«Тобиас Ужасный» и другие рассказы

I never hear of Tobias Tweeney but once after all this, and it is some months afterward when Joey Uptown and Little Mitzi are over in Pennsylvania near the town that is called Erasmus, they decide it will be a nice thing to drop in on Tobias Tweeney and see how he is getting along.

Well, it seems Tobias is all married up to Miss Deborah Weems, and is getting along first class, as it seems the town elects him constable, because it feels that a guy with such a desperate reputation as Tobias Tweeney's is bound to make wrongdoers keep away from Erasmus if he is an officer of the law, and Tobias's first official act is to chase Joe Trivett out of town.

СЛОВАРИК

entries for the next day список участников скачек или бегов

a tough day at the track здесь неудачный день на скачках (с большим проигрышем)

a dime's worth of liver здесь совсем тощий (дословно: весом не более куска печени на десять центов)

to cry something out of a lamppost здесь бесполезно (дословно: выплакать у фонарного столба

pally здесь приятель, паренёк

more than somewhat здесь очень сильно, интенсивно

daffyздесь сумасшедший, безумный

snoot нос

nine to nought здесь девять к нулю

underworld здесь мир гангстеров

a tough joint здесь место, где собираются гангстеры

to steer a little trade his way здесь направить человека с деньгами в его бар

a quiet gander здесь осторожно смотрит через «глазок»

Someone must tip him off здесь кто–то ему «стуканул»; кто–то слил ему информацию

villain злодей

gendarmes здесь полицейские

ВОПРОСЫ И ЗАДАНИЯ

How does the story begin?

What was interesting about Tobias?

What was Tobias’ story?

Where did the story teller and Tobias go?

What happened at that place?

How does the story end?

Butch Mind the Baby

(5571 words)

One evening about seven o'clock I am sitting in Mindy's restaurant putting on the gefillte fish, which is a dish I am very fond of, when in come three parties from Brooklyn wearing caps as follows: Harry the Horse, Little Isadore and Spanish John.

Now these parties are not such parties as I will care to have much truck with, because I often hear rumors about them that are very discreditable, even if the rumors are not true. In fact, I hear that many citizens of Brooklyn will be very glad indeed to see Harry the Horse, Little Isadore and Spanish John move away from there, as they are always doing something that is considered a knock to the community, such as robbing people, or maybe shooting or stabbing them, and throwing pineapples, and carrying on generally.

I am really much surprised to see these parties on Broadway, as it is well known that the Broadway coppers just naturally love to shove such parties around, but there they are in Mindy's, and there I am, so of course I give them a very large hello, as I never wish to seem inhospitable, even to Brooklyn parties. Right away they come over to my table and sit down, and Little Isadore reaches out and spears himself a big hunk of my gefillte fish with his fingers, but I overlook this, as I am using the only knife on the table.

Then they all sit there looking at me without saying anything, and the way they look at me makes me very nervous indeed. Finally I figure that maybe they are a little embarrassed being in a high–class spot such as Mindy's, with legitimate people around and about, so I say to them, very polite:

"It is a nice night."

"What is nice about it?" asks Harry the Horse, who is a thin man with a sharp face and sharp eyes.

Well, now that it is put up to me in this way, I can see there is nothing so nice about the night, at that, so I try to think of something else jolly to say, while Little Isadore keeps spearing at my gefillte fish with his fingers, and Spanish John nabs one of my potatoes.

"Where does Big Butch live?" Harry the Horse asks.

"Big Butch?" I say, as if I never hear the name before in my life, because in this man's town it is never a good idea to answer any question without thinking it over, as some time you may give the right answer to the wrong guy, or the wrong answer to the right guy. "Where does Big Butch live?" I ask them again.

"Yes, where does he live?" Harry the Horse says, very impatient. "We wish you to take us to him."