AMERICAN STORIES - No Place to Hang the Lantern

AMERICAN STORIES - No Place to Hang the Lantern
By John Wotarua

Broadcast: Saturday, November 27, 2004

Now the Special English program American Stories.

John Wotarua

Our story today is called "No Place to Hang the Lantern". It was written by John Wotarua. It is about a young farmer Nate and his wife Olive¹ who is soon to become a mother. And their cow Maudie who is also going to be a mother. It is a story about the beauty of birth, the wonder of new life. Here is Shep O'Neal with our story.

Olive Bowen made some hot coffee to bring to her husband Nate who was over in the barn². He was helping³ their cow Maudie to give birth. Olive herself was expecting a baby very soon. She felt heavy and moved around slowly.

The coffee boiled on the stove and Olive poured some into a pot and carried it to the barn. It was black inside the barn. The darkness made Olive nervous and she stood at the door not sure what to do. Should she call Nateor go slowly and carefully through the darkness. Then she saw a light at the far end. Olive called out to Nate and was happy to see the light come toward⁴ her. Nate held his lantern high as he came up to Olive and said: "Where is your lamp? You shouldn't have some out when it's too cold."

"I brought you some hot coffee."

Nate was happy that she did. But he did not want her to say. He took the thingsOlive carried and asked her to sit down. "Maybe for a minute to get warm," she said.

Olive kept looking into the darkness of the barn to see where Maudie was. Maudie was ready to have her calf⁵ any minute now.

"I don't want you to stay," her husband said.

"Oh, no, Nate, I don't want to. If it begins to happen, I'll go back to the house."

They walked slowly to the back of the barn to look at Maudie. Nate looked around for something Olive could sit on.

"Would this be all right?"

He helped Olive sit down on a small stool⁶. He made the oil stove hotter so she could get warm. Then he told her again that he did not want her to stay when Maudie's calf came. It wasn't something a young wife should see, especially a young wife who would soon be a mother herself.

Nate sat down on the floor near Olive. The cow lay quietly, chewing⁷ some hay⁸. Husband and wife did not say much as they waited; words did not seem to some easily to them.

But, after some time, Olive said she was sorry that she could not help Nate with the cow. Nate smiles and told her not to worry about him--after all, he said, Maudie was having the calf-not he. And Maudie would know what to do when the time came.

There was something else that was worrying Oive, and she did not know just how to begin to talk about it--At last, she spoke⁹ out, not sure what Nate's answer would be. "Momma says--I mean Momma thinks--maybe I should go to her house to have the baby ... After all, the doctor lives in town. If you couldn't get him here in time, I don't know what I would do."

She had said it, and was glad that at last she got the word out. Nate was a quiet, thoughtful¹⁰ and gentle man. He knew that Olive was afraid and he wanted to calm her fears.

"Of course," he answered. "That's a good idea. It would be much easier for you in your mother's house."

Time seemed to be moving slowly--too slowly for Olive. She looked nervously¹¹ at the cow. She asked Nate when the cow would begin. Nate answered that birth had already stared--Maudie had pain a short time ago. Then Nate began to rub¹² the cow's head ...the cow turned its head away from his hands...and then Suddenly it came... a frightening bellow¹⁴ that gave Olive a violent¹⁵. Olive could see it clearly--part of the head of the young calf stowly, painfully coming out.

Olive felt shaky. Her hands nervously touched her own body. She could feel the shape of her baby. Nate was worried, he told Olive to leave. But Olive could not go....she just could not pull herself away. She kept looking at Maudie as the cow made her great noises and struggled to push out the calf. Nate saw that the cow was in trouble. He knew she needed

help. He looked for a nail¹⁶ in the wall where he could hang his lamp. There was none. He was angry, but did not know what to do. He had to have light. Olive said he should have asked another farmer to help him. This made Nate even more angry. He ordered Olive out of the barn.

Suddenly, Olive saw that Nate was also afraid--fearful¹⁷ that the cow's struggle would be too much for him alone. And at that moment she decided¹⁸ that nothing could drive her from the barn. She demanded that Nate give her the lamp to hold so that he could have all the light he needed to help Maudie.

Nate said,"no," the birth would make her sick... "Please go," he said. Olive laughed and answered: "Nate, I think it is you who is going to be sick. Give me lamp!"

The emergency strangely changed Olive. She no longer felt fearful. There was a sudden¹³ new strength in her...it surprised her. Nate looked at his wife. As she took the lamp from him,

he smiled. He softly¹⁹ touched Olive's face with his hand. Olive had never before felt so close her husband. It was a wonderful moment.

Now, Nate could see, and could work. He put fresh hay around Maudie and went to look for some old cloth. He needed the cloth, he said to hold the calf's wet head as he pulled it out.

Nate and Olive joked and laughed as they waited. But soon they stopped. For the cow was now in violent pain, and they could see the calf's whole head. Olive held the lamp.

Nate told her not to look. But she had to look. As she watched, Olive was afraid, but not for the cow or even for herself. She was fearful for the baby-for the little creature that was coming into the world. At last, it was done.

Maudie was quiet. In the hay, lay a 1ittle wet calf. It tried to stand up, but could not.

Nate gently helped the calf to its feet. He brought it to Maudie. He opened the calf's mouth so that it could take milk from its mother. But Maudie made an angry noise and kicked the calf away. Nate Spoke to Maudie at though she could understand him: "Here now! A mother shouldn't do that to her baby!" Olive asked, "Doesn't she love her bably?" Nate

said, "She still remembers her pain. But she'll love her calf in the morning."

Olive and Nate were both tired. Olive remembered the coffee she had brought to the barn. She put it on the hot stove. Nate dried the calf with the cloth. As he worked, Olive looked through the barn window. She saw the apple trees with snow on them and the light in her kitchen and the frist grace²⁰ of the morning sun. It made her feel warm and happy. She was part of her husband's life.

Suddenly, Olive heard the sound of the boiling coffee. She turned from the window. She laughed as she saw Nate trying to cover the long, kicking legs of the baby calf. And he laughed, too.

Now, the calf was covered and quiet, sleeping near its mother. Nate and Olive sat in the hay. They held hands as they drank the hot coffee. They felt no need to speak as they looked at the beauty of the first baby in their lives.

You have been listening to the Special English program American Stories. Our story today is called "No Place to Hang the Lantern". It was written by John Wotarua, and was published by Yankee Magazine. Your storyteller was Shep O'Neal. The producer was Wang Daives. The Voice of America invites you to listen again next week at the same time to another American story told in Special English. This is Shirley Griffith.

1 olive   

n.橄榄，橄榄树，橄榄色；adj.黄绿色的，黄褐色的，橄榄色的

参考例句：

• Have you eaten a kind of fruit called olive?你吃过橄榄这种水果吗？
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace.她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。

2 barn   

n.谷仓，饲料仓，牲口棚

参考例句：

• That big building is a barn for keeping the grain.那幢大房子是存放粮食的谷仓。
• The cows were driven into the barn.牛被赶进了牲口棚。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

5 calf   

n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮

参考例句：

• The cow slinked its calf.那头母牛早产了一头小牛犊。
• The calf blared for its mother.牛犊哞哞地高声叫喊找妈妈。

6 stool   

n.凳子；粪便；根株；v.长出新枝，排便

参考例句：

• The stool is steady enough.这个凳子很稳。
• The boy was straining at stool.那个男孩在用力大便。

7 chewing   

v.咀嚼，咬( chew的现在分词 )；（因为紧张等）咬住，不停地啃，（为尝味道）不停地咀嚼

参考例句：

• She was admonished for chewing gum in class. 她在课堂上嚼口香糖，受到了告诫。
• cows chewing the cud 在咀嚼反刍食物的牛

8 hay   

n.(用作饲料或覆盖的)干草

参考例句：

• Cows feed on hay.奶牛以干草为生。
• They usually keep the hay in the barn.他们通常将干草存放在谷仓中。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 thoughtful   

adj.思考的，沉思的，体贴的，关心的

参考例句：

• She is thoughtful for her friends.她很体贴她的朋友们。
• This is a thoughtful essay.这是一篇具有思想性的随笔。

11 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

12 rub   

n.摩擦，困难，障碍，难点，磨损处；vt.擦，搓，摩擦，惹怒；vi.摩擦，擦破

参考例句：

• Don't let the wire rub up against the pipe.别让电线碰到管子上。
• He used to rub up against many famous movie stars.他过去经常偶然碰到许多有名的影星。

13 sudden   

n.突然，忽然；adj.突然的，意外的，快速的

参考例句：

• All of a sudden he turned about and saw me.他突然转过身来看见了我。
• The horse was badly frightened by the sudden noise.那匹马被突然而来的嘈杂声吓坏了。

14 bellow   

v.吼叫，怒吼；大声发出，大声喝道

参考例句：

• The music is so loud that we have to bellow at each other to be heard.音乐的声音实在太大，我们只有彼此大声喊叫才能把话听清。
• After a while,the bull began to bellow in pain.过了一会儿公牛开始痛苦地吼叫。

15 violent   

adj.暴力的，猛烈的，激烈的，极端的，凶暴的，歪曲的

参考例句：

• The madman was violent and had to be locked up.这个精神病患者很凶暴，不得不把他锁起来。
• They caught him and gave him a violent beating.他们抓住了他，把他狠狠打了一顿。

16 nail   

n.钉子，指甲；vt.用钉钉牢，使固定，使集中于，揭露

参考例句：

• He drove a nail into the wall.他把钉子钉在墙上。
• In order to hang the picture,he had to hammer a nail.为了挂那幅画，他必须钉枚钉子。

17 fearful   

adj.惧怕的，担心的；可怕的，吓人的

参考例句：

• What a fearful waste of time!简直太浪费时间了！
• They are fearful of another business depression.他们担心会再次发生商业萧条。

18 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

19 softly   

adv.柔和地，静静地，温柔地

参考例句：

• He speaks too softly for her to hear.他讲话声音太轻，她听不见。
• She breathed her advice softly.她低声劝告。

20 grace   

n.优雅，雅致，魅力，恩惠，慈悲

参考例句：

• She is a beautiful girl with the grace and poise.她是一位仪态优雅的佳丽。
• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。