Английский с О. Генри. Благородный жулик / O. Henry. The Gentle Grafter

 “In coming back to the United States me and Andy stubbed our toes against a little town in Texas on the bank of the Rio Grande. The name of it was Bird City; but it wasn’t. The town had about 2,000 inhabitants, mostly men. I figured out that their principal means of existence was in living close to tall chaparral. Some of ‘em were stockmen and some gamblers and some horse peculators and plenty were in the smuggling line. Me and Andy put up at a hotel that was built like something between a roof-garden and a sectional bookcase. It began to rain the day we got there. As the saying is, Juniper Aquarius was sure turning on the water plugs on Mount Amphibious.

“Now, there were three saloons in Bird City (так вот, в Птичьем Городе было три салуна), though neither Andy nor me drank (хотя ни Энди, ни я не пили). But we could see the townspeople making a triangular procession from one to another (но мы могли видеть, как горожане совершают треугольную процессию = шествуют по треугольнику из одного в другой) all day and half the night (весь день и половину ночи). Everybody seemed to know what to do with as much money as they had (похоже, каждый знал, что делать со всеми деньгами, какие у него есть).

“The third day of the rain it slacked up awhile in the afternoon (на третий день дождь ненадолго стих после обеда; to slack – слабеть, стихать, уменьшаться), so me and Andy walked out to the edge of town to view the mudscape (так что мы с Энди дошли до края городка, чтобы полюбоваться грязевым пейзажем; edge – кромка, край; граница; to view – осматривать, обозревать; mudscape = mud – грязь + – scape – пейзаж, вид). Bird City was built between the Rio Grande and a deep wide arroyo (птичий Город был построен между Рио-Гранде и глубоким, широким оврагом; arroyo – ручей, речка; /амер./ арройо /сухое русло реки, дно оврага/) that used to be the old bed of the river (который был старым руслом реки; bed – кровать; русло /реки/).

 “Now, there were three saloons in Bird City, though neither Andy nor me drank. But we could see the townspeople making a triangular procession from one to another all day and half the night. Everybody seemed to know what to do with as much money as they had.

“The third day of the rain it slacked up awhile in the afternoon, so me and Andy walked out to the edge of town to view the mudscape. Bird City was built between the Rio Grande and a deep wide arroyo that used to be the old bed of the river.