登陆注册
5407300000008

第8章 My Cousin Fanny(8)

He told me that she died Christmas night.She came to his house on her old mare, in the rain and snow the night before, to get him to go to see someone, some "friend" of hers who was sick.He said she had more sick friends than anyone he ever knew; he told her that he was sick himself and could not go; but she was so importunate that he promised to go next morning (she was always very worrying).He said she was wet and shivering then (she never had any idea about really protecting herself), and that she appeared to have a wretched cold.She had been riding all day seeing about a Christmas-tree for the poor children.He urged her to stop and spend the night, but she insisted that she must go on, though it was nearly dark and raining hard, and the roads would have mired a cat (she was always self-willed).Next day he went to see the sick woman, and when he arrived he found her in one bed and Cousin Fanny in another, in the same room.When he had examined the patient, he turned and asked Cousin Fanny what was the matter with her."Oh, just a little cold, a little trouble in the chest, as Theodore Hook said," she replied.

"But I know how to doctor myself." Something about her voice struck him.

He went over to her and looked at her, and found her suffering from acute pneumonia.He at once set to work on her.He took the other patient up in his arms and carried her into another room, where he told her that Cousin Fanny was a desperately ill woman."She was actually dying then, sir,"he said to me, "and she died that night.When she arrived at the place the night before, which was not until after nine o'clock, she had gone to the stable herself to put up her old mare, or rather to see that she was fed -- she always did that --so when she got into the house she was wet and chilled through, and she had to go to bed.She must have had on wet clothes," he said.

I asked him if she knew she was going to die.He said he did not think she did; that he did not tell her, and she talked about nothing except her Christmas-tree and the people she wanted to see.He heard her praying in the night, "and, by the way," he said, "she mentioned you.

She shortly became rather delirious, and wandered a good deal, talking of things that must have happened when she was young;spoke of going to see her mother somewhere.The last thing she ever said was something about fashion, which," he said, "showed how ingrained is vanity in the female mind." The doctor knows something of human nature.

He concluded what he had to say with, "She was in some respects a very remarkable woman -- if she had not been an old maid.

I do not suppose that she ever drew a well breath in her life.

Not that I think old maids cannot be very acceptable women," he apologized.

"They are sometimes very useful." The doctor was a rather enlightened man.

Some of her relatives got there in time for the funeral, and a good many of the poor people came; and she was carried in a little old spring wagon, drawn by Fashion, through the snow, to the old home place, where Scroggs very kindly let them dig the grave, and was buried there in the old graveyard in the garden, in a vacant space just beside her mother, with the children around her.I really miss her a great deal.

The other boys say they do the same.I suppose it is the trouble she used to give us.

The old set are all doing well.Doug is a professor.

He says the word "spinster" gave him a twist to philology.

Old Blinky is in Paris.He had a picture in the salon last year, an autumn landscape, called "Le Cote du Bois".I believe the translation of that is "The Woodside".His coloring is said to be nature itself.To think of old Blinky being a great artist!

Little Kitty is now a big girl, and is doing finely at school.

I have told her she must not be an old maid.Joe is a preacher with a church in the purlieus of a large city.I was there not long ago.

He had a choral service.The Gregorian music carried me back to old times.

He preached on the text, "I was sick, and ye visited me." It was such a fine sermon, and he had such a large congregation, that I asked why he did not go to a finer church.He said he was "carrying soup to Mrs.Ronquist." By the way, his organist was a splendid musician.

She introduced herself to me.It was Scroggs's daughter.She is married, and can walk as well as I can.She had a little girl with her that I think she called "Fanny".I do not think that was Mrs.Scroggs's name.

Frank is now a doctor, or rather a surgeon, in the same city with Joe, and becoming very distinguished.The other day he performed a great operation, saving a woman's life, which was in all the papers.

He said to an interviewer that he became a surgeon from dressing a sore on an old mare's back.I wonder what he was talking about?

He is about to start a woman's hospital for poor women.

Cousin Fanny would have been glad of that; she was always proud of Frank.

She would as likely as not have quoted that verse from Tennyson's song about the echoes.She sleeps now under the myrtle at Scroggs's.

I have often thought of what that doctor said about her:

that she would have been a very remarkable woman, if she had not been an old maid -- I mean, a spinster.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 心理大师揭秘158个心灵密码(教你成功丛书)

    心理大师揭秘158个心灵密码(教你成功丛书)

    人类是有心灵的,这毋庸置疑。但心灵到底是什么,我看谁都难以说清。要想解开心灵这个密码,直接从“心灵”二字下手怕是不成,我们必须学会迂回,先弄明白“人类”是什么,再从中寻找“心灵”的真相与定义。人是以“类”的方式存在着的。马克思如是说,事实也千真万确。让我们越过生物生理层面,从心理人性层面来看,之所以某些生物能归为“一类”,那是因为它们必须符合这样两个条件:其一,“类”必须是不同个性的集合;其二,“类”必须有一个共性的“通解性”。
  • 失眠调养:一觉睡到自然醒

    失眠调养:一觉睡到自然醒

    失眠是困扰许多现代人的问题。中国睡眠研究会调查结果显示,中国成年人失眠发生率为38.2%,高于国外发达国家的10%。其中有2000万人患有睡眠呼吸暂停症,在所有失眠患者中占七成;睡眠不良者高达5亿人,其中3亿以上在城市。职业女性中更有高达80%的人受睡眠不良困扰。在失眠患者中仅有21%就诊,求助于专科医师的人更少。失眠,中医称为“不寐”,是指睡眠时间不足或睡眠质量不佳,其表现主要是夜晚难以入眠,白天精神不振,工作和学习效率低。造成失眠的原因很多,如工作压力、感情压力、长期不正常生活习惯和疾病等。很多生理疾病都和失眠有关,如高血压、糖尿病、肥胖和风湿等。
  • 腹黑太子残暴妃

    腹黑太子残暴妃

    腹黑太子残暴妃这是一个狠辣凶残彪悍的冷酷公主强宠俊美邪魅无双的腹黑太子滴故事!这是一个阴狠太子与凶戾公主如何暗度陈仓狼狈为奸的在朝堂后宫只手遮天滴故事!?!这是一个……九幽地府,奈何桥上。孟婆面无表情的将已喝过孟婆汤的幽魂推入轮回道,冷声喝道,“下一个。”全身煞气萦绕的女幽魂飘至孟婆身前,孟婆机械问道,“上世是何身份?”押解幽魂的鬼差翻翻生死薄,淡定开口,“杀手。”孟婆面色如常,转身去端孟婆汤,“上上世呢?”再翻生死薄,鬼差嘴角抽搐,“恐怖分子。”孟婆挑眉,依旧镇定如常,“上上上世呢?”再翻生死薄,鬼差瞠目结舌,“弑天战神!”这下子孟婆淡定不了,干枯苍老的手轻颤,碗里的孟婆汤溢出,沾湿了裙摆。孟婆颤抖着声音,再问,“上、上上上一世呢?”再翻生死薄,鬼差面如死灰,“……杀生佛!”遇人杀人、遇神杀神、遇佛诛佛,聚凶残暴怒冷酷狠辣于一身且连佛祖的脸都敢当地板踩的杀生佛?!?‘哐当——’一声,瓷碗落地,只剩孟婆满目震惊。凶残篇:场景一:一双白嫩小手入盆,清水顿时化为红得刺目的血水。呈以墨睨了跪在地上的女子一眼,冷漠开口,“将她拖下去施以膑刑!”闻言,在场之人皆是膝盖一凉,背脊生寒。膑刑:活生生剔去膝盖骨!场景二:幽暗的眼神杀气翻涌,浑身都散发着戾气。整个人犹如从地狱爬出,小小的身子带着铿锵杀伐的威震煞气,“断其四肢扔后巷喂狗,如果还不招就五马分尸,将其头颅挂在南门城墙之上,让她主子好生瞧瞧!”侍卫满目惊骇,一股寒气从脚底冒出,窜入四肢百骸,犹如身置严寒冰窖,冻得他不止四肢麻木就连思维都停滞了。竹马篇:小时候:“小公主,今天的课业是在这绢帕上绣朵娇艳的牡丹花。”妇女恭敬的递上绢帕和绣花针,然后战战兢兢的下去了。等妇女一走,小女孩就霸道地将绢帕和绣花针塞到身边粉雕玉琢漂亮得分外精致的小男孩手中,冷着脸,命令道,“绣花!我去骑马。”“墨墨……”男孩委屈的拉着女孩裙摆,不让走。女孩怒脸一瞪,男孩顿时妥协。老老实实的坐屋里当起闺家小姐,一针一线的绣着牡丹花。长大后:最为尊贵的太子寝殿,俊美邪魅的太子端坐于床榻之上,一手绢帕,一手绣针,一朵妖艳牡丹花在他手下至极绽放,一双鸳鸯蝴蝶在他指间情意绵绵。此时贴身宫人气喘吁吁跑来,焦急道,“殿下殿下,不好了,太子妃带了个男人回来,还是个风流倜傥仪表堂堂的美男人。”
  • 专属影后

    专属影后

    什么?这个男人居然是那个中外闻名的君氏集团的当家?晴暖掂量了一下自己的份量,决定趁早躲得远远的……可是……晴暖亮晶晶的眼睛眨巴眨巴:君少,我就是个小演员而已,你为什么不放过我?男人笑的儒雅:我想,养个影后在后院也不错……
  • 银河之心Ⅱ·暗黑深渊

    银河之心Ⅱ·暗黑深渊

    在天垂星的日暮战役结束之时,李约素身负重任,乘坐高速飞船前往银河之心求援。他一路不断告知当地各人类文明星系,得到了许多响应,人类的舰队不断前往增援。来到银河之心后,李约素得到了科技极为先进的铁人的援助,拥有了大批最先进的飞船引擎,得以组建起庞大的舰队。但是在返回战区的路上,李约素先后意外遭遇神秘的镜子飞船和死星,从而得知了上古银河人类与异族“蜘蛛人”之间发生战争的来龙去脉。孰料,未等李约素赶到,人类的防线已经崩溃,李约素不得不冒险率领敢死队杀入敌人老巢,在这里,他意外地发现了引起这场战争的“上佳”号环形飞船……
  • 铁剑之兽灵契约

    铁剑之兽灵契约

    自太古时代就已统治天地的神兽、异兽、妖兽,在一场神秘的不期而至浩劫中化为传说。一介放牛娃自小便身负异兽旋龟之灵,悬崖秘洞中收获奇缘,长大后踏上旅程,开启了一段不世传说。而当此时,天下三分,天龙帝国的战矛早已觊觎水月、镜花两大王国,战争一触即发。兽灵与宿主、骑士与国王、帝国与教会,一双双眼睛隐藏在黑暗处观察和推动着世界的变革……
  • 让孩子受益终身的励志故事

    让孩子受益终身的励志故事

    我们要加快自己的步伐,去追求自己的梦想了!追求是永不放弃地奔跑,我们需要目标。追求是永不放弃地奔跑,我们需要坚持。追求是永不放弃地奔跑,我们需要超越。人可以没有永远的身体,但是不能没有房屋的思想!
  • 不是非得爱着你

    不是非得爱着你

    五年前,轰动海城的事件,让夏歌从名门小姐成了万人所指的,她被父亲赶出海城,流放到英国,一待就是五年。回来的第一天她大闹了亲爹的婚礼现场,一个月之后她靠肚里的一块肉,成为了海城慕家的孙长媳。婚前她说的,婚后互不干涉生活。他,艳事一桩桩,天天上头条。她,桃花一朵朵,处处都灿烂。片段:夜里他说,为了孩子我会试着过日子,可天亮之后她接到电话,“果果不见了,但晓雪有危险,我必须马上赶过去。”万念俱灰时看到他着急的眼神,她轻声说,“离婚吧。”
  • 爱过的人在遥远的城

    爱过的人在遥远的城

    姜绚在游泳馆偶遇吵架的情侣许安与林唱,许安为了寻找安慰,拥抱了姜绚,两个人开始了莫名其妙的恋情,这个世界便是这样,爱情太少,暧昧太多,请不要轻易相信自己又动了心……董小武是一个矮矮的男生,他喜欢姜绚,却不被接受,于是他远去广州做断骨增高手术,手术成功了,他却坐进了轮椅,两个人的故事以一个笑开始,以一个笑结束,谁还能说这是一个悲剧……颜堇喜欢董小武,而董小武却喜欢姜绚,于是颜堇努力接近姜绚,两个女孩儿清澄的友情,却隔着一段爱而不得的恋情,只能彼此说谢谢,谢谢你比我还爱我……有些人注定放在心上,有些人注定彼此遥望,有些人注定一生都在错过,那是我们无法控制的,那就无法控制吧……
  • 晒狗皮

    晒狗皮

    告别演说民选那天上午,秦如海站在村小学国旗杆下做了告别演说此时秦如海食道癌已到晚期,癌细胞已扩散至全身了由于身体极度虚弱,秦如海大汗淋漓,演说也断断续续演讲完身子摇晃了几下,仰面摔倒在国旗台上,台下一片骚动秦八冲上国旗台把爹抬回了家秦如海干了三十几年村支书,在乱石窑说一不二他用最后的气力往前推了儿子秦八一把秦如海的悲情演说起了效果,秦八高票当选村委会主任之前,秦八已接过了支书的担子,这样秦八支书和村长一肩挑了抬回家的秦如海处在半昏迷状态,一场演说透支了他本就所剩无几的精力在得知秦八当选的消息后,眼神忽忽闪烁,出现了回光返照之相。