NO STORY
Cast:
Storyteller: O.Henry, the author
Newspaper Reporter: Mr. Chalmers
Tripp: George Brown, newspaper contributor
Miss Lowery: Ada Lowery, George’s (Tripp’s) former sweetheart
Storyteller: I was doing work on a newspaper. One day Tripp came in
and leaned on my table. Tripp was something in the mechanical department. He was about
25 and looked 40. Half of his face was covered with short, curly red whiskers that
looked like a door-mat. He was pale and unhealthy and miserable and was always borrowing
sums of money from twenty-five cents to a dollar. One dollar was his limit. When he leaned
on my table he held one hand with the other to keep both from shaking. Whisky.
Scene 1
(Tripp enters Newspaper Reporter’s office)
Newspaper Reporter: Well, Tripp, how goes it?
Tripp:(выглядит еще более жалким, чем
когда-либо, смотрит на репортера собачьими
глазами) Have you got a dollar?
Newspaper Reporter: I have, I have, and four besides. And I had hard
work getting them. And I need them all.
Tripp:I don't want to borrow any. I thought you'd like to get a good
story. I've got a really fine one for you. It'll probably cost you a dollar or two to get
the stuff. I don't want anything out of it myself.
Newspaper Reporter:(спрашивает официальным
тоном) What is the story?
Tripp: It's a girl. A beauty. She has lived all her life on Long
Island and never saw New York City before. I ran against her on 34th Street. She stopped
me on the street and asked me where she could find George Brown. Asked me where she could
find George Brown in New York City! What do you think of that?! I talked to her. It's like
this. Some years ago George set off for New York to make his fortune. He did not reappear.
Now there's a young farmer named Dodd she's going to marry next week. But Ada – her
name's Ada Lowery – couldn't forget George, so this morning she saddled a horse and rode
eight miles to the railway station to catch the 6.45 a. m. train. She came to the city to
look for George. She must have thought the first person she inquired of would tell her
where her George was! You ought to see her! What could I do? She had paid her last cent
for her railroad ticket? I couldn't leave her in the street, could I? I took her to a
boarding-house. She has to pay a dollar to the landlady. That's the price per day.
Newspaper Reporter: That's no story. Every ferry-boat brings or takes
away girls from Long Island.
Tripp: (совершенно разочарованно) Can't
you see what an amazing story it would make? You ought to get fifteen dollars for it. And
it'll cost you only four, so you'll make a profit of eleven dollars.
Newspaper Reporter: (спрашивает
подозрительно) How will it cost me four dollars?
Tripp: One dollar to the landlady and two dollars to pay the girl's
fare back home.
Newspaper Reporter: And the fourth?
Tripp: (совершенно разочарованно) One
dollar to me. Don't you see that the girl has got to get back home today?
Storyteller: And then I began to feel what is known as the sense of
duty. In a kind of cold anger I put on my coat and hat. But I swore to myself that Tripp
would not get the dollar. He took me in a street-car to the boarding-house and I paid the
fares. When we came into the boarding-house, in a dim parlour a girl sat crying quietly
and eating candy out of a paper bag. She was a real beauty. Crying only made her eyes
brighter.
Scene 2
(a parlour in the boarding-house where Ada Lowery stayed)
Tripp: My friend, Mr. Chalmers. He is a reporter, and he will tell
you, Miss Lowery, what's best to do.
Storyteller: I felt ashamed of being introduced as Tripp's friend in
the presence of such beauty.
Newspaper Reporter: (репортеру неловко
выступать другом Трипа в присутствии такой
красивой девушки) Why – er – Miss Lowery, will you tell me the
circumstances of the case?
Мiss Lowery: Oh, there aren't any circumstances, really. You see,
everything is fixed for me to marry Hiram Dodd next Thursday. He's got one of the best
farms on the Island. But last night I got to thinking about G – George –… (златокудрая
головка Ады падает на руки. Горько плача, девушка
берет конфету и продолжает) You see, I can't help it. George
and I loved each other since we were children. Four years ago he went to the city. He said
he was going to be a policeman or a railroad president or something. And then he was
coming back for me. But I never heard from him any more. And I – I – liked him. (Ее
головка снова падает на руки.)
Tripp: Now, Miss Lowery, you like this young man, Dodd, don't you?
He's all right, and good to you, isn't he?
Мiss Lowery: Of course I like him. And of course he's good to me.
He's promised me an automobile and a motor-boat. But somehow I couldn't help thinking
about George. Something must have happened to him or he would have written. On the day he
left, he got a hammer and a chisel and cut a cent into two pieces. I took one piece and he
took the other, and we promised to be true to each other and always keep the pieces till
we saw each other again. I've got mine at home. I guess I was silly to come here. I never
realized what – a big place it is.
Tripp: (вступает с неловким смешком)
Oh, the boys from the country forget a lot when they come to the city. He may have met
another girl or something. You'll go back home, and you'll be all right.
Storyteller: In the end we persuaded Miss Lowery to go back home. The
three of us then hurried to the ferry, and there I found the price of the ticket to be but
a dollar and eighty cents. I bought one, and a red, red rose with the twenty cents for
Miss Lowery. We saw her aboard the ferry-boat and stood watching her wave her handkerchief
at us until it was a tiny white patch. And then Tripp and I faced each other.
Tripp: Can't you get a story out of it? Some sort of a story?
Newspaper Reporter: Not a line.
Tripp: (тихо, с разочарованием) I'm
sorry.
Storyteller: Tripp unbuttoned his shabby coat to reach for something
that had once been a handkerchief. As he did so I caught sight of something shining on his
cheap watch-chain. I stretched out my hand for it and seized it curiously. It was the half
of a silver cent that had been cut in halves with a chisel.
Newspaper Reporter: (восклицает в изумлении)
What?!
Tripp: (тихо, с разочарованием) Oh
yes, George Brown, alias Tripp. What's the use?
(Репортёр вынимает из кармана доллар и без
колебаний отдает его Джорджу-Трипу)
TWO GIFTS
Cast:
Della – a young lady
Jim – Della’s husband
Landlord – the owner of the rented room
Hairdresser – the hair buyer
Shop assistant 1 – at the watchmaker's shop
Shop assistant 2 – at the jeweller's shop
Scene 1
(Della and Jim in their flat)
Della: Oh, Jim, nice to see you! I miss you so much! Haven’t you
forgotten that today is the 30th of December?
Jim: Of course, my darling! I know it! Look here, we are young and
nice, but it’s a pity we are so poor!
(Landlord comes in)
Landlord: Oh, hi, young people! I’ve come to get my money for this
luxury flat.
Jim: Wait a bit! We don’t know what we’ll eat tomorrow and the
prices are so high!
Landlord: OK, I’ll wait but only for 2 days. New Year is coming and
we are going to celebrate it. I need money to buy presents for my wife and my children!
Jim: OK, OK! I’ll try to do my best!
(Landlord leaves the room)
Jim: (to himself) Oh, what shall I do now? I am so short of
money, but I ought to congratulate my dear Della on a Happy New Year. Oh, I’ve nearly
forgotten. I’ve got a gold watch. It was my father’s present and I’m proud of it.
Now I know what to do. I will go to the shop and sell it.
(Jim leaves, Della appears in her flat)
Della: New Year is coming. What can I give to my dear Jim as a
present? I’ve got only one dollar. That’s all what I have! What can I buy on such a
little sum of money? Maybe, this beautiful golden hair? OK, I will go to the hairdresser
and sell it. Oh, here is the "Madam Sofroni. Hair goods of all kinds!” shop!
Scene 2
(at the hairdresser’s)
Hairdresser: Good morning young lady, welcome to our shop. What would
you like to buy?
Della: I want nothing. Will you buy my hair?
Hairdresser: Your hair? Let me see it. Won’t you be sorry about it
later? I will give you 20 dollars. That will be enough. It’s only hair. You can’t sell
it for a great deal of money anyhow.
Della: OK, I agree. Take the hair and give me the money.
Hairdresser: Well then! Take it, please. But if later you’ll be
sorry about it, remember – it was your own decision!
Della: Thank you Madam Sofroni. You’re very kind. You helped me so
much. With this money I can buy a present for my dear friend. May be something practical
and useful!
Hairdresser: Good bye and a Happy New Year to you and your friend!
(Della to herself)
Della: Now I’ve got 21 dollars. My dream will come true. I will be
able to buy a present for my dear Jim! Oh, here is a jeweller's shop!
Scene 3
(Della at the watchmaker's)
Shop assistant 1: Can I help you madam? What can I do for you?
Della: I’d like to buy this watch chain. How much does it cost?
Shop assistant 1: It will cost you about 25 dollars and 99 cents.
Della: Goodness! But I’ve got only 21 dollars…
Shop assistant 1: Never mind! Tomorrow will be a holiday and I can
give you a discount. 21 dollars will be OK! Take the chain and be happy!
Scene 4
(at the same time Jim is thinking of buying a comb for Della)
Jim: I’ve got an idea! I know how I can congratulate my dear Della.
I will go to the shop and buy a beautiful comb for her luxurious hair. She will be happy
and so will I! Oh, here is the shop!
(Jim is at the jeweller's)
Jim: Hello, how much can I get for this?
(Jim gives his watch to a shop assistant)
Shop assistant 2: It’s an old thing and it seems to me it is very
precious… Where did you get it?
Jim: It was given to me by my ancestor. I got it from my father and he
got it from his many years ago.
Shop assistant 2: I can give you 100$. It is the real price for this
watch. It is a great deal of money. I think it will help you to overcome your difficulties
in some way.
Jim: OK, that suits me fine. Della will be happy if I buy the comb
which she has seen in the shop window recently. Oh, I have to hurry up. It’s nearly 9
p.m.
Scene 5
(Jim and Della’s flat)
Jim: Oh, at last I am at home! Hello, my dear. But what has happened
to your hair?
Della: Jim, darling, don’t look at me like that! I’ve sold my hair
because I wanted to give a present to you. My hair will grow again. It grows very fast.
Let’s say "A Happy New Year!’ to each other and be happy! You don’t know what a
beautiful present I’ve got for you! But why are you looking at me in such a strange way?
Jim: If you open the package you will understand, my dear…
Della: (opens a present box and finds out beautiful combs)
Oh, Jim, I have been dreaming of such combs since I saw them in a Broadway shop window.
Now they are mine! Oh, Jim, I’m so happy! (Then she runs to the dressing table.) But you
haven’t seen your present yet! It’s a beautiful chain! Give me your watch. I want to
see how it goes with it!
(Jim gets stiff with astonishment)
Jim: Dear Della, but I’ve sold my watch to get the money to buy the
combs for you... Is the coffee ready?
(Both look at each other with deep regret) |