Внеклассное чтение. Рассказ О'Генри "Коловращение жизни" , сокращенный и адаптированный.
методическая разработка по английскому языку (7 класс) на тему

The Whirligig of Life (Коловращение жизни) by O. Henry

(for the home reading)

Adapted for the 7th form by Murzin A.P.

school 639, St.-Petersburg

Justice of the Peace1 Benaja Widdup sat in the doorway of his office smoking his pipe. The Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee rose blue-grey in the afternoon sky. A speckled hen walked down the main street, cackling foolishly.

Up the road came a sound of creaking wheels, and then a slow cloud of dust, and then a cart pulled by a little red bull, bearing Ransie Bilbro and his wife. The cart stopped at the Justice's door, and the two climbed down. Ransie was a narrow six feet of brown skin and yellow hair. The woman was angled, snuff-brushed, and weary with unknown desires.

The Justice of the Peace slipped his feet into his shoes, for the sake of dignity2, and moved to let them enter.

"We," said the woman, in a voice like the wind blowing through pine trees, "want a divorce." She looked at her husband Ransie to see if he agreed.

"A divorce," repeated Ransie with a shake of his head. "We can't get along together anymore. It's rather lonesome to live in the mountains when a man and a woman care a bit for each other. But when she is spitting like a wildcat, a man has got no reason to live with her."

"And when he is an idler", said the woman, "doing nothing the whole day, trapping along with drinkers, and lying on his back knocked down with corn whisky, together with other idlers, and somebody3 must feed his dogs!"

"And when she keeps throwing4 lids of the pans," came Ransie's voice, "and spills boiling water over the best hound dog in the Cumberlands, instead of cooking dinner, and keeps her man awake all night accusing him of what he was doing all day!"

"When he's always fighting the revenues5, and gets a hard name in the mountains for a mean man, who's able to sleep all nights?"

The Justice of the Peace unhurriedly got down to his duties. He placed his one chair and a wooden stool for his "guests". He opened his book of laws on the table and scanned the index6. Presently he wiped his spectacles and shifted his inkstand7.

"The law," said he "is silent on the subject of divorce as far as the jurisdiction of this Court is concerned. But, according' to equity and the Constitution, and the golden rule, it's a bad bargain that can't run both ways8. If a Justice of the Peace can marry a couple, it's clear that he is able to divorce them. This here office will issue a decree of divorce10 and stand on it, unless the Supreme Court says otherwise".

Ransie Bilbro took a small tobacco-bag from his trousers pocket. Out of this he shook upon the table a five dollar note.

"Sold a bearskin and two foxes for that," he said. "It's all the money we've got."

"The regular price of a divorce in this Court," said the Justice, "is five dollars." He put the bill into the pocket of his coat as if money meant little to him. Then, with much effort, he slowly wrote the divorce decree on half a sheet of paper and copied it on the other. Then he read it aloud:_

"Know all men that Ransie Bilbro and his wife, Ariela Bilbro, this day personally appeared before me and promised that hereinafter they will neither love, honour, nor obey each other, neither for better nor worse, they being of sound mind and body.

And, they accept this decree of divorce, according to the peace and dignity of the State. Herein

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1. Justice of the Peace = мировой судья

2. for the sake of dignity = чтобы сохранить достоинство

3. and somebody = а кто-то

4. keeps throwing = всё время швыряется

5. revenue = податный чиновник (≈= сборщик налогов)

6. index = оглавление

7. inkstand = чернильница

8. it's a bad bargain that can't run both ways = всякая сделка хороша постольку, поскольку её можно расторгнуть

9. sold a bearskin = I sold a bearskin

10. decree of divorce = свидетельство о разводе

fail not, so help you God. Signed, Benaja Widdup, Justice of the Peace in and for the county of Piedmont11, State of Tennessee."

The Justice was about to give a copy of the document to Ransie. The voice of Ariela delayed him. Both men looked at her. Their dull man's imagination confronted with something sudden and unexpected in the woman.

"Judge," said Ariela, "don't give him that paper yet. It's not all settled, anyhow. I've got to have my rights first. I've got to have my alimony12. It isn't kind for a man to divorce his wife without leaving her any money. I'm going to visit my brother Ed up on Hogback Mountain. I'd like to have a pair of shoes and some other things. If Ransie has money enough to get a divorce, let him pay me alimony."

Ransie Bilbro got a shock. There had been no previous talk about alimony. Women were always bringing up startling and unexpected surprises.

Justice Benaja Widdup felt that this demanded judicial decision. The Law was also silent on the subject of alimony. But the woman's feet were bare. The way to Hogback Mountain was steep and flinty.

"Ariela Bilbro," he asked, in official tones, "how much did you expect to be good and sufficient alimony?"

"I think," she answered, "for the shoes and all, well, to say, five dollars. That is not much for alimony, but that'll help me to get to brother Ed's".

"The amount," said the Justice, "is not unreasonable. Ransie Bilbro, you are ordered by the Court to pay the sum of five dollars before getting the decree of divorce."

"I haven't got any money," breathed Ransie, heavily. "I have paid you all I had."

"Otherwise," said the Justice, looking severely over his spectacles, "you are in contempt of Court13."

"I reckon if you give me time till tomorrow," pleaded the husband, "I might be able to scrape it up somewhere. I've never looked for to be paying any alimony."

"The case is suspended14," said Benaja Widdup, "till to-morrow, when you both will present yourselves and obey the order of the Court. After that the decrees of divorce will be handed to you." He sat down in the door and began to loosen a shoestring.

"We must as well go down to Uncle Ziah's," decided Ransie, "and spend the night." He climbed into the cart on one side, and Ariela climbed in on the other. The little red bull slowly started to pull the cart down the road.

Justice-of-the-Peace Benaja Widdup smoked his pipe. Late in the afternoon he got his weekly newspaper, and read it until the twilight came. Then he lit the candle on his table, and read until the moon rose, marking the time for supper. He lived in a cabin on the slope of the mountain. Going home to supper he crossed a little stream darkened by a laurel thicket. The dark figure of a man stepped from the laurels and pointed a rifle at his breast. His hat was pulled down low, and something covered most of his face.

"I want your money15," said the figure," without any talk. I'm getting nervous, and my finger is shaking on the trigger."

"I've only got f-f-five dollars," said the Justice, producing it from his vest pocket.

"Roll it up," came the order, "and stick it in the end of this gun-barrel16."

The note was crisp and new. Even fingers that were clumsy and trembling found little difficulty in making a spill of it and inserting it (this with less ease) into the muzzle of the rifle.

"Now you can be going along," said the robber.

The Justice didn't linger on his way.

The next day came, and the little red bull pulled the cart to the office door. Justice Benaja Widdup had his shoes on, for he was expecting the visit. In his presence Ransie Bilbro handed to his wife a five-dollar bill. The judge's eye sharply viewed it. It seemed to curl up as though it had been rolled and inserted into the end of a gun-barrel. But the Justice refrained from comment. It is true that other bills

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11. county of Piedmont = округ Пьедмонт

12. alimony = алименты

13. you are in contempt of Court = Вас привлекут к ответственности за неуважение к суду

14. The case is suspended = решение суда приостанавливается

15. I want your money = давай сюда деньги

16. gun-barrel = ствол ружья (= muzzle)

might be inclined to curl. He handed each one a decree of divorce. Each stood awkwardly silent, slowly folding the guarantee of freedom. The woman cast a shy glance full of constraint at Ransie.

"I reckon, you are going back home," she said, "along with the bull-cart. There's bread in the tin box on the shelf. I put the bacon in the boiling-pot to keep it from the hound-dogs. And don't forget to wind the clock tonight."

"Are you going to your brother Ed's?" asked Ransie, with fine unconcern.

"I expect to get there before night. I think they will hardly be happy to trouble themselves to make me welcome, but I've got nowhere else to go. It's a long way, and I better start going. I'll be saying good bye, Ransie, that is, if you want to.

"I don't know anybody who could be such a hound dog not to want to say good bye," said Ransie. "Unless you are in such a hurry to get away that you don't want me to say it."

Ariela was silent. She folded the five-dollar bill and her decree carefully, and placed them in the bosom of her dress. Benaja Widdup watched the money disappear with mournful eyes behind his spectacles.

"Feel kind of lonesome17 in the old cabin tonight, Ransie," she said.

Ransie Bilbro stared out at the Cumberlands, clear blue now in the sunlight. He did not look at Ariela.

"It might be lonesome," Ransie answered. "But when folks get mad and want a divorce, you can't make folks stay."

"There's others who wanted a divorce," said Ariela. "Besides, nobody wants anybody to stay."

"Nobody never said they didn't."

"Nobody never said they did. I reckon I better start going now to brother Ed's."

"Nobody can wind that old clock."

"Do you want me to go back along with you in the cart and wind it for you, Ransie?"

Ransie showed no emotion. But he reached out his big hand and took Ariela's thin one.

"Those hound dogs shan't get down you anymore," said Ransie. "I reckon I've been mean18 and low down. You wind that clock, Ariela."

"My heart is in that cabin, Ransie," she whispered, "along with you. I am not going to get mad anymore. Let's be going, Ransie, so as we can get home by sundown." Justice-of-the-Peace Benaja Widdup interposed as they started for the door, forgetting his presence.

He stopped them.

"In the name of the State of Tennessee," he said, "I forbid you to defy its laws. This Court is more and full of joy to see the clouds of discord and misunderstanding rolling away from two loving hearts, but it is the duty of the Court to preserve the morals and integrity of the State. The Court reminds you that you are no longer man and wife, but are divorced by regular decree, and as such are not entitled to the benefits of the matrimonial state19."

Ariela caught Ransie's arm. Did those words mean that she must lose him now when they had just learned the lesson of life?

"But the Court is prepared for," went on the Justice, "to remove the disabilities set up by the decree of divorce. The Court is on hand to perform the solemn ceremony of marriage, thus fixing things up and enabling the parties in the case20 to resume the honourable and elevating state of matrimony which they desire. The fee for performing said ceremony21 will be, in this case, to wit, five dollars."

Ariela caught the gleam of promise in his words. Swiftly her hand went to her bosom. Freely as an alighting dove the bill fluttered to the Justice's table. Her sallow cheek coloured as she stood hand in hand with Ransie and listened to the reuniting words.

Ransie helped her into the cart, and climbed in beside her. The little red bull turned once more, and they set out, hand-clasped, for the mountains.

Justice-of-the-Peace Benaja Widdup sat in his door and took off his shoes. Once again he fingered the bill tucked down in his vest pocket. Once again he smoked his pipe. Once again the speckled hen went down the main street of the "settlement," cackling foolishly.

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17. Feel kind of lonesome = You may feel yourself kind of lonesome

18. I've been mean and low down = какая же скотина я был

19. matrimonial state = супружество

20. the parties in the case = обе стороны в рассматриваемом деле

21. said ceremony = указанной церемонии

The task.

1. Answer the questions.

1. How have you understood the title? Give your reasons.
2. What were Ransie's and Ariela's reasons for the divorce?
3. How did the judge motivate the foundations for the divorce?
4. What shocked Ransie when he was ready to get the decree of divorce?
5. Did Ransie expect to pay any alimony?
6. How did Ransie manage to get extra 5 dollars?
7. How did the judge manage to earn the fee of 5 dollars?
8. What did the judge say when he reunited Ransie and Ariela?

2. Match the meaning of the expressions:

3. Перевести на русский язык

Up the road came a sound of creaking wheels, and then a slow cloud of dust, and then a cart pulled by a little red bull, bearing Ransie Bilbro and his wife. The cart stopped at the Justice's door, and the two climbed down. Ransie was a narrow six feet of brown skin and yellow hair. The woman was angled, snuff-brushed, and weary with unknown desires.

The Justice of the Peace slipped his feet into his shoes, for the sake of dignity2, and moved to let them enter.

"We," said the woman, in a voice like the wind blowing through pine trees, "want a divorce." She looked at her husband Ransie to see if he agreed.

4. Describe Ransie's appearance.
5. Describe Ariela's appearance.
6. Have you enjoyed the story? Why?