《妈妈的银行账户》

凯瑟琳·福布斯（Kathryn Forbes，1908～1966），美国作家，原名凯瑟琳·安德森·麦克莱恩（Kathryn Anderson McLean）。在《妈妈的银行账户》中，福布斯根据自己的家族经历，以一个孩子的视角，讲述了17个温馨感人的小故事，回顾了上世纪初一个普通的挪威家庭移居美国旧金山的生活历程。该书1943年出版，很快就荣登当年《纽约时报》畅销书榜，并被列为全美中小学推荐读物。60多年来，该书不断再版，并被改编成电影、电视剧和百老汇歌剧等。

下文选自全书的第一章——《妈妈和她的银行账户》。

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It was a wonderful thing， that bank account of Mama's. We were so proud of it. It gave us a warm， secure feeling. No one else we knew had money in a big bank downtown.

I remember when the Jensens down the street were put out1） because they couldn't pay the rent. We children watched the big strange men carry out the furniture， took furtive2） notice of poor Mrs. Jensen's shamed tears， and I was choked3） with sudden fear. This， then， happened to people who do not have the stack4） of coins marked "Landlord". Might this， could this， violence happen to us？

I clutched5） Christine's hand. "We have a bank account，" she reassured6） me calmly， and suddenly I could breathe again.

When Nels graduated from grammar school he wanted to go on to high. "Is good，" Mama said， and Papa nodded approvingly7）.

"It will cost a little money，" Nels said.

Eagerly we brought up the chairs and gathered around the table. I took down the gaily8） painted box that Aunt Singred had sent us from Norway one Christmas and laid it carefully in front of Mama.

This was the "Little Bank". Not to be confused， you understand， with the big bank downtown. The "Little Bank" was used for sudden emergencies， such as the time Christine broke her arm and had to be taken to the doctor， or when Dagmar got croup9） and Papa had to go to the drugstore for medicine.

Nels had it all written out neatly. So much for carfare， for clothes， for notebooks and supplies. Mama looked at the figures for a long time. Then she counted the money in the "Little Bank". There was not enough.

She pursed10） her lips. "We do not，" she reminded us gently， "want to have to go to the bank."

We all shook our heads.

"I will work at Dillon's grocery after school，" Nels volunteered.

Mama gave him a bright smile and laboriously11） wrote down a sum and added and subtracted it. Papa did it in his head. Papa was very quick on arithmetic. "Is not enough，" he said. Then he took his pipe out of his mouth and looked at it a long time. "I give up tobacco，" he said suddenly.

Mama reached across the table and touched Papa's sleeve， but she didn't say anything. Just wrote down another figure.

"I will mind the Elvington children every Friday night，" I said. "Christine can help me."