原文
"Milty Boulter says that's where it is. It was last Sunday in Sunday
School. The lesson was about Elijah and Elisha, and I up and asked Miss
Rogerson where heaven was. Miss Rogerson looked awful offended. She was
cross anyhow, because when she'd asked us what Elijah left Elisha when
he went to heaven Milty Boulter said, 'His old clo'es,' and us fellows
all laughed before we thought. I wish you could think first and do
things afterwards, 'cause then you wouldn't do them. But Milty didn't
mean to be disrespeckful. He just couldn't think of the name of the
thing. Miss Rogerson said heaven was where God was and I wasn't to ask
questions like that. Milty nudged me and said in a whisper, 'Heaven's
in Uncle Simon's garret and I'll esplain about it on the road home.' So
when we was coming home he esplained. Milty's a great hand at esplaining
things. Even if he don't know anything about a thing he'll make up a lot
of stuff and so you get it esplained all the same. His mother is Mrs.
Simon's sister and he went with her to the funeral when his cousin, Jane
Ellen, died. The minister said she'd gone to heaven, though Milty says
she was lying right before them in the coffin. But he s'posed they
carried the coffin to the garret afterwards. Well, when Milty and his
mother went upstairs after it was all over to get her bonnet he asked
her where heaven was that Jane Ellen had gone to, and she pointed right
to the ceiling and said, 'Up there.' Milty knew there wasn't anything
but the garret over the ceiling, so that's how HE found out. And he's
been awful scared to go to his Uncle Simon's ever since."
語彙など
- Elijah:エリヤ(ヘブライの預言者)
- Elisha:エリシャ(Elijah の弟子でヘブライの預言者)
- offend:感情を害する
- cross:不機嫌な
- anyhow:いずれにせよ
- disrespeckful=disrespectful(失礼な)
- nudge:軽く突く
- in a whisper:小声で
- garret:屋根裏部屋
- esplain=explain
- make up:作り上げる
- funeral:葬式
- minister:牧師
- coffin:棺
- bonnet:ボネット,婦人用の帽子
- ceiling:天井
- scare:〜を怖がらせる
- ever since:それからずっと