3. Soah bē-kì-tit kin-á-ji̍t ê tāi-chì
Summers Ss chòe-āu kóng-ōe liáu, kiâⁿ ǹg chi̍p-ha̍p tī hia ê lâng-tīn ê sî, Hutchinson Tt* chiah kóaⁿ kín-kín ùi lō͘-á lâi kàu tōa-tiâⁿ, keng-thâu moa phòng-se-saⁿ, kiâⁿ ji̍p lâng-tīn āu-bīn. "Soah bē-kì-tit kin-á-ji̍t ê tāi-chì," yi kā khiā tī yi piⁿ-á ê Delacroix Tt kóng, nn̄g-lâng tō lóng khin-khin chhiò chi̍t-ē. "Siūⁿ-kóng goán lāu-ê sī khì āu-bóe thia̍p chhâ," Hutchinson Tt kè-sio̍k kóng, "chi̍t-ē khòaⁿ gōa-kháu, gín-á mā bô tī leh, góa chiah siūⁿ tio̍h sī jī-chhit, choăn iân-lō͘ cháu lâi." Yi kō͘ ûi-su-kûn kā chhiú chhit ta, Delacroix Tt kóng, "iáu ē-hù lah. In iáu tī hia khai-káng leh." [* Tt = Thài-thài]
Hutchinson Tt kā ām-kún giú tn̂g, thàu-kòe lâng-tīn khòaⁿ tio̍h yin ang kap gín-á khiā tī óa-kīn thâu-chêng hia. Yi kha̍p chi̍t-ē Delacroix Tt ê chhiú-kut piáu-sī chài-kiàn, tō kheh kòe lâng-tīn ǹg chêng. Ta̍k-ê chin hó-lé niū yi kòe: ū nn̄g/saⁿ ê lâng kō͘ tú-hó hông thiaⁿ ē-tio̍h ê siaⁿ kóng, "Lín Hutchinson Tt lâi ah," kap "Bill, yi chóng-sǹg kàu-ūi ah." Hutchinson Tt lâi kàu yin ang hia, tng-teh tán ê Summers Ss tō chin hoaⁿ-hí kóng, "Siūⁿ-kóng, nā koh tán bô lí, góa tio̍h seng khai-sí ah, Tessie." Hutchinson Tt, chhiò hi-hi kóng, "Lí bē kiò góa kā óaⁿ-pôaⁿ phiaⁿ tī chúi-chô mài chhap lah hoⁿh, Joe?" Chi̍t-chūn chhiò-siaⁿ ùi lâng-tīn chhut-lâi, lâng-lâng lóng tī Hutchinson Tt kàu-ūi liáu khiā tńg ka-tī ê ūi.
"Hmh, chit-má," Summers Ss pêng-chēng kóng, "góa siūⁿ lán tō lâi khai-sí, kā pān hō͘ oân, ta̍k-ê thang tńg bô-êng. Ū-lâng bô lâi bô?"
"Dunbar." kúi-ā ê lâng kóng. "Dunbar. Dunbar."
Summer Ss chhâ miâ-toaⁿ chi̍t-ē. "Cclyde Dunbar." i kóng. "Tio̍h. I ê kha siak-tn̄g khì, sī bô? Siáng thè i thiu?"
"Góa siūⁿ, sī góa," chi̍t-ê cha-bó͘-lâng kóng, Summers Ss oa̍t-kòe khòaⁿ yi. "Bó͘ thè ang thiu," Summers Ss kóng. "Lí kám bô sêng-liân ê hāu-seⁿ thang thè lí chò, Janey?" Sui-bóng Summers Ss hām chng-nih ta̍k-lâng lóng chai tap-àn, thiu-khau-koaⁿ iáu-sī tio̍h chèng-sek mn̄g chit-ê būn-tê. Summers Ss kek chi̍t-ê ū chhù-bī chai ê piáu-chêng tán Dunbar Tt hôe-tap.
"Horace iáu bōe cha̍p-la̍k hòe." Dunbar Tt bô-ì bô-ì kóng. "Góa siūⁿ, kin-nî tio̍h iû góa lâi thè goán lāu-ê thiu."
"Tio̍h." Summers Ss kóng. I tī chhiú the̍h ê miâ-toaⁿ chò chi̍t-ê kì-hō. Jiân-āu i koh mn̄g, "Watson chhù ê cha-po͘-kiáⁿ kin-nî ū lâi thiu bô?"
Chi̍t-ê loh-kha cha-po͘ gín-á tī lâng-tīn nih gia̍h-chhiú. "Tī chia," i kóng. "Góa thè goán a-bú thiu, mā ka-tī thiu." Jack kín-tiuⁿ kah ba̍k-chiu chho̍p-chho̍p-nih, thâu koh lê loeh; lâng-tīn lāi-té ká-ná ū thiaⁿ-e lâng án-ne kóng: "Jack sī hó-kiáⁿ." kap "Thè lín lāu-bú hoaⁿ-hí, ū-lâng thang tàu kha-chhiú ah."
"Hmh," Summers Ss kóng, "tāi-khài lóng ū ah. Warner Lāu-sian ū lâi bô?"
"Tī chia," ū-lâng ìn-siaⁿ, á Summers tō tìm chi̍t-ē thâu.
Summers Ss chheng nâ-âu koh khòaⁿ miâ-toaⁿ ê sî, hut-jiân lâng-tīn lóng tiām khì. "Lóng chún-pī hó ah, hoⁿh?" i chhut siaⁿ. "Chit-má góa tiám-miâ -- thōng tāi-seng sī ka-cho̍k ê cho̍k-tiúⁿ -- sûi-lâng chhut-lâi, ùi siuⁿ-á nih thiu chi̍t-ki khau-á. Khau-á tēⁿ tī chhiú nih, bōe-sī phah-khui; tán ta̍k-ê lóng thiu liáu, chiah phah-khui lâi khòaⁿ. Án-ne ū chheng-chhó bô?"
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3. 煞袂記得今仔日 ê 代誌
Summers Ss 最後講話了, 行 ǹg 集合 tī hia ê 人陣 ê 時, Hutchinson Tt* 才趕緊緊 ùi 路仔來到大埕, 肩頭幔膨紗衫, 行入人陣後面. "煞袂記得今仔日 ê 代誌," 她 kā 徛 tī 她邊仔 ê Delacroix Tt 講, 兩人 tō lóng 輕輕笑一下. "想講阮老 ê 是去後尾 thia̍p 柴," Hutchinson Tt 繼續講, "一下看外口, 囡仔 mā 無 tī leh, 我才想著是二七, choăn 沿路走來." 她 kō͘ 圍軀裙 kā 手拭焦, Delacroix Tt 講, "猶會赴 lah. In 猶 tī hia 開講 leh." [* Tt = Thài-thài]
Hutchinson Tt kā 頷頸搝長, 透過人陣看著 yin 翁 kap 囡仔徛 tī 倚近頭前 hia. 她磕一下 Delacroix Tt ê 手骨表示再見, tō kheh 過人陣 ǹg 前. 逐个真好禮讓她過: 有兩三个人 kō͘ 拄好 hông 聽會著 ê 聲講, "恁 Hutchinson Tt 來 ah," kap "Bill, 她總算到位 ah." Hutchinson Tt 來到 yin 翁 hia, tng-teh 等 ê Summers Ss tō 真歡喜講, "想講, 若 koh 等無你, 我著先開始 ah, Tessie." Hutchinson Tt, 笑 hi-hi 講, "你袂叫我 kā 碗盤抨 tī 水槽莫 chhap lah hoⁿh, Joe?" 一陣笑聲 ùi 人陣出來, 人人 lóng tī Hutchinson Tt 到位了徛轉 ka-tī ê 位.
"Hmh, chit-má," Summers Ss 平靜講, "我想咱 tō 來開始, kā 辦予完, 逐个通轉無閒. 有人無來無?"
"Dunbar." 幾 ā 个人講. "Dunbar. Dunbar."
Summer Ss 查名單一下. "Clyde Dunbar." 伊講. "著. 伊 ê 跤摔斷去, 是無? Siáng 替伊抽?"
"我想, 是我," 一个查某人講, Summers Ss 越過看她. "某替翁抽," Summers Ss 講. "你敢無成年 ê 後生通替你做, Janey?" 雖罔 Summers Ss 和庄 nih 逐人 lóng 知答案, 抽 khau 官猶是著正式問這个問題. Summers Ss 激一个有趣味知 ê 表情等 Dunbar Tt 回答.
"Horace 猶未十六歲." Dunbar Tt 無意無意講. "我想, 今年著由我來替阮老 ê 抽."
"著." Summers Ss 講. 伊 tī 手提 ê 名單做一个記號. 然後伊 koh 問, "Watson 厝 ê 查埔囝今年有來抽無?"
一个躼跤查埔囡仔 tī 人陣 nih 攑手. "Tī chia," 伊講. "我替阮阿母抽, mā ka-tī 抽." Jack 緊張 kah 目睭 chho̍p-chho̍p nih, 頭 koh 犁 loeh; 人陣內底 ká-ná 有聽 e 人 án-ne 講: "Jack 是好囝." kap "替恁老母歡喜, 有人通鬥跤手 ah."
"Hmh," Summers Ss 講, "大概 lóng 有 ah. Warner 老先有來無?"
"Tī chia," 有人應聲, á Summers tō tìm 一下頭.
Summers Ss 清嚨喉 koh 看名單 ê 時, 忽然人陣 lóng 恬去. "Lóng 準備好 ah, hoⁿh?" 伊出聲. "Chit-má 我點名 -- thōng 代先是家族 ê 族長 -- 隨人出來, ùi 箱仔 nih 抽一支 khau 仔. Khau 仔捏 tī 手 nih, 未是拍開; 等逐个 lóng 抽了, 才拍開來看. Án-ne 有清楚無?"
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3.
Just as Mr. Summers finally left off talking and turned to the assembled villagers, Mrs. Hutchinson came hurriedly along the path to the square, her sweater thrown over her shoulders, and slid into place in the back of the crowd. "Clean forgot what day it was," she said to Mrs. Delacroix, who stood next to her, and they both laughed softly. "Thought my old man was out back stacking wood," Mrs. Hutchinson went on. "and then I looked out the window and the kids was gone, and then I remembered it was the twentyseventh and came a-running." She dried her hands on her apron, and Mrs. Delacroix said, "You're in time, though. They're still talking away up there."
Mrs. Hutchinson craned her neck to see through the crowd and found her husband and children standing near the front. She tapped Mrs. Delacroix on the arm as a farewell and began to make her way through the crowd. The people separated good-humoredly to let her through: two or three people said. in voices just loud enough to be heard across the crowd, "Here comes your, Missus, Hutchinson," and "Bill, she made it after all." Mrs. Hutchinson reached her husband, and Mr. Summers, who had been waiting, said cheerfully, "Thought we were going to have to get on without you, Tessie." Mrs. Hutchinson said. grinning, "Wouldn't have me leave m'dishes in the sink, now, would you. Joe?," and soft laughter ran through the crowd as the people stirred back into position after Mrs. Hutchinson's arrival.
"Well, now." Mr. Summers said soberly, "guess we better get started, get this over with, so's we can go back to work. Anybody ain't here?"
"Dunbar." several people said. "Dunbar. Dunbar."
Mr. Summers consulted his list. "Clyde Dunbar." he said. "That's right. He's broke his leg, hasn't he? Who's drawing for him?"
"Me. I guess," a woman said, and Mr. Summers turned to look at her. "Wife draws for her husband." Mr. Summers said. "Don't you have a grown boy to do it for you, Janey?" Although Mr. Summers and everyone else in the village knew the answer perfectly well, it was the business of the official of the lottery to ask such questions formally. Mr. Summers waited with an expression of polite interest while Mrs. Dunbar answered.
"Horace's not but sixteen yet." Mrs. Dunbar said regretfully. "Guess I gotta fill in for the old man this year."
"Right." Sr. Summers said. He made a note on the list he was holding. Then he asked, "Watson boy drawing this year?"
A tall boy in the crowd raised his hand. "Here," he said. "I'm drawing for my mother and me." He blinked his eyes nervously and ducked his head as several voices in the crowd said things like "Good fellow, Jack." and "Glad to see your mother's got a man to do it."
"Well," Mr. Summers said, "guess that's everyone. Old Man Warner make it?"
"Here," a voice said, and Mr. Summers nodded.
A sudden hush fell on the crowd as Mr. Summers cleared his throat and looked at the list. "All ready?" he called. "Now, I'll read the names--heads of families first--and the men come up and take a paper out of the box. Keep the paper folded in your hand without looking at it until everyone has had a turn. Everything clear?"
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