VOA慢速英语2019 《心与十字架》(1)（在线收听）

Baldy woods reached for a drink and got it. When Baldy wanted something, he usually got it. He — but this is not Baldy's story. Now he took his third drink, which was larger than the first and the second. Baldy had been listening to the troubles of a friend. Now Baldy was going to tell his friend what to do. So the friend was buying him the drinks. This was the right thing for the friend to do. "I'd be king if I were you," said Baldy. He said it loudly and strongly. Webb Yeager moved his wide hat back on his head. He put his fingers in his yellow hair and moved it about. It now looked wilder than before. But this did not help him to think better. And therefore he also got another drink. "If a man marries a queen, it ought not make him nothing," said Webb. Here was his real problem. "Surely not," said Baldy. "You ought to be a king. But you're only the queen's husband. That's what happens to a man in Europe if he marries the king's daughter. His wife becomes a queen. But is he a king? No. His only duty is to appear with the queen in pictures. And be the father of the next king. That's not right. Yes, Webb, you are only the queen's husband. And if I were you, I'd turn everything upside down and I would be king."

《心与十字架》。布德里·伍兹伸手去拿了一杯，当布德里想要什么的时候，他通常能得到。但这不是有关布德里的故事。他现在正在喝第三杯，这杯比前面两杯都大。布德里一直在听一个朋友说烦心事。现在，布德里打算告诉他的朋友该怎么做。所以，朋友给他买了酒水。这是朋友应该做的事。“如果我是你，我就当国王，” 布德里大声而有力地说道。韦伯·耶格把他的宽帽子戴回头上。他把手指插进金发，挪动了一下。现在，头发看起来比之前更疯狂了。但这并没有帮助他更好地思考，所以他又喝了一杯。韦伯说：“如果一个人娶了一位王后，他就不应该一无所获。”。这是他真正的问题。“当然不是。”布德里说。“你应该当国王，但你只是女王的丈夫。欧洲男人嫁给国王女儿后会出现的情况。他的妻子成为女王，但他是国王吗？不是。他唯一的职责是和女王一起出现在照片中，并成为下一位国王的父亲。那是不对的，韦伯，你只是女王的丈夫。如果我是你，我会颠倒一切，我将成为国王”。

Baldy finished his drink. "Baldy," said Webb, "you and I have been cowboys together for years. We've been riding the same roads since we were very young. I wouldn't talk about my family to anyone but you. You were working on the Nopalito Ranch when I married Santa McAllister. I was foreman then. But what am I now? Nothing." "When old McAllister was the cattle king of West Texas," continued Baldy, "you were important. You told people what to do. Your commands were as strong as his." "That was true," said Webb, "until he discovered that I wanted to marry Santa. Then he sent me as far away from the ranch house as he could. When the old man died, they started to call Santa the ‘cattle queen.' Now I tell the cattle what to do. That's all. She takes care of all the business. She takes care of all the money. I can't sell any cattle— not one animal. Santa is the queen, and I... I'm nothing." "I would be king if I were you," said Baldy Woods again. "When a man marries a queen he ought to be the same as she is. Plenty of people think it's strange, Webb. Your words mean nothing on the Nopalito Ranch. Mrs. Yeager is a fine little lady. But a man ought to be head of his own house."

布德里把酒喝完。韦伯说：“布德里，我和你一起当牛仔已经很多年了。从很小的时候起，我们就一直走同样的路。除了你，我不会和别人谈论我的家人。我嫁给圣麦卡利斯特时，你在诺帕利托牧场工作。那时我是工头，但我现在是什么呢？“当老麦卡利斯特是西德州的牧场英豪时，”布德里继续说，“你很重要，你告诉人们该怎么做，你的命令和他的一样有力。”“那是真的，”韦伯说，“直到他发现我想嫁给圣塔。然后，他让我尽可能远离农场。老人去世后，他们开始把圣塔叫做“牛皇后”。现在，我给牛群发号施令。这就是所有的事情。她负责所有的生意，掌管所有的钱。我不能卖牛，一只也不能。圣塔是女王，我......我什么都不是。”“如果我是你，我会成为国王，”布德里·伍兹又说道。“当一个男人娶了王后，他应该和她一样。很多人认为这很奇怪，韦伯。你的话对诺帕利托农场毫无意义。耶格太太是个好姑娘，但一个男人应该是自己家的主人。”

Webb's brown face grew long with sadness. With that expression, and his wild yellow hair, and his blue eyes, he looked like a schoolboy who had lost his leadership to another, strong boy. Yet his tall body looked too strong for such a thing to happen to him. "I'm riding back to the ranch today," he said. It was easy to see that he did not want to go. "I have to start some cattle on the road to San Antonio tomorrow morning." "Well, I'll go with you as far as Dry Lake," said Baldy. The two friends got on their horses and left the little town where they had met that morning. At Dry Lake, they stopped to say goodbye. They had been riding for miles without talking. But in Texas, talk does not often continue steadily. Many things may happen between words. But when you begin to talk again, you are still talking about the same thing. So now Webb added something to the talk that began ten miles away. "You remember, Baldy, there was a time when Santa was different. You remember the days when old McAllister kept me away from the ranch house. You remember how she would send me a sign that she wanted to see me? Old McAllister said that he would kill me if I came near enough. You remember the sign she used to send, Baldy? The picture of a heart with a cross inside it?"

韦伯棕色的脸因悲伤而变得很长，他带着那种表情，一头野性的金发，一双蓝眼睛，看上去就像个小学生。他已经在另一个坚强的男孩面前失去了领导地位，但他高大的身体看起来太强壮了，不可能发生这样的事。“我今天要骑马回牧场，”他说，很容易看出他不想去。“明天早上我得在去圣安东尼奥的路上赶些牛。”“好吧，我和你一起去干湖，” 布德里说。这两个朋友骑马离开了，他们那天早上在小镇相遇。在干湖，他们停下来道别。他们一言不发地骑了好几英里，但在得克萨斯州，人们的谈话并不会经常持续进行，言语之间可能会发生很多事情。但当你开始再次交谈时，你仍然在谈论同样的事情。所以，现在韦伯在十英里外开始的谈话中加入了一些内容。“你记得吗，布德里，有一段时间圣塔不太一样。你还记得老麦卡利斯特让我远离牧场的日子吧，还记得她怎么给我发信号说她想见我吗？老麦卡利斯特说，如果我走近，他会杀了我。你还记得她以前送的标识吗，布德里？上面是一颗心，心里面有一个十字架？”

"Me?" cried Baldy. "Sure I remember. Every cowboy on the ranch knew that sign of the heart and the cross. We would see it on things sent out from the ranch. We would see it on anything. It would be on newspapers. On boxes of food. Once I saw it on the back of the shirt of a cook that McAllister sent from the ranch." "Santa's father made her promise that she wouldn't write to me or send me any word. That heart-and-cross sign was her plan. When she wanted to see me, she would put that mark on something that she knew I would see. And when I saw it, I traveled fast to the ranch that same night. I would meet her outside the house." "We all knew it," said Baldy. "But we never said anything. We wanted you to marry Santa. We knew why you had that fast horse. When we saw the heart and cross on something from the ranch, we always knew your horse was going to go fast that night." "The last time Santa sent me the sign," said Webb, "was when she was sick. When I saw it, I got on my horse and started. It was a forty-mile ride. She wasn't at our meeting-place. I went to the house. Old McAllister met me at the door. ‘Did you come here to get killed?' he said. ‘I won't kill you this time. I was going to send for you. Santa wants you. Go in that room and see her. Then come out here and see me.'

“我？”布德里叫道。“我当然记得了，牧场上的每个牛仔都知道心里带十字架的这个标识，我们可以在农场寄来的东西上看到它，到处都是。报纸上有，一箱箱食物上也有。有一次，我看见麦卡利斯特从牧场派来的厨师所穿的衬衫背面也有它。”“圣塔的父亲让她保证，她不会给我写信，也不会给我传话。那颗心里带十字架的标识是她的计划。当她想见我时，她会把那个标识放到她知道我能看到的东西上。我看到它时，就会在当天晚上快速赶到牧场，我会在屋外等她。”“我们都知道，”布德里说，“但我们什么也没说，我们想让你嫁给圣塔。我们知道你为什么有那匹快马。当我们看到牧场上有东西带有这个心脏和十字架的标记时，我们总是知道你的马当天晚上会飞奔。”韦伯说：“圣塔最后一次给我发那个信号，是在她生病的时候。我看到它时，就骑上马上路了，我骑了四十英里。她不在我们见面的地方，我去了房子那。老麦卡利斯特在门口见了我。“你是来这里杀人的吗？”他说。“这次我不会杀了你，我本来打算派人来找你的。圣塔想见你，去那个房间看她吧。然后，再出来见我。”

"Santa was lying in bed very sick. But she smiled, and put her hand in mine, and I sat down by the bed—mud and riding clothes and all. ‘I could hear you coming for hours, Webb,' she said. ‘I was sure you would come. You saw the sign?' ‘I saw it,' I said. It's our sign,' she said. ‘Hearts and crosses. To love and to suffer—that's what they mean.' "And old Doctor Musgrove was there. And Santa goes to sleep and Doctor Musgrove touches her face, and he says to me: ‘You were good for her. But go away now. The little lady will be all right in the morning.' Old McAllister was outside her room. ‘She's sleeping,' I said. ‘And now you can start killing me. You have plenty of time. I haven't any- thing to fight with.' Old McAllister laughs, and he says to me: ‘Killing the best foreman in West Texas is not good business. I don't know where I could get another good foreman. I don't want you in the family. But I can use you on the Nopalito if you stay away from the ranch house. You go up and sleep, and then we'll talk.' " The two men prepared to separate. They took each other's hand. "Goodbye, Baldy," said Webb. "I'm glad I saw you and had this talk." With a sudden rush, the two riders were on their way.

“圣塔躺在床上病得很重，但她笑了，把手放在我的手上。我坐在床边，骑马的衣服上满是泥点。“我能听出来，你赶了好几个小时的路，韦伯，”她说。“我相信你会来的，你看到标记了吗？”“我看见了，”我说。“这是我们的标志，”她说。“心与十字架，它们的意思是在爱的同时受苦。”老医生穆斯格罗夫也在那儿，圣塔睡着了，穆斯格罗夫医生摸了摸她的脸，对我说：“你让她好转了，但现在离开吧。她明天早上会没事的。”老麦卡利斯特在她的房间外面。“她在睡觉，”我说。“现在你可以杀我了，你时间充裕，我没什么好反抗的。”老麦卡利斯特笑了，他对我说：“杀死西德克萨斯州最好的工头不是好事，我不知道去哪能再找一个好工头，我不想你来家里。但如果你不去农场的话，我可以在诺帕利托用你。你上去睡觉，然后我们再谈。”这两人准备彼此道别，他们握着对方的手。“再见，布德里，”韦伯说。“我很高兴见到你，也和你谈了这件事。”两人骑着马突然冲了出去。

Then Baldy pulled his horse to a stop and shouted. Webb turned. "If I were you," came Baldy's loud voice, "I would be king!" At eight the following morning, Bud Turner got off his horse at the Nopalito ranch house. Bud was the cowboy who was taking the cattle to San Antonio. Mrs. Yeager was outside the house, putting water on some flowers. In many ways Santa was like her father, "King" McAllister. She was sure about everything. She was afraid of nothing. She was proud. But Santa looked like her mother. She had a strong body and a soft prettiness. Because she was a woman, her manners were womanly. Yet she liked to be queen, as her father had liked to be king. Webb stood near her, giving orders to two or three cowboys. "Good morning," said Bud. "Where do you want the cattle to go? To Barber's as usual?" The queen always answered such a question. All the business— buying, selling, and banking—had been held in her hands. Care of the cattle was given to her husband. When "King" McAllister was alive, Santa was his secretary and his helper. She had continued her work and her work had been successful. But before she could answer, the queen's husband spoke: "You drive those cattle to Zimmerman's and Nesbit's. I spoke to Zimmerman about it."

接着，布德里让马停下来，大声喊起来。韦伯转过身来。“如果我是你，” 布德里大声说，“我就是国王！”第二天早上八点，巴德·特纳在诺帕利托牧场的房子那里下马。巴德是那个带牛去圣安东尼奥的牛仔。耶格太太在屋外，给一些花浇水。圣塔在很多方面都很像她的父亲，“国王”麦卡利斯特。她对一切都很确定，什么都不怕。她很自豪。但圣塔长得像她妈妈，她身体强壮，柔软又漂亮。因为她是个女人，所以她的举止也很有女人味。但她喜欢当王后，就像她父亲喜欢当国王一样。韦伯站在她旁边，给两三个牛仔发号命令。“早上好，”巴德说，“你们想让牛去哪里？像往常一样去巴伯吗？”女王总是回答这样的问题，所有的买卖和银行业务都掌控在她手中，她丈夫则照料牲口。“国王”麦卡利斯特在世时，圣塔是他的秘书和助手。她继续工作，而且工作得很成功。但在她回答之前，女王的丈夫说：“你把那些牛赶到齐默尔曼和奈斯比特家，我和齐默尔曼谈过了。”

Bud turned, ready to go. "Wait!" called Santa quickly. She looked at her husband with surprise in her gray eyes. "What do you mean, Webb?" she asked. "I never deal with Zimmerman and Nesbit. Barber has bought all the cattle from this ranch for five years. I'm not going to change." She said to Bud Turner: "Take those cattle to Barber." Bud did not look at either of them. He stood there waiting. "I want those cattle to go to Zimmerman and Nesbit," said Webb. There was a cold light in his blue eyes. "It's time to start," said Santa to Bud. "Tell Barber we'll have more cattle ready in about a month." Bud allowed his eyes to turn and meet Webb's. "You take those cattle," said Webb, "to—" "Barber," said Santa quickly. "Let's say no more about it. What are you waiting for, Bud?" "Nothing," said Bud. But he did not hurry to move away, for man is man's friend, and he did not like what had happened. "You heard what she said," cried Webb. "We do what she commands." He took off his hat and made a wide movement with it, touching the floor.

巴德转身后准备出发。“等等！”圣塔马上叫道，她用灰色的眼睛惊讶地看着丈夫。“你什么意思，韦伯？”她问。“我从不和齐默尔曼和奈斯比特打交道。巴伯五年来从这个牧场买了所有的牛。我不会改变的。”她对巴德·特纳说：“带那些牛去巴伯那吧。”巴德没有看他们两人，他站在那里等着。韦伯说：“我要那些牛到齐默尔曼和奈斯比特那去。他的蓝眼睛里透着冷冷的光。“该开始了，” 圣塔对巴德说，“告诉巴伯，大约一个月后我们会准备更多的牛。”巴德睁大眼睛看着韦伯，“你带着那些牛，”韦伯说，“去——”“巴伯，”圣塔迅速地说。“别再说了，你在等什么，巴德？”“没什么，”巴德说。但他并不着急离开，因为这个人是朋友，他不喜欢所发生的一切。“你听到她说的话了吧，”韦伯喊道，“我们按她吩咐的去做。”他摘下帽子，大大地摆动了一下，碰到了地板。

"Webb," said Santa, "what's wrong with you today?" "I'm acting like the queen's fool," said Webb. "What can you expect? Let me tell you. I was a man before I married a cattle queen. What am I now? Something for the cowboys to laugh at. But I'm going to be a man again." Santa looked at him. "Be reasonable, Webb," she said quietly. "There is nothing wrong. You take care of the cattle. I take care of the business. You understand the cattle. I understand the business better than you do. I learned it from my father." "I don't like kings and queens," said Webb, "unless I'm one of them myself. Alright. It's your ranch. Barber gets the cattle." Webb's horse was tied near the house. He walked into the house and brought out the supplies he took on long rides.

“韦伯，”圣塔说，“你今天怎么了？”韦伯说：“我表现得像是女王的傻瓜。你能指望什么呢？我告诉你吧，在我和一个养牛皇后结婚前，我曾是个男人。”我现在是什么？让牛仔们笑话的人，但我要重新做人。”圣塔看着他。“讲些道理吧，韦伯，”她平静地说，“没什么不对的，你照顾好牛，我负责好生意。你对牛很在行，我比你更了解怎么做生意，这是我从父亲那里学来的。” “我不喜欢国王和王后，”韦伯说，“除非我自己也是他们中的一员。好吧，这是你的农场。巴伯把牛弄到手了。”韦伯把马绑在房子附近，他走进屋子，拿出长途旅行时带的供给品。

These he began to tie on his horse. Santa followed him. Her face had lost some of its color. Webb got on his horse. There was no expression on his face except a strange light burning in his eyes. "There are some cattle at the Hondo water-hole," he said. "They ought to be moved. Wild animals have killed three of them. I did not remember to tell Simms to do it. You tell him." Santa put a hand on the horse and looked her husband in the eye. "Are you going to leave me, Webb?" she asked quietly. "I'm going to be a man again," he answered. "I wish you success," she said, with a sudden coldness. She turned and walked into the house. Webb Yeager went to the southeast as straight as he could ride. And when he came to the place where sky and earth seem to meet, he was gone. Those at the Nopalito knew nothing more about him. Days passed, then weeks, then months. But Webb Yeager did not return.

他开始把这些绑在马上，圣塔跟着他。她的脸失去一些血色。韦伯上马了，他脸上没有表情，只是眼睛里灼烧着一道奇怪的光。他说：“洪都的水坑里有一些牛，应该把它们移走。野生动物杀死了其中的三只，我不记得曾叫西姆斯去办，你告诉他。”圣塔把手放在马上，看着丈夫的眼睛。“你要离开我吗，韦伯？”她轻声问道。“我要重新做回一个男人，”他回答说。“祝你成功，”她突然冷淡地说，然后转身走进屋里。韦伯·耶格尽可能笔直地向东南方向骑去，当他来到天空和大地似乎相遇的地方时，就不见了。诺帕利托的人对他一无所知。几天过去了，几周过去了，几个月过去了，但韦伯·耶格都没有回来。