【英文文学】Hospital Sketches 医院速写.docx

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1、【英文文学】Hospital Sketches 医院速写CHAPTER I. OBTAINING SUPPLIESI WANT something to do.This remark being addressed to the world in general, no one in particular feltit their duty to reply; so I repeated it to the smaller world about me, receivedthe following suggestions, and settled the matter by answering

2、 my own inquiry,as people are apt to do when very much in earnest.Write a book, quoth the author of my being.Dont know enough, sir. First live, then write.Try teaching again, suggested my mother.No thank you, maam, ten years of that is enough.Take a husband like my Darby, and fulfill your mission, s

3、aid sister Joan, homeon a visit.Cant afford expensive luxuries, Mrs. Coobiddy.Turn actress, and immortalize your name, said sister Vashti, striking anattitude.I wont.Go nurse the soldiers, said my young brother, Tom, panting for the tentedfield.I will! Page 10So far, very good. Here was the will璶ow

4、for the way. At first sight not a footof it appeared, but that didnt matter, for the Periwinkles are a hopeful race;their crest is an anchor, with three cock-a-doodles crowing atop. They all wearrose-colored spectacles, and are lineal descendants of the inventor of aerialarchitecture. An hours conve

5、rsation on the subject set the whole family in ablaze of enthusiasm. A model hospital was erected, and each member had acceptedan honorable post therein. The paternal P. was chaplain, the maternal P wasmatron, and all the youthful P.s filled the pod of futurity with achievementswhose brilliancy ecli

6、psed the glories of the present and the past. Arriving atthis satisfactory conclusion, the meeting adjourned, and the fact that MissTribulation was available as army nurse went abroad on the wings of the wind.In a few days a townswoman heard of my desire, approved of it, and brought aboutan intervie

7、w with one of the sisterhood which I wished to join, who was at homeon a furlough, and able and willing to satisfy all inquiries. A morning chatwith Miss General S.瓀e hear no end of Mrs. Generals, why not a Miss?璸roducedthree results: I felt that I could do the work, was offered a place, andaccepted

8、 it, promising not to desert, but stand ready to march on Washington atan hours notice.A few days were necessary for the letter containing my request andrecommendation to reach headquarters, and another, containing my commission, toreturn; therefore no time was to be lost; and heartily thanking my p

9、air offriends, I tore home through the December slush as if the rebels were after me,and like many another recruit, burst in upon my family with the announcement?Ive enlisted! Page 11An impressive silence followed. Tom, the irrepressible, broke it with a slap onthe shoulder and the graceful complime

10、nt?Old Trib, youre a trump!Thank you; then Ill take something: which I did, in the shape of dinner,reeling off my news at the rate of three dozen words to a mouthful; and as everyone else talked equally fast, and all together, the scene was most inspiring.As boys going to sea immediately become naut

11、ical in speech, walk as if theyalready had their sea legs on, and shiver their timbers on all possibleoccasions, so I turned military at once, called my dinner my rations, salutedall new comers, and ordered a dress parade that very afternoon. Having reviewedevery rag I possessed, I detailed some for

12、 picket duty while airing over thefence; some to the sanitary influences of the wash-tub; others to mount guard inthe trunk; while the weak and wounded went to the Work-basket Hospital, to bemade ready for active service again. To this squad I devoted myself for a week;but all was done, and I had ti

13、me to get powerfully impatient before the lettercame. It did arrive however, and brought a disappointment along with its goodwill and friendliness, for it told me that the place in the Armory Hospital thatI supposed I was to take, was already filled, and a much less desirable one atHurly-burly House

14、 was offered instead.Thats just your luck, Trib. Ill tote your trunk up garret for you again; forof course you wont go, Tom remarked, with the disdainful pity which small boysaffect when they get into their teens. I was wavering in my secret soul, butthat settled the matter, and I crushed him on the

15、 spot with martial brevity?It is now one; I shall march at six. Page 12I have a confused recollection of spending the afternoon in pervading the houselike an executive whirlwind, with my family swarming after me, all working,talking, prophesying and lamenting, while I packed my go-abroady possession

16、s,tumbled the rest into two big boxes, danced on the lids till they shut, and gavethem in charge, with the direction,?If I never come back, make a bonfire of them.Then I choked down a cup of tea, generously salted instead of sugared, by someagitated relative, shouldered my knapsack璱t was only a trav

17、eling bag, but dolet me preserve the unities環ugged my family three times all round without avestige of unmanly emotion, till a certain dear old lady broke down upon myneck, with a despairing sort of wail?Oh, my dear, my dear, how can I let you go?Ill stay if you say so, mother.But I dont; go, and th

18、e Lord will take care of you.Much of the Roman matrons courage had gone into the Yankee matronscomposition, and, in spite of her tears, she would have sent ten sons to thewar, had she possessed them, as freely as she sent one daughter, smiling andflapping on the door-step till I vanished, though the

19、 eyes that followed me werevery dim, and the handkerchief she waved was very wet.My transit from The Gables to the village depot was a funny mixture of goodwishes and good byes, mud-puddles and shopping. A December twilight is not themost cheering time to enter upon a somewhat perilous enterprise, a

20、nd, but forthe presence of Vashti and neighbor Thorn, I fear that I might have added a dropof the briny to the native moisture of?The town I left behind me;though Id no thought of giving out: oh, bless you, no! When the enginescreeched Here we are, I clutched my Page 13 escort in a fervent embrace,a

21、nd skipped into the car with as blithe a farewell as if going on a bridaltour璽hough I believe brides dont usually wear cavernous black bonnets andfuzzy brown coats, with a hair-brush, a pair of rubbers, two books, and a bag ofginger-bread distorting the pockets of the same. If I thought that any one

22、 wouldbelieve it, Id boldly state that I slept from C. to B., which would simplifymatters immensely; but as I know they wouldnt, Ill confess that the head underthe funereal coal-hod fermented with all manner of high thoughts and heroicpurposes to do or die,璸erhaps both; and the heart under the fuzzy

23、 brown coatfelt very tender with the memory of the dear old lady, probably sobbing over herarmy socks and the loss of her topsy-turvy Trib. At this juncture I took theveil, and what I did behind it is nobodys business; but I maintain that thesoldier who cries when his mother says Good bye, is the bo

24、y to fight best, anddie bravest, when the time comes, or go back to her better than he went.Till nine oclock I trotted about the city streets, doing those last errandswhich no woman would even go to heaven without attempting, if she could. Then Iwent to my usual refuge, and, fully intending to keep

25、awake, as a sort of vigilappropriate to the occasion, fell fast asleep and dreamed propitious dreams tillmy rosy-faced cousin waked me with a kiss.A bright day smiled upon my enterprise, and at ten I reported myself to myGeneral, received last instructions and no end of the sympathetic encouragement

26、which women give, in look, touch, and tone more effectually than in words. Thenext step was to get a free pass to Washington, for Id no desire to waste mysubstance on railroad companies when the boys needed even a spinsters mite. Afriend of mine had procured such a pass, and I was bent on doing like

27、wise, Page14 though I had to face the president of the railroad to accomplish it. Im abashful individual, though I cant get any one to believe it; so it cost me agreat effort to poke about the Worcester depot till the right door appeared,then walk into a room containing several gentlemen, and blunde

28、r out my requestin a high state of stammer and blush. Nothing could have been more courteousthan this dreaded President, but it was evident that I had made as absurd ademand as if I had asked for the nose off his respectable face. He referred meto the Governor at the State House, and I backed out, l

29、eaving him no doubt toregret that such mild maniacs were left at large. Here was a Scylla andCharybdis business: as if a President wasnt trying enough, without the Governorof Massachusetts and the hub of the hub piled on top of that. I never can doit, thought I. Tom will hoot at you if you dont, whi

30、spered the inconvenientlittle voice that is always goading people to the performance of disagreeableduties, and always appeals to the most effective agent to produce the properresult. The idea of allowing any boy that ever wore a felt basin and a shoddyjacket with a microscopic tail, to crow over me

31、, was preposterous, so givingmyself a mental slap for such faint-heartedness, I streamed away across theCommon, wondering if I ought to say your Honor, or simply Sir, and decidedupon the latter, fortifying myself with recollections of an evening in acharming green library, where I beheld the Governo

32、r placidly consuming oysters,and laughing as if Massachusetts was a myth, and he had no heavier burden on hisshoulders than his hosts handsome hands.Like an energetic fly in a very large cobweb, I struggled through the StateHouse, getting into all the wrong rooms and none of the right, till I turned

33、desperate, and went into one, resolving not to come out till Id made somebodyhear and Page 15 answer me. I suspect that of all the wrong places I hadblundered into, this was the most so. But I didnt care; and, though theapartment was full of soldiers, surgeons, starers, and spittoons, I cornered ape

34、rfectly incapable person, and proceeded to pump for information with thefollowing result:Was the Governor anywhere about?No, he wasnt.Could he tell me where to look?No, he couldnt.Did he know anything about free passes?No, he didnt.Was there any one there of whom I could inquire?Not a person.Did he

35、know of any place where information could be obtained?Not a place.Could he throw the smallest gleam of light upon the matter, in any way?Not a ray.I am naturally irascible, and if I could have shaken this negative gentlemanvigorously, the relief would have been immense. The prejudices of societyforb

36、idding this mode of redress, I merely glowered at him; and, before my wrathfound vent in words, my General appeared, having seen me from an oppositewindow, and come to know what I was about. At her command the languid gentlemanwoke up, and troubled himself to remember that Major or Sergeant or somet

37、hing McK. knew all about the tickets, and his office was in Milk Street. I perked upinstanter, and then, as if the exertion was too much for him, what did thisanimated wet blanket do but add?Page 16I think Mc K. may have left Milk Street, now, and I dont know where he hasgone.Never mind; the new com

38、ers will know where he has moved to, my dear, so dontbe discouraged; and if you dont succeed, come to me, and we will see what to donext, said my General.I blessed her in a fervent manner and a cool hall, fluttered round the corner,and bore down upon Milk Street, bent on discovering Mc K. if such a

39、being was tobe found. He wasnt, and the ignorance of the neighborhood was really pitiable.Nobody knew anything, and after tumbling over bundles of leather, bumpingagainst big boxes, being nearly annihilated by descending bales, and sworn at byaggravated truckmen, I finally elicited the advice to loo

40、k for Mc K. inHaymarket Square. Who my informant was Ive really forgotten; for, having hailedseveral busy gentlemen, some one of them fabricated this delusive quietus forthe perturbed spirit, who instantly departed to the sequestered locality henamed. If I had been in search of the Koh-i-noor diamon

41、d I should have been aslikely to find it there as any vestige of Mc K. I stared at signs, inquired inshops, invaded an eating house, visited the recruiting tent in the middle of theSquare, made myself a nuisance generally, and accumulated mud enough to retardanother Nile. All in vain: and I mournful

42、ly turned my face toward the Generals,feeling that I should be forced to enrich the railroad company after all; when,suddenly, I beheld that admirable young man, brother-in-law Darby Coobiddy, Esq.I arrested him with a burst of news, and wants, and woes, which caused his manlycountenance to lose its

43、 usual repose.Oh, my dear boy, Im going to Washington at five, and I cant find the freeticket man, and there wont be time to see Page 17 Joan, and Im so tired andcross I dont know what to do; and will you help me, like a cherub as you are?Oh, yes, of course. I know a fellow who will set us right, re

44、sponded Darby,mildly excited, and darting into some kind of an office, held counsel with aninvisible angel, who sent him out radiant. All serene. Ive got him. Ill seeyou through the business, and then get Joan from the Dove Cote in time to seeyou off.Im a womans rights woman, and if any man had offe

45、red help in the morning, Ishould have condescendingly refused it, sure that I could do everything as well,if not better, myself. My strong-mindedness had rather abated since then, and Iwas now quite ready to be a timid trembler, if necessary. Dear me! how easilyDarby did it all: he just asked one qu

46、estion, received an answer, tucked meunder his arm, and in ten minutes I stood in the presence of Mc K., the Desired.Now my troubles are over, thought I, and as usual was direfully mistaken.You will have to get a pass from Dr. H., in Temple Place, before I can give youa pass, madam, answered Mc K.,

47、as blandly as if he wasnt carrying desolationto my soul. Oh, indeed! why didnt he send me to Dorchester Heights, IndiaWharf, or Bunker Hill Monument, and done with it? Here I was, after a morningstramp, down in some place about Dock Square, and was told to step to TemplePlace. Nor was that all; he m

48、ight as well have asked me to catch a hummingbird,toast a salamander, or call on the man in the moon, as find a Doctor at home atthe busiest hour of the day. It was a blow; but weariness had extinguishedenthusiasm, and resignation clothed me as a garment. I sent Darby for Joan, anddoggedly paddled off, feeling that mud was my native ele- Page 18 ment, andquite sure that the evening papers would announce the appearance of theWandering Jew, in feminine habiliments.Is Dr. H. in?No, mum, he aint.Of course he wasnt; I knew that before I asked: and, considering it all i