https://my23.sd23.bc.ca/class/jlimk66/AnalyticsReports/Story%202%20-%20Ruthless.pdf
Bô-chêng | 無情
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1. Put-chún pa̍t-lâng tāng i ê chiú
Tī gōa-bīn. chhiū-nâ tó tī cha̍p-goe̍h chheng-lóng ê ji̍t-kng ē: chhiu-thiⁿ ê khong-khì chhiong-móa lo̍h-hio̍h khàm tio̍h ê tâm-sip thó͘-tē ê chhak-phīⁿ, chhì-kek khì-bī. Tī lāi-bīn, chi̍t-ê lâng chhùi gi-gi bô piáu-chêng, ùi e̍k-keng chhut-lâi, chìn-ji̍p soaⁿ-téng iâⁿ-tē ê goân-sí khí-ki-sek, kiâⁿ-hiòng siông-lô piah ê tû-á.
Che sī i choan-iōng ê piah-tû, phòe chi̍t-ê keng-á só, lāi-bīn khǹg chhèng, chhèng-chí, hî-tiò-á hām chiú. Liân in bó͘ mā bô só-sî, in-ūi Judson Webb ài ka-tī ê ke-hóe, ài kah put-chún jīm-hô pa̍t-lâng ê chhiú kā bong chi̍t-ē.
Piah-tû ê mn̂g pó-chhî khui-khui: i it-ti̍t teh khoán kôaⁿ-thiⁿ ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ, koh kúi hun-cheng i tō boeh sái-chhia tńg-khì bûn-bêng siā-hōe.
Tán i khòaⁿ tio̍h chhāi chiú ê kè-á ê sî, i ê chhiò-iông chiâⁿ pháiⁿ-khòaⁿ. Só͘-ū ê kan-á lóng bô khui, kan-ta chi̍t-kan Bourbon chiú sóa kàu thâu-chêng, piⁿ-á khǹg chi̍t-ê wiski po-lê poe. Kan-á lāi-bīn ê chiú bô kàu chi̍t-pòaⁿ. I ùi kè-á kā the̍h ê sî, in bó͘ ê ōe ùi keh-piah ê khùn-pâng thoân kòe-lâi. "It-chhè lóng khoán hó-sè ah, Judson," yi kóng. "Alec kám iáu-bōe lâi chhiat-chúi sòa the̍h só-sî?"
Alec tòa tī lō͘-ē chi̍t-mai ê só͘-chāi, tī in bô tī chia ê sî, thè in koán-kò͘.
"I tī ô͘-piⁿ khiú chûn-á chhut chúi. i kóng, koh pòaⁿ tiám-cheng tō ē tńg-lâi."
Mabel chah yi ê thê-siuⁿ lâi kàu pâng-keng. M̄-koh, khòaⁿ tio̍h yin ang chhiú nih ê kan-á ê sî, yi kiaⁿ chi̍t-tiô. "Judson!" yi hoah-siaⁿ, "Lí chá-khí 10 tiám tō teh lim-chiú ah, kám án-ne?"
"M̄-sī án-ne, chhin-ài ê," i chhiò-chhiò kóng, "góa bô ùi kan-á lāi the̍h mi̍h-kiāⁿ; góa kan-ta boeh khǹg kóa mi̍h-kiāⁿ ji̍p-khì." I kā tēⁿ-tio̍h ê chhiú chhun-khui, kā nn̄g-phìⁿ pe̍h io̍h-phìⁿ khǹg tī toh-téng, jiân-āu khui wiski kan-á ê chhó that-á.
Yi ba̍k-chiu bui-bui khòaⁿ i. Yi í-keng o̍h ē-hiáu kiaⁿ i hit-chióng khùi-kháu; he sī i tī seng-lí tiûⁿ phah-sǹg boeh "kái-koat tāi-chì" ê kháu-khì.
"M̄-koán sī siáng, kū-nî kôaⁿ-thiⁿ ji̍p piah-tû thau góa ê chiú, tī lán lī-khui chia ê sî, i khó-lêng ē koh lâi," i kè-sio̍k kóng, "m̄-koh, chit-pái i siōng hó sī mài."
Yi hō͘ chit-ê chân-jím ê pò-ho̍k cha̍k kah bē chhoán-khùi, ná khòaⁿ i chi̍t-phìⁿ chi̍t-phìⁿ kā io̍h-phìⁿ khǹg ji̍p kan-á, koh gia̍h koân khòaⁿ in iûⁿ khì.
"He sī siáⁿ-mi̍h?" yi mn̄g, "hō͘ i phòa-pēⁿ ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ?"
"Ná-ē ah!" I ká-ná chin tio̍h-bê, ná khòaⁿ he Bourbon piàn-chò tì-miā ê ím-liāu.
"Siōng-bô, bô lâng ū kái-io̍h: it-tàn lim lo̍h, it-chhè kiat-sok."
I kā kan-á that hó-sè, liân sè wiski poe-á tâng-chê khǹg tńg kè-á téng.
"It-chhè lóng chin hó, chin sūn-sī," i kóng, "taⁿ, Chha̍t-á Ss ah, tán lí thau ji̍p-lâi, hó-hó lim chi̍t-poe; góa bē tàng-sng hō͘ lí lim chit-poe."
Cha-bó͘ lâng ê bīn hoán-pe̍h. "M̄-thang án-ne chò, Judson," yi ná chhoán ná kóng, "che chiâⁿ khióng-pò͘ -- che sī bô͘-sat."
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1. 不准別人動伊 ê 酒
Tī 外面. 樹林倒 tī 十月清朗 ê 日光下: 秋天 ê 空氣充滿落葉崁著 ê 澹濕土地 ê 鑿鼻, 刺激氣味. Tī 內面, 一个人喙 gi-gi 無表情, ùi 浴間出來, 進入山頂營地 ê 原始起居室, 行向松蘿壁 ê 櫥仔.
這是伊專用 ê 壁櫥, 配一个弓仔鎖, 內面囥銃, 銃子, 魚釣仔和酒. 連 in 某 mā 無鎖匙, 因為 Judson Webb 愛家己 ê 家伙, 愛 kah 不准任何別人 ê 手 kā 摸一下.
壁櫥 ê 門保持開開: 伊一直 teh 款寒天 ê 物件, koh 幾分鐘伊 tō 欲駛車轉去文明社會.
等伊看著 chhāi 酒 ê 架仔 ê 時, 伊 ê 笑容誠歹看. 所有 ê 矸仔 lóng 無開, 干焦一矸 Bourbon 酒徙到頭前, 邊仔囥一个 wiski 玻璃杯. 矸仔內面 ê 酒無夠一半. 伊 ùi 架仔 kā 提 ê 時, in 某 ê 話 ùi 隔壁 ê 睏房傳過來. "一切 lóng 款好勢 ah, Judson," 她講. "Alec 敢猶未來切水紲提鎖匙?"
Alec 蹛 tī 路下一 mai ê 所在, tī in 無 tī chia ê 時, 替 in 管顧.
"伊 tī 湖邊搝船仔出水. 伊講, koh 半點鐘 tō 會轉來."
Mabel 扎她 ê 提箱來到房間. 毋過, 看著姻翁手 nih ê 矸仔 ê 時, 她驚一趒. "Judson!" 她喝聲, "你早起 10 點 tō teh 啉酒 ah, 敢 án-ne?"
"毋是 án-ne, 親愛 ê," 伊笑笑講, "我無 ùi 矸仔內提物件; 我干焦欲囥寡物件入去." 伊 kā 捏著 ê 手伸開, kā 兩片白藥片囥 tī 桌頂, 然後開 wiski 矸仔 ê chhó 窒仔.
她目睭 bui-bui 看伊. 她已經學會曉驚伊彼種氣口; 彼是伊 tī 生理場拍算欲 "解決代誌" ê 口氣.
"毋管是 siáng, 舊年寒天入壁櫥偷我 ê 酒, tī 咱離開 chia ê 時, 伊可能會 koh 來," 伊繼續講, "毋過, 這擺伊上好是莫."
她 hō͘ 這个殘忍 ê 報復嗾 kah 袂喘氣, ná 看伊一片一片 kā 藥片囥入矸仔, koh 攑懸看 in 溶去.
"彼是啥物?" 她問, "hō͘ 伊破病 ê 物件?"
"那會 ah!" 伊 ká-ná 真著迷, ná 看 he Bourbon 變做致命 ê 飲料.
"上無, 無人有解藥: 一旦啉落, 一切結束."
伊 kā 矸仔窒好勢, 連細 wiski 杯仔同齊囥轉架仔頂.
"一切 lóng 真好, 真順序," 伊講, "今, 賊仔 Ss ah, 等你偷入來, 好好啉一杯; 我袂凍霜 hō͘ 你啉這杯."
查某人 ê 面反白. "毋通 án-ne 做, Judson," 她 ná 喘 ná 講, "這誠恐怖 -- 這是謀殺."
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1.
Outside, the woods lay in clear October sunlight: the autumn air was full of the sharp, exciting smell of moist, leaf-covered earth. Inside, a man smiled grimly as he turned from the bathroom cabinet, entered the primitive living room of his mountain camp, and crossed to a closet set in the pine wall.
It was his special closet with a spring lock, and in it he kept guns, ammunition, fishing rods and liquor. Not even his wife was allowed to have a key, for Judson Webb loved his personal possessions and became furious if they were touched by any hand but his own.
The closet door stood open: he had been packing his things away for the winter, and in a few minutes he would be driving back to civilization.
As he looked at the shelf on which the liquor stood, his smile was not attractive. All the bottles were unopened, except one quart of Bourbon which was placed invitingly in front, a whiskey glass by its self. The bottle was less than half full. As he took it from the shelf, his wife spoke from the next bedroom. “Everything is packed, Judson,” she said. “Hasn’t Alec come to turn the water off and get the keys?”
Alec lived about a mile down the road and acted as a caretaker for the city folks when they were away.
“He’s down at the lake taking the boats out of the water. He said he’d be back in half an hour.”
Mabel came into the room carrying her suitcase. But she paused in surprise as she saw the bottle in her husband’s hand. “Judson!” she exclaimed, “You’re not taking a drink at ten o’clock in the morning, are you?”
“You’re wrong, my dear,” he chuckled, “I’m not taking anything out of this bottle; I’m only putting something into it.” His closed hand opened, and he put two tiny white tablets on the table as he started to uncork the whiskey.
Her eyes narrowed as she watched him. She had learned to dread that tone of his voice; it was the tone he used when he was planning to “put something over” in business.
“Whoever broke into my closet last winter and stole my liquor will probably try it again once we are out of here,” he went on, “only this time he’ll wish he hadn’t.”
She caught her breath at this cruel vindictiveness as one by one he dropped the tablets into the bottle and held it up to watch them dissolve.
“What are they?” she asked, “something to make him sick?”
“And how!” He seemed fascinated as he saw the Bourbon changing into a deadly drink.
“At least no one has found an antidote: once it’s down, it’s the end.”
He corked the bottle and set it back on the shelf alongside the little whiskey glass.
“Everything nice and handy,” he remarked, “now, Mr. Thief, when you break in, have a good drink; I won’t begrudge you this one.”
The woman’s face was pale. “Don’t do it, Judson,” she gasped, “it’s horrible – it’s murder.”
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