SALLY'S SASH
莎莉的裙带
GRACE KIRKPATRICK
格雷丝·柯克帕特里克
When Sally put on her new dress with its beautiful white sash, she did not dream that the sash would soon be cut to pieces. This story will tell you why she gave up her sash, and was happy to do so.
当莎莉穿上带有漂亮白色腰带的新裙子时,做梦也没有想到裙带很快就会被剪成碎片。这个故事将告诉你她为什么乐意交出裙带。
One summer day in 1777 a little American girl was jumping up and down, all excited. The little girl was Sally Langdon; this was her birthday, and her mother had just given her a big package. "Oh, Mother, Mother, is this the package that came from England?” asked the little girl.
1777年的某个夏日,一个美国小女孩蹦来跳去,非常兴奋。她是莎莉·兰登,这天是她的生日,她妈妈刚送给她一个大包裹。“噢,妈妈,妈妈,这是从英国寄过来的包裹吗?”小女孩问道。
"Yes, dear, it is your birthday gift," Mrs. Langdon replied, kissing her little daughter's happy face. Her fingers were all trembly as she unfastened the wrappings. Then suddenly, there it was, just as she had hoped it would be; a beautiful silk dress with tiny pink rosebuds all over it, and a sash—white and wide and shiny!
“是的,亲爱的,它是你的生日礼物。”兰登太太亲吻着小女儿幸福的脸庞,回答道。莎莉在打开包裹时,手指都在发抖。突然,她眼前出现了她想要的——一条漂亮的丝绸裙子,上面布满了粉红色的小玫瑰花蕾,还有一条裙带,洁白的、光亮的宽丝带!
"Oh, please, Mother, may I slip it on and run to Caroline Chandler's to show it to the girls? They are all over there sewing."
“哦,拜托了,妈妈,我可以穿上它到卡罗琳·钱德勒家向女孩们展示一下吗?她们都在那里做缝纫。”
"Yes, dear. There, it looks beautiful." Sally had quickly slipped into her new dress and tied the lovely sash around her waist. "Be careful not to get any spots on it. The girls are coming home to supper with Mary, and another guest will be here, too, a very important one."
“好的,亲爱的。你瞧,它真漂亮。”莎莉迅速地穿上了新裙子,将可爱的丝带系好。“当心不要弄脏了。女孩子们要和玛丽来我们家吃晚饭,而且还有一个客人要来,他非常重要。”
Sally skipped happily down the street to Caroline's home. Mrs. Chandler opened the door and told Sally to go into the parlor. At the entrance to the room Sally stopped so quietly that the busy sewers did not see her. Scattered all about the parlor were pieces of silk, and on a chair was a strip from Mary's best red dress, which had been cut into pieces.
莎莉沿着大街欢快地蹦跳着来到卡罗琳家。钱德勒太太打开门,告诉莎莉到客厅去。莎莉在房间门口悄悄地停下来,忙碌的裁缝们没有看见她。客厅里到处散落着丝绸片,而玛丽最好的红裙子已经被剪成了碎片,椅子上就有一块来自那条裙子的布条。
Sally heard her sister Mary say, "Girls, what shall we do? Every bit of white silk is gone, and we must make some more stars. And we must finish it this afternoon, because the Captain is coming to our house for supper tonight!"
莎莉听见她的姐姐玛丽说:“姐妹们,怎么办?所有的白丝绸都用完了,我们还需要做一些星星。而且我们必须在今天下午完成,因为上尉晚上要来我们家吃晚饭!”