Fox translated (O Henry's article) in the morning.

In the hot noon, Corario lay there like a lazy beauty in a heavily guarded boudoir. The town is located on a piece of alluvial soil land by the sea. It looks like a little pearl on the jade belt. Behind him is the Cordillera Mountains, which walk with the coast, high above, and the peaks are abrupt, as if to be reversed. The sea spreads out ahead, like a smiling jailer, but it is more upright than those old and gloomy mountains. The waves rustled on the smooth beach; Parrots scream in orange trees and silk cotton trees; Those palm trees, like a clumsy chorus, foolishly danced with soft compound leaves when they entered the arena at the suggestion of the opera heroine.

Suddenly, the town was full of excitement. A local boy ran along the grassy street and shouted, "Call Mr. Goodwin. He has a telegram! "

The news spread quickly. Corario's people rarely receive telegrams. A dozen nosy voices interrupted the call for Mr. Goodwin. Those who want to send a message as soon as possible are crowded with the main street parallel to the beach. group

Women of different colors, such as brown and dark brown, gathered at the street corner and lamented, "telegram from Mr. Goodwin!" " An officer loyal to the ruling party-Nkanazian? Colonel Rios suspected that Goodwin was in love with the opposition party and proudly said "Aha", so he recorded the important day when Mr. Goodwin received the telegram in his secret memo book as the fact of future accusations.

In this noise, a man walked to the door of a cabin and looked out. There is a sign above the door that says "Keo Clancy"-the name of a tunnel that doesn't seem to belong to this tropical land. The man by the door is called Billy? Keogh, a man who seeks wealth and progress everywhere, is a modern vagrant on the Latin American continent. Lithographic photos and photographs were the weapons used by Keogh Clancy to attack various coasts. There are two big windows outside the shop, which are filled with samples of their art and skills.

Keogh stood at the door. Seeing that the street was full of rare vitality and noise, his eye-catching and humorous face showed a look of great interest. When he found out what had happened, he put a hand to his mouth and shouted, "Hey, Frank!" " Shouting so loudly, all the locals stopped talking.

Fifty yards away, on the other side of the street, near the sea, is the residence of the American consul. Hearing the cry, Goodwin hurried out of the door of the building. Him and Willard? Consul Gedi has been smoking on the back porch of the consulate, which is considered to be Corali.

The coolest place in Austria.

"Hurry up," Keogh shouted. "The town is in trouble, because a telegram belongs to you. You have to be careful with this kind of thing, man. It's no use playing with people's feelings like this. One day, you will become a conservative radical. At that time, the whole country will fall into the great pain of a revolution. "

Goodwin crossed the street and came to the boy who delivered the letter. The woman with big eyes looked at him shyly and enviously, because this type of man attracted them. He is tall, blond and wearing white linen and moccasins. He is relaxed and full of energy. He is elegant and slightly rough, but there is no lack of affection in his eyes. When the telegram was delivered, the messenger took the reward and left, and people returned to the nearby shade where curiosity had driven them away just now-women went back to the mud stove under the orange tree to bake food, or combed their long straight hair endlessly; The men continued to smoke and chat in the bar.

Goodwin sat on Keogh's doorstep reading the telegram. This is a man named Bob? It was written by an American in engelhardt. He lives 80 miles away in the inland city of san mateo. Engelhardt is a gold digger, an enthusiastic revolutionary and a "good man". He is a man full of wit and imagination, and his telegram can prove it. His task is to send a secret message to his friend in Corario. This information can't be written in Spanish or English because Andrea's political eyes are very active. The ruling party and the opposition party are always vigilant. However, engelhardt is a diplomat. There is only one password he can use, which can ensure safety, and that is to use slang as a very effective password. The information presented to Goodwin has never been deciphered, and it slipped through the fingers of excellent officials:

His coffee grounds, together with all the cash he gambled and the bundle of thin gauze he never forgot, escaped through the long-eared rabbit route yesterday. That cash has six figures. Our people are intact, but we need tickets. This ticket is for you. The big guy and the tulle went to the seaside. You know what to do.

Strange as the news is, Goodwin doesn't find it mysterious. He was the most successful and clever American in the advance team that invaded Anqiu. As long as his power reaches the enviable peak, he will give full play to his foresight and reasoning ability. He has regarded political intrigue as a commercial problem. He is smart and can exert some influence on top decision makers; Everything goes well with him, and he can gain the respect of a small official. There will always be a revolutionary party; He is always allied with it. Because followers of the new regime will be rewarded for their services. Now there is a liberal party trying to overthrow President Milla Flower. If the wheel of revolution can run successfully, Goodwin may get the best coffee plantation among the 30,000 Manzanas in mainland China. When President Milla Flower was in office recently, there were several things that puzzled the shrewd Goodwin: the government was going to collapse, not because of the revolution. At the moment, engelhardt's telegram came, which proved his wisdom.

The linguists in Anchouli read the telegram in vain with their little knowledge of Spanish and basic English. They never understood it, but in Goodwin's view, it conveyed an exciting news: the President of the Republic of China fled the capital with all his treasures. In addition, with him, there is a lovely female adventurer and opera singer Isabel? Gilbert; Her troupe was received by the President in san mateo last month, and its hospitality standard was enough to satisfy royal tourists. The "long-eared hare route" mentioned in the telegram only refers to the mule-back traffic artery between Corario and the capital. The "cash" has "six figures", which exposes the difference of national finance. Another thing that makes people believe is that new political parties need "votes". Unless the new government fulfills its promise that the stolen goods will be enjoyed by the winners, its position is really in danger. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to "get the big guys" and regain military and government expenditures.

Goodwin gave the information to Keogh.

"Look, Billy," he said. "Bob? It was written by engelhardt. Can you handle the password? "

Keogh sat on the other side of the door, studying the message carefully.

"This is not a password," he finally said. "This is what people call literature, a language that people always talk about orally, and imaginative writers have never introduced it to them. It was the magazine that invented this thing, but as soon as I got there,

Don't understand promise? Director Green agreed to put a postmark on it. Now, it is no longer a literary thing, but just a language. Dictionaries have to be called dialects. Now the western part of the United States has realized this, and I believe that in the near future, there will be a nation that speaks this dialect. "

"You're talking about linguistics, Billy," said Goodwin. "Do you understand the meaning of that message?"

"Of course," the philosopher replied like a goddess of fate. "As long as one has to learn, any language will become simple. I even read a retreat order written in ancient Chinese, demanding to retreat at the muzzle of a breech gun. The literary gadget I am holding now refers to a game called Morning Fox. Frank, did you play this game when you were a child? "

"I must have played," Goodwin said with a smile. "Hand in hand, form a circle, and then-"

"Not you," Keogh interrupted. "You confuse an interesting sports game with' around the rose tree' in your mind. The spirit of' Morning Fox' is not allowed to hold hands. I'll tell you how to play. The president and his game partners are observing the chance of escape in san mateo. They shout, "Good morning, fox!" " I'm standing here with you, and we say, "Goose and Goose!" They said, "How many miles is it to London?" We said,' Only a few miles, if your legs are long enough. "How much will it cost," they said, "more than you can catch." Then, the game began. "

"I understand what this means," Goodwin said. "Let the geese and geese slip away from us, that won't do; Their feathers are too expensive. Our people are ready to take over the government at once; However, due to financial emptiness, our time in power may be as short as a novice riding on the back of an untamed wild horse. We must be smart and pay attention to every place along the coast in case they run out of the country. "

"It takes five days to go from san mateo to the seaside by mule back road." Keogh said, "We have plenty of time to build this post. There are only three places by the sea where they can sail-here, Zoritas and Alazan. We just need to grasp these points. It's as simple as playing chess-play some tricks and die in three steps. Oh, fool, fool, big fool, where are you going? Fortunately, with this engraved telegram, the money of this ignorant country will be preserved by an honest political party that has been trying to overthrow it. "

Keogh described the situation correctly. The road from the capital to the seaside is always a difficult road. Cold, hot, wet, dry, all the way down, skinny. The path first climbs the steep mountain peak, like a rotten rope wrapped around the breathless cliff top, and then, like a snake, climbs over a large forest full of dangerous insects and animals that can't see the sun. After going down the mountain, turn to a fork in the road, the middle one ends in Alazan, the other branches go to Corario, and the third one goes directly to Zoritas. Between the sea and the foot of the mountain is an alluvial coast five miles wide, which belongs to the tropics.

The place where plants grow most intensively and abundantly. The jungle is full of open spaces, with bananas, sugar cane and orange trees. The rest is wild vegetation, inhabited by monkeys, tapirs, jaguars, alligators, large reptiles and insects. Where there is no way out, it is difficult for the serpent to pass through the intricate vines and creeping plants. It is difficult for things without wings to cross those mangrove swamps with hidden dangers. Therefore, the fugitives can only hope to reach the seaside through one of the above-mentioned roads.

"Keep it a secret, Billy," Goodwin suggested. "We don't want the ruling party to know that the president is on the run. I guess Bob's information is still exclusive in Beijing. If not, he will not keep this information confidential; Besides, everyone will hear the news. I'm going to find Dr. Zavala now, and then I'll send a man to that path to cut off the telegraph communication line. "

When Goodwin stood up, Keogh threw his hat on the grass by the door and sighed heavily.

"What's the matter, Billy?" Goodwin stopped and asked. "This is the first time I have heard you sigh."

"This is the last time," Keogh said. "Because of that sad rumor, I will submit myself to a commendable but uncomfortable honest life. What is the iron plate compared with the probability of geese living a carnival life (if you want to compare)? It's not that I want to be president, Frank-he carries too many votes for me-but that I always feel my conscience is blaming me because I was so absorbed in taking pictures that I didn't win the prize in the end. Frank, have you seen the bag of gauze packed by adults? "

"Isabel? Gilbert? " Goodwin smiled. "No, I have never seen it. However, from what I have heard, I guess she will do whatever it takes to achieve her goal. Don't be unrealistic, Billy. Sometimes, I really worry that your ancestors are of Irish descent. "

"I have never seen her," Keogh continued, "but people say that she makes all women in myths, sculptures and novels feel inferior. They said that if she only looked at a man, he would turn into a monkey and climb the tree to pick coconuts for her. Think about the president. God knows he took thousands of dollars in one hand, grabbed this temptress-like bitch in the other, rode on the back of a poor mule, and flew down the mountain with birds and flowers! Where's Billy Keo is here, because he is kind and wants to live an honest life, but he is sent to do unprofitable cheating activities and slander people who abscond with money! This is the injustice of heaven. "

"Cheer up," Goodwin said. "You are a very poor wise man who is jealous of a big fool. Maybe that charming Gilbert will fall in love with you and your lithography, waiting for us to turn her Royal Guard into a pauper.

After that. "

"Then she may be worse," Keogh thought, "but she won't fall in love with me. What she should love is not lithography, but the audience in the box in the theater. She is an excellent actress, and the president is very lucky. Now I hear Clancy swearing in the dark room because he does everything he can. " Keogh rushed to the back of the photo studio and blew a cheerful whistle involuntarily, which was inconsistent with his exclamation about whether the fugitive president had good luck.

Goodwin turned and walked into a narrow alley connected to the street at right angles.

These remote alleys are covered with tall and dense weeds. Police machetes can show their talents here. Slate sidewalk, the width of which is only a little wider than the protruding part of the wall frame of the house, extends forward along the footing of the uniform small house. These streets gradually disappeared on the outskirts of the village, filled with huts made of palm leaves by Caribbean and poorer indigenous people, as well as shabby huts of blacks from Jamaica and the West Indies. Above the house with a red tile roof, several buildings have sprung up-the prison bell tower, the "foreigner" hotel, and Bernard, the agent of Wei Rui Wei You Fruit Company? Brownigan's shops and houses, a ruined cathedral that Columbus once visited. The tallest in the middle is the "Home of Sea Eels"-the "White House" where President Anqiuli spent his summer vacation. On the street parallel to the beach-Broadway in Corrario-there are bigger shops, government warehouses and post offices, barracks, hotels and markets.

Goodwin passed Bernard halfway? Browningen Building. This is a two-story modern wooden building. On the ground floor is Brownigan's shop, and upstairs is the living room. A large pergola corridor encircles the house along the outer wall for half a circle. A lively and lovely girl, dressed in a neat and elegant white dress, leans against the railing and smiles at Goodwin below. She is not as black as many Andalusians of noble birth; She is like a tropical moonlight, shining.

"Good evening, Miss Paula," Goodwin took off his hat and said with a smile. Whether speaking to women or men, his performance is almost the same. Everyone in Corario is happy to accept the greetings from this American tycoon.

"Is there any news, Mr. Goodwin? Please don't refuse. Isn't this exciting enough? I feel like Marianne on her moated farm-or grange? -spicy enough. "

"No, I don't think there is anything worth talking about," said Goodwin, with a naughty look in his eyes. "In addition to the old gerdi grumpy day by day. If nothing can calm him down, I'll have to quit smoking in his back porch. However, there is no cooler place than this. "

"He's not irritable," Paula said, looking a little impulsive. "When he-"

But she suddenly stopped and walked back heavily; Because her mother is mixed-race, and her Spanish ancestry makes Paula feel a little shy, which just adds a little embellishment to her exposed nature.