美文：莎拉的第一件新衣裳讲述一段动人的故事

A Spring Coat for Sarah

萨拉的春装

One winter-thawing morning in March, Sarah put on her old spring coat to go out and play.

三月的一天早晨，冬意褪去，萨拉穿上她那件旧春装，准备出去玩儿。

These buttons don't work, Sarah said to Mama.

“这些扣子扣不上了。”萨拉对妈妈说。

Why, Sarah, you've sprouted up like a primrose in spring! Mama said. "After your sisters leave for school, we'll check the hand-me-downs for a coat that fits."

“哎呀，萨拉，你长得可真快，像春天的报春花一样！”妈妈说，“等你姐姐她们去上学了，我们好好翻一下她们穿过的衣服，给你找件合适的。”

When the house was quiet, Mama went to the hall closet and pulled out all the old spring coats. But ...

等家里安静下来后，妈妈来到门厅的壁橱前，把所有旧春装都掏了出来。不过……

Sylvia's were too big, Susan's too stained, and Sally's too tattered . The coats were fine for play. But ...

西尔维娅的春装太大了，苏珊的春装上面有很多洗不掉的污渍，萨莉的春装又太破旧了。这些衣服穿着出去玩儿倒是还可以。可是……

Sarah has no coat for church and town and special occasions, Mama told Papa when he came in from the barn.

“萨拉没有衣服可以穿去做礼拜、进城或者参加一些特殊的场合。”爸爸从谷仓走进屋里时妈妈对他说。

Papa sat down at the table. "The cows can't be milked till after thecalves are born," he said. "Are you sure Sarah can't wear a hand-me- down?"

爸爸在桌边坐了下来。“只有等奶牛产下小牛才能挤牛奶卖钱啊，”他说，“你确定她穿不了她姐姐们的旧衣服吗？”

It's either a new coat or a ragged coat, Mama said.

“她姐姐们的衣服要么是还没穿过的，要么就是已经穿破了的。”妈妈说。

Papa frowned. He stared out at the empty calf pasture.

爸爸皱起了眉头，盯着屋外那空荡荡的牛犊牧场。

Mama said, "Sarah has never had a new coat."

妈妈说：“萨拉还从没穿过一件新衣服呢。”

For a long while nobody spoke. The fire in the wood stove crackled. The soup in the kettle sputtered .

接下来的很长一段时间里都没有人说话。柴火炉里的火焰噼啪作响，壶里的汤四处乱溅。

At last Mama said, "Papa, how much can one small coat for our Sarah cost?"

最后，妈妈问：“孩子他爸，给我们萨拉买一件小衣服能花多少钱呢？”

Sarah looked closely at Papa.

萨拉紧盯着爸爸。

Then Papa cleared his throat. "A ragged coat won't do," he said. "Sarah, are you old enough to take care of a new coat?"

接着，爸爸清了清嗓子。“不能让萨拉穿一件破破烂烂的衣服，”他说，“萨拉，你是不是已经长大了，可以爱惜新衣服了？”

Yes, Papa, Sarah said. "I'm old enough to do almost anything."

“是的，爸爸，”萨拉回答道，“我已经长大了，几乎什么事儿都能做。”

Papa gave her a serious look. "Very well," he said. "While we are in town today, we'll buy you a coat of your very own."

爸爸认真地看了她一眼。“很好，”他说，“今天进城以后，我们给你买一件只属于你自己的衣服。”

Later, after they had eaten the soup, Papa backed the old automobile out of the garage, and Mama and Sarah climbed in. Sarah sat in the back so she would feel older.

过了一会儿，等大家都喝过汤，爸爸就把那辆旧车从车库里倒了出来，妈妈和萨拉坐了进去。萨拉坐在了后排，这样她就会觉得自己长大了不少。

Papa drove past farms with muddy-brown barnyards, sheets flapping on clotheslines, sap buckets on every maple tree.

爸爸开车驶过一座座带有暗棕色谷仓小院的农场，只见一条条床单在晾衣绳上飘动着，每棵枫树上都挂着用边材制成的木桶。

When they got to town, Papa parked their car. He put a penny in the meter, and they all went inside the store.

到了城里，爸爸把车停好，往停车计时收费器里投了一便士，然后三个人一起走进了商店。

Inside was gloomy; racks of coats seemed to rustle and whisper like the bats that flew out of the barn at night.

商店里一片昏暗，一排排货架上的衣服似乎在沙沙作响、窃窃私语，就像夜晚从谷仓里飞出来的蝙蝠一样。

A tall, skinny salesclerk in a black suit and bow tie sidled up to them. "May I assist you?" he asked.

一位售货员悄无声息地向他们走了过来，他个子高挑，身材瘦削，穿着一套黑色西装，打着一个蝶形领结。“有什么需要帮忙的吗？”他问道。

Our Sarah needs a good coat, Papa said.

“我们的萨拉需要一件好衣服。”爸爸说。

A spring coat for church and special occasions, Mama added.

“要一件去做礼拜或参加特殊场合可以穿的春装。”妈妈补充道。

Spring coat, you say? The clerk slipped a measuring tape from around his neck.

“你说的是春装吗？”售货员把挂在自己脖子上的一条皮尺拽了下来。

Stand tall, miss-sseee, he said, squatting to measure her.

“抬头挺胸，小——姑——娘。”他说着蹲了下来给萨拉量尺寸。

Sarah stood very still.

萨拉站在那儿一动不动。

Oh, dear, said the clerk. "Oh, dear, dear, dear." He wagged his head. "Small …"

“喔，天哪，”售货员说，“喔，天哪，天哪，天哪。”他摇了摇头。“小号……”

The clerk gave a great sigh as he stood. "Small," he said again, as if Sarah were a very tiny toad. "In small we have chocolate, cerulean , and charcoal ."

售货员站起来的时候深深地叹了一口气。“小号。”他又说了一遍，好像萨拉是一只非常小的蟾蜍。“小号衣服的话，我们有巧克力色、天蓝色和深灰色可以选择。”

But all Sarah could see were brown and blue and black coats. Nothing so wonderful as chocolate or cerulean.

但是萨拉能看到的无非是棕色、蓝色和黑色的衣服，根本没有巧克力色或天蓝色那么漂亮的颜色。

We'll try the brown one, Mama said to the clerk.

“那我们就试试棕色的那件吧。”妈妈对售货员说。

The chocolate one it is, he said, whisking it off the hanger.

“那是巧克力色。”他说道，并迅速把它从衣架上取了下来。

But it wasn't chocolate at all. It was muddy, barnyard brown. Sarah looked down at the oily wood floor.

可这件衣服根本就不是巧克力色。而是像泥泞的谷仓小院那样的棕色。萨拉低下了头，看着沾满油污的木地板。

Sarah, the clerk is waiting, Papa said.

“萨拉，售货员在等着呢。”爸爸说。