1、破碎故事之心 感謝小水同學(xué)傾情翻譯 賈斯汀霍根施拉格，周薪30美元的印刷小工，每天有差不多60來個(gè)陌生女人從他眼前經(jīng)過。由此推算，在霍根施拉格住在紐約的這幾年里，眼前要經(jīng)過大約75120個(gè)不同的女人。在這75120個(gè)女人里，大概有25000個(gè)在1530歲之間。在這25000個(gè)里只有5000個(gè)體重在105125磅之間（注：約為47.656.7公斤）。在這5000個(gè)里只有1000個(gè)長得還過得去。只有500個(gè)有一定魅力；只有100個(gè)相當(dāng)迷人；只有25個(gè)能引來一聲長而緩的口哨聲。但只有一個(gè)讓霍根施拉格一見鐘情。 通常，有兩種女人可稱為“致命的女人”。有種致命的女人是通殺型的，也有種致命的女人不是通殺型

2、的。 這個(gè)女人的名字是雪莉萊斯特。她二十歲（比霍根施拉格小十一歲），身高五英尺四英寸（注：約1.62米）（個(gè)頭差不多到霍根施拉格眼睛這里），體重117磅（注：約53公斤）（輕得像片羽毛）。雪莉是個(gè)速記員，和她媽媽阿涅絲萊斯特住在一起，她要贍養(yǎng)這個(gè)老納爾遜艾迪（注：美國影星，師奶殺手）的粉絲。提到雪莉的長相，人們總會(huì)這樣說：“雪莉美得像畫里的人?！?一天早晨，在第三大道的公車上，霍根施拉格挨著（微微俯瞰）雪莉萊斯特站著，幾乎死蟹一只。這都是因?yàn)檠├虻淖煲砸环N奇妙的方式張開著。雪莉在讀車壁上的一則化妝品廣告；在她讀的時(shí)候，她的下巴也隨之略微放松了。在雪莉張著嘴、雙唇微啟的那一小會(huì)兒里，她可能是全曼

3、哈頓最有殺傷力的女人了?；舾├裨谒砩险业搅酥斡陋?dú)的靈丹，這只巨大的孤獨(dú)怪獸自他到紐約后一直潛伏在他內(nèi)心周圍。啊，多么痛苦！俯瞰著雪莉萊斯特卻不能俯身輕吻她微啟的雙唇，多么痛苦。難以言傳的痛苦！ * * * 以上是我給科利爾周刊寫的小說的開頭。我打算寫一個(gè)溫柔動(dòng)人的言情故事。這樣比較好，我覺得。這個(gè)世界需要“當(dāng)男孩遇上女孩”這樣的故事。但真要寫它一個(gè)，很不幸，作者先要處理怎么讓男孩遇上女孩。我寫不下去了。也不知道要怎樣才能讓它合情合理。我沒法讓霍根施拉格和雪莉按套路相遇。以下是原因： 很顯然讓霍根施拉格俯身并真誠地說出這些話是不可能的： “請(qǐng)?jiān)?。我太愛你了。你讓我瘋狂。我很清楚這點(diǎn)。我

4、會(huì)用一生去愛你。我是一個(gè)印刷助理，每周能賺30美元?？?，我怎么那么喜歡你。你今晚有空嗎？” 這個(gè)霍根施拉格有夠蠢的，但還算不上大傻蛋。這種人活在過去尚有可能，在今天肯定是絕跡的。你總不見得讓科利爾的讀者咽這種蹩腳貨吧。畢竟，人家也是花了錢的。 當(dāng)然，我也不能冷不丁地給霍根施拉格來一針滑頭血清，由威廉鮑威爾（注：美國演員，以老于世故的形象著稱）的舊煙盒和弗雷德阿斯泰爾（注：美國演員，一代舞王）的舊禮帽混合而成。 “請(qǐng)別誤解我，小姐。我是雜志的插畫家。這是我的名片。我這輩子從沒有如此想描繪一個(gè)人，但我真的很想給你畫副速寫。也許我們都能從中得益。我今晚能打電話給你嗎？但愿越快越好。（短促、爽朗的笑聲

5、）我希望我沒有聽起來太急不可耐。（再次大笑）也許我真的有點(diǎn)，嗯?！?啊，小伙子。以上這段話要伴隨著一抹疲倦、但有點(diǎn)愉快、還有點(diǎn)冒失的微笑說出。要是霍根施拉格能這么說話該多好啊。雪莉自己，自然也是老納爾遜艾迪的粉絲，同時(shí)還是拱心石流動(dòng)圖書館的積極成員。 也許你開始理解我要面對(duì)的問題了。 是的，霍根施拉格可能這么說： “不好意思，你不是威爾瑪普麗恰德嗎？” 雪莉會(huì)一邊冷淡地回答，一邊在車廂的另一側(cè)找個(gè)不受干擾的立足點(diǎn)： “不是。” “這真奇了怪了，”霍根施拉格會(huì)繼續(xù)說道，“我前面還暗自發(fā)誓你一定是威爾瑪普麗恰德呢。有沒有一點(diǎn)可能，你是從西雅圖來的？” “沒有。”比前面更冷淡了。 “西雅圖是我的故鄉(xiāng)

6、?！?不受干擾的立足點(diǎn)。 “很棒的小鎮(zhèn)，西雅圖。我是說那真是個(gè)很棒的小鎮(zhèn)。我到這里我是說紐約才四年。我是個(gè)印刷助理。我叫賈斯汀霍根施拉格?！?“我一點(diǎn)興趣也沒有?！?哎，憑這種開場(chǎng)白霍根施拉格就別想了。他一沒長相二沒魅力，也沒穿得體面點(diǎn)，好在這種情形下引起雪莉的興趣。他全無機(jī)會(huì)。而且，像我之前說過的，要寫一個(gè)絕妙的“當(dāng)男孩遇上女孩”的故事，最好是讓男孩主動(dòng)出擊。 也許霍根施拉格會(huì)暈過去，并試圖抓點(diǎn)什么來穩(wěn)住自己：可能是雪莉的腳踝。他可能撕壞人家的長筒襪，沒準(zhǔn)還撕出一條漂亮的抽絲線。人們會(huì)給倒霉的霍根施拉格騰出地方來，而他則會(huì)站起身來，嘟囔著：“我沒事，謝謝，”接著，“啊，天哪！我太抱歉了，小姐

7、。我把你的絲襪扯壞了。請(qǐng)一定讓我賠。我現(xiàn)在手頭現(xiàn)金不夠，麻煩把你的地址留給我。” 雪莉不會(huì)給他地址。她只會(huì)變得又窘又結(jié)巴。“沒事，”她會(huì)說，心里想他怎么不去死啊。不僅如此，這整個(gè)構(gòu)思都很脫線?；舾├瘢粋€(gè)西雅圖小伙，做夢(mèng)也不會(huì)想到去抓雪莉的腳踝。至少不是在第三大道的公車上。 更符合邏輯的可能是霍根施拉格會(huì)鋌而走險(xiǎn)。至今仍有一些人愿意為愛鋌而走險(xiǎn)。也許霍根施拉格是其中之一。他也許會(huì)奪過雪莉的手提包，奔向最近的車門。雪莉會(huì)尖叫。人們會(huì)聽到她，并想起邊城英烈傳或其他什么?；舾├竦臐⑻樱们疫@么說，終于被制止了。汽車停了下來。威爾遜巡警他很長時(shí)間都沒逮住過什么人了在現(xiàn)場(chǎng)問話。這里發(fā)生了什么事？

8、警官，這個(gè)男人想偷我的錢包。 霍根施拉格被拖進(jìn)法庭。雪莉，自然，也要參加庭審。他們上報(bào)了各自的地址；因此霍根施拉格得知了雪莉的神圣居所之所在。 伯金斯法官他在自己家中連一杯好點(diǎn)的、香濃的咖啡都喝不上判處霍根施拉格一年監(jiān)禁。雪莉咬著嘴唇，但霍根施拉格已經(jīng)被帶走了。 在獄中，霍根施拉格給雪莉萊斯特寫了這樣一封信： “親愛的萊斯特小姐： 我真的不是有意要偷你的錢包的。我這樣做是因?yàn)槲覑勰?。我只是想認(rèn)識(shí)你。你有空的話能不能給我寫信？這里非常孤獨(dú)，我好愛你，但愿你有空的話能來看看我。 你的朋友， 賈斯汀霍根施拉格” 雪莉把這封信給她朋友都看了。他們說，“哈，這挺可愛的，雪莉?！毖├蛲庠谀撤N程度上這也算

9、是一種可愛。也許她會(huì)回信?！皼]錯(cuò)！回信吧。給他一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)。你會(huì)有什么損失呢？”所以雪莉給霍根施拉格回了封信。 “親愛的霍根施拉格先生： 我收到了你的來信，并為發(fā)生的一切感到抱歉。很遺憾事到如今我們也無能為力了，但想到這曲折的隱情我就很難過。還好，你的刑期不算長，很快就能出來了。祝好運(yùn)。 你誠摯的 雪莉萊斯特” “親愛的萊斯特小姐： 你不知道收到你的回信我有多么歡欣鼓舞。你一點(diǎn)也不用難過。這都是我的錯(cuò)，是我太瘋狂了，因此你完全不用這么想。我們這里每周都能看一次電影，所以真的不算壞。我今年31歲，來自西雅圖。我到紐約有4年了，只有在偶爾寂寞難耐的時(shí)候才會(huì)懷念那個(gè)小鎮(zhèn)，真是個(gè)很棒的小鎮(zhèn)。你是我見過的最

10、美麗的姑娘，即使算上西雅圖的也是。我希望你能在哪個(gè)周六下午來看我，探視時(shí)間是兩點(diǎn)到四點(diǎn)，我會(huì)付你火車票錢。 你的朋友， 賈斯汀霍根施拉格” 雪莉會(huì)照樣把這封信給她的朋友都看一下。但她不會(huì)回這封了。誰都看得出這個(gè)霍根施拉格是個(gè)傻帽。歸根結(jié)底就是這么回事。她已經(jīng)回過一封了。要是她再回復(fù)這封愚蠢的信，那就真的要經(jīng)年累月沒完沒了了。她對(duì)這個(gè)男人已然仁至義盡。還有這算什么名字啊?；舾├褚粍?。 此時(shí)，獄中的霍根施拉格正備受煎熬，即使他們每周能看一次電影。他的獄友是獵鳥摩根和切片機(jī)巴克，這兩個(gè)男的住在里屋，他們覺得霍根施拉格長得很像某個(gè)曾經(jīng)背叛過他們的芝加哥小赤佬。他們已經(jīng)確信那個(gè)鼠臉費(fèi)列羅（注：老鼠r

11、at也有叛徒之意）和賈斯汀霍根施拉格是同一個(gè)人。 “但我不是鼠臉費(fèi)列羅，”霍根施拉格對(duì)他們說。 “屁啊，”切片機(jī)說，隨手把霍根施拉格僅有的一點(diǎn)食物打翻在地。 “兜伊瘤，”獵鳥說。（上海話，打他的頭） “我跟你們說我之所以進(jìn)來只是因?yàn)槲以诘谌蟮拦嚿贤盗艘粋€(gè)姑娘的錢包，”霍根施拉格辯解道?！爸徊贿^我并不是真的要偷。我愛上了那個(gè)姑娘，只有這樣我才能認(rèn)識(shí)她?！?“屁啊，”切片機(jī)說。 “兜伊瘤，”獵鳥說。 一天，十七名囚犯試圖越獄。在操場(chǎng)上放風(fēng)的時(shí)候，切片機(jī)巴克誘騙了看守的侄女，八歲的麗絲貝斯蘇，并緊緊抓住她。他用他八乘十二的大手抱住小女孩的腰，舉起來讓看守看到。 “喂，看門的！”切片機(jī)叫道。“把門

12、打開，不然我做掉這小孩！” “我不怕的，伯特叔叔！”麗絲貝斯叫道。 “放下那個(gè)孩子，切片機(jī)！”看守命令道，虛弱之極。 但切片機(jī)知道現(xiàn)在看守已經(jīng)在他的掌控之中了。十七個(gè)大男人和一個(gè)金發(fā)小孩走出大門。十六個(gè)大男人和一個(gè)金發(fā)小孩安全地走了出去。一個(gè)高塔上的守衛(wèi)自認(rèn)為找到了將切片機(jī)一槍爆頭的絕佳時(shí)機(jī)，結(jié)果破壞了整個(gè)越獄隊(duì)伍的隊(duì)形。但他打偏了，成功擊中了跟在切片機(jī)后頭抖抖霍霍的小個(gè)男人，一槍斃命。 猜猜是誰？ 于是乎，我為科利爾周刊寫一篇“當(dāng)男孩遇上女孩”的小說一個(gè)柔情、刻骨的愛情故事的計(jì)劃，因?yàn)槟兄鹘堑乃蓝鳟a(chǎn)了。 好了，要不是雪莉遲遲不來的第二封信讓霍根施拉格陷入絕望和恐慌，他是絕不會(huì)成為那亡命十七

13、人中的一個(gè)的。但事實(shí)仍舊是她沒有回他的第二封信。就算等上一百年她也不會(huì)回的。我沒法改變這事實(shí)。 真丟臉啊。多可惜，霍根施拉格在獄中沒有給雪莉萊斯特寫下下面這封信： “親愛的萊斯特小姐： 我希望我的話不會(huì)讓你煩惱或?qū)擂?。我寫下這些，萊斯特小姐，是因?yàn)槲蚁胱屇阒牢也皇菍こＲ饬x上的小偷。我想讓你知道，我偷你的包，是因?yàn)槲以诠卉嚿蠈?duì)你一見鐘情。我想不出任何辦法來認(rèn)識(shí)你，除了做出這輕率的確切的說也是愚蠢的舉動(dòng)?？赡阒?，戀愛中的人總是愚蠢的。 我愛上你雙唇微啟的樣子。你為我揭開了萬事萬物的謎底。自從我四年前來到紐約，我從來沒有不開心過，但也沒有開心過。說起來，我和紐約成千上萬的年輕人沒什么區(qū)別，都只

14、是活著罷了。 我從西雅圖來到紐約。我想要變得有錢有名有款有型。但四年過去了，我意識(shí)到我不會(huì)變得有錢有名有款有型。我是個(gè)優(yōu)秀的印刷小工，僅此而已。有天印刷員病了，我就替他的活。我把事情搞得一團(tuán)糟啊，萊斯特小姐。根本沒人聽我的。我叫排字員去工作時(shí)，他就咯咯亂笑。我不怪他。我命令別人的時(shí)候挺傻的。我想我不過是那數(shù)百萬從沒想過要發(fā)號(hào)施令的人之一。但我真的無所謂了。我老板剛雇了個(gè)23歲的小子。他才23歲，而我已經(jīng)31了，并且在同一個(gè)地方做了四年。但我知道有一天他會(huì)變成印刷主管，而我還是當(dāng)他的小工。但就算這樣我也無所謂了。 愛你是我唯一重要的事，萊斯特小姐。有人認(rèn)為愛是性是婚姻是清晨六點(diǎn)的吻是一堆孩子，也

15、許真是這樣的，萊斯特小姐。但你知道我怎么想嗎？我覺得愛是想觸碰又收回手。 我想對(duì)于一個(gè)女人來說，嫁給一個(gè)外人看來是富有、英俊、聰明或者受歡迎的男人是很重要的。我連受歡迎都談不上。甚至沒有人討厭我。我只是我僅僅是賈斯汀霍根施拉格。我從沒讓人感到愉快、難過、生氣，哪怕厭煩。我想人們覺得我是個(gè)好人，僅此而已。 我小時(shí)候從來沒人說過我可愛、陽光或是好看。如果他們非得說些什么，他們會(huì)說我的腿雖然短還蠻結(jié)實(shí)的。 我不指望你會(huì)回信，萊斯特小姐。雖然你的回信是我在這個(gè)世界上最想要的東西，但坦白說我真的不指望。我只想讓你知道實(shí)情。如果我對(duì)你的愛只是把我?guī)蛐碌某镣?，那也是我活該?也許有一天你會(huì)理解并且原諒我這

16、個(gè)笨拙的仰慕者， 賈斯汀霍根施拉格” 而以下這封信自然也是同樣不可能寄出的了。 “親愛的霍根施拉格先生： 我收到你的信了，非常喜歡。知道事情竟然是這樣的，我感到內(nèi)疚而難過。如果你開口對(duì)我說話而不是搶走我的包，那該多好！但如果真的那樣，我大概也只會(huì)對(duì)你的攀談冷漠置之吧。 現(xiàn)在是午餐時(shí)間，我獨(dú)自待在辦公室里寫信給你。今天中午我想一個(gè)人呆著。我覺得要是我非得和女同事們一起去自助餐廳吃午飯，聽她們像往常一樣嘴里含著東西嘰嘰喳喳講話，我一定會(huì)失聲尖叫起來的。 我不在乎你不是所謂的成功人士，不在乎你沒錢、沒名、沒款、沒型。換作以前我會(huì)在乎的。當(dāng)我還是個(gè)高中生的時(shí)候，我總是愛上那些Joe Glamor里的男

17、孩子（注：此應(yīng)為作者虛構(gòu)的偶像團(tuán)體，類似F4）。唐納德尼克爾森，他會(huì)在雨中漫步，能將莎翁的十四行詩倒背如流。鮑勃雷西，他很帥，能從底線投籃命中，鎖定比分讓對(duì)手無力翻盤。哈利米勒，他很害羞，有一雙漂亮的棕色眼睛，很耐看。 但我人生中的那段瘋狂歲月已經(jīng)結(jié)束了。 你辦公室里那些對(duì)你的命令咯咯亂笑的家伙，他們已經(jīng)上了我的黑名單了。我從沒有這樣恨過什么人，但我恨他們。 你看到的是我精心打扮過的樣子。擦掉這些脂粉，相信我，我一點(diǎn)也不漂亮。請(qǐng)寫信告訴我你什么時(shí)候能接待訪客。我想讓你重新看看我。我要確信你不是被我虛假的外表給騙了。 啊，我多希望你當(dāng)時(shí)能告訴法官你偷我錢包的原因??！我們會(huì)在一起，談?wù)撍心窃S許多

18、多我們可能擁有的相通之處。 請(qǐng)告訴我什么時(shí)候能來看你。 你誠摯的， 雪莉萊斯特” 但賈斯汀霍根施拉格永遠(yuǎn)不可能認(rèn)識(shí)雪莉萊斯特了。她在56號(hào)街下了車，而他在31號(hào)街下車。那天晚上，雪莉萊斯特和霍華德勞倫斯一起去看電影，她很愛他。霍華德覺得雪莉是個(gè)討人喜歡的姑娘，但僅此而已。同晚，賈斯汀霍根施拉格宅在家里，收聽力士香皂播送的廣播劇。他整晚都在想雪莉，第二天接著想，之后的整個(gè)月都頻繁地想起她。突然，他被介紹給了多麗絲希爾曼，這個(gè)女人已經(jīng)開始擔(dān)心自己要嫁不出去了。但在賈斯汀霍根施拉格了解到這點(diǎn)之前，多麗絲希爾曼和其他事情讓他把雪莉萊斯特拋之腦后。而雪莉萊斯特，以及對(duì)她的念想，全都無影無蹤了。 這就是為

19、什么我從沒給科利爾周刊寫一個(gè)“當(dāng)男孩遇上女孩”的故事。在一個(gè)“當(dāng)男孩遇上女孩”的故事里，總是該男孩主動(dòng)出擊的。 . 琴 酒 琴 酒 (勤奮篤行。) 2009-08-06 21:59:39 J. D. Salinger The Heart of a Broken Story Esquire XVI, September 1941, Page 32, 131-133 EVERY day Justin Horgenschlag, thirty-dollar-a-week printers assistant, saw at close quarters approximately sixty wom

20、en whom he had never seen before. Thus in the few years he had lived in New York, Horgenschlag had seen at close quarters about 75,120 different women. Of these 75,120 women, roughly 25,000 were under thirty years of age and over fifteen years of age. Of the 25,000 only 5,000 weighed between one hun

21、dred five and one hundred twenty-five pounds. Of these 5,000 only 1,000 were not ugly. Only 500 were reasonably attractive; only 100 of these were quite attractive; only 25 could have inspired a long, slow whistle. And with only 1 did Horgenschlag fall in love at first sight. Now, there are two kind

22、s of femme fatale. There is the femme fatale who is a femme fatale in every sense of the word, and there is the femme fatale who is not a femme fatale in every sense of the word. Her name was Shirley Lester. She was twenty years old (eleven years younger than Horgenschlag), was five-foot-four (bring

23、ing her head to the level of Horgenschlags eyes), weighed 117 pounds (light as a feather to carry). Shirley was a stenographer, lived with and supported her mother, Agnes Lester, an old Nelson Eddy fan. In reference to Shirleys looks people often put it this way: “Shirleys as pretty as a picture.” A

24、nd in the Third Avenue bus early one morning, Horgenschlag stood over Shirley Lester, and was a dead duck. All because Shirleys mouth was open in a peculiar way. Shirley was reading a cosmetic advertisement in the wall panel of the bus; and when Shirley read, Shirley relaxed slightly at the jaw. And

25、 in that short moment while Shirleys mouth was open, lips were parted, Shirley was probably the most fatal one in all Manhattan. Horgenschlag saw in her a positive cure-all for a gigantic monster of loneliness which had been stalking around his heart since he had come to New York. Oh, the agony of i

26、t! The agony of standing over Shirley Lester and not being able to bend down and kiss Shirleys parted lips. The inexpressible agony of it! * * * That was the beginning of the story I started to write for Colliers. I was going to write a lovely tender boy-meets-girl story. What could be finer, I thou

27、ght. The world needs boy-meets-girl stories. But to write one, unfortunately, the writer must go about the business of having the boy meet the girl. I couldnt do it with this one. Not and have it make sense. I couldnt get Horgenschlag and Shirley together properly. And here are the reasons: Certainl

28、y it was impossible for Horgenschlag to bend over and say in all sincerity: “I beg your pardon. I love you very much. Im nuts about you. I know it. I could love you all my life. Im a printers assistant and I make thirty dollars a week. Gosh, how I love you. Are you busy tonight?” This Horgenschlag m

29、ay be a goof, but not that big a goof. He may have been born yesterday, but not today. You cant expect Colliers readers to swallow that kind of bilge. A nickels a nickel, after all. I couldnt, of course, all of a sudden give Horgenschlag a suave serum, mixed from William Powells old cigarette case a

30、nd Fred Astaires old top hat. “Please dont misunderstand me, Miss. Im a magazine illustrator. My card. Id like to sketch you more than Ive ever wanted to sketch anyone in my life. Perhaps such an undertaking would be to a mutual advantage. May I telephone you this evening, or in the very near future

31、? (Short, debonair laugh.) I hope I dont sound too desperate. (Another one.) I suppose I am, really.” Oh, boy. Those lines delivered with a weary, yet gay, yet reckless smile. If only Horgenschlag had delivered them. Shirley, of course, was an old Nelson Eddy fan herself, and an active member of the

32、 Keystone Circulating Library. Maybe youre beginning to see what I was up against. True, Horgenschlag might have said the following: “Excuse me, but arent you Wilma Pritchard?” To which Shirley would have replied coldly, and seeking a neutral point on the other side of the bus: “No.” “Thats funny,”

33、Horgenschlag could have gone on, “I was willing to swear you were Wilma Pritchard. Uh. You dont by any chance come from Seattle?” “No.”More ice where that came from. “Seattles my home town.” Neutral point. “Great little town, Seattle. I mean its really a great little town. Ive only been hereI mean i

34、n New Yorkfour years. Im a printers assistant. Justin Horgenschlag is my name.” “Im really not inter-ested.” Oh, Horgenschlag wouldnt have got anywhere with that kind of line. He had neither the looks, personality, or good clothes to gain Shirleys interest under the circumstances. He didnt have a ch

35、ance. And, as I said before, to write a really good boy-meets-girl story its wise to have the boy meet the girl. Maybe Horgenschlag might have fainted, and in doing so grabbed for support: the support being Shirleys ankle. He could have torn the stocking that way, or succeeded in ornamenting it with

36、 a fine long run. People would have made room for the stricken Horgenschlag, and he would have got to his feet, mumbling: “Im all right, thanks,” then, “Oh, say! Im terribly sorry, Miss. Ive torn your stocking. You must let me pay for it. Im short of cash right now, but just give me your address.” S

37、hirley wouldnt have given him her address. She just would have become embarrassed and inarticulate. “Its all right,” she would have said, wishing Horgenschlag hadnt been born. And besides, the whole idea is illogical. Horgenschlag, a Seattle boy, wouldnt have dreamed of clutching at Shirleys ankle.

38、Not in the Third Avenue Bus. But what is more logical is the possibility that Horgenschlag might have got desperate. There are still a few men who love desperately. Maybe Horgenschlag was one. He might have snatched Shirleys handbag and run with it toward the rear exit door. Shirley would have screa

39、med. Men would have heard her, and remembered the Alamo or something. Horgenschlags flight, lets say, is now arrested. The bus is stopped. Patrolman Wilson, who hasnt made a good arrest in a long time, reports on the scene. Whats going on here? Officer, this man tried to steal my purse. Horgenschlag

40、 is hauled into court. Shirley, of course, must attend session. They both give their addresses; thereby Horgenschlag is informed of the location of Shirleys divine abode. Judge Perkins, who cant even get a good, really good cup of coffee in his own house, sentences Horgenschlag to a year in jail. Sh

41、irley bites her lip, but Horgenschlag is marched away. In prison, Horgenschlag writes the following letter to Shirley Lester: “Dear Miss Lester: “I did not really mean to steal your purse. I just took it because I love you. You see I only wanted to get to know you. Will you please write me a letter

42、sometime when you get the time? It gets pretty lonely here and I love you very much and maybe even you would come to see me some time if you get the time. Your friend, Justin Horgenschlag” Shirley shows the letter to all her friends. They say, “Ah, its cute, Shirley.” Shirley agrees that its kind of

43、 cute in a way. Maybe shell answer it. “Yes! Answer it. Givem a break. Whatve ya got tlose?” So Shirley answers Horgenschlags letter. “Dear Mr. Horgenschlag: “I received your letter and really feel very sorry about what has happened. Unfortunately there is very little we can do about it at this time

44、, but I do feel abominable concerning the turn of events. However, your sentence is a short one and soon you will be out. The best of luck to you. Sincerely yours, Shirley Lester” “Dear Miss Lester: “You will never know how cheered up you made me feel when I received your letter. You should not feel

45、 abominable at all. It was all my fault for being so crazy so dont feel that way at all. We get movies here once a week and it really is not so bad. I am 31 years of age and come from Seattle. I have been in New York 4 years and think it is a great town only once in a while you get pretty lonesome.

46、You are the prettiest girl I have ever seen even in Seattle. I wish you would come to see me some Saturday afternoon during visiting hours 2 to 4 and I will pay your train fare. Your friend, Justin Horgenschlag” Shirley would have shown this letter, too, to all her friends. But she would not answer

47、this one. Anyone could see that this Horgenschlag was a goof. And after all. She had answered the first letter. If she answered this silly letter the thing might drag on for months and everything. She did all she could do for the man. And what a name. Horgenschlag. Meanwhile, in prison Horgenschlag

48、is having a terrible time, even though they have movies once a week. His cell-mates are Snipe Morgan and Slicer Burke, two boys from the back room, who see in Horgenschlags face a resemblance to a chap in Chicago who once ratted on them. They are convinced that Ratface Ferrero and Justin Horgenschla

49、g are one and the same person. “But Im not Ratface Ferrero,” Horgenschlag tells them. “Dont gimme that,” says Slicer, knocking Horgenschlags meager food rations to the floor. “Bash his head in,” says Snipe. “I tell ya Im just here because I stole a girls purse on the Third Avenue Bus,” pleads Horgen

50、schlag. “Only I didnt really steal it. I fell in love with her, and it was the only way I could get to know her.” “Dont gimme that,” says Slicer. “Bash his head in,” says Snipe. Then there is the day when seventeen prisoners try to make an escape. During play period in the recreation yard, Slicer Bu

51、rke lures the wardens niece, eight-year-old Lisbeth Sue, into his clutches. He puts his eight-by-twelve hands around the childs waist and holds her up for the warden to see. “Hey, warden!” yells Slicer. “Open up them gates or its curtains for the kid!” “Im not afraid, Uncle Bert!” calls out Lisbeth

52、Sue. “Put down that child, Slicer!” commands the warden, with all the impotence at his command. But Slicer knows he has the warden just where he wants him. Seventeen men and a small blonde child walk out the gates. Sixteen men and a small blonde child walk out safely. A guard in the high tower think

53、s he sees a wonderful opportunity to shoot Slicer in the head, and thereby destroy the unity of the escaping group. But he misses, and succeeds only in shooting the small man walking nervously behind Slicer, killing him instantly. Guess who? And, thus, my plan to write a boy-meets-girl story for Col

54、liers, a tender, memorable love story, is thwarted by the death of my hero. Now, Horgenschlag never would have been among those seventeen desperate men if only he had not been made desperate and panicky by Shirleys failure to answer his second letter. But the fact remains that she did not answer his

55、 second letter. She never in a hundred years would have answered it. I cant alter facts. And what a shame. What a pity that Horgenschlag, in prison, was unable to write the following letter to Shirley Lester: “Dear Miss Lester: “I hope a few lines will not annoy or embarrass you. Im writing, Miss Le

56、ster, because Id like you to know that I am not a common thief. I stole your bag, I want you to know, because I fell in love with you the moment I saw you on the bus. I could think of no way to become acquainted with you except by acting rashlyfoolishly, to be accurate. But then, one is a fool when

57、one is in love. “I loved the way your lips were so slightly parted. You represented the answer to everything to me. I havent been unhappy since I came to New York four years ago, but neither have I been happy. Rather, I can best describe myself as having been one of the thousands of young men in New York who simply exist. “I came to New York from Seattle. I was going to become rich and famous and well-dressed and suave. But in four y