章节正文
was all made of tin and shone beautifully in the sun.
She said a tin man appealed to her artistic instincts
more than an ordinary meat man, as I was then. But I
did not despair, because her tin sweetheart had
disappeared, and could not be found. And finally Nimmie
Amee permitted me to call upon her and we became
friends. It was then that the Wicked Witch discovered
me and became furiously angry when I said I wanted to
marry the girl. She enchanted my sword, as I said, and
then my troubles began. When I got my tin legs, Nimmie
Amee began to take an interest in me; when I got my tin
arms, she began to like me better than ever, and when I
was all made of tin, she said I looked like her dear
Nick Chopper and she would be willing to marry me.
"The day of our wedding was set, and it turned out to
be a rainy day. Nevertheless I started out to get
Nimmie Amee, because the Witch had been absent for some
time, and we meant to elope before she got back. As I
traveled the forest paths the rain wetted my joints,
but I paid no attention to this because my thoughts
were all on my wedding with beautiful Nimmie Amee and I
could think of nothing else until suddenly my legs
stopped moving. Then my arms rusted at the joints and I
became frightened and cried for help, for now I was
unable to oil myself. No one heard my calls and before
long my jaws rusted, and I was unable to utter another
sound. So I stood helpless in this spot, hoping some
wanderer would come my way and save me. But this forest
path is seldom used, and I have been standing here so
long that I have lost all track of time. In my mind I
composed poetry and sang songs, but not a sound have I
been able to utter. But this desperate condition has
now been relieved by your coming my way and I must
thank you for my rescue."
"This is wonderful!" said the Scarecrow, heaving a
stuffy, long sigh. "I think Ku-Klip was wrong to make
two tin men, just alike, and the strangest thing of all
is that both you tin men fell in love with the same
girl."
"As for that," returned the Soldier, seriously, "I
must admit I lost my ability to love when I lost my
meat heart. Ku-Klip gave me a tin heart, to be sure,
but it doesn't love anything, as far as I can discover,
and merely rattles against my tin ribs, which makes me
wish I had no heart at all."
"Yet, in spite of this condition, you were going to
marry Nimmie Amee?"
"Well, you see I had promised to marry her, and I am
an honest man and always try to keep my promises. I
didn't like to disappoint the poor girl, who had been
disappointed by one tin man already."
"That was not my fault," declared the Emperor of the
Winkies, and then he related how he, also, had rusted
in the forest and after a long time had been rescued by
Dorothy and the Scarecrow and had traveled with them to
the Emerald City in search of a heart that could love.
"If you have found such a heart, sir," said the
Soldier, "I will gladly allow you to marry Nimmie Amee
in my place."
"If she loves you best, sir," answered the Woodman,
"I shall not interfere with your wedding her. For, to
be quite frank with you, I cannot yet love Nimmie Amee
as I did before I became tin."
"Still, one of you ought to marry the poor girl,"
remarked Woot; "and, if she likes tin men, there is not
much choice between you. Why don't you draw lots for
her?"
"That wouldn't be right," said the Scarecrow.
"The girl should be permitted to choose her own
husband," asserted Polychrome. "You should both go to
her and allow her to take her choice. Then she will
surely be happy."
"That, to me, seems a very fair arrangement," said
the Tin Soldier.
"I agree to it," said the Tin Woodman, shaking the
hand of his twin to show the matter was settled. "May I
ask your name, sir?" he continued.
"Before I was so cut up," replied the other, "I was
known as Captain Fyter, but afterward I was merely
called 'The Tin Soldier.'"
"Well, Captain, if you are agreeable, let us now go
to Nimmie Amee's house and let her choose between us."
"Very well; and if we meet the Witch, we will both
fight her -- you with your axe and I with my sword."
"The Witch is destroyed," announced the Scarecrow,
and as they walked away he told the Tin Soldier of much
that had happened in the Land of Oz since he had stood
rusted in the forest.
"I must have stood there longer than I had imagined,"
he said thoughtfully
Chapter Seventeen
The Workshop of Ku-Klip
It was not more than a two hours' journey to the house
where Nimmie Amee had lived, but when our travelers
arrived there they found the place deserted. The door
was partly off its hinges, the roof had fallen in at
the rear and the interior of the cottage was thick with
dust. Not only was the place vacant, but it was evident
that no one had lived there for a long time.
"I suppose," said the Scarecrow, as they all stood
looking wonderingly at the ruined house, "that after
the Wicked Witch was destroyed, Nimmie Amee became
lonely and went somewhere else to live."
"One could scarcely expect a young girl to live all
alone in a forest," added Woot. "She would want
company, of course, and so I believe she has gone where
other people live."
"And perhaps she is still crying her poor little
heart out because no tin man comes to marry her,"
suggested Polychrome.
"Well, in that case, it is the clear duty of you two
tin persons to seek Nimmie Amee until you find her,"
declared the Scarecrow.
"I do not know where to look for the girl," said the
Tin Soldier, "for I am almost a stranger to this part
of the country."
"I was born here," said the Tin Woodman, "but the
forest has few inhabitants except the wild beasts. I
cannot think of anyone living near here with whom
Nimmie Amee might care to live."
"Why not go to Ku-Klip and ask him what has become of
the girl?" proposed Polychrome.
That struck them all as being a good suggestion, so
once more they started to tramp through the forest,
taking the direct path to Ku-Klip's house, for both the
tin twins knew the way, having followed it many times.
Ku-Klip lived at the far edge of the great forest,
his house facing the broad plains of the Munchkin
Country that lay to the eastward. But, when they came
to this residence by the forest's edge, the tinsmith
was not at home.
It was a pretty place, all painted dark blue with
trimmings of lighter blue. There was a neat blue fence
around the yard and several blue benches had been
placed underneath the shady blue trees which marked the
line between forest and plain. There was a blue lawn
before the house, which was a good sized building. Ku-
Klip lived in the front part of the house and had his
work-shop in the back part, where he had also built a
lean-to addition, in order to give him more room.
Although they found the tinsmith absent on their
arrival, there was smoke coming out of his chimney,
which proved that he would soon return.
"And perhaps Nimmie Amee will be with him," said the
Scarecrow in a cheerful voice.
While they waited, the Tin Woodman went to the door
of the workshop and, finding it unlocked, entered and
looked curiously around the room where he had been
made.
"It seems almost like home to me," hie told his
friends, who had followed him in. "The first time I
came here I had lost a leg, so I had to carry it in my
hand while I hopped on the other leg all the way from
the place in the forest where the enchanted axe cut me.
I remember that old Ku-Klip carefully put my meat leg
into a barrel -- I think that is the same barrel, still
standing in the corner yonder -- and then at once he
began to make a tin leg for me. He worked fast and with
skill, and I was much interested in the job."
"My experience was much the same," said the Tin
Soldier. "I used to bring all the parts of me, which
the enchanted sword had cut away, here to the tinsmith,
and Ku-Klip would put them into the barrel."
"I wonder," said Woot, "if those cast-off parts of you two
unfortunates are still in that barrel in the corner?"
"I suppose so." replied the Tin Woodman. "In the Land
of Oz no part of a living creature can ever be destroyed."
"If that is true, how was that Wicked Witch destroyed?" inquired Woot.
"Why, she was very old and was all dried up and
withered before Oz became a fairyland," explained the
Scarecrow. "Only her magic arts had kept her alive so
long, and when Dorothy's house fell upon her she just
turned to dust, and was blown away and scattered by the
wind. I do not think, however, that the parts cut away
from these two young men could ever be entirely
destroyed and, if they are still in those barrels,
they are likely to be just the same as when the
enchanted axe or sword severed them."
"It doesn't matter, however," said the Tin Woodman;
"our tin bodies are more brilliant and durable, and
quite satisfy us."
"Yes, the tin bodies are best," agreed the Tin
Soldier. "Nothing can hurt them."
"Unless they get dented or rusted," said Woot, but
both the tin men frowned on him.
Scraps of tin, of all shapes and sizes, lay scattered
around the workshop. Also there were hammers and anvils
and soldering irons and a charcoalfurnace and many
other tools such as a tinsmith works with. Against two
of the side walls had been built stout work-benches and
in the center of the room was a long table. At the end of
the shop, which adjoined the dwelling, were several cupboards.
After examining the interior of the workshop until
his curiosity was satisfied, Woot said;
"I think I will go outside until Ku-Klip comes. It
does not seem quite proper for us to take possession of
his house while he is absent."
"That is true," agreed the Scarecrow, and they were
all about to leave the room when the Tin Woodman said:
"Wait a minute," and they halted in obedience to the
command.
She said a tin man appealed to her artistic instincts
more than an ordinary meat man, as I was then. But I
did not despair, because her tin sweetheart had
disappeared, and could not be found. And finally Nimmie
Amee permitted me to call upon her and we became
friends. It was then that the Wicked Witch discovered
me and became furiously angry when I said I wanted to
marry the girl. She enchanted my sword, as I said, and
then my troubles began. When I got my tin legs, Nimmie
Amee began to take an interest in me; when I got my tin
arms, she began to like me better than ever, and when I
was all made of tin, she said I looked like her dear
Nick Chopper and she would be willing to marry me.
"The day of our wedding was set, and it turned out to
be a rainy day. Nevertheless I started out to get
Nimmie Amee, because the Witch had been absent for some
time, and we meant to elope before she got back. As I
traveled the forest paths the rain wetted my joints,
but I paid no attention to this because my thoughts
were all on my wedding with beautiful Nimmie Amee and I
could think of nothing else until suddenly my legs
stopped moving. Then my arms rusted at the joints and I
became frightened and cried for help, for now I was
unable to oil myself. No one heard my calls and before
long my jaws rusted, and I was unable to utter another
sound. So I stood helpless in this spot, hoping some
wanderer would come my way and save me. But this forest
path is seldom used, and I have been standing here so
long that I have lost all track of time. In my mind I
composed poetry and sang songs, but not a sound have I
been able to utter. But this desperate condition has
now been relieved by your coming my way and I must
thank you for my rescue."
"This is wonderful!" said the Scarecrow, heaving a
stuffy, long sigh. "I think Ku-Klip was wrong to make
two tin men, just alike, and the strangest thing of all
is that both you tin men fell in love with the same
girl."
"As for that," returned the Soldier, seriously, "I
must admit I lost my ability to love when I lost my
meat heart. Ku-Klip gave me a tin heart, to be sure,
but it doesn't love anything, as far as I can discover,
and merely rattles against my tin ribs, which makes me
wish I had no heart at all."
"Yet, in spite of this condition, you were going to
marry Nimmie Amee?"
"Well, you see I had promised to marry her, and I am
an honest man and always try to keep my promises. I
didn't like to disappoint the poor girl, who had been
disappointed by one tin man already."
"That was not my fault," declared the Emperor of the
Winkies, and then he related how he, also, had rusted
in the forest and after a long time had been rescued by
Dorothy and the Scarecrow and had traveled with them to
the Emerald City in search of a heart that could love.
"If you have found such a heart, sir," said the
Soldier, "I will gladly allow you to marry Nimmie Amee
in my place."
"If she loves you best, sir," answered the Woodman,
"I shall not interfere with your wedding her. For, to
be quite frank with you, I cannot yet love Nimmie Amee
as I did before I became tin."
"Still, one of you ought to marry the poor girl,"
remarked Woot; "and, if she likes tin men, there is not
much choice between you. Why don't you draw lots for
her?"
"That wouldn't be right," said the Scarecrow.
"The girl should be permitted to choose her own
husband," asserted Polychrome. "You should both go to
her and allow her to take her choice. Then she will
surely be happy."
"That, to me, seems a very fair arrangement," said
the Tin Soldier.
"I agree to it," said the Tin Woodman, shaking the
hand of his twin to show the matter was settled. "May I
ask your name, sir?" he continued.
"Before I was so cut up," replied the other, "I was
known as Captain Fyter, but afterward I was merely
called 'The Tin Soldier.'"
"Well, Captain, if you are agreeable, let us now go
to Nimmie Amee's house and let her choose between us."
"Very well; and if we meet the Witch, we will both
fight her -- you with your axe and I with my sword."
"The Witch is destroyed," announced the Scarecrow,
and as they walked away he told the Tin Soldier of much
that had happened in the Land of Oz since he had stood
rusted in the forest.
"I must have stood there longer than I had imagined,"
he said thoughtfully
Chapter Seventeen
The Workshop of Ku-Klip
It was not more than a two hours' journey to the house
where Nimmie Amee had lived, but when our travelers
arrived there they found the place deserted. The door
was partly off its hinges, the roof had fallen in at
the rear and the interior of the cottage was thick with
dust. Not only was the place vacant, but it was evident
that no one had lived there for a long time.
"I suppose," said the Scarecrow, as they all stood
looking wonderingly at the ruined house, "that after
the Wicked Witch was destroyed, Nimmie Amee became
lonely and went somewhere else to live."
"One could scarcely expect a young girl to live all
alone in a forest," added Woot. "She would want
company, of course, and so I believe she has gone where
other people live."
"And perhaps she is still crying her poor little
heart out because no tin man comes to marry her,"
suggested Polychrome.
"Well, in that case, it is the clear duty of you two
tin persons to seek Nimmie Amee until you find her,"
declared the Scarecrow.
"I do not know where to look for the girl," said the
Tin Soldier, "for I am almost a stranger to this part
of the country."
"I was born here," said the Tin Woodman, "but the
forest has few inhabitants except the wild beasts. I
cannot think of anyone living near here with whom
Nimmie Amee might care to live."
"Why not go to Ku-Klip and ask him what has become of
the girl?" proposed Polychrome.
That struck them all as being a good suggestion, so
once more they started to tramp through the forest,
taking the direct path to Ku-Klip's house, for both the
tin twins knew the way, having followed it many times.
Ku-Klip lived at the far edge of the great forest,
his house facing the broad plains of the Munchkin
Country that lay to the eastward. But, when they came
to this residence by the forest's edge, the tinsmith
was not at home.
It was a pretty place, all painted dark blue with
trimmings of lighter blue. There was a neat blue fence
around the yard and several blue benches had been
placed underneath the shady blue trees which marked the
line between forest and plain. There was a blue lawn
before the house, which was a good sized building. Ku-
Klip lived in the front part of the house and had his
work-shop in the back part, where he had also built a
lean-to addition, in order to give him more room.
Although they found the tinsmith absent on their
arrival, there was smoke coming out of his chimney,
which proved that he would soon return.
"And perhaps Nimmie Amee will be with him," said the
Scarecrow in a cheerful voice.
While they waited, the Tin Woodman went to the door
of the workshop and, finding it unlocked, entered and
looked curiously around the room where he had been
made.
"It seems almost like home to me," hie told his
friends, who had followed him in. "The first time I
came here I had lost a leg, so I had to carry it in my
hand while I hopped on the other leg all the way from
the place in the forest where the enchanted axe cut me.
I remember that old Ku-Klip carefully put my meat leg
into a barrel -- I think that is the same barrel, still
standing in the corner yonder -- and then at once he
began to make a tin leg for me. He worked fast and with
skill, and I was much interested in the job."
"My experience was much the same," said the Tin
Soldier. "I used to bring all the parts of me, which
the enchanted sword had cut away, here to the tinsmith,
and Ku-Klip would put them into the barrel."
"I wonder," said Woot, "if those cast-off parts of you two
unfortunates are still in that barrel in the corner?"
"I suppose so." replied the Tin Woodman. "In the Land
of Oz no part of a living creature can ever be destroyed."
"If that is true, how was that Wicked Witch destroyed?" inquired Woot.
"Why, she was very old and was all dried up and
withered before Oz became a fairyland," explained the
Scarecrow. "Only her magic arts had kept her alive so
long, and when Dorothy's house fell upon her she just
turned to dust, and was blown away and scattered by the
wind. I do not think, however, that the parts cut away
from these two young men could ever be entirely
destroyed and, if they are still in those barrels,
they are likely to be just the same as when the
enchanted axe or sword severed them."
"It doesn't matter, however," said the Tin Woodman;
"our tin bodies are more brilliant and durable, and
quite satisfy us."
"Yes, the tin bodies are best," agreed the Tin
Soldier. "Nothing can hurt them."
"Unless they get dented or rusted," said Woot, but
both the tin men frowned on him.
Scraps of tin, of all shapes and sizes, lay scattered
around the workshop. Also there were hammers and anvils
and soldering irons and a charcoalfurnace and many
other tools such as a tinsmith works with. Against two
of the side walls had been built stout work-benches and
in the center of the room was a long table. At the end of
the shop, which adjoined the dwelling, were several cupboards.
After examining the interior of the workshop until
his curiosity was satisfied, Woot said;
"I think I will go outside until Ku-Klip comes. It
does not seem quite proper for us to take possession of
his house while he is absent."
"That is true," agreed the Scarecrow, and they were
all about to leave the room when the Tin Woodman said:
"Wait a minute," and they halted in obedience to the
command.
- despair [di´speə]
vi.&n.绝望 (初中英语单词) - wicked [´wikid] a.邪恶的；不道德的 (初中英语单词)
- willing [´wiliŋ] a.情愿的，乐意的 (初中英语单词)
- wedding [´wediŋ] n.婚礼，结婚 (初中英语单词)
- nevertheless [,nevəðə´les] conj.&ad.然而；不过 (初中英语单词)
- absent [´æbsənt, əb´sent] a.不在的 vt.使缺席 (初中英语单词)
- unable [ʌn´eibəl] a.不能的；无能为力的 (初中英语单词)
- helpless [´helpləs] a.无助的，无依靠的 (初中英语单词)
- standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
- poetry [´pəuitri] n.诗；诗意 (初中英语单词)
- desperate [´despərit] a.拼死的；绝望的 (初中英语单词)
- seriously [´siəriəsli] ad.严肃；严重，重大 (初中英语单词)
- ability [ə´biliti] n.(办事)能力；才干 (初中英语单词)
- disappoint [,disə´pɔint] vt.使失望；使....落空 (初中英语单词)
- emperor [´empərə] n.皇帝 (初中英语单词)
- interfere [,intə´fiə] vi.干涉；妨碍；打扰 (初中英语单词)
- agreeable [ə´gri:əbəl] a.适合的；符合的 (初中英语单词)
- partly [´pɑ:tli] ad.部分地；不完全地 (初中英语单词)
- interior [in´tiəriə] n.&a.内部地(的) (初中英语单词)
- cottage [´kɔtidʒ] n.村舍；小屋；小别墅 (初中英语单词)
- vacant [´veikənt] a.空虚的，无表情的 (初中英语单词)
- suggestion [sə´dʒestʃən] n.建议，提议；暗示 (初中英语单词)
- residence [´rezidəns] n.居住(期间)；住宅 (初中英语单词)
- underneath [,ʌndə´ni:θ] ad.&prep.在底下 (初中英语单词)
- addition [ə´diʃən] n.加；加法；附加物 (初中英语单词)
- cheerful [´tʃiəful] a.快乐的；高兴的 (初中英语单词)
- curiously [´kjuəriəsli] ad.好奇地；稀奇古怪地 (初中英语单词)
- barrel [´bærəl] n.(琵琶)桶；圆筒 (初中英语单词)
- brilliant [´briliənt] a.灿烂的；杰出的 (初中英语单词)
- furnace [´fə:nis] n.熔炉；火炉 (初中英语单词)
- dwelling [´dweliŋ] n.住所；寓所 (初中英语单词)
- curiosity [,kjuəri´ɔsiti] n.好奇；奇事；珍品 (初中英语单词)
- artistic [ɑ:´tistik] a.艺术的；有美感的 (高中英语单词)
- sweetheart [´swi:thɑ:t] n.爱人；情人 (高中英语单词)
- furiously [´fjuəriəsli] ad.狂怒地；有力地 (高中英语单词)
- related [ri´leitid] a.叙述的；有联系的 (高中英语单词)
- gladly [´glædli] ad.愉快地，高兴地 (高中英语单词)
- finding [´faindiŋ] n.发现物；判断；结果 (高中英语单词)
- charcoal [´tʃɑ:kəul] n.木炭；炭笔 (高中英语单词)
- obedience [ə´bi:djəns] n.服从；顺从 (高中英语单词)
- beautifully [´bju:tifəli] ad.美丽地；优美地 (英语四级单词)
- traveled [´trævəld] a.见面广的；旅客多的 (英语四级单词)
- emerald [´emərəld] n.纯绿宝石；翠绿色 (英语四级单词)
- workshop [´wə:kʃɔp] n.车间；工场；创作室 (英语四级单词)
- eastward [´i:stwəd] a.&ad.向东(的) (英语四级单词)
- durable [´djuərəbl] a.耐久的，耐用的 (英语四级单词)
- woodman [´wudmən] n.伐木工 (英语六级单词)
文章标签:名著
章节正文
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