A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as Christmas present. On Christmas eve, when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was looking around the shining new car, admiring it.
Paul nodded, "My brother gave it to me for Christmas."
保羅點了點頭,“我哥哥給我的圣誕禮物。
The boy was astounded, "You mean your brother gave it to you, and didn't cost you anything?"
小男孩詫異了,“你是說你哥哥給你的,不用花你一分錢?”
"Boy, I wish..." he hesitated.
“兄弟,我希望...”他遲疑了。
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he has a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paull all the way down his heels.
保羅當然清楚他希望什么,他希望他也有個那樣的哥哥。但這個小家伙說的話,使保羅大吃了一驚。
"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."
“我希望,”小男孩繼續說道,“我可以做一個那樣的哥哥。”
Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then inpulsivly he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my car?"
保羅驚奇地看著小男孩,然后激動地說了句,“你想不想做我的車去兜兜風?”
"Oh, yes. I'd love that."
“哦,想!我喜歡!”
After a short ride, the boy turned his eyes aglow, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?"
跑了一小段路后,小男孩眼光水靈閃閃地說道,“先生,您可以把車開到我家門前嗎?”
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbours that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again.
"Would you stop at those with two steps?" the boy asked.
“您可以在那有兩個臺階的房子前停下嗎?” 小男孩問道。
He ran up stairs. Then in a little while, Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He set him down on the bottom step. Then a sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.
"There she is, buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and didn't cost hime a cent. And some day, I'm gonna give you one just like it. Then you can see for yourself all the prettiest things in the windows that I was trying to tell you about."
Paul got off and lifted the lad into the front of his car. The shinning eyed old brother crimbed in beside him. And three of them began a memorable holiday ride.