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第26章 思念里的流浪狗 (16)

而后她被第二家主人收养,可不知什么原因,她又被抛弃了。就这样,帕齐·安成了朱诺街头无家可归的流浪狗。白天,她在市区里闲逛,当地商人和居民笑着看她欢快地从一家商铺跑到另一家商铺,虽然她是只流浪狗,但每晚码头工人会堂就会成为她的家。对于她来说,会堂理应是她避寒和夜宿的地方,因为她将大部分时间都花在了码头上。

这只聋哑狗有种非凡的能力。无论何时,只要有船靠近加斯蒂诺海峡,即使船还远在半英里外,她都像“听得见”汽笛声一样,立即跑到码头等候船靠岸。

朱诺市市民并不明白帕齐·安怎么会有预感船将到岸的能力,更不明白她是如何知道确切的泊船位置而去等待,但是他们知道这只狗的判断是准确的,值得信赖。

一天下午,人们聚集到指定的码头等船靠岸,帕齐·安也在迎船的人群中。突然间,她跑到另一个码头去了,每个人都感到特别疑惑,后来才知道是人们弄错了,那只船驶入海峡,便停靠在帕齐·安等候的泊位。

当地人们给帕齐·安东西吃,并常常爱怜地拍打她,帕齐·安因此也喜欢上了这些人。帕齐·安还受到了码头工人的悉心照料。但是她的主要兴趣是坐在码头上,迎接船的到岸。

于是,朱诺市市长于1934年授予帕齐·安“阿拉斯加朱诺市官方迎宾小姐”的荣誉称号。

同年,该市通过了一项法令,规定所有的狗必须领牌照。一名动物管理员把帕齐·安扣押了,并威胁她,要给她实施安乐死。几位市民集资给她办了牌照,还给她买了个鲜红的项圈。帕齐·安重新获得了自由,继续执行她的放哨任务。

13年来,几乎在她生命中的每一天,她都会摇着尾巴无忧无虑地出现,把欢乐带给朱诺市市民。她听不见人们叫她“好姑娘”,可是她看得见他们的笑靥,感受得到他们的爱怜。

1942年,帕齐·安逝世了。悲痛的市民把她的尸体放进一个小木棺材里,并将其慢慢地沉入加斯蒂诺海峡中。她将永远活在朱诺市市民的心间,并与她所乐于眺望的静谧水域永远相连。

帕齐·安死后约半个世纪,一场纪念她的活动轰轰烈烈地展开了。加斯蒂诺码头边的空地改建成了今天的帕齐·安广场,并授权竖起了一尊比活狗还大的铜像,基座上还有一个铜项圈。

现在,广场上开满了鲜花,人们坐在椅子上,如同铜像帕齐·安一样眺望着远方。

就这样,所有朱诺市市民收养并喜爱的帕齐·安依然是这座城市的官方迎宾小姐。这尊聋哑小狗的铜像就坐落在木制的迎宾牌旁,与朱诺市民一道表达了一种真挚的情意:阿拉斯加朱诺市欢迎您!

博美犬【Pomeranian】

世界著名的小型室内玩赏犬和伴侣犬,世界评价最高的品种之一。

产 地:德国

概 述:博美犬体型小、外形匀称,开朗活泼、精力充沛、聪明、刻苦耐劳、热心工作、忠实友善,具有明朗的个性、动人的外形,富有气质,是非常优秀的伴侣犬,同时也是很有竞争力的比赛犬。

abandon [' b鎛dn] v. 放弃;遗弃;沉溺

Abandon car or abandon hope!

放弃车,或者放弃希望。

imminent [' iminnt] adj. 逼近的;即将发生的

The plane was in imminent peril of being wrecked.

那架飞机马上就有失事的危险。

ordinance [' :dinns] n. 法令;条例

Everyone should obey the government ordinance.

每个人都必须遵守这条政府法令。

tranquil [' tr鎘wil] adj. 安静的;宁静的

He looked at his son with a tranquil eye.

他用平静的眼神看着他的儿子。

她既不吠叫,也不摇尾巴,甚至你招呼她时,她都对你不予理睬。

13年来,几乎在她生命中的每一天,她都会摇着尾巴无忧无虑地出现,把欢乐带给朱诺市市民。

她将永远活在朱诺市市民的心间,并与她所乐于眺望的静谧水域永远相连。

... even if the ship was as much as a half-mile away.

even if:即使;纵然;虽然

A small patch of land at the Gatineau wharfside was converted into what is now Patsy Ann Square.

convert into:把……转变成

飞跃“小埃及”

Flight over Little Egypt

佚名 / Anonymous

March 18, 1925. Though only five years of age, I will remember the day the great tornado swept over "Little Egypt", as the southern tip of Illinois is called. The little coal-mining town in which we lived lay directly in its path. The howling wind sounded as if a dozen locomotives were roaring past. We huddled in the kitchen as the roaring filled our ears and seemed to shake our very bones.

Suddenly it was over. The quietness felt unnatural and an eerie, uneasy feeling gripped us. Opening the door, my mother stood transfixed as she gazed upon the awful scene. Debris lay everywhere. The street was impassable. People, some obviously in shock, milled around like cattle, unsure of what to do. The strange silence was suddenly broken by a subdued, pitiful whining at Mother' s feet.

Trembling violently, a wet and frightened little poodle lay wedged between the door and the screen.

"My stars," my mother said, bending over. "Wherever did you come from?"

The bedraggled little dog timidly wagged his tail and began licking Mother' s hand.

Jacky, as we named him, accepted our large family without reservation. We in turn lavished our love upon the displaced but lucky little poodle.

Almost immediately we realized Jacky was an exceptional dog—a very smart one. Surrounded by masses of curly hair, his dark inquisitive eyes sparkled with life.

The little dog had been a part of our family for about two years when a hobo knocked at the back door and asked if we could give him something to eat. The request wasn' t at all unusual. In those days, many hobos stopped at our corner. Mother brought a plate of food to the porch where he waited. As he sat down to eat, we boys gathered around him. He began telling us all the places he' d been and the many things he' d seen. We were spellbound by his tales.

All of a sudden he stopped. We looked in the direction he was staring, and there stood Jacky. For several moments they looked at one another. Then a huge smile came across the old hobo' s face.

"You little rascal, " he said, calling him by some strange-sounding name. "What are you doing here?"

The little dog became hysterical with joy. He was all over the hobo, barking and jumping as if he would never stop. There was no doubt he knew the hobo and knew him well. After caressing and talking to Jacky, the old hobo uttered a brief command. Immediately, Jacky controlled his enthusiasm and lay down obediently at the old man' s feet.

"Boys, where did you get this dog?" asked the hobo.

"We found him lodged between the door and the screen during the big tornado of 1925," said my brother.

"Yes, sir. It adds up," said the hobo,"I was with a circus in Missouri in March of 1925. That was sure some blow. The big tent was ripped to shreds. Everything was demolished."

"This poodle was the number-one top show dog. He' s so valuable he was insured for hundreds of dollars. Lucky dog, he is. Blowed all that distance and not getting hurt."

Suddenly the hobo asked, "Do you have a barrel hoop, boys?"