6-14 小狗快运（上）

The Puppy Express

The Topps stood on the shoulder1 of the road and watched as their truck's engine shuddered2 and died. Nancy and Joe, their two children, Jodi, twelve, and Matthew, fifteen, and their elderly dog, Snoopy, were 1,500 miles from home, stranded3 on a highway in Wyoming, with the old truck clearly beyond even Joe's gift for repairs. The little dog, peering around the circle of faces with cataract-dimmed4 eyes, seemed to reflect their anxiety.

The Topps were on the road because five months before, a nephew had told Joe there was work to be had in the Napa Valley and he and Nancy decided 3 to gamble. Breaking up their home in Fort Wayne, Indiana, they packed up the kids and Snoopy and set out for California. But once there, the warehousing job Joe hoped for didn't materialize5, Nancy and the kids were very homesick, and their funds melted away6. Now it was January and, the gamble lost, they were on their way back to Fort Wayne.

The truck had taken them as far as Rock Springs, Wyoming, but now there was nothing to do but sell it to a junk dealer 4 for twenty? five dollars and hitch 57 a ride to the bus station. Two pieces of bad news greeted them at the station. Four tickets to Fort Wayne came to much more money than they had, and dogs were not allowed on the bus.

“But we've got to take Snoopy with us.” Nancy pleaded with the ticket? seller, tears welling in her eyes.

Joe drew her away from the window. It was no use getting upset about Snoopy, he told her, until they figured how to get themselves on the bus. With no choice but to ask for help, they called Travelers' Aid, and with kind efficiency, the local representative arranged for a motel room for them for the night. There, with their boxes and bags piled around them, they put in a call to relatives back home, who promised to get together money for the fare and wire8 it the next day.

“But what about Snoopy?” Matthew said as soon as his parents got off the phone.

“We can't go without Snoopy,” Jodi stated flatly. At seventeen, Snoopy had a bit of a heart condition and some kidney problems, and the family worried about her.

Joe picked up the little dog. “Snoopy,” he said, tugging 6 her floppy 7 ears in the way she liked. “I think you're going to have to hitchhike.”

“Don't tease, Joe,” said Nancy shortly9.

“I'm not teasing, honey,” he assured her, tucking Snoopy into the crook 8 of his arm. “I'm going to try to find an eastbound trucker to take the old girl back for us.”

At the local truck stop, Joe sat Snoopy on a stool beside him while he fell into conversation with drivers who stopped to pet her. “Gee 9, I'd like to help you out,” one after another said.“ She's awful cute and I wouldn't mind the company, but I'm not going through Fort Wayne this trip.” The only driver who could have taken her picked Snoopy up and looked at her closely. “Naw10,” the man growled 10, “with an old dog like her, there'd be too many pit stops11. I got to make time.” Still hopeful, Joe tacked 11 up a sign and gave the motel's phone number.

“Somebody'll call before bus time tomorrow,” he predicted to the kids when he and Snoopy got back to the motel.

“But suppose nobody does?” Jodi said.

Joe answered, “Sweetie, we've got to be on that bus. The Travelers' Aid can only pay for us to stay here one night.”

The next day Joe went off to collect the wired funds while Nancy and the kids sorted through their possessions, trying to decide what could be crammed 12 into the six pieces of baggage they were allowed on the bus and what had to be left behind. Ordinarily Snoopy would have napped, but now her eyes followed every move of Nancy and the children, and if one of them paused to think, even for a minute, Snoopy nosed at the idle hand, asking to be touched, to be held.

“She knows,” Jodi said, cradling her. “She knows something awful is going to happen.”

The Travelers' Aid representative arrived to take the belongings 13 they couldn't pack for donation to the local thrift 14 shop12. A nice man, he was caught between being sympathetic and being practical when he looked at Snoopy. “Seventeen is really old for a dog,” he said gently. “Maybe you just have to figure she's had a long life and a good one.” When nobody spoke 15, he took a deep breath. “If you want, you can leave her with me and I'll have her put to sleep13 after you've gone.”

The children looked at Nancy but said nothing; they understood there wasn't any choice and they didn't want to make it harder on their mother by protesting. Nancy bowed her head. She thought of all the walks, all the romps14, all the picnics, all the times she'd gone in to kiss the children goodnight and Snoopy had lifted her head to be kissed too.

“Thank you,” she told the man. “It's kind of you to offer. But no. No,” she repeated firmly,“ Snoopy's part of the family, and families don't give up on each other.” She reached for the telephone book, looked up “Kennels15” in the Yellow Pages, and began dialing. Scrupulously 1816, she started each call with the explanation that the family was down on their luck. “But,” she begged, “if you'll just keep our little dog until we can find a way to get her to Fort Wayne, I give you my word we'll pay. Please trust me. Please.”

A veterinary clinic, which also boarded pets, finally agreed, and the Travelers' Aid representative drove them to the place. Nancy was the last to say good? bye. She knelt and took Snoopy's frosted muzzle 1917 in her hands. “You know we'd never leave you if we could help it,” she whispered, “so don't give up; don't you dare give up. We'll get you back somehow. I promise.”

注释：

1.shoulder [5FEuldE] n. 路肩；（车行道两侧的）紧急停车道

2.shudder 1 [5FQdE] vi.（机器、车辆等）突然震动，颤动

3.strand 2 [strAnd] vt. 使搁浅；使处于困境，使束手无策

4.cataract-dimmed [5kAtErAkt5dimd] a. 因白内障而视力差的

5.materialize [mE5tiEriElaiz] vi. 实现

6.meltaway 逐渐减少；逐渐消失

7.hitch [hitF] vt.〈口〉免费得到（搭乘）

8.wire [5waiE(r)] vt.〈 口 〉用电报传送；打电报给

9.shortly [5FC:tli] ad. 唐突地，不耐烦地

10.naw [nC:] ad.〈俚〉不，不是；没有（用以表示否定的回答）

11.pit stop （旅途中为用餐、加油或休息等的）中途停车

12.thrift [Wrift] shop〈美〉（尤指为慈善目的而开设、主要出售衣服的）廉价旧货店

13.put to sleep 无痛苦地处死（生病的动物等）

14.romp 16 [rCmp] n. 嬉耍喧闹（的一段时间）

15.kennel 17 [5kenl] n. [常作～s]（驯养或临时寄养狗的）养狗场

16.scrupulously [5skru:pjulEs li] ad. 细致地，一丝不苟地

17.muzzle [5mQzl] n.（四足动物的）鼻口部

小狗快运(上)

托普斯一家站在公路路肩上，眼看着他们的卡车发动机震动了几下就熄了火。南希和乔，他们的两个孩子，12岁的约迪和15岁的马修，还有年迈的狗斯努皮，离家1500英里，在怀俄明州一条公路上陷入困境，连有修理汽车天赋的乔对他们那辆旧卡车也束手无策。那患有白内障的小狗用失去光泽的眼睛对着他们的脸一张张望过来，这似是反映了他们一家的焦虑。

这一家正在旅途中。5个月前，乔的一个外甥告诉他说在纳帕山谷能找到工作，乔和南希决定冒冒风险。他们离开了在印第安纳州韦恩堡的家，带上孩子和斯努皮出发去加利福尼亚州。可是到了那儿，乔没有得到希望的仓库工作。南希和孩子们思家心切，再说钱也快用光了。现在是1月，原来的希望竹篮打水一场空，这一家子于是打道返回韦恩堡。

卡车一直开到怀俄明州的罗克斯普林斯，现在惟一能做的是把卡车以25块钱卖给旧货商，然后搭便车去长途汽车站。到了车站，迎接他们的是两个坏消息，一是他们手里的钱不够买4张去韦恩堡的车票，二是不允许带狗上车。

“可我们必须带着斯努皮跟我们一块儿走，”南希的眼中噙满泪水，哀求售票员。

乔把南希从售票窗口拉开，对她说，为斯努皮烦心无济于事，先得想法让他们四口子坐上车。一家人别无选择，只有打电话给旅行者援助组织求助。该组织立即伸出救助之手，当地的代表给他们在汽车旅馆安排了过夜的房间。屋里堆满了他们的家当，大包小包、盒子和箱子，他们给老家的亲戚打电话，亲戚们答应凑上路钱，第二天电汇过来。

“那斯努皮怎么办呢?”马修等他父母一挂上电话就迫不及待地问道。

“我们不能撂下斯努皮，”约迪断然说道。斯努皮已经17岁了，心脏不太好，肾也有些问题，因而托普斯全家都为它担心。

乔抱起小狗。“斯努皮，”他用它喜欢的方式拽拽它耷拉着的耳朵，说道，“我想你得搭便车回家了。”

“乔，别打趣了，”南希没好气地说。

“我没有打趣，亲爱的。”乔把斯努皮抱在臂弯里，安慰南希，“我要试试找个东去的卡车司机，托他把咱们家老闺女捎回家。”

到了当地卡车停靠站，乔把斯努皮放在他旁边的凳子上，就跟那些停步逗弄小狗的司机聊了起来。“是啊，我愿意帮你忙，”他们都这么说，“它真好玩，我愿意带着它作伴，可我这趟不走韦恩堡这条线。”惟一一位本来能帮忙的司机抱起斯努皮，仔细看了它之后说：“啊，不行，”他大声说道，“这么一条老狗，一路上得停好几次让它撒尿，可我得赶时间。”乔没有放弃希望，而是钉出一个告示，附上了汽车旅馆的电话号码。

乔带着斯努皮回到旅馆，对两个孩子预言：“明天开车之前会有人来电话的。”

“要是没有人来电话呢?”约迪问道。

乔回答说：“好孩子，咱们非走不可，旅行者援助组织只付一天的旅馆住宿费。”

第二天乔去取汇款，南希和孩子们整理家当，决定哪些能塞进允许带上车的6件行李里去，哪些不得不留下。平常，斯努皮会打盹，而这会儿它的眼睛却注视着南希和孩子们的一举一动；要是一个人停下来想什么，哪怕只是一小会儿，斯努皮都会用鼻子去拱那只空闲的手，要你摸它，抱它。

“它知道是怎么回事，”约迪把它抱在怀里说道。“它明白要发生某种可怕的事了。”

旅行者援助组织的代表来取没法带走的东西，捐献给当地为慈善目的而开的旧货商店。那代表心地善良，他瞧着斯努皮的时候，左右为难，既有恻隐之心，又得从实际出发。“一条狗17岁是老了点儿，”他轻声说道。“你们不妨这么想，它活得够长的了，再说过得也很好。”谁都没吭声，那代表深吸了一口气。“如果你们愿意的话，可以把它留给我，等你们走了以后，我再让它没有痛苦地死去。”

孩子们默默地瞧着南希。他们明白没有选择余地，不想提出反对意见让妈妈更为难。南希低着头，她想起过去?一次散步、嬉耍喧闹和野餐，晚上每一次进屋跟孩子们吻别的时候，斯努皮都要仰起头来让她也亲亲它。

“谢谢你，”南希对那代表说道。“谢谢你愿意帮忙，不过不行，不行，”她坚定地重复说。“斯努皮是我们家的一员，一家人是不会舍弃自己人的。”南希伸手拿起电话本，查起黄页中的“动物临时寄养场”一栏，然后开始拨号。她详详细细地跟每一个临时寄养场解释说他们家遇上了麻烦。“可是，”南希哀求道，“如果你们能暂时收留我们的小狗，直到我们想到办法把它弄回韦恩堡，我向你们保证一定付钱。请相信我。求求你了。”

有个能寄宿宠物的动物诊所终于同意了。旅行者援助组织的代表开车把他们送到诊所。南希最后一个和斯努皮告别，她蹲在它旁边，捧着它冰凉的鼻子。“你要知道，要是有办法我们绝不会把你留下的，”南希低声说道，“所以你要坚持，可不许绝望啊。我们总会有办法让你回来，我保证。”(待续)