On Saturday night the boys always piled into the Ford， took little Josephine， and went to town to the moving-picture show. One Saturday morning they were talking at the breakfast table about starting early that evening， so that they would have an hour or so to see the Christmas things in the stores before the show began. Rosicky looked down the table.

星期六晚上，小伙子们总会带上小妹妹约瑟芬，挤着坐那辆福特车到镇上去看电影。一个星期六吃早饭的时候，他们在饭桌上商定当天傍晚早点出发，好在电影开演前有时间去逛逛商店，看看圣诞节商品。这时罗西基两眼盯着桌面对孩子们说：

“I hope you boys ain’t disappointed， but I want you to let me have de car tonight. Maybe some of you can go in with de neighbours.”

“希望你们听了别不高兴，但我想要你们今晚把车让给我用用。也许你们中有人可以搭邻居家的车进城。”

Their faces fell. They worked hard all week， and they were still like children. A new jack-knife or a box of candy pleased the older ones as much as the little fellow.

孩子们都露出失望的神色。毕竟他们都劳累了整整一星期，而且都还未脱稚气，平时要见到一把新折刀或一盒糖，别说那个小家伙，就连几个大小伙子也会欢天喜地。

“If you and mother are going to town，” Frank said， “maybe you could take a couple of us along with you， anyway.”

“你要是想带妈妈进城，”弗兰克说，“兴许也可以捎上我们中的两个，至少能捎两个呀。”

“No， I want to take de car down to Rudolph’s， and let him an’ Polly go in to de show. She don’t git into town enough， an’ I’m afraid she’s gettin’ lonely some， an’ he can’t afford no car yet.”

“不是的，我打算把车开到鲁道夫家，让他和波莉进城去看场电影。波莉好久没去过镇上了，我担心她会感到寂寞，你们大哥现在还买不起车。”

That settled it. The boys were a good deal dashed. Their father took another piece of apple-cake and went on： “Maybe next Saturday night de two little fellers can go along wid dem.”

事情就这么定了。孩子们一个个垂头丧气。罗西基又拿起一块苹果饼，接着说：“也许下周六晚上，两个小家伙可以跟他们一块儿去。”

“Oh， is Rudolph going to have the car every Saturday night？”

“什么，难道鲁道夫今后每个周六晚上都要用车？”

Rosicky did not reply at once; then he began to speak seriously： “Listen， boys; Polly ain’t lookin’ so good. I don’t like to see nobody lookin’ sad. It comes hard fur a town girl to be a farmer’s wife. I don’t want no trouble to start in Rudolph’s family. When it starts， it ain’t so easy to stop. An American girl don’t git used to our ways all at once. I like to tell Polly she and Rudolph can have the car every Saturday night till after New Year’s， if it’s all right with you boys.”

罗西基没有马上回答，过了一会儿才开始认真说道：“听我说，孩子们，波莉看上去不快活。我不想看见有谁愁眉不展。城里姑娘给庄稼汉当妻子，这很不容易。我不想鲁道夫家出什么麻烦。麻烦真要一出，就很难收拾了。美国女孩不可能一下子就适应我们的生活方式。要是你们都同意的话，我想告诉波莉，在过完新年之前的每个星期六晚上，她和鲁道夫都可以用那辆汽车。……