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| Aunt Hattie tried her hand at18) just about everything that summer, with mixed reviews. You couldn’t exactly call her a success at any one thing. But you couldn’t call her a failure, either. She brought folks back to their jobs and to the church services too. “We have all learned to love your aunt Hattie,” one lady said to me. It wasn’t easy on the ears, or on the eyes, but everyone had to agree that Aunt Hattie had ingratiated19) herself to them with a willingness to offer herself over to whatever was needed. It would have been perfect, of course, if she had been competent at some of it. But she was an inspiration, nevertheless. Walking to church on her last Sunday morning with us, my aunt said, “I have a surprise for everyone.” My wife looked at her wide-eyed. The church was filled to capacity, both old and new members. The minister sat quietly by the pulpit20), admiring his growing congregation. Mabel Shaw rose from the organ and took a seat. Aunt Hattie had warned us that she wanted to make a speech before taking her leave. She walked to the front and faced the congregation. “You have a beautiful church here,” she said, “and the members are just as beautiful. I will always remember each and every one of you. Now I would like to play ‘In the Garden,?a hymn I love because it makes Jesus seem so close to us.” I never knew our congregation to be so attentive, although I suspected some would have preferred for Aunt Hattie to leave the organ playing to Mabel. I couldn’t help thinking this was the kind of patience we’d all been quick to show in the old days, before life had gotten so rough, the drought taking its toll on the land and our good spirit. We all sat silent and peaceful, as if a hard rain had just fallen. Aunt Hattie walked over to the organ and sat down. She looked out at us and smiled. I didn’t hear a single groan or nervous shuffle21). The music soared above us like the song of an angel. Never had I heard the hymn played so well. What had my aunt been up to22)? Had she fumbled23) her organ playing and every job she had undertaken so that we would become a community again? Aunt Hattie would never tell. When she finished the congregation applauded, and the minister walked over to the pulpit. “There was a time we prayed for a miracle,” he said. “God answered our prayers this summer. He sent us Aunt Hattie.” 1980年，我的姑妈哈蒂来到伊利诺伊州与我和妻子共度夏天，当时我们所在的那个镇子的情况相当糟糕。持续了三年的干旱给我们的农村带来了灾难。许多人家不得不离开家园，真真正正地搬到“草更绿”的牧场去了。资源不断减少，镇上弥漫着悲观的情绪，就连教堂也没能幸免。教徒之间争吵不休。有些人甚至停止参加教堂的礼拜仪式。“上帝会给我们带来奇迹的，”我们的牧师许诺说，但是这看起来就像一场必败之仗。 佛罗里达哈蒂姑妈的到来成为了这时候的一个亮点。我们去汽车站接她的时候，她戴着一顶漂亮的淡蓝色系带软帽。“这种颜色和我的白发正好相配。”她说。不仅如此，这种颜色和她那双闪闪发亮的眼睛也很相配。哈蒂姑妈遇到每个人都会对他们报以微笑，并且从不说一句刻薄的话。没多久，镇上每个人都开始叫她“哈蒂姑妈”了。但是，当我们带着她来到教堂时，她不禁为那里的情形感到震惊。只见管风琴静静地摆放在那里，一台留声机播放着赞美诗。“玛贝尔·肖说她犯了关节炎，无法演奏管风琴了，”我解释道。“她甚至都不来教堂了。”我妻子补充说。“噢，我喜欢演奏管风琴，”哈蒂姑妈说，“如果可以的话，我来替她吧。” 会众都非常激动。但是，这种感觉只持续到了星期日的礼拜会。哈蒂姑妈的演奏经常走调，还不如不用管风琴呢。 哈蒂姑妈弹了几个星期管风琴之后，我们的牧师透露说，唱诗队的成员请求玛贝尔回来。“好吧，”玛贝尔终于松口了，“如果你们真想让我回去的话。”在接下来的那个星期天，玛贝尔重新坐在那台管风琴的前面。对此，哈蒂姑妈一点也不觉得失望。事实上，当教堂的所有人都沉醉在玛贝尔那美妙的乐曲声中时，哈蒂姑妈那双蓝眼睛里闪烁着喜悦的光芒。 |
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