暑期打工的我碰上了一位奇怪的雇主。我為她除草、擦地板，報(bào)酬豐厚；她教我開(kāi)車(chē)、做書(shū)評(píng)，甚至推薦我去圖書(shū)館工作，分文不收。我和她非親非故，她對(duì)我毫無(wú)所求，但是她的恩惠卻讓我一生銘記。

“I dont believe in power mowers1，” she said， “and on Saturdays you will work inside.”

Sitting in the library of a three story Victorian home with warm spring sunlight dancing among the books nestled2 in the floor to ceiling shelves， Miss Isabel began to explain my duties as her summer hired helper.

“I pay $1.25 per hour. Tuesdays we mow； Thursday is flower garden day， and Saturdays will be house cleaning.”

I really didnt hear much past the $1.25. As in 1958， I was only 14 and that meant much money. I had come to this chance by way of an older neighborhood friend who had worked for Miss Isabel for the past 3 years and was leaving for Notre Dame in mid summer and so had referred3 me.

“Can you start next Saturday 8 a.m. exactly？” she asked.

“Sure！” I said， “I mean， yes， Maam.” There was something about Miss Isabel that made you say so.

Saturday arrived， and at 8 a.m. exactly I rang the doorbell. Miss Isabel opened the door. “Good morning，” she said， “follow me. I had some hot tea ready， but we wont have time， now. Were running behind.”

Running behind？ How could we be running behind？ She had said 8 and it was 8 exactly. As Miss Isabel led me down the hall to the kitchen， she imparted4 to me lesson one. “I have found，” she said， “that when you arrive at work 15 to 20 minutes early， it allows you to settle in.” It wasnt a scold5， but I felt somehow I had cheated her out of something important， and I wasnt sure what.

Miss Isabel had already laid out several pieces of white cotton cloth and a bottle of furniture polish6. I had observed that the old Victorian house had highly polished ebony7 hardwood floors. I was about to find out how they became so highly polished.

On hands and knees I began to attend to those boards， with which over three years of Saturdays I would form a love-hate relationship. After a while Miss Isabel suddenly asked， “Whats your favorite flavor8 of soda pop？”

“Orange， I suppose，” I replied， not sure what this was about.

“Im going to Ralph Browns market，” she said， “and Ill be coming back in half an hour. Will you please come outside and swing open the garage doors？”

As I opened the doors， I saw， resting comfortably in the huge three-car garage， a brand-new four door sea green Plymouth， about made in 1947， and even though 11 years old， looking brand new. I would soon come to learn how this car stayed so spotless9. Miss Isabel drove away， and true to her word， returned in 30 minutes. I had gone back to finishing up the floors， so she tooted10 for me to come outside. “Please carry in the groceries and put them on the sideboard，” she said， and off she went to the house. As I sat the groceries on the sideboard， she instructed me to dust down the Plymouth and put it away. Here lay a problem—I couldnt drive.

“Miss Isabel，” I said， “I dont know how to drive. Im only fourteen.”

“Fine，” she said， “Ill pull her in and you dust her down and close the doors.” Off she went with me trailing behind. For a woman in her late 60s and barely 5 feet tall， she was surprisingly quick， and I had to hurry up to keep up. When I returned to the kitchen， Miss Isabel had prepared two ice cream sodas with orange soda pop. “Bring these along to the library，” she ordered.

As I carried these drinks along behind， she suggested that I arrive 30 minutes early on Tuesday for my driving lesson. I was very surprised. Driving lesson？ I couldnt believe that I was going to get to drive. Lesson two.

Miss Isabel took a seat in one of her chairs. For the first time， I took a moment to observe11 her. It was hard to believe that someone so tiny could be so impressive. I was used to football and basketball coaches， big men， and even my dad was six feet four. But no one I had ever met was in such control of her surroundings.

“Jerry， do you read？” she asked.

“Yes， I can read really well，” I replied.

“No， Jerry， not can you read， do you read？”

“Do you mean for the fun of it？”

“Exactly！ Whats the last book you read for fun？”

“Riders of the Purple Sage12， I guess， a couple of years ago.”

“Have you ever seen Purple Sage？” she asked.

“I dont guess so.”

“Well， well plant some in the garden and you can tend to it. Now， Jerry， pick a book youd like to read， and well discuss it next week.”

That started three years of ice cream sodas and book reports， although I never knew I was giving book reports. As we discussed the books， Miss Isabel could make me feel the cold of the Yukon， the heat of the jungle， the dry winds of the African desert and see the glitter13 of the jewels of King Solomons mines.

For the first few weeks， I only reported my reading to escape the hated task of pulling the annoying chickweed14 from the garden， but eventually， I came to consider those book review sessions the very best part of Saturday.

After three years of polishing floors， learning to drive， and developing a growing hate for chickweed， Miss Isabel told me one Saturday to come to work in tie and jacket. This seemed very strange for a lawn boy and floor polisher， but by then， I had learned not to question Miss Isabels requests. Unknown to me， Miss Isabel had invited Mr. Fox， the director of the Springfield-Greene County Library， over to have an ice cream soda.

Mr. Fox chose strawberry， and as he sipped15 away， Miss Isabel explained to him that I was able to work in the library system， the very next week. She went on to discuss my qualities as an employee， and spoke of my knowledge of authors， subject matter and great interest in National Geographic， although she said she didnt know why. But maybe she did.

Mr. Fox was at least six feet four inches tall， but before Miss Isabel， he became her willing-and-eager-to-please student. He immediately briefed16 me on when and where to report the following Saturday. Miss Isabel and I spent the rest of the afternoon discussing the responsibilities of librarians， and how I should find a suitable person for my job.

These things came to pass， and though Miss Isabel has long since passed away， I often think of the unforgettable time I spent among the flowers， sage， dreaded chickweed and books of Miss Isabel Shepards home， or even some time spent in the Shepard Room of the public library， which was named in her honor.

“我不相信電動(dòng)割草機(jī)，”她說(shuō)，“星期六，你可以在屋里干活?！?/p>

我坐在那間具有維多利亞時(shí)代特點(diǎn)的三層建筑物的藏書(shū)室里——那里從地板到天花板舒適地?cái)[放著許多書(shū)，春日暖暖的陽(yáng)光就跳躍其間——伊莎貝爾女士開(kāi)始告訴我作為她的夏季雇工所要承擔(dān)的職責(zé)。

“我每小時(shí)付給你1.25美元。我們星期二割草，星期四修整花園，星期六打掃房子。”

在聽(tīng)到1.25美元這個(gè)數(shù)字之后，我就沒(méi)有再聽(tīng)進(jìn)去多少了——要知道在1958年，這對(duì)年僅14歲的我來(lái)說(shuō)可是很大一筆錢(qián)呀。而我是通過(guò)一個(gè)鄰居朋友才得到這個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)的。他比我年長(zhǎng)，在過(guò)去的三年他一直為伊莎貝爾女士工作，但這個(gè)仲夏他要去巴黎圣母院，所以就推薦了我。

“你下個(gè)星期六八點(diǎn)整能開(kāi)始工作嗎？”她問(wèn)。

“當(dāng)然！”我說(shuō)，“我的意思是，是的，夫人?！币辽悹柵可砩嫌心撤N東西迫使你這么回答。

星期六到了，早上八點(diǎn)整我按響了門(mén)鈴。伊莎貝爾女士打開(kāi)門(mén)?！霸缟虾?，”她說(shuō)，“跟我來(lái)，我準(zhǔn)備了一些熱茶，但是我們現(xiàn)在沒(méi)有時(shí)間了。我們遲了。”

遲了？我們?cè)趺磿?huì)遲了呢？她說(shuō)是八點(diǎn)，而現(xiàn)在正好八點(diǎn)。當(dāng)伊莎貝爾女士領(lǐng)著我穿過(guò)大廳向廚房走去的時(shí)候，她給我上了第一課。“我發(fā)現(xiàn)，”她說(shuō)，“當(dāng)你提前15到20分鐘來(lái)上班的話，你就會(huì)有時(shí)間適應(yīng)這里?！边@不是指責(zé)，但我感覺(jué)就像我曾在某個(gè)很重要的問(wèn)題上欺騙了她，并且我還不確定那個(gè)問(wèn)題是什么。

伊莎貝爾女士已經(jīng)擺出來(lái)幾塊白棉布和一瓶家具上光劑。我已經(jīng)觀察到這所維多利亞風(fēng)格的老房子的烏木硬地板被打磨得非常光亮。我馬上就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)它們是如何變得這么光亮的。

我跪在地板上，開(kāi)始用雙手去擦那些將在以后三年多的每個(gè)星期六與我建立起一種愛(ài)恨交加關(guān)系的木地板。過(guò)了一會(huì)兒，伊莎貝爾女士突然問(wèn)，“你喜歡喝什么口味的汽水？”

“我想是甜橙吧?！蔽一卮鸬溃恢浪龁?wèn)這個(gè)干什么。

“我要到拉爾夫·布朗市場(chǎng)去，”她說(shuō)，“半個(gè)小時(shí)后回來(lái)。你能到外面來(lái)幫我開(kāi)一下車(chē)庫(kù)門(mén)嗎？”

當(dāng)我打開(kāi)車(chē)庫(kù)門(mén)的時(shí)候，我看見(jiàn)在那個(gè)能放得下三輛汽車(chē)的大車(chē)庫(kù)里正舒適地停著一輛嶄新的海綠色四門(mén)普利茅斯車(chē)。那輛車(chē)大約制造于1947年，盡管已有11年的歷史，但看上去仍然很新。很快，我就搞明白這輛汽車(chē)為什么會(huì)這么一塵不染了。伊莎貝爾小姐開(kāi)車(chē)走了，而且確如她所言，30分鐘后就回來(lái)了。那個(gè)時(shí)候我已經(jīng)回屋里繼續(xù)擦地板了。所以，她回來(lái)的時(shí)候就按響喇叭喊我出來(lái)?！罢?qǐng)把這些食品拿進(jìn)屋去，放在餐具柜上。”她邊說(shuō)邊下了車(chē)向屋里走去。等我把那些食品放在餐具柜上后，她命我把那輛普利茅斯車(chē)上的灰塵擦去，并把它開(kāi)回車(chē)庫(kù)。問(wèn)題來(lái)了——我不會(huì)開(kāi)車(chē)。

“伊莎貝爾女士，”我說(shuō)，“我不會(huì)開(kāi)車(chē)。我才14歲?！?/p>

“好吧，”她說(shuō)，“我把車(chē)開(kāi)進(jìn)車(chē)庫(kù)，你把車(chē)上的灰塵擦去，關(guān)上車(chē)門(mén)。”我尾隨在她身后。對(duì)于一個(gè)年近六七十歲、身高不足5英尺的女人來(lái)說(shuō)，她的動(dòng)作真是快得驚人，我必須緊趕慢趕才能跟得上她。當(dāng)我回到廚房里的時(shí)候，伊莎貝爾女士已經(jīng)準(zhǔn)備好了兩杯甜橙汽水味道的冰淇淋蘇打?！岸酥@些來(lái)藏書(shū)室?！彼愿赖?。

我端著飲料跟在她身后，她建議我在星期六早上早來(lái)30分鐘學(xué)開(kāi)車(chē)。這讓我大吃一驚。駕駛課？我簡(jiǎn)直不相信我就要學(xué)開(kāi)車(chē)了。這是她給我上的第二課。

伊莎貝爾女士在一把椅子上坐下來(lái)。我第一次仔細(xì)地觀察她。簡(jiǎn)直令人難以置信，這樣一個(gè)瘦小的人卻能令人印象如此深刻。我已經(jīng)習(xí)慣了橄欖球教練和籃球教練那樣高大的男人，就連我爸爸，也有六尺四高，但是，我見(jiàn)過(guò)的所有人中還從來(lái)沒(méi)有一個(gè)人能像她這樣如此控制自己周?chē)沫h(huán)境。

“杰里，你讀書(shū)嗎？”她問(wèn)。

“是的，我讀得非常好?！蔽一卮?。

“不，杰里，我不是問(wèn)你會(huì)不會(huì)讀，我是問(wèn)你讀書(shū)嗎？”

“您的意思是我對(duì)讀書(shū)感不感興趣？”

“對(duì)！你最近閱讀的感興趣的是什么書(shū)？”

“《紫鼠尾草叢中的騎士們》，我想那是幾年前的事了?！?/p>

“你見(jiàn)過(guò)紫鼠尾草嗎？”她問(wèn)。

“我想我沒(méi)見(jiàn)過(guò)?！?/p>

“唔，我們將在花園里種一些，你可以照料它們。現(xiàn)在，杰里，挑一本你喜歡讀的書(shū)，我們下個(gè)星期來(lái)討論它吧?！?/p>

就這樣，由冰淇淋蘇打和書(shū)評(píng)相伴的三年開(kāi)始了，盡管我從來(lái)都不知道我當(dāng)時(shí)是在做書(shū)評(píng)。當(dāng)我們討論那些書(shū)的時(shí)候，伊莎貝爾女士能夠讓我感覺(jué)到育空河的清涼，叢林地帶的酷熱，非洲沙漠的干風(fēng)，還能讓我看到閃耀在所羅門(mén)王藏寶庫(kù)中的寶石的光芒。

最初幾周，我評(píng)論我讀過(guò)的書(shū)只是為了逃避在花園里拔那討厭的繁縷，但最終，我逐漸覺(jué)得評(píng)論那些書(shū)是星期六最令人愉快的部分。

我擦地板，學(xué)駕駛，對(duì)繁縷的討厭有增無(wú)減，這樣的生活過(guò)了三年。在之后的一個(gè)星期六，伊莎貝爾女士告訴我，下次來(lái)工作的時(shí)候要系領(lǐng)帶，穿夾克衫。這對(duì)一個(gè)修剪草地、擦地板的男孩來(lái)說(shuō)無(wú)疑非常古怪，但到那個(gè)時(shí)候，我早已學(xué)會(huì)不質(zhì)疑伊莎貝爾女士的要求。我不知道，伊莎貝爾女士早已請(qǐng)斯普林菲爾德·格林縣縣立圖書(shū)館的館長(zhǎng)?？怂瓜壬鷣?lái)她家喝冰淇淋蘇打。

?？怂瓜壬x了草莓味的冰淇淋蘇打。當(dāng)他啜吸飲料時(shí)，伊莎貝爾女士向他解釋說(shuō)我已經(jīng)有能力做圖書(shū)系統(tǒng)的雇員了，下個(gè)星期就能去上班。她進(jìn)一步詳述我作為一名雇員的能力，說(shuō)起我知道的作家、著作以及我對(duì)《國(guó)家地理》的濃厚興趣，雖然她說(shuō)自己并不知道這其中的緣由。但也許她知道。

福克斯先生至少有六尺四高，但在伊莎貝爾女士面前，他卻成了甘愿盡自己所能讓她高興的學(xué)生。他立即簡(jiǎn)要地告訴我下個(gè)星期什么時(shí)候到哪里去報(bào)到。在那天下午余下的時(shí)間里，伊莎貝爾女士和我一起討論圖書(shū)管理員的職責(zé)，以及我該如何找一名合適的人來(lái)接替我的工作。

這些事情實(shí)現(xiàn)了，伊莎貝爾女士卻早已經(jīng)去世了，但是我還是會(huì)經(jīng)常想起那些我在鮮花、鼠尾草、討厭的繁縷中和在伊莎貝爾·謝潑德女士的房子里的藏書(shū)中度過(guò)的難忘時(shí)光，甚至?xí)肫鹉切┰诠矆D書(shū)館以她的名字命名的謝潑德圖書(shū)室里度過(guò)的時(shí)光。