Like Mama，I didn”t think Lisbeth Searcywould be any help about the place，She was too littleand too thin. It seemed to me she’d just be stillmore bother for Mama.
象 妈妈一样，我也认为丽丝贝·塞西在我们这儿帮不了什么忙。她太小，太瘦。在我看来，她只能给妈妈增添累赘。
But we were wrong. Just as Bud Searcy hadsaid，she was a big help. She could carry water fromthe spring. She could feed the chickens，lay inwood，cook combread，wash dishes，wash Little Arliss，and sometimes even change the prickly - peardressing on my leg.
但是我们错了。正象巴德· 塞西所说的，她是个好帮手。她能到山泉去打水，她能喂鸡，贮存木柴，做玉米面包，洗碟子，给小阿里斯洗澡，有时候甚至帮我调换浸过霸王树汁的绷带。
She didn”t have to be told，either. She wasright there on hand all the time，just looking forsomething to do. She was a lot better about thatthan I ever was. She wasn’t as big and she couldn’
t do as much as I could，but she was more willing.
而 且，她用不着别人吩咐。她总是在你的身边忙这忙那，自己找活干。在这方面她比我强得多。她身体不如我高大，事情没有我做得多，但是比我自觉。
She didn”t even back out when Mama gotJumper and the cart and headed for the field togather in the corn. That was a job I always hated. It
当妈妈牵了“跳高能手”，备好大车到田里去收割玉米时，她居然也没有退缩。这是我向来很讨厌的
was hot work and the corn cobs made me scratch.
一种活儿。这活干起来热得要命，而且玉米棒子弄得我浑身发痒。
But it didn’t seem to bother Lisbeth. In fact，sheand Mama and Little Arliss seemed to have a goodtime gathering corn. I’d see them drive past the cabin，all three of them sitting on top of a carload ofcorn. They would be laughing and talking and playingwith the spotted pup，so that it wasn’t long before Ihalf - wished I was able to gather corn too.
可是，这似乎并没有使丽丝贝感到为难。事实上，她、妈妈以及小阿里斯收割玉米时，看起来干得还挺欢呢。我看到他们三个坐在一大车玉米上经过我的小木屋，他们说说笑笑，逗着那只小花狗玩。因此，不一会儿我倒也有点儿想去参加收割了。
In a way，it sort of hurt me when a little old girllike Lisbeth came and took over my jobs. Papa hadleft me to look after things. But how I was laid up，and here was a girl handling my work almost aswell as I could. Still，she couldn’t go out and markhogs，or kill meat，or use a chopping axe.
让象丽丝贝那样小不点儿的女孩来干我的工作，这似乎有点儿伤我的自尊心。爸爸留下我来照料家事的，可现在我却卧床不起，而一个女孩子却把我的那份工作干很差不多和我一样好。不过，她还不会出去给猪打印记、狩猎以及使用斧刀伐木呢。
Before they had finished gathering the corn，though，we were faced with trouble much too big forany of us to handle.
可是，在收割工作还没有结束之前，我们却面临着一个我们中谁也无法解决的大难题。
It all began when Spot didn’t come one eveningat milking time. Mama had come in too latefrom the corn gathering to go and look for her beforedark. The next morning there was no need to.
Spot was coming up to the cabin，or rather past thecabin，by herself.
事 情是从那天晚上“阿花”没有在挤奶的时间回来开始的。妈妈收割玉米回来得太晚，所以在天黑之前，妈妈没去找它。第二天早上就没有这个必要了，因为它自个儿径直朝木屋走来，或者更确切地说，自个儿走过了我们的木屋。
I heard her first. My leg had just about gonedown. I was as weak as a chicken，but the leg hadalmost stopped hurting. I could sit up in bed a lotand take notice of things.
我第一个听到它的声音。我的腿差不多快要消肿了。但我仍旧很虚弱，不过腿基本上倒不痛了。我经常可以倚坐在床上，注意周围的情况。
I heard a cow coming towards the cabin. Shewas making a noise that cows make when they’velost a calf or when their bags are too tight withmilk. I knew it for Spot’s voice.
我听到一头牛朝木屋走来。它发出一种叫声，这种叫声只有在它们失掉了小牛或它们的乳房里的奶胀得太厉害时才发出的。我知道这是阿花的声音。
Her calf did，too. It had stood hungry all night，and now it couldn’t wait for a taste of milk.
它的小牛也在叫。小牛饿了整整一夜，现在迫不及待地想吃奶了。
I called to Mama.“Mama ，”I said，“you”d be tter go a nd le t old S pot in to he r ca lf. I ca n he a r he rc oming .”
我 招呼妈妈。“妈妈，”我说，“你最好赶紧把阿花放进来，让它到小牛那里去吧。我听到它回来了。”
“Wha t’s got into Spot，”I heard her say，“s ta yingout a ll night like tha t a nd le tting he r calf go hungry？”
“阿花中了什么邪了，”我听到妈妈在嘀咕，“居然在外面呆了一整夜，而让小牛饿着肚子？”
I heard Mama calling to Spot as she went out tothe cow - pen. A little while afterwards，I heardSpot yelling like a fighting bull，then Mama’s voicecoming high and sharp. Then Mama came runninginto the cabin，calling for Lisbeth to hurry andbring in Little Arliss. Mama was frightened. I sat upin bed as Lisbeth came running in，dragging LittleArliss with her.
我听到妈妈到牛棚去的时候呼唤着阿花。过了一会儿，我又听到阿花象一头搏斗的公牛似的嚎叫着，接着是妈妈的又尖又响的呵斥声。一会儿，妈妈一面奔进屋子，一面喊着丽丝贝，要她赶快把小阿里斯带进屋来。妈妈神色惊慌。当丽丝贝拖着小阿里斯跑进屋来的时候，我从床上坐了起来。
Mama banged the door shut，then turned tome，“Spot wa s fighting ma d with me ，”she said.“It
妈妈口平的一声把大门关上，然后转向我：“阿花发疯似的和我斗起来
wa s que e r： a s if I wa s s ome wild a nima l S he”d ne ve rs e e n be fore .”
了，”她说。“这真是怪事，好象我是一头它从来没有见过的野兽似的。”
Mama turned and opened the door a crack. Shelooked out，then threw the door wide open andstood staring towards the cow - pen.
妈妈转过身去，把门打开了一条缝。她向外望去，然后把门开得大大的，站在那儿凝视着牛棚。
“Look a t he r now，”she said.“She”s not ta kinga ny notice of he r ca lf. S he”s jus t going on pa s t thec ow - pe n. It’s a s if he r ca lf wa s n’t the re a t a ll.”
“你瞧，”她说，“它一点儿也不理会它的小牛。它迳直走过牛棚，好象小牛根本不在那儿似的。”
I sat there for a minute，listening to Spot，Shewas bellowing again，like when I first heard her.
But now she was going off into the woods again，leaving her calf to go hungry. I thought of whatBurn Sanderson had told me about animals thatwent mad. I said，“Cows don”t e ve r ge t ra bie s ，dothe y？”
我在那儿坐了一会儿，倾听着阿花的动静。它又在那儿象我先前听到的那样吼叫了。不过现在它又在朝森林走去，任凭它的小牛在那儿挨饿。我想起了伯恩·桑德森所讲的关于野兽发疯的事。我说：“牛不会患狂犬症的吧，是不是？”
I saw Lisbeth jump at that word. She looked atme with very big eyes.
我看见丽丝贝一听到这话立即跳了起来，睁着两只大眼看着我。
“I don”t know，”Mama said.“I’ve s e e n dogswith it. but I’ve ne ve r he a rd of a cow ha ving it. I jus tdon”t know.”
“我不知道，”妈妈说。“我见过患这种病的狗，但从来没听说过牛也会生这种病。我实在不知道。”
In the next few days，while Old Yeller and I gotbetter fast，we all wondered and watched.