gs.earthabides-第35节

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ood　Year。　
　　The　Year　14　was　much　like　it；　so　they　called　that　the　Second　Good　Year。　
　　The　Year　15　was　also　excellent；　and　they　considered　calling　it　the　Third　Good　Year；　but　there　was　a　difference。　Ish　and　the　older　people　again　felt　that　first　loneliness　and　the　drawing　in　of　the　darkness。　Not　to　grow　more　numerous　was　essentially　to　grow　fewer；　and　this　was　the　first　year　since　the　very　beginning　when　there　had　been　no　children　born。　All　the　women…Em；　Molly；　Jean　and　Maurine…were　now　getting　old；　and　the　younger　girls　were　not　yet　quite　old　enough　to　marry；　except　for　Evie；　the　half…witted　one；　who　should　never　be　allowed　to　have　children。　So　they　did　not　like　to　call　this　the　Third　Good　Year；　because　it　was　not　wholly　good。　Instead；　the　children　remembered　that　this　year　could　be　thought　remarkable　because　Ish　had　got　out　his　old　accordion　and　to　its　wheezing　they　had　sung　songs　together…old　songs　like　Home　on　the　Range　or　She'll　Be　in'　Round　the　Mountain；　and　so　they　called　this；　at　the　children's　prompting；　the　Year　That　We　Sang。　（No　one　except　Ish　seemed　to　think　that　anything　was　wrong　with　the　grammar。）　
　　The　Year　16；　however；　was　remarkable　because　the　first　marriage　actually　took　place。　Those　married　were　Mary；　who　was　Ish　and　Em's　oldest　daughter；　and　Ralph；　who　had　been　bom　to　Molly　just　before　the　Great　Disaster。　They　were　younger　than　would　have　been　thought　suitable　or　even　decent　for　marriage　in　the　Old　Days；　but　in　this　also　standards　had　changed。　Ish　and　Em；　when　they　discussed　the　matter　privately；　were　not　even　sure　that　Mary　was　especially　fond　of　Ralph；　or　Ralph　of　Mary。　But　everyone　had　always　assumed　that　the　two　of　them　would　get　married　because　there　was　nobody　else　available　whom　either　of　them　could　take；　just　as　it　once　was　with　princes　and　princesses。　So　perhaps；　as　Ish　concluded；　romantic　love　had　merely　been　another　necessary　casualty　of　the　Great　Disaster。　
　　Maurine　and　Molly　and　Jean　were　all　for　〃a　real　wedding；〃　as　they　said。　They　hunted　up　a　Lohengrin　record　for　the　windup　phonograph；　and　were　making　a　wedding　costume　in　white　with　a　veil；　and　everything　to　go　with　it。　But；　to　Ish；　all　this　seemed　a　horrible　parody　of　things　that　had　once　been；　Em；　in　her　quiet　way；　supported　him。　Since　Mary　was　their　daughter；　they　controlled　the　wedding。　In　the　end；　they　had　no　ceremony　at　all；　except　that　Ralph　and　Mary　stood　before　Ezra；　and　he　told　them　that　now　they　were　being　married　and　that　they　would　assume　a　new　responsibility　to　the　munity　and　that　they　must　try　to　fulfill　it　well。　Mary　bore　a　child　before　the　year　was　out；　and　so　for　that　reason；　it　was　called　the　Year　of　the　Grandchild。　
　　The　Year　17　they　called；　mostly　at　the　children's　prompting；　the　Year　the　House　Busted。　The　reason　was　that　one　of　the　nearby　houses　had　suddenly　collapsed　and　crashed　down　with　a　great　noise　just　in　time　for　some　of　the　children　to　see　it　as　they　came　running　out　at　the　first　crack。　On　investigation；　the　matter　proved　simple　enough；　because　termites　had　had　a　chance　now　to　work　in　the　house　for　seventeen　years　undisturbed；　and　had　eaten　through　the　underpinning。　But　the　incident　had　made　a　great　impression　upon　the　children；　and　so　it　gave　the　name　to　the　year；　although　it　was　not　really　a　matter　of　importance。　
　　In　the　Year　18；　Jean　bore　still　another　child。　This　was　the　last　of　all　that　were　born　to　the　older　generation；　but　by　this　time　there　were　two　marriages　of　the　second　generation；　and　two　more　grandchildren　were　born。　
　　This　was　called　the　Year　of　the　Schoolteaching。。。。　Ever　since　the　first　children　had　been　old　enough；　Ish　had　tried；　in　a　more　or　less　desultory　way；　to　give　them　some　kind　of　teaching；　so　that　they　could　at　least　read　and　write　and　do　a　little　arithmetic；　and　know　something　of　geography。　But　it　had　always　been　difficult　to　get　the　children　together；　and　there　seemed　to　be　so　many　things　that　they　wanted　to　do；　either　in　play　or　in　earnest；　and　the　schoolteaching　had　never　acplished　very　much；　although　most　of　the　older　children　could　read　after　a　fashion。　At　least　they　had　once　been　able　to　read；　but　Ish　doubted　whether　some　of　them…such　as　Mary；　who　was　now　a　mother　with　two　babies…could　at　the　present　moment　do　more　than　spell　out　words　of　one　syllable。　（Though　she　was　his　own　beloved　oldest　daughter；　he　admitted　to　himself　that　Mary　was　not　intellectual…no　need　to　say　she　was　stupid。）　
　　In　this　Year　18；　however；　Ish　really　tried　to　get　together　all　of　the　children　who　were　of　proper　age；　so　that　they　would　not　grow　up　pletely　ignorant。　It　worked　for　a　while；　and　then　again　it　lapsed；　and　it　was　hard　to　say　whether　he　had　acplished　anything　or　not；　and　he　felt　a　sense　of　frustration。　
　　The　Year　19　was　named　the　Year　of　the　Elk；　again　because　of　a　little　incident　which　impressed　the　children。　One　morning　some　of　them　saw　Evie；　now　grown　to　be　a　woman；　looking　out　and　pointing　and　crying　excitedly　in　her　strange　voice；　which　did　not　quite　form　words。　When　they　looked；　they　saw　that　she　was　pointing　at　a　new　kind　of　animal。　This　turned　out　to　be　an　elk；　which　was　the　first　one　that　they　had　seen　in　all　these　years。　Apparently；　the　herds　had　now　increased　enough　so　that　they　had　worked　down　from　the　north　and　were　ing　back　into　this　region；　where　they　had　lived　before　the　arrival　of　white　men。　
　　There　was　no　question　about　the　Year　20。　It　was　the　Year　of　the　Earthquake。　The　old　San　Leandro　Fault　stirred　again；　and　early　one　morning　there　was　a　sharp　jolt　and　the　sound　of　falling　chimneys。　The　houses　in　which　they　all　lived　stood　the　shock；　because　George　always　kept　them　in　excellent　repair。　But　the　houses　that　had　been　weakened　by　termites　or　undermined　by　washing　water　or　damaged　by　rot　came　crashing　down。　After　that　there　was　hardly　a　street　which　was　not　littered　here　and　there　with　brick　or　with　other　debris；　and　because　of　damage　from　the　earthquake　deterioration　began　to　accelerate。　
　　The　Year　21　Ish　had　thought　they　might　call　the　Year　of　the　Corriing　of　Age。　They　now　numbered　thirty…six…seven　of　the　older　ones；　Evie；　twenty…one　of　the　second　generation；　and　seven　of　the　third。　In　the　end；　however；　this　year　was　named；　like　many　others；　from　a　small　incident　。。。。　Joey　was　one　of　the　twins；　who　were　the　youngest　of　the　children　born　to　Ish　and　Em。　He　was　a　bright　boy；　though　small　for　his　age　and　not　so　good　at　play　as　some　of　those　who　were　even　younger　than　he。　He　got　a　certain　favoring　from　both　his　father　and　mother；　because　he　was；　with　his　twin；　the　youngest。　On　the　whole；　however；　in　such　a　large　group　of　children；　nobody　had　paid　him　any　great　attention；　and　now　he　was　nine　years　old。　But　just　at　the　end　of　this　year；　they　suddenly　discovered　to　their　great　amaze　ment　that　Joey　could　read…not　only　could　read　in　the　slow；　halting　way　of　the　other　children；　but　could　read　quickly　and　accurately　and　with　pleasure。　Ish　felt　a　sudden　warming　of　his　heart　toward　the　youngest　son。　This　was　the　one　in　whom　the　light　of　intellect　really　was　still　burning。　
　　The　other　children　also　were　much　impressed；　and　so　at　the　ceremony　they　cried　out　that　this　should　be　called　the　Year　When　Joey　Read。　
　　End　of　the　inter…chapter　called　Quick　Years。　
　　
　　2
　　The　Year　22
　　There　must　be　in　their　social　bond　something　singularly　captivating；　and　far　superior　to　anything　to　be　boasted　of　among　us；　for　thousands　of　Europeans　are　Indians；　and　we　have　no　examples　of　even　one　of　those　Aborigines　having　from　choice　bee　Europeans！　
　　…　J。　Hector　St。　John　de　Crèvecoeur；　Letters　from　an　American　Farmer
　　
　　Chapter　1
　　After　the　ceremony　at　the　rock　was　over　and　the　numerals　2　and　1　stood　out　sharply　and　freshly　cut　on　the　smooth　surface；　the　people　started　back　toward　the　houses。　Most　of　the　children　scuttled　ahead；　calling　back　and　forth；　eager　with　ideas　about　the　bonfire　which　traditionally　ended　the　New　Year　celebration。　
　　Ish　walked　beside　Em；　but　they　talked　little。　As　always　at　the　date…carving　Ish　felt　himself　thinking　deeper　thoughts　than　usual　and　wondering　what　would　happen　in　the　course　of　the　year。　He　heard　the　children　shouting　out：　
　　〃Go　to　the　old　house　that　fell　down；　you　can　pull　off　lots　of　dry　wood　there。。。。　I　think　I　can　find　a　can　of　gasoline。。。。　I　know　where　there　is　toilet　paper；　it　burns　fine。〃　
　　The　older　people；　as　was　the　custom；　gathered　at　Ish　and　Em's　house；　and　sat　around　for　a　little　conversation。　Since　it　was　a　time　for　festivity；　Ish　opened　some　port；　and　they　all　drank　toasts；　even　George；　who　ordinarily　did　not　drink。　They　agreed　again；　as　they　had　at　the　rock；　that　the　Year　21　had　been　a　good　year　and　that　the　prospects　for　the　ing　one　were　good　also。　
　　Yet　in　the　midst　of　the　general　self…congratulation；　Ish　himself　felt　a　renewed　sense　of　dissatisfaction。　
　　〃Why；〃　he　thought；　feeling　the　words　flow　through　his　mind；　as　if　he　were　arguing　aloud；　〃why　should　I　be　the　one　who　in　times　like　this　always　has　to　start　thinking　ahead？　Why　am　I　the　one　that　has　to　think；　or'try　to　think；　five　years　or　ten　years；　or　twenty　years　into　the　future？　I　may　not　even　be　alive　then！　The　people　who　e　after　me…they　will　have　to　solve　their　own　problems。〃　
　　Yet　he　knew；　as　he　thought　again；　that