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
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