http://www.notdelisi.com/ingilizce-hikayeler-ve-turkceleri-3195/
http://www.webhatti.net/forum/konu/ingilizce-hikayeler-turkce-tercumeleriyle-birlikte.171470/
http://www.bilgilersitesi.com/tag/ingilizce-hikayeler-ve-turkceleri-cevirileri-tercumesiyle-birlikte
http://www.dersteknik.com/2011/05/turkce-tercumeleriyle-birlikte.html
ngilizce Hikayeler ve Trkeleri, evirileri, Tercmesiyle
Birlikte1Best Looking Girl in Town by Thyra Samter WinslowFrom the
time she was thirteen Rilla Mabry had been ashamed of her
appearance. It was then that she started growing taller than the
other girls. She was also awkward as well as tall and she was too
thin.By the time she was twenty she was fully convinced that her
appearance was really something terrible. All of the other girls
seemed little and cute and attractive. No matter what Rilla wore it
seemed wrong. She was much too tall to wear tailored clothes. And
thin dresses hung around her loosely.All of the girls and boys in
the group liked Rilla. She was a fine girl if you could forget the
way she looked. Even her hair was wrong-rather stringy- but she had
a pleasant and attractive face.In spite of her looks Rilla had a
boy friend. He was Patrick Redding and his father kept a grocery
store. Pat wasnt any great price but then you couldnt expect Rilla,
with her looks to do any better. People feel that Rilla ought to be
satisfied. Pat was a nice looking boy, and he shouldnt be
considered unimportant.Rilla didnt consider Pat unimportant. She
was grateful to him for being nice to her. She was as pleasant and
as friendly as she could be. As a matter of fact she liked Patrick
a lot. He was fun to be with. She would have been perfectly
satisfied except for the fact that she was in love with Shane
Tennant. All of which did her little good for Shane was the price
of the town. Shanes father was a banker and rich.His mother was the
social leader of the town. Shane was well much taller than Rilla-
and handsome besides.Pat went into the grocery business with her
father. Shane went into the bank. Thats the way sons do in small
towns unless they have definite ideals about law or one of the
other professions. Rilla didnt do anything. Her parents have just
enough money so she didnt have to work. She went to parties with
Patrick- and admired for Shane from a distance. The towns people
felt that she would marry with Pat, that hed take over his fathers
grocery store, and that theyd settle down.That might have happened
if it hadnt been for Leslie Durant. Leslie Durant was - and still
is-a well known magazine illustrator. And he came to Morrisville to
visit an aunt. And he was taken an anywhere to all of the parties ,
of course. He was the social lion of the season. He stayed in town
only for few days but that was long enough for a lot to happen.He
saw Rilla Mabry. Rilla was standing near the door and she was
looking at Shane Tennant. She never knew her face how much showed
what she was thinking about. No one else noticed- but Durant being
knew, understood the situation. He saw Rilla standing not quite
straight because she didnt feel quite as tall that way, in a badly
fitted dress and her hair not quite smooth- and he saw Shane,
perfectly dressed, self confident, good looking. And then Pat came
to ask Rilla for the dance.On the second day of his visit Durant
made his remarkable statement. He told anyone who would listento
him that Rilla Mabry was by far the best looking girl in town. One
of the best looking girl hed ever seen.Rilla never had a compliment
about her looks before. She had always been shy, self conscious,
and often unhappy about her appearance. And now the first authority
in beauty who had ever been in town claimed that she was the
price.When Durant, himself told her what he thought of her she was
filled with confusion. She managed finally to thank him. And later,
very shyly , she went up to him.I do wish that you would tell me
how can look better, she said.Thats not really my particular kind
of work, he told her, but may be if we get together ..They got
together the next morning. Durant came to Rillas house. And with
Rillas mother acting as helper, they did things to Rilla and to
Rillas clothes. Durant made her stand up straight . and he
rearranged her hair. And he told her what was wrong with the
clothes she wore.That night there was a dance for Durant- his last
evening in town. And, as he had thought when he started things,
Rilla was, for the first time in her life, the center of attention.
Toward the end of the evening Durant had the satisfaction of seeing
Shane Tennant dancing very attentively with Rilla, Shane Tenant
whom Rilla had looked at with longing eyes and who had paid any
attention to her.Durant went back to his home and his work in New
York and forgot about the whole thing. Years passed. And then, just
the other day, this happened:Durant was lunching alone at a
restaurant when an attractive, tall woman, past her first youth,
came up to him. You dont remember me ? she said.Durant didnt
remember her. I am Rilla tenant I was Rilla Mabry when you knew me.
You came to my home town and and rather made my life over. Remember
now ?Of course I do said Durant. I remember very well. It was my
one attempt at changing the destiny of another person. You did a
wonderful job. said Rilla. There was a strange note in her voice
which he didnt understand.You married the boy you were in love
with. I see. His name was Tannent wasnt it ?Why, yes said Rilla.
But how did you remember the name ? And how did you know I was in
love with him?I am good at remembering names. And I saw you looking
at him. Simplicity itself! And to think that I was the cause!Yes
you were said Rilla. It was very funny when you look back on it.
There I was going with Patrick Redding, and in love with Shane, and
terribly unhappy and awkward. And you came down and said I was a
beauty- so automatically I became a beauty. And the boys all wanted
to go out with me. And I married Shane.Wonderful said Durant. And
he smiled happily. How are you getting along , now ? That is the
difficult part. said Rilla. You shouldnt have asked. Shane and I
got married. And it didnt get along very well though I was awfully
happy in the beginning. The Tennant lost all of their money in a
bank failure- and my family had its money in the Tennant bank by
that time, so our money went, too. Then Shane fell in love with a
chorus girl. I got a divorce of course. Ive been teaching in a
girls school for the past three years. Thats too bad! said Durant.
But maybe that was better than marrying that other boy whom you
didnt love. May be, said Rilla. You can never tell. Love goes
Patrick Redding took his fathers grocery store and married the
cutest girl in town. They have three children and are very happy.
And, oh , yes he became quite ambitious and started a chain of
grocery store. Now he is the richest and most important man in
town
Kasabadaki En Gzel Kz by Thyra Samter WinslowOn yandan beri
Rilla Mabry grnnden utanyordu. Bu yatan sonra dier kzlardan daha
uzun olmaya balad. Ayn zamanda beceriksiz, ok ince ve olduka
uzundu.Yirmi yana geldiinde grnnn korkun olduuna tamamen ikna
olmutu. Dier kzlarn hepsi ksa, sevimli ve ekiciydi. Rilla ne giyse,
kt grnyordu. ok uzun olduundan hazr elbiseler tam anlamyla zerinde
asl ekilde duruyordu.Gruptaki btn kzlar ve erkekler Rillay
seviyordu. yi bir kzd,eer grnne kulak asmazsanz. ok ince olduu iin
sa bile kt grnyordu, fakat ok ho ve ekici bir yz vard.Grnne ramen
Rillann bir erkek arkada vard. O Patrick Reddingti ve babasnn bir
bakkal vard. Pat fazla etmezdi, fakat baklaryla Rilladan da fazla
birey bekleyemezdiniz. nsanlar Rillann tatmin olmas gerektiini
dnrlerdi. Pat iyi grnl bir ocuktu ve nemsiz olduu
dnlmemeliydi.Rilla Patin nemsiz olduunu dnmyordu. Kendisine iyi
davrand iin o da ona kar sayglyd. Elinden geldiince ona ho ve
arkadaa davranyordu. Aslnda Pati ok seviyordu. Onunla birlikte
olmak elenceliydi. Shane Tannenta ak olmasayd ok memnun olabilirdi.
Bunun faydas yoktu zira Shane kasabann gzdesiydi. Shanein babas
bankacyd ve zengindi.Annesi kasabann sosyal lideriydi. Buna
ilaveten Shane Rilladan daha uzun ve stelik yakklyd da.Pat babasyla
beraber bakkal iine girdi. Shane bankaya girdi. Eer Hukuk veya dier
meslekler hakknda idealleri yoksa erkek ocuklarn kasabada ba vurduu
yol buydu. Rilla birey yapmad. Onun anne ve babasnn yeterince paras
vard ve o almak zorunda deildi. Patrickle beraber partilere gitti
ve Shanee uzaktan hayranlk duydu. Kasaba halk onun Pat ile
evleneceini, babasnn bakkaln devralacan ve kasabaya yerleeceklerini
zannediyordu.Eer Leslie Durant olmasayd bu beklentiler
gerekleebilirdi. Leslie Durant gemite ve halen tannm birgazete
ressamyd. Halasn ziyaret iin Morisvilleye geldi ve tabiki
partilerin olduu her yere ***rld. Sezonun en sosyal insanyd.
Kasabada yalnzca bir ka gn kalmasna ramen bu sre birok eyin
gereklemesi iin yeterliydiRilla Mabryi grd. Rilla kapnn yannda
duruyor ve Shane Tennanta bakyordu. Ne dndn yznn ne kadar
gsterdiini hibir zaman bilmiyordu. Daha nce hikimse bunu
farketmemiti, ama yeni olduu iin Durant durumu anlamt. zerinde kt
duran bir elbise ve dzgn olmayan salaryla uzun grnmemek iin eik
duran Rillay grd. Sonra Shaneigrd, mkemmel giyinmi, kendine gvenir
ve yakkl. Ve sonra Pat Rillaya dans teklif etmek iin yanna
geldi.Ziyaretinin ikinci gnnde Durant dikkat ekici szlerini syledi.
Onu dinleyen herkese Rillann kasabadagrd en gzel kz olduunu syledi.
Hayatnda grd en gzel kzlardan biri diye syledi.Rilla daha nce
baklar hakknda hi iltifat almamt. Her zaman utanga, kendi halinde
ve genellikle grnnden mutsuzdu. Ve imdi gzellik konusunda ilk
otorite olan ve kasabaya ilk defa gelen birisi onun kasabann gzdesi
olduunu sylyordu.Durant onun hakknda ne dndn anlattnda kafas kart.
Sonunda teekkr etmeyi baarabildi. Ve daha sonra utanga bir ekilde
ona gitti.Bana nasl daha gzel grnebileceimi anlatabileceinizi
umuyorum dedi.Bu gerekten benim uzmanlk alanm deil dedi ona Fakat
belki beraber olabilirsekErtesi sabah bulutular.Durant Rillan evine
geldi. Rillann annesinin yardm ile Rilla ve elbiseleri zerinde
dzeltmeler yaptlar. Durant ona dik durmasn gsterdi. Ve salarn
tekrar dzenledi. Ve giydii elbiselerde neyin hatal olduunu anlatt.O
gece Durrant iin dans vard.Kasabadaki son gecesiydi. Ve Durant
dndklerini yapmaya balarken Rilla hayatnda ilk defa ilgi odayd.
Gecenin sonlarna doru Durant, Rillann zlemle bakt ve ona dikkat
bile etmeyen Shane Tannentn Rilla ile nazike dans ediini grmenin
mutluluunu yayordu.Durant Newyorka evine ve iine geri dnd ve hereyi
unuttu. Yllar geti. Ve evvelsign bu gerekleti:Durant bir restoranda
tek bana le yemei yerken uzun boylu, ekici ve orta yal bir hanm ona
doru gelip durdu. Beni hatrlamyorsun deil mi?dedi. Durant onu
hatrlamamt.Ben rilla Tannent. Siz beni tandnz zaman ben Rilla Mabry
idim. Sen benim kasabama geldin ve hayatm deitirdin. imdi hatrladn
m? Elbette hatrladm. dedi Durant. ok iyi hatrlyorum .Bu baka
birinin hayatn deitirmek iin gsterdiim bir abayd.ok iyi bir i
yaptndedi Rilla. Sesinde onun hi anlamad bir ton vard.Anladm, ak
olduun ocukla evlendin. Ad Tennantt deil mi? Evet dedi Rilla Fakat
onun adn nasl hatrlyorsunuz? Ve benim ona ak olduumu nasl
anladnz?simleri hatrlamakta ok iyiyimdir. Ve seni ona bakarken
grdm. ok kolayd. Benim sebep olduumu niye dndn?Evet sendin dedi
Rilla. Tekrar ana dnp baktnda ok komikti. Ben orada Pat Redding ile
kyordum ama Shane Tennanta aktm ve ok mutsuzdum. Sonra sen geldin
ve bana gzelsin dedin ve ben gzel oldum. Ve btn erkekler benimle
kmak istedi. Ve ben Shane ile evlendim.ok gzel dedi Durant ve mutlu
ekilde glmsedi. Ya imdi ne yapyorsun?Bu zor taraf dedi Rilla.
Sormamalydn.Shane ve ben evlendik fakat fazla uzun srmedi, ilk
zamanlar ok mutluydum. Bir bankann batmas ile Tennantlar btn
paralarn kaybettiler. Ve benim ailemde o zamanlar parasn Tennant
Bankasnda saklyordu, ve bizim paramzda utu. Sonra Shane bir koro
kzna ak oldu. Boandm, elbette. Son yldr kzlar okulunda retmenlik
yapyorum.Bu ok kt dedi Durant. Fakat belkide bu sevmediin dier
ocukla evlenmekten daha iyidir. Belki dedi Rilla. Hi bir zaman
anlatamassn. Ak geici Patrick Redding babasnn bakkaln ald ve
kasabann en irin kzyla evlendi. ocuklar var ve ok mutlular. ok
hrsland ve bir bakkallar zincirine sahip oldu. imdi kasabann en
zengin ve saygn adam.
ngilizce Hikayeler ve Trkeleri, evirileri, Tercmesiyle
Birlikte2SWALLOW AND SPARROWSwallow and sparrow became close
friends. They started walking around in together. Other swallows
said nothing at the beginning about this circumstance. However, the
things changed when the swallow started bringing the sparrow to its
nest. Nest of the swallow was under the eaves of an empty wooden
house and there were many nests of swallow next to it. Going there
from and thereto made swallows disturbed.Swallows held a meeting
and they appointed a spokesman. This spokesman told about this
circumstance with it in a suitable time and said it not to bring
this sparrow to its nest.Although the swallow showed some
obstinacy, it finally was obliged to obey by this requirement.One
night the sparrow suddenly wakened while it was sleeping. Tree on
which it built up its nest among its branches was swinging. It
flied away and had a look-see round the environment. Thereupon, it
recognised that it was an earthquake.Its close friend, the swallow,
came to its mind. It arrived at its nest and it weakened its close
friend. It said the swallow to weaken other swallows and the wooden
house may be fallen onto the ground. The swallow fulfilled what it
said. Once the last swallow flied away there, the wooden house was
fallen onto the ground. Later, swallows set up new nests under
eaves of another house and they did make no rejection for the
sparrow to go from and to the nest of the swallow for the reason
that they were owed their life to it.KIRLANGI LE SEREKrlang ile
sere dost olmular. Birlikte gezip dolamaya balamlar. Dier krlanglar
nceleri bu duruma ses karmamlar. Fakat krlang sereyi yuvasna
getirmeye balaynca iler deimi. Krlangcn yuvas ahap, bo bir evin
saak altndaym ve burada pek ok krlang yuvas varm. Serenin gelip
gitmesi, krlanglar rahatsz etmi.Krlanglar toplanp bir szc semiler.
Szc uygun bir zamanda krlangca konuyu am ve sereyi yuvasna
getirmemesini sylemi.Krlang biraz direttiyse de sonunda genel istee
boyun emek zorunda kalm. Bir gece sere yuvasnda uyurken aniden
uyanm. Dallar arasna yuva kurduu aa sallanyormu. Uup evreyi yle bir
kolaan etmi. O zaman bunun bir yer sarsnts olduunu anlam.Aklna
dostu krlang gelmi. Krlangcn yuvasna gitmi, onu uyandrm. Krlangca
dier krlanglar uyandrmasn, ahap evin sarsntdan yklabileceini
sylemi. Krlang syleneni yapm. Son krlang da kanca ahap ev yklm.
Daha sonra krlanglar baka bir evin saak altna yeni yuvalar yapmlar
ve yaamlarn borlu olduklar dost serenin krlangcn yuvasna gelip
gitmesine kar kmamlar.ngilizce Hikayeler ve Trkeleri, evirileri,
Tercmesiyle Birlikte3POOR AHMETAhmets mother and father were poor.
They were living in a small house with only one room. Since his
fathers lungs were ill, he compulsorily retired. Ahmet finished
primary school in difficulty by selling pretzel out of school time.
Later by the help of his neighbour he started to work in a
restaurant to do the washing up. Ahmet had taken the first step to
realize his dreams. He had met the wonderful meals which he
formerly used to see behind the restaurant windows. Now he had full
three courses a day. He had kept Uncle Veli, who was cooking in the
restaurant, observing. He would learn cooking from him and he would
be a cook himself, too but Ahmet would work not in somebody elses
restaurant but in his own one.Ahmet opened a restaurant in the city
centre after he had done his military service. Because his meals
were very delicious, the restaurant was full of customers. He was
earning well. Sometimes poor people used to come to the restaurant
and eat free meal.The waiters working in the restaurant and the
customers couldnt find any sense of Ahmets going and leaving two
plates of meals to an empty table during lunch times. How would
they know that they were Ahmets present to his mother and father,
whom the poverty had finished years ago? They also wouldnt be able
to hear that while putting the plates on the table Ahmet was
murmuring you arent going stay hungry any more from now on mummy
and daddy. Have your meals and get yourself very full.FAKR
AHMETAnnesi, babas fakirdi Ahmetin. Tek gz odal bir gecekonduda
oturuyorlard. Babasnn cierleri hasta olduundan zorunlu emekliye
ayrlmt. Ahmet okul olmad zamanlar simit satarak zorlukla ilkokulu
bitirdi. Daha sonra komusunun yardmyla bir lokantaya bulak olarak
girdi. Ahmet hayalini gerekletirmek iin ilk admn atmt. Eskiden
lokantalarn camlar arkasnda grd o gzelim yemeklere kavumutu. Artk
gnde n karn doyuyordu. Lokantada yemek piiren Veli dayy gz hapsine
almt. Ondan yemek yapmay renecek ve kendi de bir a olacakt ama
Ahmet bakasnn lokantasnda deil kendi lokantasnda grevini yerine
getirecekti.Ahmet askerden geldikten sonra ehrin mevki yerinde
lokanta at. Yapt yemekler ok lezzetli olduu iin lokanta mterilerle
dolup tayordu. Kazanc yerindeydi. Ara sra muhta insanlar lokantaya
gelirdi ve bedava yemek yerlerdi.Lokantada alan garsonlar ve
mteriler Ahmetin le vakitleri bo bir masaya giderek masann stne iki
tabak yemek brakmasna bir anlam veremezlerdi. Onlar ne bileceklerdi
yllar nce sefaletin bitirdii anne ve babasna Ahmetin armaann. Hem
onlar duyamazlard ki, tabaklar masann stne brakrken Ahmetin Bundan
sonra a kalmayacaksnz anneciim ve babacm. Aln yemeklerinizi karnnz
bir gzel doyurun diye mrldandn.ngilizce Hikayeler ve Trkeleri,
evirileri, Tercmesiyle Birlikte
4RABBITThere was a rabbit imagining itself like a lion. One day
this rabbit convened all rabbits in the vicinity on a high hill and
said them that it would frighten wolf, jackal, fox in the case they
would pass through the rough path in the downstairs. Rabbits
listened to it with no movement.Ten minutes later, a wolf was
passing through this path and it was suddenly surprised to see a
rabbit shouting and running toward itself, and this circumstance
caused it to frighten, and it urgently run away and disappeared
there.TAVANTavann biri kendini aslan zannedermi. Bir gn bu tavan
civardaki tavanlar ykseke bir tepeye toplayp aadaki patika yoldan
kurt, akal, tilki gemesi halinde korkutup karacan sylemi. Tavanlar,
onu sakin ekilde dinlemiler.On dakika sonra bir kurt geiyormu ki,
bir de ne grsn, barp ararak stne doludizgin gelen tavan grnce rkm
ve son srat oradan kam.
5FOXThere was a fox hanging wings on it and stealing hens from
poultry-houses upper sides of which were uncovered. Once
poultry-house owner recognised this circumstance, they covered
upper-sides of them.A fox never likes being hungry and remaining
with no remedy. It learnt soil digging work from one mole and
started entering into poultry-houses through underground.
Poultry-house owners thought that mole was stealing the hens and
always hoped to catch a mole.TLKTilkinin biri kanat takp st ak
kmeslerden tavuk alarm. Kmes sahipleri durumu fark edince kmeslerin
stn kapatmlar.
Tilki al ve aresizlii hi sevmezmi. Bir kstebekten toprak kazma
iini renip, yeraltndan kmeslere girmeye balam. Kmes sahipleri
tavuklar alann kstebek olduunu sanp, hep bir kstebek yakalamay
ummular.6JACKALOne of the jackals found a rifle while it was
walking in the jungle. It recognised therewere two cartridge in the
rifle, and it immediately started robberies. Animals inthe jungle,
properties of which were stolen and were under threat convened
andthey arrived before lion.The lion was informed about the
circumstance and this made it very angry and thereafter, it
followed the jackal around.The lion seeing the jackal to walk some
ahead has roared. The jackalpointed its gun at it when it saw that
the lion was approaching, and immediately before opening fire, the
lion frightened and started running away. Thereupon, the jackal run
after the lion, too. Just then, a river appeared in front of them.
Both of them swam and crossed the river.The lion run a while and
then suddenly stopped running. The jackal stopped as well. The lion
turned back and walked over the jackal.The jackal realized that wet
rifle did not open fire and thrown the rifle out and it crossed
back the river. The lion followed the jackal.The lion chased the
jackal for a long time in the jungle, and it hit a fiston it as
soon as caught it. The jackal escaped with great difficulty its
life from the lion. From then, no body has seen it in the
surrounding.AKALakaln biri ormanda gezerken bir tfek bulmu. Bakm
tfekte iki fiek var, hemen soygunlara balam. Mal alnan, tehdit
edilen orman hayvanlar toplanp aslann huzuruna kmlar. Durumu renen
aslan ok kzm, akaln peine dm.akal ilerde giderken gren aslan
kkremi. akal aslann geldiini grnce tfeini dorultmu, tam ate
edecekken aslan korkmu, kamaya balam. akal da aslan kovalam.
Derken, nlerine bir rmak km. Ikisi de yzerek karya gemi. Aslan
biraz daha komu, sonra aniden duruvermi. akal da durmu. Aslan geri
dnp akaln stne yrm.
akal slanan tfein ate etmediini grnce tfei atp rmaktan karya
gemi. Aslan da peinden gelmi. Aslan akal ormanda uzun sre kovalam,
yetitii yerde vurmu. akal gbela cann kurtarm. Bir daha onu oralarda
gren olmam.7THE OCTOPUSOur dear world; which is turning around
silently somewhere in the universe, which is full of mysteries,
secrets and a lot of unknown. The living creatures, which you have
allowed to live on you, survive and take shelter for ten thousands
of years, existing maybe only on you with everything of them. The
idealists with their genuine talent of thought, with their power of
imagination; who are possible to appear always and everywhere with
their stubbornness and by leaving the normality of the life, which
they have to live with pleasure, desire; and by getting a little
over the normality to know an unknown, to help the solutions of
problems and assimilating some kinds of efforts, searches for the
benefit of that normalitists who they left behind.Although a young
octopus travelled a lot of places on the blue sea, the things he
saw werent strange to him; he was indifferent to the things he saw
as if he had seen them before and the motivating passion occurring
in his thought, made him decide to reach the source, the spring of
the river when he first realized it, which was flowing into the
sea.The young octopus started to move forward slowly. He could
always have the chance to watch closely the trees, the grass, the
flowers, the birds and the large and small living creatures by the
river because he was taking pains to swim on the surface. As the
days passed one after the other, the broadness of the river started
to become narrow, the water started to flow a little more wildly
and the slope started to increase. Since the young octopus was
swimming towards the stream, he realized that he started to be some
more compelled every passing day. If he didnt suffer the difficulty
and leave himself, he would be able to return to the sea. However,
this was a matter that he wouldnt be able to do. Now that he was an
idealist and he had come till here for the sake of an idea,
returning back could never be possible.When the young octopus
arrived at the side of the snowy mountain, which was difficult to
see from faraway, a waterfall; whose water was falling from quite
high, appeared. He had to cross this waterfall and go on his way,
but how? A few attempts he made showed that it was impossible for
now. Anyway he was tired. He had come till here without stopping,
and by exerting himself to the utmost for days. He thought I should
relax for a while, gain my energy; when I believe that I can cross
this waterfall, I will come and cross it and go on my way. I will
take one of the paths I saw yesterday while I was coming, I will
look for a place where I will be able to pass my days in peace. Let
the waterfall wait for now.The young octopus returned back and took
one of the paths. He reached a lake in the end by saying this or
that way. The young octopus life in the lake lasted quite long.
Actually time wasnt very important for an idealist. Let the time
pass. What was important was to be able to use the time skillfully.
You would always improve and show progress in point of thought. You
already had this idealism from birth. The conditions would force
you to this whether you wanted or didnt. When you started to
support an idea, namely when you became an idealist, you would
think carefully of your past and you would realize and be surprised
that even how the unhappy, pessimistic, desperate days, which you
dont want to remember now, had educated you, and had made you
experienced.Several years passed and the young octopus had grown up
and had become a mature octopus by the passing years. He always had
good relationships with the living creatures in and around the
lake; he had had quite a lot of accumulation of knowledge by adding
his observations on the things they told. Everything was very well;
perhaps it would be much better if the peole hadnt pitched a camp
near the lake. As soon as the octopus saw the people, he had
listened to his common sense saying be careful, he had withdrawn to
his cave at the bottom of the lake. He was passing his days in his
cave; he was sometimes touring at the depth of the lake. On some
days he saw a few boats on the lake but he couldnt do anything more
than watching the peoples in the boats rowing from the depth of the
lake while swimming.One day, while a boat was going near to the
middle of the lake, it suddenly got dark. A heavy rain started. The
wind blowing gradually harder was building big waves on the lake.
The efforts of the people on the boat who were trying to escape
from the storm were useless. They werent able to prevent their boat
from capsizing and sinking. The octopus had felt the storm in
advanced; he had taken the risk to be seen by the people on the
boat and he had come a few metres close to the boat. He had covered
two people, who were flopping about when the boat sank, with his
strong arms, had come to the surface to prevent them drowning and
started to swim quickly towards the shore. After leaving the
unconscious people to a safe place, the octopus withdrew to his
cave in the depth of the lake.On the following ten days after this
event, the octopus, who couldnt see any boats on the surface of the
lake, came to the surface because he thought that the people might
have gone and he looked at the shore, where the camp was, from far
away. The first thing that called his attention was the huge, iron
boats. The people had also built wooden sheds near the tents, where
the camp was pitched. There were lots of people on the shore. He
started to swim towards the branch, which let the superfluous water
of the lake float into the river. He was planning to come out of
the lake going without making the people realize. However, when he
reached the exit, he realized with sadness that there were barbed
wires around, which were preventing him going. He was afraid of
making a mistake. He could pull the wires to pieces, throw away and
go on his way. There were the possibilities of getting injured and
being undersized. The waterfall on the river was already a big
problem on his way. It wouldnt be proper to be powerless after
crossing the waterfall.On the following days the surface of the
lake suddenly got into action. The ships that the people made by
putting together the pieces, which they brought till the lake shore
by lorries, started to move constantly. The divers started dive
from the ships and examine the bottom of the lake. The harpoons
that were in the divers hands would direct to the octopus as soon
as it was seen. There was a huge octopus with eight arms, each of
whose length was nearly five metres, and the one who would kill
this octopus would be rewarded. It was necessary to think now. This
octopus, who was wanted to be killed, saved certainly two peoples
lives in a stormy weather. They had seen the octopus before they
fainted and they informed the others too, there was even a reward.
It is necessary to consider this situation as a labyrinth without
an exit.The octopus had understood that it was impossible to live
in the lake now. Although all his goodwill, the people wouldnt let
him search some more in this lake. It was also unnecessary to live
more in this lake. The things he learnt were enough and more than
enough. The octopus got out of his cave with rancor. He came with a
terrible speed out to the water surface just opposite the ships
being anchored in front of the camp. He was puffing up and up and
was causing artificial waves on the lake as he was saying you have
been looking for me for days, here I ** and Im not afraid of you.
He suddenly directed to his left. He entered the branch by pulling
the barbed wires at the exit of the lake to pieces under the amazed
looks of the people on the shore and he reached the river after a
while. He came before the waterfall by withstanding easily to the
rivers stream and he went up by holding his both arms out and by
holding of the rocks there.On the following days the octopus
continued the intensive efforts to reach the source of the river.
He was passing in difficulty through the gorges at the sides of the
mountain where the source existed and he was moving forward step by
step at the places where the depth didnt let him swim. The rain
falling on the sides of the mountains was turning into snow because
of the weathers getting gradually cold and trembling in the ice
cold water under the snow was teaching him how difficult the life
was in the mountains. When he started to think that it was
impossible to go more forward, he found the source of the river.
The source was coming out of rocks, it was coming out of a place
like a cave and it was appearing on the earth.The octopus
summarized the topic: Now that the source had been here. It comes
out to the earth from that narrow place, it is fed by the rain and
snow water, it goes down till the waterfall by gathering some of
the little rivers water. After passing the waterfall, the water
gathering a lot of branches from both sides gradually grows and it
reaches the sea, where I was born, as a river and integrates with
the sea. And the lake, where I lived for a long while, was nothing
more than a drift of water, which let its superfluous water flow
into the river by means of a branch.On his way back, while coming
closer to the waterfall, the octopus started to think. He wondered
if the people would wait for him there. It was a fifty fifty
possibility. Namely, theyd either wait or wouldnt wait. It wouldnt
be definite. The octopus wasnt absolutely frightened. Anyway, fear
was the last think to be considered by an idealist in such a
situation. There was no reason to be frightened. After the octopus
evaluated the situation, considered what he would do after what
might happen, he went down the waterfall. He went past the branch,
which was connecting the lake to the river, by swimming bravely on
the water.The octopus reached the sea a few days later. He had set
off years ago for the sake of an ideal when he was a young octopus;
after years, he had turned back as a mature octopus. However, the
ideal still wasnt an ideal. An idealist should teach the others the
things he learnt and should acquaint them too. As well as you
couldnt say you have enough knowledge for yourself so you wouldnt
need to learn more, you couldnt also say you were more
knowledgeable than the others; let the others not learn the things
I knew. After relaxing for a while, the octopus wanted to start his
attempts. He would teach the others the things he learnt and he
would acquaint them too. Until there would be no other knowledge in
his mind what he knew but the others didnt
Written by: Serdar YILDIRIM AHTAPOTGizem dolu, sr dolu, pek ok
bilinmezliklerle dolu kainatn bilmem nerelerinde sessizce dnp
durmakta olan sevgili dnyamz. zerinde yaamalarna, hayat bulmalarna,
barnmalarna olanak tandn on binlerce yldan beri her eyi ile belki
de sadece sende var olan canl varlklar. zgn dnme yetenekleriyle,
hayal gleriyle, inatlklaryla her zaman, her yerde ortaya kabilen ve
bir bilinmezi bilmek iin, problemlerin zmne yardmc olmak iin evkle,
istekle; kendilerinin yaamalar lazm gelen hayatn normalitesinden
arnarak, normalitenin bir para stne karak ve o geride braktklar
normalitecilerin yararna bir takm abalar, araylar iine giren
idealistler.Denizin engin maviliklerinde aylardr pek ok yeri gezip
dolamasna karn grdkleri ona hi de yabanc gelmeyen, o grdklerine
daha nceden biliyormuasna ilgisiz ve bu denize sularn aktan rma ilk
fark ettiinde dncesinde oluan tutkunun harekete geirdii, rman kna,
kaynana ulamaya karar verdirttii bir gen ahtapot.Gen ahtapot rmakta
ar ar ilerlemeye balad. Daima yzeyde bulunmaya zen gsterdii iin,
rmak kenarnda bulunan aalar, otlar, iekleri, kular ve kkl, bykl
canl yaratklar yakndan incelemek olanan buluyordu. Gnler birbiri
ardna geip gittike, rman genilii daralmaya, sular daha bir cokun
akmaya ve meyil artmaya balad. Gen ahtapot, akntya kar yzd iin, her
geen gn biraz daha fazla zorlanmaya baladn fark etti. Hani skntya
katlanamayp kendini brakverse hi yorulmadan denize geri
dnebilecekti. Fakat, bu onun yapamayaca bir iti. Mademki bir
idealistti ve bir idea uruna buralara kadar gelmiti, kesinlikle
geriye dn sz konusu olamazd.Gen ahtapot ok uzaklarda zorlukla fark
edilen karl dan yamalarna ulatnda nne olduka yksekten sularn dkld
bir alayan kt. Bu alayan ap yoluna devam etmesi gerekirdi, ama
nasl? Yapt bir iki deneme bu iin imdilik olanaksz olduunu gsterdi.
Zaten yorgundu.Gnlerdir dur durak bilmeden,gcnn snrlarn sonuna
kadar zorlayarak buralara kadar gelmiti. Bir zaman iin dinlenmeli,
gcm toplamal, bu alayan amay baarabileceime inandm an gelip alayan
geer yoluma devam ederim, diye dnd. Dn gelirken grdm kollardan
birine sapar, orada gnlerimi sakin geirebileceim bir yer ararm.
alayan imdilik bekleyedursun. Gen ahtapot geriye dnp, rman
kollarndan birine girdi.Yok uras, yok buras derken,sonunda bir gle
vard. Gen ahtapotun gldeki sakin yaants olduka uzun srd. Gerekte
bir idealist iin zamann fazla bir nemi yoktu. Zaman brak gesindi.
nemli olan geen zaman ustaca deerlendirebilmekti. Devaml olarak
fikir bakmndan bir byme, bir ilerleme iinde olacaktn. Bu
idealistilik zaten sende doutan vard. Sen istemesen de artlar seni
buna zorlard. Bir ideann peinden gitmeye baladn yani sen bir
idealist olduun zaman, dikkatli bir ekilde gemiini dnrdn ve imdi
anmsamak istemediin o mutsuz, o karamsar, o kederli gnlerinin bile
seni nasl eitmi olduunu, deneyim sahibi yaptn fark eder de aar
kalrdn.Aradan yllar gemi,geen yllarla birlikte gen ahtapot
bym,olgun bir ahtapot olmutu.Glde ve gln evresinde yaayan canl
varlklarla daima iyi ilikiler kurmu, onlarn anlattklarna kendi
gzlemlediklerini de ekleyerek epey bir bilgi birikimine sahip
olmutu. Her ey ok gzeldi, belki de ok daha gzel olacakt. Eer gl
kysna insanlar kamp kurmasalard. Ahtapot insanlar gl kysnda grr
grmez, igdsnden gelen dikkat et sesine kulak vermi, gln dibindeki
maarasna ekilmiti. Gnlerini maarasnda geiriyor, ara sra da, gln
derinliklerinde dolayordu. Baz gnler gl yzeyinde bir iki kayk
gryor, fakat kayklardaki insanlarn krek ekilerini gln
derinliklerinde yzerek seyretmekten baka hibir ey
yapmyordu.Gnlerden bir gn, bir kayk gln ortalarna yakn bir yerde
giderken ortalk kararverdi. iddetli bir yamur balad. Gittike daha
sert esmeye balayan rzgar glde byk dalgalar oluturuyordu. Kaykta
bulunan insanlarn yaklaan frtnadan kamak iin gsterdikleri abalar
bouna oldu. Kayklarnn alabora olarak batmasn bir trl
engelleyemediler. Ahtapot yaklaan frtnay nceden hissetmi, kaykta
bulunan insanlar tarafndan grlme tehlikesini gze alarak kayn birka
metre altna kadar sokulmutu. Kayk battnda dev dalgalar arasnda rpnp
duran iki insan gl kollaryla skca kavrayp, onlarn boulmalarna engel
olmak iin, yzeye kt ve sratle kyya doru yzmeye balad. Baygn
durumdaki iki insan kyda emin bir yere brakan ahtapot, gln
derinliklerindeki maarasna ekildi.Bu olay takiben geen on gn iinde
gl yzeyinde hi kayk gremeyen ahtapot insanlarn gitmi
olabileceklerini dnerek yzeye kp ok uzaklardan kampn bulunduu kyya
doru bakt. lk dikkatini eken ey, kydaki kocaman demir kayklar oldu.
nsanlar ayrca kampn bulunduu adrlarn yanna tahtadan barakalar
yapmlard. ok insan vard kyda. Gln fazla sularn rmaa aktan kola doru
yzmeye balad. Kydaki insanlara fark ettirmeden glden kp gitmeyi
planlyordu. Fakat ka vardnda etrafta gitmesini engelleyen dikenli
teller olduunu zlerek grd. Bir hata yapmaktan korkuyordu. Bu
dikenli telleri paralayp atar, yoluna devam edebilirdi. in iinde
yaralanmak,aptan dmek olasl da vard. Irmaktaki alayan zaten yolunun
stnde bir byk engeldi. alayann karsna ktnda gsz durumda bulunmak
yakk almazd.Sonraki gnlerde gl yzeyi birdenbire hareketlendi.
nsanlarn gl kysna kadar kamyonlarla getirdikleri paralar birbirine
monte ederek yaptklar gemiler vzr vzr gidip gelmeye balad.
Gemilerden dalglar gle girerek, gln dibini taramaya baladlar.
Dalglarn ellerindeki zpknlar grlr grlmez ahtapota yneltilecekti.
Glde her kolunun uzunluu be metreyi bulan sekiz kollu dev bir
ahtapot vard ve bu ahtapotu ldren dllendirilecekti. te burada biraz
dnmek gerekirdi. Katledilmek istenen bu ahtapot frtnal bir havada
iki insan mutlak bir lmden kurtarmt. Onlar baylmadan nce
kendilerini kurtaran grmler, tekileri ahtapotun varlndan haberdar
etmilerdi. tekiler tekilere, tekilerde tekilere durumu bildirmiler
ve son tekiler, ortaya bir dl bile koymutu. Bu durumu k olmayan bir
labirent biiminde alglamak gerekmektedir.Ahtapot artk glde
barnmasnn olanakszln anlamt. Tm iyi niyetine karn insanlar onun bu
glde biraz daha fazla aratrma yapmasna izin vermeyeceklerdi. Zaten
glde bir sre daha yaamak gereksizdi. rendikleri yeter de artard
bile. Ahtapot maarasndan hnla dar frlad. Korkun bir sratle kampn
nnde demirli bulunan gemilerin tam karsnda su yzeyine kt. Gnlerdir
aryordunuz ite buradaym ve sizden korkmuyorum der gibi kabardka
kabaryor, glde yapay dalgalarn olumasn salyordu. Aniden soluna doru
yneldi. Kydaki insanlarn hayret dolu baklar altnda gl kndaki
dikenli telleri parampara ederek kola girdi ve bir sre sonra rmaa
ulat. Irman akntlarna rahata kar koyarak alayann nne geldi ve iki
kolunu uzatarak oradaki kayalara tutunup yukarya kt.Daha sonraki
gnlerde ahtapot rman kaynana ulamak iin gsterdii youn abay devam
ettirdi. Kaynan bulunduu karl dan yamalarnda darack boazlardan
zorlukla geiyor, derinliin yzmesine olanak tanmad yerlerde de adm
adm ilerliyordu. Yamalarda yaan yamur havann giderek soumasyla
birlikte kara dnyor, yaan kar altnda buz gibi souk suda titremek
ona dalarda yaamn ne derece zorlu olduunu retiyordu. Ahtapot daha
ileriye gitmenin mmkn olmadn dnmeye balad bir srada rman kaynan
buldu. Kaynak, kayalarn arasndan, maara gibi bir yerden, yeryzne kp
douyordu.Ahtapot konuyu zetle toparlad: Demek kaynak burasym. Su bu
darack yerden yeryzne kyor, yaan kar ve yamur sularyla besleniyor,
evreden kimi dereciklerin sularn alarak alayana kadar iniyor.
alayan geildikten sonra sadan soldan pek ok kol alan su gittike
byyerek bir rmak halinde benim doduum denize varyor ve denizle
btnleiyor. Uzun bir sre iinde yaadm gl de fazla sularn rmaa bir kol
araclyla aktan byke bir su birikintisinden baka bir ey deilmi. Dn
yolunda, alayana yaklatka, ahtapotu bir dncedir ald. Acaba insanlar
onu oralarda bekleyebilirler miydi? Bu yzde elliye yzde
elliydi.Yani bekleyebilirlerdi de beklemeyebilirlerdi de. Onun oras
belli olmazd.Ahtapot, kesinlikle korkmuyordu. Zaten byle durumlarda
bir idealist iin korku en son akla getirilecek bir eydi. Korkmak
iin hibir neden yoktu. Ahtapot, yle bir durum deerlendirmesi
yaptktan, ne olursa ne ekilde hareket edeceini hesapladktan sonra,
alayandan aa indi. Sularn stnden, gsn gere gere yzerek, gln rmakla
balantsn salayan kolun yanndan geti, gitti.Ahtapot, birka gn sonra
denize vard. Yllar nce, gen bir ahtapotken, bir idea uruna yola km;
yllar sonra, byk, olgun bir ahtapot olarak ite geriye dnmt. Fakat,
idea, ideal deildi henz. Bir idealist, rendiklerini bakalarna da
reterek, onlar da bilgilendirmeliydi. Ben, bana yetecek kadar bilgi
sahibiyim fazlasn renmesem de olur diyemediin gibi, ben herkesten
ok daha fazla bilgiliyim varsn benim bildiklerimi bakalar
bilmeyiversin de diyemezdin. Ahtapot, ksa bir sre dinlendikten
sonra giriimlerine balamak istiyordu. rendiklerini bakalarna da
reterek onlar da bilgilendirecekti. Beyninde kendisinin bilip de
bakalarnn bilmedii tek bir bilgi kalmayana kadar
Yazan: Serdar Yldrm8ClockworkHoward BreslinIt was a small window
with narrow pieces of paper pasted across it to prevent its
breaking during the heavy air raids. In the small space at the
center that remained, a little man with eyeglasses was carefully
setting out his display of clocks and watches. He paid no attention
to many Londoners hurrying by to begin another day.When he finished
placing his merchandise, the little man came out of the shop and
stared in the window. He had placed the clocks and watches with
great care the clocks in a row at the back, and in front of them
lying flat, a semicircle of watches. All the clocks had their faces
neatly divided in the middle by hands that pointed to six oclock;
all the watches, thin or fat, had their hands pointing straight at
three oclock.Yes, said the jeweler with a satisfied look. Very
nice.About an hour later a passenger got out of the bus at the
corner. He was a tall man with a blonde mustache, and he wore a
heavy overcoat and black hat. He was slightly lame and carried a
cane. He smiled when the policeman at the corner said Good morning
to him. The lame mans name was Gebhardt, and the policemans
superior officers would have been very glad to know that.Gebhardt
walked slowly, leaning heavily on his cane. The meeting with the
policeman never failed to amuse him., and he smiled to himself at
the stupidity of the English. Gebhardt looked into the jewelry shop
window.There was no expression on his face as he looked from the
clocks that said six to the watches that said three. He had passed
the shop faithfully every day for two weeks, but had never gone in.
Gebhardt set his wristwatch and pushed open the door.A salesman was
talking to the jeweler at the far end of the counter, but they
turned as the door shut. The jeweler walked toward Gebhardt and
stared at him. Yes? asked the little man.My watch, said Gebhardt.
It seems to have stopped. An hour or so ago. He took off his watch
and laid it on the counter.The watchs hands indicated nine oclock.
I see, said the jeweler, Stopped.Gebhardt looked toward the
salesman but salesman was busy examining a catalogue. The jeweler
picked up the watch.Gebhardt said: And you might change the strap.
That one is about worn up.He leaned against the counter and waited.
Once he looked into the back room where the jeweler had taken his
watch. He could see the old man, bent over a desk, examining his
watch. Gebhardt lit a cigarette and waited.It was less then five
minutes when the little man came back. He held out the watch with
its new strap and Gebhardt put it on. You should be careful, said
the jeweler. That is a fine watch.Yes, I know, said Gebhardt
casually. And Im sure it will work perfectly now. He paid the
jeweler and left the shop.All the way back to his room Gebhardt was
conscious of the strap on his wrist, but he did not look at the
watch even once. After all, in his business you couldnt be too
careful.Once inside the small room where he had lived since he
first came to London, Gebhardt put aside all appearance of lameness
and moved about the room with quick sureness, locking the door,
pulling down the curtains. Finally, he lit the light over his desk
and took of his wristwatch.Working rapidly, he removed the straps
from both ends of the watch. Then with a knife he opened the end of
the straps and, finally, from one hand took out of a small piece of
very thin paper. He spread the paper out on his desk and with a
glass began to study the message, which was written in code.The
message was short and to the point. It read: Trucks from King
Charles Square will transport Regiment 55 tomorrow A.M. Act at
once.So, said Gebhardt softly. He burned the paper in the ashtray.
For a moment he sat thinking. He previously knew that a large
number of trucks in King Charles Square would be used to carry
soldiers from London to the coast. And somewhere along the route
trucks and soldiers would be blown to pieces with
explosives.Gebhardt drew his suitcase from under the bed and opened
it on the desk. From its nest of cotton he picked up one of the
bombs. It was wide and flat, quite different in form from the
usual, old-fashioned type of bomb. Attached with wire to the bottom
of an automobile engine the bomb was deadly when the motor
heated.He decided to take with him in a small package about
fourteen of the bombs. That was about all he could take care of in
two hours. He had detailed information on King Charles Square. By
midnight all the soldiers and mechanics were gone; at two oclock a
policeman looked in to check up. Gebhardt was very much pleased
with himself. Thanks to Britishs inefficiency, he would have the
place to himself between twelve oclock and two oclock.Thinking of
the importance of time suddenly reminded him, and he put a new
strap on his watch and then put the watch on his wrist then he sat
very still, looking into space, mentally checking every detail of
the plan.Gebhardt smiled. Of course! Outside the jeweler shop he
had set his watch back sixty-four minutes for the signal to the
jeweler. He smiled again as he now moved the minute hand of his
watch exactly sixty-for minutes ahead. Never forgetting these small
details made him a good secret agent, and he knew it.When the time
came, Gebhardt moved carefully through the darkness of the
blacked-out streets.In the alley behind King Charles Square he
stopped and looked at his watch. Twelve oclock exactly. Gebhardt
smiled. The whole thing was going like clockwork. He waited another
ten minutes just to be on the safe side.Gebhardt climbed a fence,
moved carefully along a narrow space between two buildings, and
came out in King Charles Square. He stood a moment, counting the
black forms of the trucks.Gebhardt moved over to the nearest truck.
He set down his package, took some wire and a wire cutter from a
pocket. He slid under the truck and felt along the bottom of the
engine. Lying flat on his back, working in the dark, he began to
wire the bomb to the exact place he wanted it.Somebody stepped on
his ankle.Pain shot up Gebhardts leg, and he bit his lip, not
breathing. No, he thought, there cant be anyone here. There is
never anyone at this hour. I have checked it many times. But that
weight kept pressing into his ankle.All right, mister, said a
voice. Come out of there.The wire cutter fell down from his
fingers. Hands grabbed at Gebhardts legs, pulled. In a panic, he
kicked himself loose, got up, and run wildly.A man shouted. Someone
blew a whistle. A form jumped from nowhere and knocked him to the
ground. Gebhardt drove his fist into a face, twice, pulled away
free, ran on. He ran into a wall, turned the wrong way. A
flashlight focused on him. He turned back but too late.There! Get
him!Gebhardt drew his revolver. As he ran, he heard them shout as
they came closer to him.
There was the noise of rapid gunfire behind him, and something
struck him in the back. No, thought Gebhardt, the plan was perfect.
There was a sharp pain. He said weakly: No. He was dead when the
soldiers reached him. He lay with his one arm stretched out in
front of him, his wristwatch showing the hourImagine the nerve of
the guy! said a young soldier. He walked in here as though we didnt
even exist. Thats a nice watch he has on. But it broke when he
fell.Its an hour fast, said a second soldier. How did that
happen?the little jeweler was even more surprised when he read the
newspaper report the next day about Gebhardt. I cant understand it,
he thought. The man must have been careless. Nothing went wrong on
my part. Why, I even set his watch correctly before I gave it back
to him.
TrkesiSaatiHoward Breslin
Ar hava bombardmannda krlmasn engellemek maksadyla, dar kat
paralar yaptrlm, kke bir vitrindi. Vitrinin ortasnda kalan kk
yerde, duvar ve kol saatlerini dikkatlice yerletiren ufak tefek,
gzlkl bir adam grnyordu. Yeni bir gne balama tela iindeki pek ok
Londralya fazla dikkat ettii sylenemezdi.Ufak boylu adam saatleri
yerletirmeyi bitirdikten sonra, dkkann dna kt ve pencereden ieriye
doru bakt. Kol ve duvar saatlerini gerekten byk bir zen gstererek
sralamt; arkada bir sra duvar saati ve onlarn hemen nnde bir sra
boyunca yarm daire halinde dmdz uzanan kol saatleri Btn duvar
saatlerinin akrep ve yelkovanlar dzgn bir ekilde saat alty; btn
ince ve daha kaln kol saatlerinin akrep ve yelkovanlar saat
gsterecek ekilde ayarlanmt.Evet dedi saati, houna gittiini belli
edecek bir bakla, ok gzel!Yaklak bir saat sonra, kede, otobsten bir
yolcu indi. Sar bykl, kaln bir palto ve siyah bir apka giyen,
uzunca bir adamd. Az da olsa topallyordu ve bir bastonu vard.
Kedeki polis kendisine Gnaydn deyince, hafife glmsedi. Topal adamn
ad Gebhardt idi ve polisin amirleri bunu renmekten ok mutlu
olacaklard.Gebhardt, bastonuna yaslanarak yavaa ilerledi. Polis ile
karlamak hi bir zaman onu neelendirmezdi. ngilizin aptallna
glmsedi. Saati dkkannn vitrininden ieriye doru bakt.Baklarn, saat
alty gsteren duvar saatlerinden, saat gsteren kol saatlerine doru
kaydrrken yznde hi bir ifade yoktu. ki haftadr her gn saat dkkannn
nnden dzenli bir ekilde geiyordu ama asla ieri girmemiti. Gebhardt
saatini kurdu ve kapdan ieri girdi.Tezgahn en sonunda saati ile bir
sat eleman konumaktayd. Kapnn kapanma sesi ile birlikte o tarafa
doru dndler. Saati Gebhardta doru yrd ve yzne bakt. Ufak adam
Buyrun! dedi.Gebhardt, Saatim dedi. Bir saat ya da daha ncesinde
durmu gibi grnyor. Saatini kararak tezgahn stne koydu.Gebhardtn
saati dokuzu gsteriyordu. Anlyorum, durmu dedi saati.Gebhardt sat
elemanna doru bakt ama adam bir katalou incelemekle meguld. Saati
saati ald.Gebhardt: Kay da deitirebilirsiniz. Bu artk iyice yprand
dedi.Tezgaha yasland ve beklemeye balad. Saatinin saatini ***rd
arka odaya doru bakt. Yal adam bir masann stne doru eilmi, saatini
incelerken grebiliyordu. Bir sigara yakt ve beklemeye devam
etti.Ufak adam be dakikadan daha ksa bir srede geri dnd. Yeni
kayyla birlikte onarlan saati geri verdi. Gebhardt saati koluna
takt. Saati:Dikkatli olmalsn. Bu gerekten gzel bir saat
dedi.Gebhardt rahata: Evet, biliyorum. Eminim artk tkr tkr alacak
dedi. Saatiye cretini dedi ve dkkandan ayrld.Odasna gidinceye
kadar, kolundaki yeni kayn farknda olmasna ramen bir kere bile
saatine bakmad. Sonuta, onun mesleinde gereinden fazla dikkatli
olamazdnz.Londraya ilk geldiinden bu yana kald kk odasna girer
girmez, topallamay brakt. Kapy kilitleyerek emin ve abuk admlarla
pencereye doru yrd ve perdeleri kapatt. alma masasndaki lambay yakt
ve kol saatini kard.Sratli alarak, saatin kayn iki taraftan birden
kard. Sonra bir bakla kaylarn dibini kesti. Kestii yerlerin
birinden, kk ve olduka ince bir kat paras kt. Kodlu bir dille yazlm
olan kk kad, masann stne yayd ve mercekle mesaj okumaya balad.Mesaj
ksa ve zlyd: Kamyonlar 55 nci Alay Kral Charles Meydanndan yarn
leden nce nakledecektir. Hemen harekete gein.Gebhardt, yleyse dedi
hafie. Kad kl tablasnda yakt. Bir sre ylece oturarak dnd. Daha
nceden, bir ok kamyonun Londrada, Kral Charles Meydanndan sahile
asker tayacan biliyordu. Yollar zerinde bir yerde kamyonlar ve
askerler patlayclarla havaya uurulacaklard.Yatan altndan antasn
kard ve masann stne at. antann pamuk yuvalarndan birinden, bir
bomba ald. Geni ve przsz, ekil olarak eski tiplerden tamamen
farklyd. Tel ile bir arabann motorunun altna balanyor ve motorun
snmas ile patlyordu.Bombalardan on drt tanesini, kk bir pakette
yanna almaya karar verdi. Bu miktar iki saat iinde ba edebilecei en
fazla bomba saysyd. Gece yarsna doru btn askerler ve tamirciler
gitmi, saat ikide de bir polis kontrole gelmiti. ngilizlerin verdii
bu bolua krediyordu. Gece on iki ile iki arasndaki sre ona
kalyordu.Zamann nemini dnrken birden saati aklna geldi. Saate yeni
bir kay takarak, saati koluna takt. Sonra, sakince oturdu ve gkyzn
seyrederken, zihninde yapt plann son detaylarn kontrol
ediyordu.Elbette! Saat dkkanna girmeden nce saatiye parola vermek
iin bir saat drt dakika geriye almt. Tekrar gld ve saatin yelkovann
atm drt dakika ileriye ald. Bu tr kk ayrntlar asla unutmay onu iyi
bir gizli ajan yapmt ve bunu gayet iyi biliyordu.Gebhardt, zaman
gelince, dikkatli bir ekilde karartlm sokaklarn loluunda ilerlemeye
balad.Kral Charles Meydannn arkasndaki dar sokakta durdu ve saatine
bakt. Saat tam olarak gece on ikiyi gsteriyordu. Glmsedi. Her ey
saat gibi iliyordu. Tam olarak gvende olabilmek iin on dakika daha
bekledi.Bir itin zerinden atlad. ki binann arasndaki dar yoldan
dikkatlice ilerleyerek, Kral Charles Meydanna kt. Kamyonlarn siyah
siletlerini sayarak, bir sre ayakta bekledi.En yakn kamyona doru
ilerledi. Paketi yere koydu ve bir para tel ve bir tel makas kard.
Kamyonun altna uzand ve motorun alt tarafna dokundu. Srt st dzgnce
yatarak, karanlkta, bombay uygun ekilde tel ile irtibatlamak
istedii yeri ayarlamaya alt.Birisi ayak bileinin zerine
bast.Gebhardt, ayanda byk bir ac hissetti. Nefes bile almadan,
dudaklarn srarak bekledi. Hayr; hayr; burada hi kimse olamaz diye
dnd. Bu saatlerde buralarda hi kimsecikler olmazd. Bir ok defa
kontrol etmiti ama ayn arlk bileinin zerinde durmaya devam
ediyordu.Pekala baym dedi bir ses; k oradan dar.Tel makas elinden
yere yuvarland. Ayaklarndan tutan eller onu dar ekti. Panik
halinde, adam tekmeleyip kurtuldu, ayaa kalkt ve hzla komaya
balad.Bir adam bard. Baka birisi slk ald. Bir yerlerden bir ey
atlad ve onu yere drecek iddette vurdu. Gebhardt bir yze bir, iki
yumruk sallad. Kurtulur kurtulmaz, komaya devam etti. Karsna bir
duvar kt. Yanl yolmu. Bir fener zerine odakland. Geriye dnd ama
artk ok geti.te, orada. Yakalayn!Gebhardt, tabancasn kard. Koarken
badklarn ve ok yaknna geldiklerini farkediyordu.Arkasnda mermi
sesleri vard. Srtndan bir ey ona vurdu. Olamaz diye geirdi iinden.
Plan mkemmeldi. Keskin bir ac duyuyordu. Zayf bir ses tonuyla Hayr
dedi. Askerler geldiinde oktan lmt. Bir kolu nde, yerde uzanm
yatyordu. Kolundaki saat zaman gsteriyordu.Gen bir asker: Adamn
cesaretini tahmin etsene. Bizim burada olmayacamz dnerek ieri girdi
herhalde. Kolundaki saat ok gzel ama dt zaman krlm dedi.Baka bir
asker:Bu saat, bir saat kadar ileri. Bu nasl olabilir ki? dedi.Kk
saati, ertesi gn gazeteden, Gebhardt ile ilgili haberleri okuduu
zaman ok ard:Anlayamyorum diye dnd.
Adam ok dikkatsiz davranm olmal. Ben hi bir hata yapmadm. Evet,
evet; hatta, geri vermeden nce saatini tam olarak ayarlamtm
bile9Decision
Roy HilligossEven after a year, Chad still called us Aunt Pat
and Uncle Bill. But we thought our job had become that of mother
and father until that letter arrived from the 6th Artillery
headquarters in North Africa in our mailbox in East Orange, New
Jersey.Chad had come to us as an English refugee. He was supposed
to stay until they had put Mr. Hitler in the bag, as he expressed
it, and he could go back to his adored father, Major Jollison of
the Royal Artillery. In other words, he had been sent to the United
States like many other English children to live with an American
family for the duration of the war, after which time he planned to
return home to London.But Major Jollison had been killed while
resisting a Nazi tank attack in the North African desert.Chad had
taken the news without the slightest show of emotion. Probably Pat
and I alone realized the sharp pain that must have torn through his
young heart when he learned that his father was dead. He was
English and his people were fighting a desperate battle, so he
could not let his own individual tragedy show.England meant much to
him, but when he had recovered a little from the shock he seemed
resigned to living with us and becoming an American. He had had no
one else but his father.
I shall try very hard, he told us seriously in that thin, rather
sharp voice of his, to be as you would want your own boy to be. I
shall get onto your American ways as quickly as I can and try to
make you quite proud of me.He smiled. I shall even admire your
Revolutionary patriots.So we could not help loving him, you see,
and hoping he really wanted to stay with us forever, even after the
war had ended.He did brilliantly, and an early problem the way the
other boys at school kidded him about his English accent and
manners had disappeared. Everyone in town knew how bravely his
father had died, and this gave Chad a certain romantic interest.In
fact everything had gone beautifully till that letter came from a
member of the 6th Artillery, Captain Burroughs. The 6th Artillery
had been Major Jollisons military unit.Pat held the letter out to
me one evening, the moment I came in the door. But she was too
upset emotionally to wait until I read it.He was terribly fond of
Chads father, Bill, she said. And hed like to offer Chad a place to
live with his mother in her home just outside London.I looked up
from letter. He says he recognizes the danger.But hes like all
Englishmen, I suppose, Pat said. Rain or shine, bombs or no bombs,
they think that England is the only place in the world to live. And
of course he thinks Chad will be company for his mother. Shes old
and alone. Oh, Bill, do you think hell go?I shook my head. I dont
know. But Ive been afraid he would some day.But he has no relatives
there. Surely hed rather be with us.Its like you said rain or
shine. And hes not really our boy, Pat; we just hope he would be,
and hes tried to pretend.She sighed. I know, I was only hoping, not
talking sense. Well she took my arm, lets go up to his room and
tell him.Chad was lying on his small stomach, reading, when we
entered his room. He got quickly to his feet and shook my hand he
always did that when I got home evenings. Howd the stock market go
today, Uncle Bill? He was picking up our ways fast.I handed him the
letter.I watched his blue eyes move quickly back and forth across
the page, and when they reached the bottom they stayed there. He
was thinking rapidly. Suddenly I knew hed made his decision because
his face lost all expression: a habit of his.Are you going dear?
Pat asked softly.He nodded. I must, Aunt Pat.Theyre raining bombs
on London, son, I said.I know, he said. Thats why Im going.I dont
understand, I said.I mean for a moment he paused, well, when your
countrys having its most difficult times, thats when it needs you
most.That sounded a bit too grown-up, too like something he had
read somewhere. I looked suspiciously at him, but his eyes met mine
bravely. All right, son, I said. Im sorry, but if you.Im sorry too,
he said quickly. Really, Uncle Bill. But I must go.Id better finish
getting dinner, Pat said in a queer voice, and left us.And I have
to wash, Chad said steadily.I was left, staring down at the letter
from Captain Burroughs, already missing these strange youngster as
if hed been all our own from the very start.We didnt talk much
about his going. But we might as well have discussed it constantly;
it certainly was with us every moment. From that first night, on
through the week following, there were few signs of cheerfulness in
our house.But the evening I came home with final details about his
trip to New York, where a friend of mine would take charge and get
him safely onto the boatwell, that about finished it. Chads quiet
unrevealing face didnt change a bit, but Pat looked at me as if I
would struck her. I knew how she felt.Late that night I woke up,
frightened, sure I had heard Chad crying in the next room. But it
was Pat.You are crying, darling?Of course, she said shakily. Oh,
Bill, it hurts to lose him.I held her close. I know so well, I
said. Hes like our own boy.And then so quickly, it was the day for
Chad to leave us. I had stayed home to drive him to the station,
but Pat wasnt going alone. She said she simply couldnt take it.The
three of us were standing in the doorway, just standing there with
little to say. Chad was wearing the same clothes he had come to
America in he had wanted to wear them the short coat, the small
cap, the wool stockings that left his knees bear. But when we had
first seen him on a dock in New York, he had been looking about him
defiantly, with his chin out, trying to hide his fears; now his
face was serious, his lower lip pulled slightly in.Ive been happy
here, he said.He was interrupted by the mailman, who handed a
letter to Pat. She passed it on to me.Goodbye, Chad, she said
weakly. Always remember that we.Wait, I broke in. This letters from
Captain Burroughs. But my enthusiasm was short lived. Its just a
little consolation, I said. He says we wont have to worry about
Chad. Mrs. Burroughs is being removed to Australia and Chad is
supposed to join her there. There wont be any bombs anywhere.Thats
something, Pat said.But Chad was suddenly all animation. Then I
dont have to go!Pat dropped to her knees and stared at him. You
dont have to go? Didnt you want to go?Why, no, Chad said. But she
was a very old lady and all alone in the bombings. I thought I
would be able to protect her. But now that shes been sent to
Australia.Why on earth didnt you tell us how you felt? I
demanded.He seemed a little embarrassed. I was afraid, he said,
that it might seem forward of me to think I could protect Mrs.
Burroughs. And I knew you wouldnt want a son who was forward.Pat
was half-laughing, half-crying, and hugging wildly. To cover my own
feelings I said with an imitation English accent, then youre quite
happy now, old boy?Quite happy?. He smiled up at me. Uncle Bill, I
feel like a million bucks!Chad Jollison American schoolboy, our
boy.
TrkesiKararRoy Hilligoss
Aradan bir yl gemesine ramen, Chad bizi, Pat teyze ve Bill amca
diye aryordu. Ama biz ona, ana baba gibi davranma ynnde kendimizi
sorumlu hissediyorduk. Taki, Kuzey Afrikadaki 6nc Topu Alayndan,
New Jerseynin, Dou Orange kasabasnda bulunan evimizin posta
kutusuna gelen mektubu okuyana kadar.Chad, bizim yanmza bir ngiliz
mlteci olarak gelmiti. Onun szyle ngilizlerin, Hitlerin iini
bitirecei ve ok sevdii babas, Kraliyet Topu Birliinden Binba
Jollisonun yanna geri dnecei zamana kadar kalmak zere gelmiti. Baka
bir deyile, dier bir ok ocuk gibi, o da Amerikaya sava sona
erinceye kadar bir Amerikan ailesinin yannda kalmas iin
gnderilmiti. Belli bir sre sonra da Londraya, memleketine geri
dnmeyi planlyordu.Ama Binba Jollison, Kuzey Afrika lnde, bir Nazi
Tank taarruzuna kar koyarken lmt.Chad babasnn lmn rendii zaman,
yznde en kk bir znt emaresi belirmedi. Ancak Pat ve ben, babasnn lm
haberini ald zaman gencecik kalbini yrtarcasna batan keskin bir ac
saplandn hissettik. Ama o bir ngiliz idi ve halk mitsiz bir savan
gbeinde mcadele veriyordu. yleyse, kendi kiisel zntlerini gstermeye
hakk yoktu.ngiltere, ona ok ey ifade ediyordu, ama oktan kendini
biraz kurtardktan sonra, kaderine boyun emi grnerek, bizimle
yaamaya ve bir Amerikan olmaya raz oldu. Babasndan baka hi kimsesi
de yoktu zaten.O ince ve nispeten keskin sesiyle, gayet ciddi bir
ekilde: Btn gcmle kendi olunuzun nasl olmasn istiyorsanz yle bir
ocuk olmaya alacam. Amerikan yaay tarzna, gelenek ve greneklerine,
yapabildiim kadar abuk ayak uydurarak, benimle gurur duymanz
salayacam dedi veglerek ekledi: Hatta sizin bamszlk sava
kahramanlarnza da hayran olacam.Byle bir ocuu sevmemek imkanszd.
Hatta onu o kadar ok seviyorduk ki, sava sona erdikten sonra da,
bizimle her zaman kalacan umuyorduk.ok abuk yaam koullarmza ayak
uydurdu ama ksa bir sre sonra karlatmz bir problem Okuldaki dier
ocuklarn, onun ngiliz aksanyla ve tarzyla alay etmeleri de ortadan
kalkt. ehirdeki herkes, babasnn ne kadar cesurca ldn biliyordu. Bu
da Chade bir sempati kazandryordu.6nc Topu Alayndan Yzba Burroughs
tarafndan gnderilen mektup bize ulaana kadar her ey gayet gzel
gidiyordu. 6 nc Topu Alay, Binba Jollisonun askeri birliiydi.Pat,
bir akam eve geldiimde, kapdan girer girmez, mektubu bana uzatt. O
kadar zgn ve duygu yklyd ki ben mektubu okuyuncaya kadar zor
sabretti.Chadin babasn ok severmi, Bill ve Chade Londrann biraz
dnda kendi annesinin evinde yaamay neriyor dedi.Mektuptan kafam
kaldrdm ve: Tehlikenin farknda olduunu sylyor dedim.Pat heyecanla:
Ama o da btn dier ngilizler gibi. Yamur veya gne; bomba olsun veya
olmasn; hepsi, ngilterenin dnya zerinde yaanabilecek tek yer
olduunu dnrler. Chadin annesine can yoldal yapacan sylyor. O yal ve
yalnz bir kadn Bill, sence gerekten de gider mi?Kafam salladm:
Bilmiyorum. Ama uzun zamandr bir gn gitmesinden korkuyordum
dedim.Ama orada hi akrabas yok. phesiz bizimle kalmay tercih eder
dedi Pat.Senin de dediin gibi yamur veya gne. Zaten o, bizim
ocuumuz da deil Pat. Biz sadece onun bizim olumuz olmasn istedik, o
da yle yapmaya alt, hepsi bu dedim.Pat derin bir i ekti: Biliyorum,
sadece yle olmasn umuyorum, duygusal konumak amacnda deilim. Yani
elimi tuttu ve Haydi, odasna gidip ona syleyelim dedi.Odaya
girdiimizde, Chad uzanm kitap okuyordu. Her akam eve geldiimde yapt
gibi, ayaa kalkt ve elimi skt. Bugn borsa nasl gitti? dye sordu.
Bizim yaammza abuk ayak uyduruyordu.Mektubu ona uzattm. Mavi
gzlerinin sayfann sana soluna sratle hareket ediini seyrettim.
Sayfann sonuna geldiinde gzleri orada kald. Hzl dnyordu. Birden,
kararn verdiini anladm. nk, yzndeki btn o ifade silinmiti. Bu, onun
bir alkanlyd.Gidiyor musun, hayatm? diye sordu Pat,
hafife.Onaylarcasna kafa sallad: Gitmeliyim, Pat teyze
dedi.Londrann stne yamur gibi bomba yadryorlar, evlat
dedim.Biliyorum, zaten bu yzden gidiyorum dedi.Anlamyorum
dedim.Sylemek istediim bir sre duraklad ve Yani, lkenizin en zor
zamanlarn yaad an, size en fazla ihtiya duyduu andr dedi.Bu szler
bir para, ok daha byk insanlarn syledii szler gibi grnd. Sanki bir
yerlerden okumutu. pheli bir ekilde ona baktm ama gzlerini cesurca
benimkilere dikti. Pekala, evlat dedim. zgnm, ama eer Ben de zgnm
dedi hemen. Gerekten, Bill Amca. Ama gitmek zorundaym.Ben akam
yemeini hazrlasam iyi olacak dedi Pat garip bir ses tonuyla ve
odadan ayrld.Ben de du almalym dedi Chad.Ben, Yzba Burroughsdan
gelen mektuba bakar halde kaldm. imdiden bu yabanc ocuu, sanki
doduundan beri bizimleymi gibi zlediimi hissettim.Gidii hakknda
fazla konumadk. Yine de srekli bu konu hakknda tarttk. nk bu konu
her an bizimle birlikteydi. Bu ilk geceden itibaren, geen bir hafta
boyunca evimizde ok az bir mutluluk havas vard.O akam eve, onun New
Yorka gidiiyle ilgili son detaylarla geldim. New Yorkta da bir
arkadam ona gz kulak olup, gvenle gemiye binmesini salayacakt. te o
anda, evde kalan son mutluluk klar da snd.Chad sakindi. Anlamsz yz
ifadesinde hi deiiklik olmad. Ama pat, sanki onu fena halde
hrpalamm gibi bakyordu bana. Neler hissettiini biliyordum.Gece ge
saatte, Chadin olduuna emin olduum bir alama sesiyle irkildim. Ama
alayan, Pat idi.Alyor musun, hayatm? diye sordum.Elbette dedi
titreyen sesiyle. Onu kaybetmek ok ac veriyor.Onu kucakladm ve: ok
iyi biliyorum dedim. Sanki bizim z olumuz gibi.Sonra ksa srede,
Chadin bizden ayrlaca gn geldi att. Ben, onu istasyona ***rmek iin
evde kalmtm ama Pat, buna kolayca katlanamayaca iin gelmeyeceini
syledi.mz de kapnn giriinde, birbirimizle fazla konumadan ayakta
duruyorduk. Chad, Amerikaya ilk geldii zaman giydii kyafetlerini
giymiti. Kendisi, onlar giymek istemiti; ksa bir palto, kk bir
apka, dizlerine kadar gelen yn oraplar Onu, New Yorkta limanda ilk
grdmzde, buraya geldiine hi memnun olmam gibi bakyordu. enesi
dardayd ve korkularn gizlemeye alyordu. imdi ise yznde ciddi bir
ifade vard. Alt duda biraz daha dierine yaknd.Burada ok mutluydum
dedi.Postac daha fazla konumasna engel oldu. Pata bir mektup uzatt.
Pat mektubu bana verdi. Chade dnerek:Gle gle, Chad. Her zaman
hatrla ki bizDur! diye araya girdim. Bu mektup Yzba Burroughsdan.
Ama heyecanm uzun srmedi: Yalnzca teselli etmek iin yazm. Chad iin
endielenmemizi istiyor. Bayan Burroughsun Avusturalyaya
gnderildiini ve Chadin de ona, orada katlacan, orada da hi bomba
olmayacan yazyor dedim.Bu da bir ey dedi Pat.Ama Chad birden, byk
bir cokuyla:O halde gitmeme gerek yok! dedi.Pat dizlerinin zerine
dt ve ona bakakald:Gitmek zorunda deil misin? Gitmek istemiyor
muydun? diye sordu.Neden? Tabi ki hayr dedi Chad. Ama o ok yal bir
kadnd ve bombalarn altnda yalnzd. Ben onu koruyabileceimi dnmtm.
Ama madem ki imdi o Avustralyaya gnderildiNeden daha nce neler
hissettiini bize sylemedin? diye ktm.Biraz utanm grnerek: Korktum
dedi. Bayan Burroughsu korumaya almam bir kstahlk olarak grlr ve
siz de kstah bir oul istemezsiniz diye korktum.Pat yar alar, yar
gler bir halde lgnca ona sarlyordu. Ben de duygularm gizlemeye
alarak, taklit ngiliz aksanyla: O halde imdi gerekten mutlusun,
ihtiyar ocuk dedim.ok mutlu glerek yzme bakt ve Bill Amca, kendimi
bulutlarn stnde hissediyorum dedi.
Chad Jollison: Amerikal renci, bizim olumuz10Detour to
Romance
Located in the checkroom in Union Station as I am, I see
everybody that comes up the stairs.Tony - who owned the magazine
stand to my left-, studied the laws of probability because he liked
to bet on the horse races. He claimed that he could calculate,
according to his system, that if I held my job one hundred and
twelve years more I would know everybody in the world by sight.And
I came to the theory that if you wait long enough in a big railroad
station like Union Station youll see everybody that travels.Ive
told my theory to lots of people but nobody ever did anything about
it except Harry. He came in a little over three years ago and
waited at the head of the stairs for the passenger from the 9:05
train.I remember seeing Harry that first evening. He wasnt much
more than a thin, anxious kid then. He was all dressed up and I
knew he was meeting his girl and that they would be married twenty
minutes after she arrived. There is no use in my trying to explain
how I knew all this, but after youve watched people waiting at the
head of the stairs for eighteen years as I have done, then it is
easy.Well, the passengers came up and I had to get busy. I didnt
look toward the stairs again until nearly time for the 9:18 and I
was very surprised to see that the young fellow was still there.She
didnt come on the 9:18 either, nor on the 9:40, and when the
passengers from 10:02 had all arrived and left, Harry was looking
pretty desperate. Pretty soon he came close to my window so I
called out and asked him what she looked like.You would have
thought that I had checked her among the packages in my checkroom
from the way he came over and half crawled through my window. Shes
small and dark, he says, and nineteen years old and very neat in
the way she walks. She has a face, he says, thinking a minute that
has lots of spirit. I mean she can get mad but she never stays
long. And her eyebrows come to a little point in the middle. Shes
got a brown fur, but may be she isnt wearing it.I couldnt remember
seeing anybody like that.He showed me the telegram hed received:
ARRIVE THURSDAY. MEET ME AT STATION. LOVE LOVE, LOVE. -MAY. It was
from Omaha, Nebraska. Well, I finally say, why dont you phone to
your home? She is probably called there if she got in ahead of you.
He gave me a seek look, Ive only been town two days. We were going
to meet and then drive down south where Ive got a job promised me.
She- she hasnt any address for me. He touched the telegram. I got
this general delivery.With that, he walked off to the head of
stairs to look over the people from the 11:22.When I came on duty
the next day he was still there and came over as soon as he saw me.
Did she work anywhere? I asked.He nodded. She was a typist. I
telegraphed her former boss. All they say is that she left her job
to get married. Well, that was how it began. Harry meet every train
the next three or four days. Of course the railroad line made a
routine checkup and the police look into the case. But nobody was
any real help. I could see that they all figured that May had
simply played a trick on him. But never believed that, somehow.One
day, after about two weeks, Harry and I were talking and I told him
about my theory. If youll just wait long enough, I say, youll see
her coming up those stairs some day. He turned and looked at stairs
as though he had never seen them before, while I went on explaining
about Tonys figures on the Laws of Probability. Next day when I
came to work Harry was behind the counter of Tonys magazine stand.
He looked at me rather sheepishly and says, Well, I had to get a
job somewhere, didnt I? So he began to work as a clerk for Tony. We
never spoke of May anymore and neither of us ever mentions my
theory. But I noticed that Harry always saw every person who comes
up to stairs.Toward the end of the year Tony was killed in some
argument over gambling, and Tonys widow left Harry incomplete
charge of the magazine stand. And when she got married again some
time later, Harry bought the stand from her.He borrowed money and
installed a soda fountain and pretty soon he had a very nice little
business.Then came yesterday. I heard a cry and a lot of things
falling. The cry was from Harry and the things falling were a lot f
dolls and the other things which he had upset while he was jumping
over the counter. He run across and grabbed a girl not ten feet
from my window. She was small and dark and her eyebrows came to a
little point in the middle.For a while they just hung there to each
other laughing and crying and saying things without meaning, It was
the bus station I meant- and hed kiss her speechless and tell her
the many things he had done to find her. What apparently happened
three years before was that May had come by bus, not by train, and
in her telegram she meant bus station , not railroad station . She
had waited at the bus station for days and had spent all her money
trying to find Harry. Finally she got a job typing. What? says
Harry. Have you been working in town? All the time? She nodded.
Well, Heavens didnt you come down here to the station? He pointed
across to his magazine stand. Ive been there all the time. I owned
it. Ive watched everybody that came up the stairs She began to look
a little pale. Pretty soon she looked over at the stairs and said
in a weak voice, I-I never came up the stairs before. You see, I
went out of town yesterday on a short business trip Oh Harry! Then
she threw her arms around his neck and really began to cry.After a
minute she backed away and pointed very stiffly toward the north
end of the station. Harry, for three years, three solid years, Ive
been right over there working right in this very station, typing,
in the office of the stationmaster.
The wonderful thing to me is how the Laws of Probability worked
so hard so long until they finally got May to walk up those stairs
of ours.Trkesi Dolambal Bir Ak MacareasUnion stasyonunda emanet
odasnda merdivenlerden yukar kan herkesi grebiliyorum.
Soldaki dergi bayisine sahip olan Tony, olaslk kanunlarna alt nk
at yar oynamay ok seviyordu. Yzoniki yl daha bu ii srdrrsem
dnyadaki herkesi simaen tanyabileceimi kendi sistemine gre
hesaplayabileceini iddia ediyordu.Bende, eer Union stasyonu gibi
byk bir tren istasyonunda yeterince uzun beklersem seyahat eden
herkesi grebileceim teorisine ulatm.Teorimi birok kiiye anlattm
fakat Harryden baka hikimse bu konuda birey yapmad. yldan az fazla
bir sre nce geldi ve 9:05 treninden gelen yolcular o merdivenlerin
banda bekledi.Harryi o akam ilk kez grm hatrlyorum. O zamanlar
zayf, endieli bir ocuktan baka birey deildi. yi giyinmiti ve kzn
beklediini ve kz geldikten yaklak yirmi dakika sonra
evleneceklerini biliyordum. Btn bunlar nasl bildiimi anlatmann bir
anlam yok, fakat benim gibi onsekiz yldr merdiven banda
bekleyenleri seyredince bu ok kolay.Yolcular geldi ve ben ok
meguldm. Merdivenlere doru saat 9:18e kadar bakmadm ve o gen
arkadan hala orada olduunu grnce ok ardm.Kz 9:18 treniyle de
gelmedi 9:40ta da gelmedi. 10:02 yolcularnn hepsi gelip
ayrldklarnda, Harry gerekten umutsuz grnyordu. Biraz sonra
penceremin yanna yaklat ve ona kzn neye benzediini sordum.Gelii ve
srnmesinden onu emanet odasnda gelen bagajlardan kontrol ettiimi
dnebilirdiniz, Kk ve esmer dedi. Ondokuz yanda ve etkileyici bir
yry var . Yz dedi bir dakika dnd olduka anlaml. Demek istediim
kzar, fakat uzun sre kzgn kalamaz ve kalar ortada kk bir nokta
oluturur. Kahverengi bir krk var fakat belkide onu giymemitir.
yle birini grdm hatrlayamadm.Bana ald telgraf gsterdi . PEREMBE
GN GELYORUM. BEN STASYONDA KARILA. SEVGLER, SEVGLER, SEVGLER.,-MAY.
Telgraf Omaha , Nebraskadan geliyordu.Sonunda Evini neden
aramyorsun dedim. Eer senden nce gelmise mutlaka oray aramtr.Bana
aptalmm gibi bakt Kasabaya geleli daha iki gn oldu. Buluup bana
teklif edilen i iin gneye arabayla gidecektik. Bana hibir adres
vermedi. Telgrafa dokundu. Bunu genel postadan aldm. Bunu dedikten
sonra merdivenlerin ucuna 11:22 trenindeki yolculara bakmaya
gitti.Bir sonraki gn mesaiye geldiimde o hala oradayd ve beni grr
grmez yanma geldi.Kz bir yerde alt m? diye sordum.Ban ne sallad.
Daktilocuydu. nceki patronuna tegraf yolladm. Btn bildikleri
evlenmek iin iten ayrldyd. te olay olay byle balamt. Harry sonraki
veya drt gn btn trenleri karlad. Elbette demiryollar rutin
kontroller yapt ve polis olay aratrd. Fakat hikimse gerek bir
yardmda bulunamad. Herkesin davrannn aka Mayin ona oyun yapt
eklinde olduunu grebiliyordum. Fakat naslsa buna hibir zaman
inanmadm.ki hafta geciktikten sonra bir gn, Harry ile konuuyorduk,
ve ben ona teorimden bahsettim. Eer yeteri kadar beklersen dedim,
birgn onun o merdivenlerden yukar ktn greceksin. Ben Tonynin olaslk
konular hakknda aklama yaparken, o arkasna dnd ve merdivenlere daha
nce onlar hi grmemi gibi bakt .Ertesi gn ie geldiimde Harry,
Tonnynin dergi bfesinin tezgahnn arkasndayd. Bana sklgan bir ekilde
bakt ve Bir yerde i bulmak zorundaydm, deil mi? dedi.Sonuta
tezgahtar olarak Tony iin almaya balad. May hakknda daha fazla hi
konumadk, teorimizden hi bahsetmedik. Fakat Harryin gelen her kiiyi
daima gzlediini farkettim.Senenin sonuna doru Harry bir kumar oyunu
yznden kan tartmada ldrld ve Tonnynin dul kalan ei bfenin tm
sorumluluunu Harry'e brakt. Bir sre sonra tekrar evlendiinde ise
Harry bfeyi ondan satn ald.Bor alarak bir soda tezgah kurdu ve ksa
bir sre sonra kk, gzel bir ie sahip odu.Sonra dn geceye geldik. Bir
lk ve bir ok eyin yere dtn duydum. lk Harryden ykseliyordu ve den
eyler de tezgahn zerinde zplarken yere drd bir ok oyuncak ve dier
eylerdi. Karya doru kotu ve penceremden metreden daha yaknda
bulunan bir kz elleriyle yakalad. Kz ufak tefekti ve kalar ortada
birleerek nokta oluturuyordu.Bir sre orada birbirilerine sarlm
olarak kaldlar, aladlar, gldler ve birbirilerine anlamsz eyler
sylediler. kasdettiim otobs durayd gibi kz birka kelime syledi.
Harry, kz birey syleden defalarca pt ve onu bulmak iin yapt birok
eyi anlatt. Belliki yl nce, May trenle deil otobsle gelmiti ve
telgrafnda bahsettii otobs durayd, demiryolu istasyonu deildi.
otobs duranda gnlerce beklemi ve btn parasn Harryi bulmak iin
harcamt. Sonuta daktilocu olarak bir i bulmutu.Ne ? dedi Harry. Btn
bu sre boyunca bu kasabada m alyordun ?Evet anlamnda ban
sallad.Aman Allahm, Hi aaya bu istasyona gelmedin mi? diyerek
kadaki dergi bfesini iaret etti. Btn bu zaman boyunca ben oradaym.
Oras benim. Merdivenlerden kan herkesi seyrettim. Kz hafife
solgunlamaya balad. Ksa bir sre sonra merdivenlere bakt ve O
merdivenlerden daha nce hi kmadm. Grdn gibi dn ksa bir i gezisi iin
kasaba dna kmtm. Oh,Harry ! Sonra kollarn Harrynin boynuna dolad ve
gerekten alamaya balad.Bir dakika sonra, biraz geriye ekildi ve
kaskat bir ekilde istasyonun kuzey ucunu gstererek; Harry, yldr,
uzun yldr ben tam oradaydm, ite bu istasyonda alyordum. stasyon
mdrnn ofisinde daktilocuydum.
Benim iin mkemmel olan Olaslk Kanununun byle zor almas ve ok
uzun bir sre sonra Mayi bize kavuturmasyd. ngilizce Hikayeler ve
Trkeleri, evirileri, Tercmesiyle Birlikte11John Rossiter's Wife
Charles G. NorrisThe most fascinating place in the United States
is Palm Beach and the most interesting spot in Palm Beach is
Whitneys. The name isnt Whitneys at all, but anyone who has ever
been to Palm Beach will know the establishment to which I
refer.Whitneys is a restaurant and a gambling place, and sooner or
later everybody who comes to Palm Beach visits Whitneys.There is no
restaurant or hotel in France, Italy, Germany, or Spain whose food
can compare with Whitneys. At Whitneys there are no menus; you
order what you wish from an endless variety of special foods,
anything from duck soup to birds tongues and the surprising fact is
that you get what you order. But on your first visit to Whitneys
you often pay little attention to what you eat, for very soon, as
the room commences to fill, you can hardly believe your eyes. At
every table you soon recognize someone who is either famous or
notorious.After lunch this brilliantly dressed group of persons
goes down to the gambling room. By two oclock this room is well
filled, by three it is crowded, and it remains so until early hours
of the morning. Its far more interesting and better conducted than
Monte Carlo. I was deeply impressed, and soon I welcomed an
opportunity to meet Mr. Whitney himself.We found him in a small,
businesslike office hardly large enough to hold the big
old-fashioned roll-top desk and a chair or two. Perhaps there was a
safe; I cant remember. The office was protected by some iron bars,
and there was a uniformed attendant at the door who admitted us
after Mr. Whitney had given the word he would see us.I found him a
man square of jaw, cold of eye, his face rather unexpressive much
what I expected.He runs his gambling place as a business and it is
a matter of pride with him that it is conducted in an efficient,
businesslike way. It is said that his profits are two million
dollars a season, and I doubt this just as one doubts the salaries
of motion picture stars.However the man had a strong personality.
He interested me. I liked him. I wanted to talk to him, but it was
difficult. He was not a very communicative person. Soon I asked him
how much he lost a season in the way of bad checks and bad debts.
He said approximately two hundred thousand dollars, which he didnt
seem to consider heavy. As he spoke of this a light came into his
eyes, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.I had a rather
interesting experience the other day, he said. I was sitting in my
office one morning when word was brought to me that a lady wanted
to see me; Mrs. John Rossiter, the man told me. I knew who John
Rossiter was, so I told him to show her in.Before she said a word
she began to cry, not bitterly; but tears came into her eyes and
began to run down her cheeks, and she kept wiping them away with
her handkerchief, trying all the time to control herself. I dont
like that sort of thing, you know, and I usually avoid it, but this
rather impressed me. I felt sorry for her before she opened her
mouth.Her husband had been gambling, she told me, and on Wednesday
the day before had lost thirty thousand dollars. Ive been
acquainted with John Rossiter off and on for five or six years.
Every year he has been coming down here, and Ive known him well
enough to say Hello, but not much more intimately than that. At any
rate, Ive always had a good feeling about Rossiter. He was a
clean-cut man, a good sport, well liked, belonged to a club, and
was rather popular everywhere. I had seen him year after year here,
but I hadnt an idea of how he played or what he won or lost.He had
an account with me and always paid very promptly at the end of the
month if there was any paying to be done.Mrs. Rossiter explained
that the great problem of her life had been her husbands gambling.
She had begged him to keep away from the stock market and from
cards, and hed promise her that hed stop, but then hed slip and get
caught again. The thirty thousand dollars he had lost on Wednesday
about cleaned him and his wife out. It meant oh, Ive forgotten what
she told me exactly: selling the home it was mortgaged already, she
said, taking the two girls out of the school, herself perhaps
having to find a position. It was a long story, I dont remember the
details, but I confess that I felt very sorry for her. Taking those
two girls out of school was what I believe impressed me, I dont
know why exactly. Well, at any rate, I told her that I didnt like
the idea of anybody coming here and losing everything. Sentiment,
if you like, but its good business at the same time. It doesnt help
an establishment like this to get a reputation that people can
loose everything they have here. The result of it all was that I
agreed to give her back the money which her husband had lost, but
on one condition, and I made that point very clear: John Rossiter
was never to enter my place again. I dont like that kind of a loser
around here. If he hasnt got the money, he shouldnt play. She
promised me with the tears running down her cheeks, and I gave her
the money, and she made me feel like a damn fool by kissing both my
hands and asking God to bless me all that foolishness that a
grateful woman feels she has to do when you do her a favor.
I didnt think anything more about the affair until the very next
afternoon when it was clearly brought back to my mind. My floor
manager came to me ant told me that John Rossiter has just come in,
and had gone to the gambling room, and was playing at one of the
tables. As a rule, I never mix in with what happens outside, but
this made me pretty mad, so I walked out there myself.I went
straight up to him and said: May I speak to you a minute? And when
we were off in a corner away from the crowd, I asked him what he
meant by coming into my place .I want to know what this means, I
demanded. Your wife came to see me yesterday morning and told me
about your troubles and about your losing thirty thousand dollars
here on Wednesday, and I gave her back the money youd lost on one
condition and that was that you were never to enter my door again.
Now, what do you mean by coming here?Rossiter looked at me for a
moment. Then he said:Why Mr. Whitney, there must be some mistake.
Im not married!
TrkesiJohn Rossiter'in Kars Charles G. NorrisAmerika Birleik
Devletlerinin en byleyici yeri Palm Sahili, Palm Sahilinin en
iligin kesi de Whitneyin Yeridir. Gerekteki ismi elbetteki bu deil
ama, Palm Sahiline gelen herkes kastettiim bu yeri bilir.Whitneyin
Yeri bir restoran, ayn zamanda da bir kumar merkezidir. Palm
Sahiline gelen herkes er ya da ge buray mutlaka ziyaret
eder.Fransa, talya, Almanya ve spanyadaki hi bir otel veya
restorann yapt yemekler Whitneyin Yerindekilerle boy lemez.
Whitneyin Yerinde men yoktur, siz sadece rdek orbasndan ku diline
kadar her ne istiyorsanz sipariini veriyorsunuz ve sipariiniz ksa
srede yerine getiriliyor. Ama Whitneyin Yerini ilk ziyaretinizde ne
ne yediinize fazla nem vermezsiniz. nk restoran dolmaya balaynca
gzlerinize inanamazsnz. Her masada ya bir nl ya da kt hretli birini
grebilirsiniz.le yemeinden sonra bu k giyimli insanlar aa kata
kumar odasna inerler. Saat iki gibi oda epeyce dolu bir hal alr.
Saat te iyice kalabalklar ve sabaha kadar bu kalabalk hi eksilmez.
Monte Carloya gre daha ilgi ekici ve daha iyi ynetilen bir yerdir.
Ben de bu zelliklerinden ok etkilendim ve ok gemeden restoran
sahibi Bay Whitney ile bizzat tanma frsat da buldum.Bay Whitneyi
iine byk bir antika yaz masas ve bir veya iki sandalye alabilecek
genilikteki kk bir ofiste bulduk. Odada tam olarak hatrlayamyorum
ama muhtemelen bir de elik kasa vard. Oda demir ubuklarla
korunuyordu ve kapda, Bay Whitneyin grmeyi kabul etmesi zerine bizi
ieri davet eden niformal bir grevli vard.Bay Whitney umduum gibi
birisiydi. Oval eneli, souk bakl ve nispeten anlamsz bir yz olan
bir adamd.Kumarhanesini bir iyeri edasyla ynetiyordu ve bu etkili
ve iyeri benzeri ynetim de onun iin bir gurur kaynayd. Sezon bana
karnn iki milyon dolar olduu syleniyordu ama nasl birisi Hollywood
artistlerinin maana inanmazsa ben de buna inanmyordum.Yine de adam
gl bir ahsiyete sahipti. Benim de ilgimi ekti, ondan holandm.
Onunla konumak istedim ama iletiim kurmak konusunda pek istekli
birisi deildi. Sonunda bir sezonda denmeyen ekler ve borlardan
dolay ne kadar kaybettiini sordum. Kendisi iin ok olmadn belli
edecek bir tavrla hemen hemen iki yz bin dolar kaybettiini syledi.
Bunu sylerken gzleri parlad ve dudaklarnda zayf bir gl
belirdi.nceki gn olduka ilgin bir deneyim yaadm dedi. Sa-bah
ofisimde otururken hizmetkar, bir bayann benimle grmek istediini,
isminin de Bayan John Rossiter olduunu syledi. John Rossiteri tandm
iin eiyle grmeyi kabul ettim.Bayan ieri girer girmez daha azn
amadan alamaya balad ama iddetli deil. Gzleri ya doldu ve
yanaklarndan szlmeye balad. Kendini kontrol etmeye alt. Gzlerinden
yanaklarna szlen yalar mendiliyle silmeye alyordu. Bu tr olaylardan
aslnda pek holanmam, hatta kanrm ama bu durum beni olduka etkiledi.
Daha azndan bir tek sz kmamasna ramen onun iin znt duydum.Kocasnn
bir gn nce aramba gn kumarda otuz bin dolar kaybettiini syledi. Bay
Rossiteri be, alt yldr tanyorum. Her yl belli zamanlarda buraya
gelir ve ben karlatmzda bir merhaba diyecek kadar onu tanrdm ama
daha fazla bir samimiyetimiz yoktu. Yine de onun hakkndaki grlerim
hep olumlu ynde olmutu. Bakml, atletik, iyi bir kulube mensup,
nispeten her yerde popler bir adamd. Onu yllardr burada grmeme
ramen nasl kumar oynad veya ne kazanp, ne kaybettii hakknda hi bir
fikrim ve bilgim yoktu.Benim yerimde bir hesab vard ve ay sonunda,
eer denmesi gereken borcu varsa vakit geirmeden derdi.Bayan
Rossiter, hayatndaki