第 13 节
作者:打倒一切      更新:2021-02-18 22:30      字数:9322
  who had stood so long in waiting pushed his way through the line
  to his side。
  〃Senator Stanton;〃 he began timidly; 〃might I speak to you a
  moment?  My name is Arkwright; I am just back from Cuba; and
  I want to thank you for your speech。  I am an American; and I
  thank God that I am since you are too; sir。  No one has said
  anything since the war began that compares with what you said to…
  night。  You put it nobly; and I know; for I've been there for
  three years; only I can't make other people understand it; and I
  am thankful that some one can。  You'll forgive my stopping you;
  sir; but I wanted to thank you。  I feel it very much。〃
  Senator Stanton's friends had already seated themselves in his
  carriage and were looking out of the door and smiling with mock
  patience。  But the senator made no move to follow them。  Though
  they were his admirers they were sometimes skeptical; and he was
  not sorry that they should hear this uninvited tribute。  So he
  made a pretence of buttoning his long coat about him; and nodded
  encouragingly to Arkwright to continue。  〃I'm glad you liked it;
  sir;〃 he said with the pleasant; gracious smile that had won him
  a friend wherever it had won him a vote。  〃It is very
  satisfactory to know from one who is well informed on the
  subject that what I have said is correct。  The situation there is
  truly terrible。  You have just returned; you say?  Where were
  youin Havana?〃
  〃No; in the other provinces; sir;〃 Arkwright answered。  〃I have
  been all over the island; I am a civil engineer。  The truth has
  not been half told about Cuba; I assure you; sir。  It is massacre
  there; not war。  It is partly so through ignorance; but
  nevertheless it is massacre。  And what makes it worse is; that it
  is the massacre of the innocents。  That is what I liked best of
  what you said in that great speech; the part about the women and
  children。〃
  He reached out his hands detainingly; and then drew back as
  though in apology for having already kept the great man so long
  waiting in the cold。  〃I wish I could tell you some of the
  terrible things I have seen;〃 he began again; eagerly as Stanton
  made no movement to depart。  〃They are much worse than those you
  instanced to…night; and you could make so much better use of them
  than any one else。  I have seen starving women nursing dead
  babies; and sometimes starving babies sucking their dead mother's
  breasts; I have seen men cut down in the open roads and while
  digging in the fieldsand two hundred women imprisoned in one
  room without food and eaten with small…pox; and huts burned while
  the people in them slept〃
  The young man had been speaking impetuously; but he stopped as
  suddenly; for the senator was not listening to him。  He had
  lowered his eyes and was looking with a glance of mingled
  fascination and disgust at Arkwright's hands。  In his earnestness
  the young man had stretched them out; and as they showed behind
  the line of his ragged sleeves the others could see; even in the
  blurred light and falling snow; that the wrists of each hand were
  gashed and cut in dark…brown lines like the skin of a mulatto;
  and in places were a raw red; where the fresh skin had but just
  closed over。  The young man paused and stood shivering; still
  holding his hands out rigidly before him。
  The senator raised his eyes slowly and drew away。
  〃What is that?〃 he said in a low voice; pointing with a gloved
  finger at the black lines on the wrists。
  A sergeant in the group of policemen who had closed around the
  speakers answered him promptly from his profound fund of
  professional knowledge。
  〃That's handcuffs; senator;〃 he said importantly; and glanced at
  Stanton as though to signify that at a word from him he would
  take this suspicious character into custody。  The young man
  pulled the frayed cuffs of his shirt over his wrists and tucked
  his hands; which the cold had frozen into an ashy blue; under his
  armpits to warm them。
  〃No; they don't use handcuffs in the field;〃 he said in the same
  low; eager tone; 〃they use ropes and leather thongs; they
  fastened me behind a horse and when he stumbled going down the
  trail it jerked me forward and the cords would tighten and tear
  the flesh。  But they have had a long time to heal now。  I have
  been eight months in prison。〃
  The young men at the carriage window had ceased smiling and were
  listening intently。  One of them stepped out and stood
  beside the carriage door looking down at the shivering
  figure before him with a close and curious scrutiny。
  〃Eight months in prison!〃 echoed the police sergeant with a note
  of triumph; 〃what did I tell you?〃
  〃Hold your tongue!〃 said the young man at the carriage door。
  There was silence for a moment; while the men looked at the
  senator; as though waiting for him to speak。
  〃Where were you in prison; Mr。 Arkwright?〃 he asked。
  〃First in the calaboose at Santa Clara for two months; and then
  in Cabanas。  The Cubans who were taken when I was; were shot by
  the fusillade on different days during this last month。  Two of
  them; the Ezetas; were father and son; and the Volunteer band
  played all the time the execution was going on; so that the other
  prisoners might not hear them cry 'Cuba Libre' when the order
  came to fire。  But we heard them。〃
  The senator shivered slightly and pulled his fur collar up
  farther around his face。  〃I'd like to talk with you;〃 he said;
  〃if you have nothing to do to…morrow。  I'd like to go into
  this thing thoroughly。  Congress must be made to take some
  action。〃
  The young man clasped his hands eagerly。  〃Ah; Mr。 Stanton; if
  you would;〃 he cried; 〃if you would only give me an hour!  I
  could tell you so much that you could use。  And you can believe
  what I say; sirit is not necessary to lieGod knows the truth
  is bad enough。  I can give you names and dates for everything I
  say。  Or I can do better than that; sir。  I can take you there
  yourselfin three months I can show you all you need to see;
  without danger to you in any way。  And they would not know me;
  now that I have grown a beard; and I am a skeleton to what I was。
  I can speak the language well; and I know just what you should
  see; and then you could come back as one speaking with authority
  and not have to say; 'I have read;' or 'have been told;' but you
  can say; 'These are the things I have seen'and you could free
  Cuba。〃
  The senator coughed and put the question aside for the moment
  with a wave of the hand that held his cigar。  〃We will talk of
  that to…morrow also。  Come to lunch with me at one。  My
  apartments are in the Berkeley on Fifth Avenue。  But aren't you
  afraid to go back there?〃 he asked curiously。  〃I should think
  you'd had enough of it。  And you've got a touch of fever; haven't
  you?〃  He leaned forward and peered into the other's eyes。
  〃It is only the prison fever;〃 the young man answered; 〃food and
  this cold will drive that out of me。  And I must go back。  There
  is so much to do there;〃 he added。  〃Ah; if I could tell them; as
  you can tell them; what I feel here。〃  He struck his chest
  sharply with his hand; and on the instant fell into a fit of
  coughing so violent that the young man at the carriage door
  caught him around the waist; and one of the policemen supported
  him from the other side。
  〃You need a doctor;〃 said the senator kindly。  〃I'll ask mine to
  have a look at you。  Don't forget; then; at one o'clock to…
  morrow。  We will go into this thing thoroughly。〃  He shook
  Arkwright warmly by the hand and stooping stepped into the
  carriage。  The young man who had stood at the door followed him
  and crowded back luxuriously against the cushions。  The
  footman swung himself up beside the driver; and said 〃Uptown
  Delmonico's;〃 as he wrapped the fur rug around his legs; and with
  a salute from the policemen and a scraping of hoofs on the
  slippery asphalt the great man was gone。
  〃That poor fellow needs a doctor;〃 he said as the carriage rolled
  up the avenue; 〃and he needs an overcoat; and he needs food。  He
  needs about almost everything; by the looks of him。〃
  But the voice of the young man in the corner of the carriage
  objected drowsily
  〃On the contrary;〃 he said; 〃it seemed to me that he had the one
  thing needful。〃
  By one o'clock of the day following; Senator Stanton; having read
  the reports of his speech in the morning papers; punctuated with
  〃Cheers;〃 〃Tremendous enthusiasm〃 and more 〃Cheers;〃 was still in
  a willing frame of mind toward Cuba and her self…appointed envoy;
  young Mr。 Arkwright。
  Over night he had had doubts but that the young man's enthusiasm
  would bore him on the morrow; but Mr。 Arkwright; when he
  appeared; developed; on the contrary; a practical turn of mind
  which rendered his suggestions both flattering and feasible。  He
  was still terribly in earnest; but he was clever enough or
  serious enough to see that the motives which appealed to him
  might not have sufficient force to move a successful statesman
  into action。  So he placed before the senator only those
  arguments and reasons which he guessed were the best adapted to
  secure his interest and his help。  His proposal as he set it
  forth was simplicity itself。
  〃Here is a map of the island;〃 he said; 〃on it I have marked the
  plac