2. Wisky kap bōng-hn̂g ê kì-tî
Lāu Woodifield khòaⁿ kah chhùi khuix. Hit-chióng tio̍h-kiaⁿ ê khoán bē-su láu-pán piàn chhut chi̍t-chiah thò͘-á lâi.
"He sī wisky, kám m̄-sī?" i kō͘ iùx, hi-jio̍k ê siaⁿ kóng.
Láu-pán kā kan-á se̍h chi̍t-ē, jia̍t-sim hō͘ i khòaⁿ téng-bīn ê phiau-thâu. He sī wisky.
"Lí kám chai," i kóng, taⁿ-thâu támx khòaⁿ láu-pán, "tī chhù-ni̍h, in put-chún góa bak chit-hō mi̍h." I ná teh kóng ê sî, bē-su kiông boeh khàu chhut-lâi.
"Ah, iáu sī lán pí cha-bó͘-lâng khah lāi-hâng lah," láu-pán tōa siaⁿ kóng. koh ná kín kha-pō͘ kiâⁿ kàu toh-á piⁿ, lia̍h khí nn̄g-ê khǹg tī chúi-pân piⁿ ê pêⁿ-té po-lê poe, tī múi chi̍t-ê poe-á lóng kā tò chiokx chi̍t chéng-thâu-á-ba̍k hiah koân ê chiú. "Kā lim lo̍h. Che tùi lí ū hó-chhù. Chhian-bān m̄-thang ke chúi. Tī chit-chióng hó mi̍h-kiāⁿ ke chúi sī tùi sîn put-kèng. Ah!" I taⁿ-thâu chi̍t-chhùi kā i hit-poe lim ta, liú chhut chhiú-kin-á, kín-sok kā téng-tûn-chhiu chhit chi̍t-ē, jiân-āu hiòng Woodifield sái chi̍t-ê ba̍k-sek, hit-sî lāu Woodifield ê chiú tú kâm kàu chhùi lāi teh liàn.
Lāu lâng kā chiú lim lo̍h, tiāmx chi̍t-khùn, jiân-āu sè-siaⁿ kóng, "Ū kóe-chí-jîn ê phang-bī!"
M̄-koh, chiú hō͘ i sio-lō khí-lâi, chiú-khì kiâⁿ kàu i he léng..khì ê thâu-náu -- taⁿ i siūⁿ khí-lâi ah.
"Sī án-ne lah," i kóng, chia̍h-la̍t ùi í-á peh khí-lâi. "Góa siūⁿ lí eng-kai ū ì-sù chai-iáⁿ. Goán chă-kiáⁿ téng lé-pài khì Belgium khòaⁿ khó-liân Reggie ê bōng, in mā tú-hó ū keng-kòe lín hau-seⁿ ê bōng. Thiaⁿ-kóng, hit nn̄g-ê bōng put-chí-á sio-óa."
Lāu Woodifield thêng chi̍t-ē, tān láu-pán bô ìn-ōe. Kan-ta ba̍k-chiu-phôe chùn chi̍t-ē, piáu-sī i ū thiaⁿ-tio̍h.
"Chă gín-á mǹ chin móa-ì hit só͘-chāi ê chéng-lí hong-sek," ùix ê lāu siaⁿ-im kóng. "Chiàu-kò͘ kah chin hó. Tō sǹg tī ka-tī chhù, mā kan-ta sī án-ne. Lí iáu bô khì..kòe hoⁿh, kám ū?"
"Bô, iáu bô!" láu-pán in-ūi chióngx lí-iû, it-ti̍t iáu-bōe khì.
"Bōng-hn̂g khoah bóngx," lāu Woodifield chùn siaⁿ kóng, "chéng-chê kah ná-chhiūⁿ hoe-hn̂g. Múi chi̍t-ê bōng lóng ū chèng hoe. Koh ū khoahx hó kiâⁿ ê lō͘." Ùi i ê siaⁿ thiaⁿ ē-chhut, i chiâⁿ kah-ì he khoahx hó-kiâⁿ ê lō͘.
Koh chi̍t-khùn ê tiām-chēng. Jiân-āu, lāu lâng ê bīn hiôngx bêng-liāng khí-lâi.
"Lí chai bô, pn̄g-tiàm kā chă gín-á siu chi̍t-koàn kóe-chí-chiùⁿ gōa-chē chîⁿ?" i iù-siaⁿ kóng. "Cha̍p franc! Góa kóng, he kin-pún sī chhiúⁿ-kiap ah. Sèx koàn-á, Gertrude án-ne kóng, bô pí pòaⁿ-crown [gîn-kak-á] khah tōa. Yi kan-ta chia̍h chi̍t thng-sî-á, in tō siu yi cha̍p franc. Gertrude kui-khì kā koàn-á chah-cháu, sió kā in kà-sī chi̍t-ē. Án-ne chò bô m̄-tio̍h; in sī teh khà-iû lán ê kám-chêng. In siūⁿ kóng, lán chi̍t-chōa-lō͘ khì hia thàm, tiāⁿ-tio̍h siáⁿ-mih to kam khai. Tāi-chì tō sī án-ne." Sòa-lo̍h, i oat-sin hiòng mn̂g-kháu.
"Chin tio̍h, chin tio̍h!" láu-pán hoah-siaⁿ, sui-bóng i kin-pún m̄-chai tàu-té sī siáⁿ chin tio̍h. I se̍h chhut pan-kong-toh, tòe he thoa-thô͘ ê kha-pō͘ kiâⁿ kàu mn̂g-kháu, sàng lāu pêng-iú chhut-mn̂g. Woodifield lī-khui ah.
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2. Wisky kap 墓園 ê 記持
老 Woodifield 看 kah 喙 khuix. 彼種著驚 ê 款袂輸老闆變出一隻兔仔來.
"彼是 wisky, 敢毋是?" 伊 kō͘ iùx, 虛弱 ê 聲講.
老闆 kā 矸仔踅一下, 熱心予伊看頂面 ê 標頭. 彼是 wisky.
"你敢知," 伊講, taⁿ 頭 támx 看老闆, "tī 厝 ni̍h, in 不准我 bak 這號物." 伊 ná teh 講 ê 時, 袂輸強欲哭出來.
"Ah, 猶是咱比查某人較內行 lah," 老闆大聲講. koh ná 緊跤步行到桌仔邊, 掠起兩个囥 tī 水瓶邊 ê 平底玻璃杯, tī 每一个杯仔 lóng kā 倒 chiokx 一指頭仔目 hiah 懸 ê 酒. "Kā 啉落. Che 對你有好處. 千萬毋通加水. Tī 這種好物件加水是對神不敬. Ah!" 伊 taⁿ 頭 一喙 kā 伊 hit 杯啉焦, 扭出手巾仔, 緊速 kā 頂唇鬚拭一下, 然後向 Woodifield 使一个目色, 彼時老 Woodifield ê 酒 tú 含到喙內 teh 輾.
老人 kā 酒啉落, tiāmx 一睏, 然後細聲講, "有果子仁 ê 芳味!"
M̄-koh, 酒予伊燒烙起來, 酒氣行到伊 he 冷..去 ê 頭腦 -- 今伊想起來 ah.
"是 án-ne lah," 伊講, 食力 ùi 椅仔 peh 起來. "我想你應該有意思知影. 阮 cha̋ 囝頂禮拜去 Belgium 看可憐 Reggie ê 墓, in mā 拄好有經過恁後生 ê 墓. 聽講, hit 兩个墓不止仔相倚."
老 Woodifield 停一下, 但老闆無應話. 干焦目睭皮顫一下, 表示伊有聽著.
"Cha̋ 囡仔 mǹ 真滿意彼所在 ê 整理方式," ùix ê 老聲音講. "照顧 kah 真好. Tō 算 tī ka-tī 厝, mā 干焦是 án-ne. 你猶無去..過 hoⁿh, 敢有?"
"無, 猶無!" 老闆因為 chióngx 理由, 一直猶未去.
"墓園闊 bóngx," 老 Woodifield 顫聲講, "整齊 kah ná 像花園. 每一个墓 lóng 有種花. Koh 有 khoahx 好行 ê 路." Ùi 伊 ê 聲聽會出, 伊誠佮意 he khoahx 好行 ê 路.
Koh 一睏 ê 恬靜. 然後, 老人 ê 面 hiôngx 明亮起來.
"你知無, 飯店 kā chă 囡仔收一罐果子醬偌濟錢?" 伊幼聲講. "十 franc! 我講, he 根本是搶劫 ah. sèx 罐仔, Gertrude án-ne 講, 無比半 crown [銀角仔] 較大. 她干焦食一湯匙仔, in tō 收她十 franc. Gertrude 規氣 kā 罐仔扎走, 小 kā in 教示一下. Án-ne 做無毋著; in 是 teh 敲油咱 ê 感情. In 想講, 咱一逝路去 hia 探, 定著啥物 to 甘開. 代誌 tō 是 án-ne." Sòa-lo̍h, 伊斡身向門口.
"真著, 真著!" 老闆喝聲, 雖罔伊根本毋知到底是啥真著. 伊踅出辦公桌, 綴 he 拖塗 ê 跤步行到門口, 送老朋友出門. Woodifield 離開 ah.
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2.
Old Woodifield's mouth fell open at the sight. He couldn't have looked more surprised if the boss had produced a rabbit.
" It's whisky, ain't it ? " he piped, feebly.
The boss turned the bottle and lovingly showed him the label. Whisky it was.
" D'you know," said he, peering up at the boss wonderingly, " they won't let me touch it at home." And he looked as though he was going to cry.
" Ah, that's where we know a bit more than the ladies," cried the boss, swooping across for two tumblers that stood on the table with the water-bottle, and pouring a generous finger into each. " Drink it down. It'll do you good. And don't put any water with it. It's sacrilege to tamper with stuff like this. Ah ! " He tossed off his, pulled out his handkerchief, hastily wiped his moustaches, and cocked an eye at old Woodifield, who was rolling his in his chaps.
The old man swallowed, was silent a moment, and then said faintly, " It's nutty ! "
But it warmed him ; it crept into his chill old brain—he remembered.
" That was it," he said, heaving himself out of his chair. " I thought you'd like to know. The girls were in Belgium last week having a look at poor Reggie's grave, and they happened to come across your boy's. They're quite near each other, it seems."
Old Woodifield paused, but the boss made no reply. Only a quiver in his eyelids showed that he heard.
" The girls were delighted with the way the place is kept," piped the old voice. " Beautifully looked after. Couldn't be better if they were at home. You've not been across, have yer ? "
" No, no ! " For various reasons the boss had not been across.
" There's miles of it," quavered old Woodifield, " and it's all as neat as a garden. Flowers growing on all the graves. Nice broad paths." It was plain from his voice how much he liked a nice broad path.
The pause came again. Then the old man brightened wonderfully.
" D'you know what the hotel made the girls pay for a pot of jam ? " he piped. " Ten - francs! Robbery, I call it. It was a little pot, so Gertrude says, no bigger than a half-crown. And she hadn't taken more than a spoonful when they charged her ten francs. Gertrude brought the pot away with her to teach 'em a lesson. Quite right, too ; it's trading on our feelings. They think because we're over there having a look round we're ready to pay anything. That's what it is." And he turned towards the door.
" Quite right, quite right! " cried the boss, though what was quite right he hadn't the least idea. He came round by his desk, followed the shuffling footsteps to the door, and saw the old fellow out. Woodifield was gone.
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