Sube lay on a bench in Madison Square, tossing and turning. You'll know it when the geese hoot at night, when women without sealskin coats
be affectionate to their husbands, or when Subey lies tossing and turning on a bench in the square
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Winter is approaching.
A dead leaf fell onto Su Bei’s lap. That's Jack Frost's business card. Jack was very considerate of the old Madison Square tenants and always gave advance notice before coming every year. He handed his business card to "Bei Feng" - the concierge of "Muten Xiji Villa" - on the cross street so that the residents of the open air could be prepared.
Su Beili realized that the time had come for him to organize a one-man preparatory committee
in order to cope with the coming severe winter. So he turned uncomfortably on the bench.
Su Bei has no extravagant hopes for living in seclusion in winter. He did not think of cruising in the Mediterranean, or of the soporific scenery of the south, or of swimming in the Gulf of Vesuvius. All he longed for was to live on the island for three months. Not having to worry about food and lodging for three months, not only being able to get away from the interference of Boreas and the patrol, but also being able to hang out with like-minded friends,
In Subey's mind, there is nothing better than this. Something more satisfying.
① Jack Frost, the original text is "Jack Frost", which is the anthropomorphic name for "Frost" in English.
②The Gulf of Vesuvius is a bay located southeast of Naples, Italy, with a mild climate.
③ Refers to Blackwell Island in the strait between New York and Brooklyn, where there are prisons and lunatic asylums.
④Boreas, the north wind god in Greek mythology.
For many years the hospitable Blackwell Prison became his winter residence. Just like those New Yorkers who are much luckier than him
Every winter they buy tickets to Palm Beach and Riviera. Palm Beach and Riviera are both cities in the southern United States with a mild climate
. Just like going to beat the cold, Subei also made minimum preparations for his annual refuge on the island. Now is the time
. Last night, he slept on a bench next to the fountain in the ancient square. He used three thick Sunday newspapers to line his clothes, cover his ankles and knees, and still resist the pain. Can't stand the cold invasion. Thus Blackwell's Island sprang up in time in Subey's mind
. He despised the alms prepared in the name of mercy for local hangers-on. In Subey's view, law
is more kind than charity. There are many places he can go to, some run by the city government and some run by charitable organizations. Wherever he can find room and board to meet his simple living requirements. But for a person with an arrogant personality like Su Bei, the gift of charity is not feasible. Getting a little benefit from a philanthropist will cost you nothing, but it will cost you mental humiliation.
Everything has advantages and disadvantages②. If you want to sleep on a bed of a charity organization, you must first be forced to take a bath; if you want to eat a piece of bread, you
your personal affairs will have to be investigated to the end. Therefore, it is a pleasure to be a client of the law. Although the law is impartial and acts according to the rules, it will not interfere too much with an uncle's private affairs.
②The original text here is "With Caesar, there is his Brutus." Caesar (100 BC - 44 BC) was the Roman emperor who was assassinated by his friend Brutus (84 BC - 42 BC).
Now that he had made up his mind to go to the island, Subei immediately prepared to realize his wish. There are many easy ways.
The most pleasant thing is to have a grand meal in a luxurious restaurant; then declare that you are not broke, and then you can
give it quietly and without making any noise. Leave it in the hands of the police. A wise magistrate will arrange the rest.
Subei left the bench and walked out of the square, crossing a flat asphalt road at the intersection of Broadway Road and Fifth Avenue.
He turned onto Broadway and stopped in front of a brightly lit restaurant, where fine wine, gorgeous clothes and people of high status gathered every night.
Su Bei is quite confident in how she dresses her upper body. He was shaved, his coat was respectable, and the black tie with a snap button that a female priest had given him on Thanksgiving Day was in good condition. As long as he could get to the table in the restaurant without arousing suspicion, everything would be fine. His exposed part above the table would not arouse the waiter's suspicion. A roasted wild duck, Subei thought, is enough - add a bottle of Charblis, Camembelli cheese ① - a small cup of coffee and a sprig of snow
Eggplant. Cigars only cost one dollar each. The total on the bill should not be so large that it would provoke a vicious revenge from the restaurant owner; at the same time, the mallard meat would keep him satiated on the way to his winter refuge.
①Chabri is a region in France famous for its white wine production. Camambay is the name of a place in the O'Neill department of France, where
a soft cheese is made and enjoys a high reputation.
However, as soon as Su Bei stepped into the door of the restaurant, the head waiter's eyes fell on his old trousers and worn leather shoes. Strong
hands that were strong and agile pushed him around, and he was silently and quickly pushed to the sidewalk, thereby changing the unseemly appearance of the wild duck who had narrowly escaped being assassinated
destiny.
Subei left Broadway Road. Going to the island of longing, it seems that the route to satisfy the appetite is not feasible
. To go to jail, you have to find another way.
There is a shop on the corner of Sixth Avenue. The cleverly displayed products and bright lights in the glass windows are eye-catching.
Su Bei picked up a large boulder and smashed it through the glass. People came running from the corner, led by a policeman. Su Bei
Stand still, with his hands in his pockets, he couldn't help but smile when he saw the policeman's brass buttons.
"Where is the person who smashed the glass?" the policeman asked angrily.
"Can't you see that I might be involved in this matter?" Su Bei said, although his tone was sarcastic, his attitude was very kind
As if he was a close friend. Like a lucky person.
The police did not regard Subei as a suspect at all. People who smash windows always run away and don't just stand there and deal with the lackeys of the law. The police saw a man running halfway down the street to catch a streetcar. He drew out his baton and chased after him. Subei was disappointed and walked away dejectedly. Neither time went well.
There is a not-so-grand restaurant across the street. It caters to eaters with big appetites and small wallets. Its dishes and atmosphere are thick; its soup and napkins are thin. Su Bei stepped into this restaurant, and no one noticed his sinful shoes and revealing trousers. He took a seat and ate steak, pancakes, donuts, and pie. Then he revealed the truth to the waiter, saying that he didn't have any money.
"Come to the police now," Subei said, "Don't keep me waiting."
"There is no need to call the police for people like you." The waiter's voice sounded like The cream cake looks like a Manhattan cocktail, a mixture of whiskey and absinthe, usually with a little bit of bitters and a wild cherry added. of red cherries. He only shouted once
"Hi, A'Kang!"
The two waiters neatly took Subei out of the door, and he fell on the hard floor with his left ear to the ground. On the sidewalk. Like opening a carpenter's ruler, he propped it up section by section and dusted off his clothes. Being arrested seemed like just a wonderful dream
. The island seemed very far away. The policeman standing in front of the pharmacy two stores away smiled and walked down the street.
After walking five blocks, Su Bei had the courage to pursue and was arrested. He innocently thought to himself that this time it was a sure win, and there would be no more mistakes. A plainly dressed and charming young woman stood in front of a shop window, looking at the shaving cup and inkwell in trance. Two yards away from the window, a large policeman leaned arrogantly on a fire hose.
Su Bei plans to play a nasty, obnoxious prodigal son who molests women. His victim looks demure and elegant, and the police who are loyal to their duties are close at hand; he has reason to believe that he can be caught quickly, and he is guaranteed to be safe on the island
Spend the winter comfortably in your home.
Su Bei straightened the buckle tie that the female priest gave him, and pulled out the shirt sleeves that were shrunk inside his clothes. Fengliu put on his hat with self-admiration. Wearing it crookedly on his forehead, he walked towards the young woman. He winked at her, hummed, and playfully assumed the disgusting attitude of a prodigal. Subei saw the police staring at him from the corner of his eye.
The young woman took a step away, still looking at the shaving cups with concentration. Su Bei walked up to her, boldly approached her
raised her hat and said:
"Hey, beauty! Do you want to go shopping with me?"
The police are still watching. The troubled young woman only needs to raise her hand, and Subei can be sent to his safe island without any doubt. In his imagination, he already felt the cozy warmth of the police station. The young woman turned her head to look at him, stretched out her hand, and grabbed Subei's sleeve.
"Of course, friend," she said happily, "as long as you are willing to buy me a beer. If the police hadn't been watching, I would have greeted you long ago."
The young woman clung to Subei like ivy clinging to an oak tree. Subei felt gloomy and walked past the police. He seemed
destined to be free.
As soon as he turned a corner, he threw away his companion and ran away. In one breath he ran to a place where there were the brightest streets at night, the happiest moods, the most flippant oaths and the lightest singing. Women in furs and men in thick coats walked around happily in the cold weather. Subei suddenly felt a sense of fear. Was it a terrible magic that prevented him from being arrested? The thought brought some trepidation. When he saw another policeman patrolling in front of a brightly lit theater again, he suddenly remembered that extremely boring method-disturbing public order.
On the sidewalk, Subei began to scream some random drunken words at the top of his lungs. He danced around, yelled and made noises
, and tried his best to stir up trouble.
The policeman swung his baton, turned around, with his back to Subei, and explained to a citizen:
"That's a student from Yale University. He was celebrating their victory in the game." I ate a duck egg for Hartford College during the game. Although it was very noisy, it didn't bother me. We were instructed not to interfere." Su Bei stopped sadly. His wasted shouting. Will the police never touch him? In his imagination, that island was like an elusive paradise. The original text here is Arcadia, which is an ancient Greek country with simple people and beautiful scenery. A beautiful ideal land. . He buttoned up his thin jacket to protect himself from the biting wind.
In a cigar shop, he saw a well-dressed man lighting a cigar over a flickering fire. When the man entered, he leaned a silk umbrella against the door. Subei stepped through the door, picked up the umbrella, and walked away calmly. The person who lit the cigarette hurriedly chased him out.
"That's my umbrella." He said sharply.
"Oh, really?" Subei said with a sneer, adding an insult to the thief's charge. So why don't you call the police
? Yes, I got it.
Your umbrella! Why didn't you call the police? There's one just around the corner. "
The umbrella owner slowed down. Subei also walked slowly, feeling that fate would be against him again. The policeman on the corner looked at them curiously
.
"Of course," the umbrella owner said-"Speaking of--well, you know how misunderstandings like this happen--I-
-if this umbrella is you "Yes, please don't be surprised - I picked it up in a restaurant this morning - if you recognize it as yours, then - please -"
"Of course it's mine. "Su Bei said viciously.
The former owner of the umbrella retreated. The police rushed over to help a tall blonde girl in an evening gown and walked her
across the street. To prevent a car two blocks away from hitting her, Su Bei walked eastward through a street that had been dug up for road construction. He angrily threw his umbrella into a pit. Here. He cursed the men with bronze helmets and batons. He expected them to arrest him, but they regarded him as an infallible emperor.
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Finally, Subei walked to a road leading to the East Side, where the lights were dim and the noise was lower. His direction was Madison Square, because he was still unconsciously there. I wanted to go home, even though this home was just a bench in the square.
But when Subei came to an unusually quiet corner, he stopped.
The antique old church with its pediment has soft lights shining through the violet glass windows. No doubt, the organist inside is singing hymns for Sunday. The accompaniment was being practiced repeatedly, and the melodious music floated into Su Bei's ears.
He leaned against the spiral iron railing and was fascinated.
The moon in the sky was bright and solemn. There are very few vehicles and pedestrians; the jays chirp sleepily under the eaves - this scene reminds one of the hymn music played by the organist in the country church cemetery. Subei was glued to the iron railing because
when there were such things as mother's love, roses, ambition, friends, pure thoughts and decent clothes in his life
, he was very familiar with the tunes of hymns.
Su Bei's sensitive mood and the influence of the old church environment suddenly caused a wonderful change in his soul. p>
Hate the abyss into which he fell, the depraved life, the despicable desires, the shattered hopes, the damaged intelligence and the low motives that supported his existence.
In an instant, his heart reacted deeply to this new feeling. A quick and powerful impulse prompted him to fight against his rough fate. He would pull himself out of the mire; he would make a new start; he would conquer the evil that had taken hold of him; it was not too late; he was still young; he would awaken his old ambitions, unequivocally. Pursue hard.
The solemn and friendly organ music changed his heart. Tomorrow he will go to the bustling city to find a job.
There was a leather goods importer. Ask him to be a driver. Tomorrow he will go to the businessman and apply for that position. He wants to be a upright man. He wants to——
Su Bei. He felt a hand pressing on his arm. He turned his head and saw the broad face of a policeman.
"What are you doing here?" "The police asked accusingly.
"Nothing done. "Su Bei replied.
"Then follow me. "The police said.
The next morning, the judge at the police court pronounced: "Three months' imprisonment on Blackwell Island. ”