Off the Turnpike
Good ev'nin', Mis' Priest.I jest stepped in to tell you Good-bye.Yes, it's all over.All my things is packedAn' every last one o' them boxesIs on Bradley's teamBein' hauled over to th' depot1.No, I ain't goin' back agin.I'm stoppin' over to French's fer to-night,And goin' down first train in th' mornin'.Yes, it do seem kinder queerNot to be goin' to see Cherry's Orchard3 no more,But Land Sakes! When a change's comin',Why, I al'ays say it can't come too quick.Now, that's real kind o' you,Your doughnuts is always so tasty.Yes, I'm goin' to Chicago,To my niece,She's married to a fine man, hardware business,An' doin' real well, she tells me.Lizzie's be'n at me to go out ther for the longest while.She ain't got no kith nor kin2 to Chicago, you knowShe's rented me a real nice little flat,Same house as hers,An' I'm goin' to try that city livin' folks say's so pleasant.Oh, yes, he was real generous,Paid me a sight o' money fer the Orchard;I told him 'twouldn't yield nothin' but stones,But he ain't farmin' it.Lor', no, Mis' Priest,He's jest took it to set and look at the view.Mebbe he wouldn't be so stuck on the viewEf he'd seed it every mornin' and night for forty yearSame's as I have.I dessay it's pretty enough,But it's so pressed into meI c'n see't with my eyes shut.No. I ain't cold, Mis' Priest,Don't shut th' door.I'll be all right in a minit.But I ain't a mite4 sorry to leave that view.Well, mebbe 'tis queer to feel so,An' mebbe 'taint5.My! But that tea's revivin'.Old things ain't always pleasant things, Mis' Priest.No, no, I don't cal'late on comin' back,That's why I'd ruther be to Chicago,Boston's too near.It ain't cold, Mis' Priest,It's jest my thoughts.I ain't sick, only --Mis' Priest, ef you've nothin' ter take yer time,An' have a mind to listen,Ther's somethin' I'd like ter speak aboutI ain't never mentioned it,But I'd like to tell yer 'fore7 I go.Would you mind lowerin' them shades,Fall twilight's awful grey,An' that fire's real cosy8 with the shades drawed.Well, I guess folks about here think I've be'n dret'ful onsociable.You needn't say 'taint so, 'cause I know diff'rent.An' what's more, it's true.Well, the reason is I've be'n scared out o' my life.Scared ev'ry minit o' th' time, fer eight year.Eight mortal year 'tis, come next June.'Twas on the eighteenth o' June,Six months after I'd buried my husband,That somethin' happened ter me.Mebbe you'll mind that afore thatI was a cheery body.Hiram was too,Al'ays liked to ask a neighbor in,An' ev'n when he died,Barrin' low sperrits, I warn't averse9 to seein' nobody.But that eighteenth o' June changed ev'rythin'.I was doin' most o' th' farmwork myself,With jest a hired boy, Clarence King, 'twas,Comin' in fer an hour or two.Well, that eighteenth o' JuneI was goin' round,Lockin' up and seein' to things 'fore I went to bed.I was jest steppin' out t' th' barn,Goin' round outside 'stead o' through the shed,'Cause there was such a sight o' moonlightSomehow or another I thought 'twould be pretty outdoors.I got settled for pretty things that night, I guess.I ain't stuck on 'em no more.Well, them laylock bushes side o' th' houseWas real lovely.Glitt'rin' and shakin' in the moonlight,An' the smell o' them rose right upAn' most took my breath away.The colour o' the spikes10 was all faded out,They never keep their colour when the moon's on 'em,But the smell fair 'toxicated me.I was al'ays partial to a sweet scent,An' I went close up t' th' bushesSo's to put my face right into a flower.Mis' Priest, jest's I got breathin' in that laylock bloomI saw, layin' right at my feet,A man's hand!It was as white's the side o' th' house,And sparklin' like that lum'nous paint they put on gate-posts.I screamed right out,I couldn't help it,An' I could hear my screamGoin' over an' overIn that echo be'ind th' barn.Hearin' it agin an' agin like thatScared me so, I dar'sn't scream any more.I jest stood ther,And looked at that hand.I thought the echo'd begin to hammer like my heart,But it didn't.There was only th' wind,Sighin' through the laylock leaves,An' slappin' 'em up agin the house.Well, I guess I looked at that handMost ten minits,An' it never moved,Jest lay there white as white.After a while I got to thinkin' that o' course'Twas some drunken tramp over from Redfield.That calmed me some,An' I commenced to think I'd better git him outFrom under them laylocks.I planned to drag him in t' th' barnAn' lock him in ther till Clarence come in th' mornin'.I got so mad thinkin' o' that all-fired brazen11 trampAsleep in my laylocks,I jest stooped down and grabbed th' hand and give it an awful pull.Then I bumped right down settin' on the ground.Mis' Priest, ther warn't no body come with the hand.No, it ain't cold, it's jest that I can't abear thinkin' of it,Ev'n now.I'll take a sip12 o' tea.Thank you, Mis' Priest, that's better.I'd ruther finish now I've begun.Thank you, jest the same.I dropped the hand's ef it'd be'n red hot'Stead o' ice cold.Fer a minit or two I jest laid on that grassPantin'.Then I up and run to them laylocksAn' pulled 'em every which way.True es I'm settin' here, Mis' Priest,Ther warn't nothin' ther.I peeked13 an' pryed all about 'em,But ther warn't no man therNeither livin' nor dead.But the hand was ther all right,Upside down, the way I'd dropped it,And glist'nin' fit to dazzle yer.I don't know how I done it,An' I don't know why I done it,But I wanted to git that dret'ful hand out o' sightI got in t' th' barn, somehow,An' felt roun' till I got a spade.I couldn't stop fer a lantern,Besides, the moonlight was bright enough in all conscience.Then I scooped14 that awful thing up in th' spade.I had a sight o' trouble doin' it.It slid off, and tipped over, and I couldn't bearEv'n to touch it with my foot to prop15 it,But I done it somehow.Then I carried it off be'ind the barn,Clost to an old apple-treeWhere you couldn't see from the house,An' I buried it,Good an' deep.I don't rec'lect nothin' more o' that night.Clarence woke me up in th' mornin',Hollerin' fer me to come down and set th' milk.When he'd gone,I stole roun' to the apple-treeAnd seed the earth all new turnedWhere I left it in my hurry.I did a heap o' gardenin'That mornin'.I couldn't cut no big sodsFear Clarence would notice and ask me what I wanted 'em fer,So I got teeny bits o' turf here and ther,And no one couldn't tell ther'd be'n any diggin'When I got through.They was awful days after that, Mis' Priest,I used ter go every mornin' and poke16 about them bushes,An' up and down the fence,Ter find the body that hand come off of.But I couldn't never find nothin'.I'd lay awake nightsHearin' them laylocks blowin' and whiskin'.At last I had Clarence cut 'em downAn' make a big bonfire of 'em.I told him the smell made me sick,An' that warn't no lie,I can't abear the smell on 'em now;An' no wonder, es you say.I fretted17 somethin' awful 'bout6 that handI wondered, could it be Hiram's,But folks don't rob graveyards18 hereabouts.Besides, Hiram's hands warn't that awful, starin' white.I give up seein' people,I was afeared I'd say somethin'.You know what folks thought o' meBetter'n I do, I dessay,But mebbe now you'll see I couldn't do nothin' diff'rent.But I stuck it out,I warn't goin' to be downedBy no loose hand, no matter how it come therBut that ain't the worst, Mis' Priest,Not by a long ways.Two year ago, Mr. Densmore made me an offer for Cherry's Orchard.Well, I'd got used to th' thought o' bein' sort o' blighted,An' I warn't scared no more.Lived down my fear, I guess.I'd kinder got used to th' thought o' that awful night,And I didn't mope much about it.Only I never went out o' doors by moonlight;That stuck.Well, when Mr. Densmore's offer come,I started thinkin' 'bout the placeAn' all the things that had gone on ther.Thinks I, I guess I'll go and see where I put the hand.I was foolhardy with the long time that had gone by.I know'd the place real well,Fer I'd put it right in between two o' the apple roots.I don't know what possessed19 me, Mis' Priest,But I kinder wanted to knowThat the hand had been flesh and bone, anyway.It had sorter bothered me, thinkin' I might ha' imagined it.I took a mornin' when the sun was real pleasant and warm;I guessed I wouldn't jump for a few old bones.But I did jump, somethin' wicked.Ther warn't no bones!Ther warn't nothin'!Not ev'n the gold ring I'd minded bein' on the little finger.I don't know ef ther ever was anythin'.I've worried myself sick over it.I be'n diggin' and diggin' day in and day outTill Clarence ketched me at it.Oh, I know'd real well what you all thought,An' I ain't sayin' you're not right,But I ain't goin' to end in no county 'sylumIf I c'n help it.The shiv'rin' fits come on me sudden like.I know 'em, don't you trouble.I've fretted considerable about the 'sylum,I guess I be'n frettin' all the time I ain't be'n diggin'.But anyhow I can't dig to Chicago, can I?Thank you, Mis' Priest,I'm better now. I only dropped in in passin'.I'll jest be steppin' along down to French's.No, I won't be seein' nobody in the mornin',It's a pretty early start.Don't you stand ther, Mis' Priest,The wind'll blow yer lamp out,An' I c'n see easy, I got aholt o' the gate now.I ain't a mite tired, thank you.Good-night.

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1 depot

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：


The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。 They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。



2 kin

n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的

参考例句：


He comes of good kin.他出身好。 She has gone to live with her husband's kin.她住到丈夫的亲戚家里去了。



3 orchard

n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场

参考例句：


My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。 Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。



4 mite

n.极小的东西；小铜币

参考例句：


The poor mite was so ill.可怜的孩子病得这么重。 He is a mite taller than I.他比我高一点点。



5 taint

n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染

参考例句：


Everything possible should be done to free them from the economic taint.应尽可能把他们从经济的腐蚀中解脱出来。 Moral taint has spread among young people.道德的败坏在年轻人之间蔓延。

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6 bout

n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛

参考例句：


I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。 That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。



7 fore

adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部

参考例句：


Your seat is in the fore part of the aircraft.你的座位在飞机的前部。 I have the gift of fore knowledge.我能够未卜先知。



8 cosy

adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的

参考例句：


We spent a cosy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。 It was so warm and cosy in bed that Simon didn't want to get out.床上温暖而又舒适，西蒙简直不想下床了。



9 averse

adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的

参考例句：


I don't smoke cigarettes,but I'm not averse to the occasional cigar.我不吸烟，但我不反对偶尔抽一支雪茄。 We are averse to such noisy surroundings.我们不喜欢这么吵闹的环境。



10 spikes

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：


a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁 There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》



11 brazen

adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的

参考例句：


The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。 Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败，而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。



12 sip

v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量

参考例句：


She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。 Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。



13 peeked

v.很快地看( peek的过去式和过去分词 )；偷看；窥视；微露出

参考例句：


She peeked over the top of her menu. 她从菜单上往外偷看。 来自《简明英汉词典》 On two occasions she had peeked at him through a crack in the wall. 她曾两次透过墙缝窥视他。 来自辞典例句



14 scooped

v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等）

参考例句：


They scooped the other newspapers by revealing the matter. 他们抢先报道了这件事。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. 车轮搅起的石块，在车身下发出不吉祥的锤击声。 来自《简明英汉词典》



15 prop

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：


A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。 The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。



16 poke

n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：


We never thought she would poke her nose into this.想不到她会插上一手。 Don't poke fun at me.别拿我凑趣儿。



17 fretted

焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的

参考例句：


The wind whistled through the twigs and fretted the occasional, dirty-looking crocuses. 寒风穿过枯枝，有时把发脏的藏红花吹刮跑了。 来自英汉文学 The lady's fame for hitting the mark fretted him. 这位太太看问题深刻的名声在折磨着他。



18 graveyards

墓地( graveyard的名词复数 )； 垃圾场； 废物堆积处； 收容所

参考例句：


He takes a macabre interest in graveyards. 他那么留意墓地，令人毛骨悚然。 "And northward there lie, in five graveyards, Calm forever under dewy green grass," 五陵北原上，万古青蒙蒙。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学



19 possessed

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：


He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。 He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。
《Off the Turnpike》添加时间：2024-12-14；更新时间：2025-03-09