there flashed suddenly the face of a man。 Then the match went out and the 

face   with   it。   David   noted   that   it   had   appeared   at   some   height   above   the 

level    of   the   swamp;     at   an   elevation    higher    even    than    that  of   the 

embankment。 It was as though the man had been sitting on the limb of a 

tree。    David    crossed     the   tracks   and    found    that   on   the   side   of   the 

embankment opposite the shed there was solid ground and what once had 

been   a   wharf。   He   advanced   over   this   cautiously;   and   as   he   did   so   the 

clouds   disappeared;   and   in   the   full   light   of   the   moon   he   saw   a   bayou 

broadening into a river; and made fast to the decayed and rotting wharf an 

ocean…going tug。 It was from her deck that the man; in lighting his pipe; 

had    shown     his  face。   At   the  thought    of   a  warm    engine…room   and       the 



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company of   his   fellow   creatures;   David's heart   leaped   with pleasure。   He 

advanced      quickly。   And    then   something     in  the   appearance     of  the  tug; 

something mysterious; secretive; threatening; caused him to halt。 No lights 

showed      from   her   engine…room;      cabin;  or   pilot…house。   Her    decks   were 

empty。   But;   as   was   evidenced   by   the   black   smoke   that   rose   from   her 

funnel;     she   was    awake    and    awake     to  some    purpose。     David    stood 

uncertainly; questioning whether to make his presence known or return to 

the loneliness of the shed。 The question was decided for him。 He had not 

considered   that   standing   in   the   moonlight   he   was   a   conspicuous   figure。 

The planks of the wharf creaked and a man came toward him。 As one who 

means to attack; or who fears attack; he approached warily。 He wore high 

boots;    riding   breeches;    and  a  sombrero。     He   was   a  little  man;   but  his 

movements        were   alert  and   active。   To  David    he   seemed    unnecessarily 

excited。 He thrust himself close against David。 

     〃Who the devil are you?〃 demanded the man from the tug。 〃How'd you 

get here?〃 

     〃I walked;〃 said David。 

     〃Walked?〃 the man snorted incredulously。 

     〃I took the wrong train;〃 explained David pleasantly。 〃They put me off 

about a mile below here。 I walked back to this flag station。 I'm going to 

wait here for the next train north。〃 

     The little man laughed mockingly。 

     〃Oh; no you're not;〃 he said。 〃If you walked here; you can just walk 

away     again!〃    With    a  sweep     of  his   arm;   he   made     a  vigorous     and 

peremptory gesture。 

     〃You walk!〃 he commanded。 

     〃I'll do just as I please about that;〃 said David。 

     As though to bring assistance; the little man started hastily toward the 

tug。 

     〃I'll   find   some   one   who'll   make   you   walk!〃   he   called。   〃You   WAIT; 

that's all; you WAIT!〃 

     David     decided    not   to  wait。  It   was  possible  the   wharf   was   private 

property and he had been trespassing。 In any case; at the flag station the 

rights of all men were equal; and if he were in for a fight he judged it best 



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to choose his own battle…ground。 He recrossed the tracks and sat down on 

his suit case in a dark corner of the shed。 Himself hidden in the shadows 

he could see in the moonlight the approach of any other person。 

     〃They're river pirates;〃 said David to himself; 〃or smugglers。 They're 

certainly up to some mischief; or why should they object to the presence 

of a perfectly harmless stranger?〃 

     Partly with cold; partly with nervousness; David shivered。 

     〃I wish that train would come;〃 he sighed。 And instantly? as though in 

answer to his wish; from only a short distance down the track he heard the 

rumble and creak of approaching cars。 In a flash David planned his course 

of action。 

     The  thought   of spending   the night in   a  swamp   infested by  alligators 

and   smugglers   had   become   intolerable。   He   must   escape;   and   he          must 

escape by the train now approaching。 To that end the train must be stopped。 

His plan was simple。 The train was moving very; very slowly; and though 

he had no lantern to wave; in order to bring it to a halt he need only stand 

on   the   track   exposed   to   the   glare   of   the   headlight   and   wave   his   arms。 

David sprang between the rails and gesticulated wildly。 But in amazement 

his arms fell to his sides。 For the train; now only a hundred yards distant 

and   creeping   toward      him   at   a   snail's   pace;  carried   no   head…light;  and 

though   in   the   moonlight   David   was   plainly   visible;   it   blew   no   whistle; 

tolled   no   bell。   Even   the   passenger   coaches   in   the   rear   of   the   sightless 

engine   were   wrapped   in   darkness。   It   was   a   ghost   of   a   train;   a   Flying 

Dutchman of a train; a nightmare of a train。 It was as unreal as the black 

swamp; as the moss on the dead trees; as the ghostly tug…boat tied to the 

rotting wharf。 

     〃Is the place haunted!〃 exclaimed David。 

     He was answered by the grinding of brakes and by the train coming to 

a sharp halt。 And instantly from every side men fell from it to the ground; 

and the silence of the night was broken by a confusion of calls and eager 

greeting and questions and sharp words of command。 

     So fascinated was David in the stealthy arrival of the train and in her 

mysterious passengers that; until they confronted him; he did not note the 

equally  stealthy  approach   of three   men。   Of   these   one   was   the little   man 



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from the tug。 With him was a fat; red…faced Irish…American He wore no 

coat and his shirt…sleeves were drawn away from his hands by garters of 

pink   elastic;   his   derby   hat   was   balanced   behind   his   ears;   upon   his   right 

hand   flashed   an   enormous   diamond。   He   looked          as   though   but   at   that 

moment   he   had   stopped   sliding   glasses   across   a   Bowery   bar。   The   third 

man   carried   the   outward   marks   of   a   sailor。   David   believed   he   was   the 

tallest man he had ever beheld; but equally remarkable with his height was 

his beard and hair; which were of a fierce brick…dust red。 Even in the mild 

moonlight it flamed like a torch。 

     〃What's your business?〃 demanded the man with the flamboyant hair。 

     〃I came here;〃 began David; 〃to wait for a train〃 

     The tall man bellowed with indignant rage。 

     〃Yes;〃 he shouted; 〃this is the sort of place any one would pick out to 

wait for a train!〃 

     In front of David's nose he shook a fist as l

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