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Emily? Miss Grierson passed away, and the whole town went to see her off: the men were out of admiration because a monument fell; while the women were mostly out of curiosity, wanting to see the inside of her house. No one has gone in to see the house for at least ten years except an old servant who is a gardener and cook.

It was a square wooden house painted white in the past. It was located on one of the most elegant streets in that year, and it was decorated with a round roof, spires and a balcony with vortex patterns with a strong lightness. But things like garages and cotton gin violated the solemn names in this area and smeared them completely. Only Miss Emily's house is alone, surrounded by cotton trucks and gasoline pumps. Although the house is dilapidated, it is still stubborn and pretentious, which is really ugly. Now Miss Emily has joined those representatives with solemn names. They are sleeping in the cemetery surrounded by cedar trees, which is full of rows of tombs of unknown soldiers killed in the battle of Jefferson in the South and North during the Civil War.

When Miss Emily was alive, she was always the embodiment of tradition, the symbol of obligation and the object of people's attention. One day in 1894, Colonel dorris of Changsha, a town-that is, he gave an order that black women were not allowed to go to the streets without wearing aprons-exempted her from all taxes due, and the period began from the date of her father's death until her death, which was an obligation inherited from the whole town. This is not to say that Emily is willing to accept charity. It turned out that Colonel Sha dorris made up a large set of false words, saying that Emily's father had lent money to the town government. Therefore, as a transaction, the town government would rather repay it in this way. This set of words can only be made up by people of Sha dorris generation and people with brains like Sha dorris, and only women folk will believe it.

When the second generation with more liberal ideas became mayors and senators, this arrangement caused some minor dissatisfaction. On New Year's Day that year, they sent her a tax notice. February has arrived, and there is still no news. They sent an official letter asking her to go to the sheriff's office. A week later, the mayor personally wrote to Emily, expressing his willingness to visit her at home or send a car to meet her, but the reply was a note written on antique stationery. The handwriting was fluent, but the ink was not bright. The main idea of the letter was that she had never gone out. The tax notice is attached, with no comments.

The senators held a special meeting and sent a delegation to visit her. They knock knock, since she stopped giving porcelain painting lessons eight or ten years ago, no one has come in and out from this gate. The elderly black footman welcomed them into the dark hall, from where they went up the stairs, and the light was even dimmer. A dusty smell came to my nose, the air was damp and airtight, and the house was uninhabited for a long time. The black man led them into the living room, where all the heavy furniture was wrapped in leather cases. The black man opened a shutter, and at this time, it was even more obvious that the leather cover had cracked; When they sat down, there was a dust rising on both sides of their thighs, and the dust particles slowly rotated in that ray of sunshine. There is a charcoal portrait of Emily's father on an easel that has lost its golden luster in front of the fireplace.

they all stood up as soon as she entered the room. A woman with a small model and a chubby waist, dressed in a black suit, dragged a thin gold watch chain to her waist and fell into her belt. An ebony crutch supported her body, and the gold inlaid on the crutch head had lost its luster. Her frame is short, perhaps because of this reason, it seems to be full in other women, but she gives people a feeling of hypertrophy. She looks like a dead body soaked in stagnant water for a long time, swollen and white. When the guest explained her purpose, her eyes kept moving like two small briquettes rubbed in a dough, and sometimes she looked at this face and sometimes looked at it.

she didn't ask them to sit down. She just stood at the door, listening quietly, until the representative who spoke stammered, when they heard the clock ticking at the end of the gold chain.

her voice is ruthless. "I have no tax in Jefferson. Colonel Shah dorris already told me. Maybe one of you can check the archives of the town government and make things clear. "

"We have checked the files, Miss Emily, and we are the government authorities. Haven't you received a notice signed by the Chief Justice himself? "

"Wrong, I received a notice," said Miss Emily. "Maybe he calls himself the sheriff ... but I have no tax in Jefferson."

"But it's not stated in the tax book, you see. We should according to ... "

" You go to find Colonel dorris. I have no taxes to pay in Jefferson. "

"But, Miss Emily-"

"You go to Colonel Shah dorris. (Colonel Shah dorris has been dead for nearly ten years.) I have no taxes in Jefferson. Toby! " The black man answered. "Please get these gentlemen out."

Two

She defeated them "both men and horses" in this way, just as she defeated their parents for that smell thirty years ago. It was two years after her father's death, that is, shortly after her sweetheart-the one we all believe will marry her-abandoned her. After her father died, she seldom went out; After my sweetheart left, people could hardly see her. A few women had the temerity to visit her, but they were all turned away. The only sign of life around where she lived was the black man carrying a basket in and out when he was a young man.

"It seems that any man can keep the kitchen in order." That's what women say. Therefore, they are not surprised when the smell becomes more and more severe. It is another connection between the world of all living beings and the noble and powerful Grier family.

A woman next door complained to Mayor Stephens, an 8-year-old judge.

"But madam, what do you want me to do about it?" He said.

"Hum, tell her to get rid of the smell," said the woman. "Isn't the law clearly stipulated?"

"I don't think this is necessary," Judge Stephens said. "Maybe the nigger she used killed a snake or a mouse in the yard. I'll talk to him about it. "

The next day, he received two more complaints, one from a man, who made comments in a gentle tone. "Judge, we can't ignore this fact. I am the last person to disturb Miss Emily, but we must do something. " That night, all the senators-three old people and a younger member of the new generation had a meeting together.

"it's very simple," said the young man. "Tell her to clean the house and do it well within a time limit, otherwise ..."

"Sir, how can this be done?" Judge Stephens said, "Can you tell a lady in front that she has a bad smell there?"

So, after midnight the next day, four people crossed Miss Emily's lawn and sneaked around the house like burglars, sniffing around the corner and in the ventilated place of the cellar, while one of them took something out of a bag slung over his shoulder with his hand and kept sowing seeds. They opened the cellar door and sprinkled lime there and all the outer rooms. When they turned around and crossed the lawn again, a dark window lit up: Miss Emily was sitting there with the light behind her, and her straight body was as motionless as an idol. They crept across the lawn into the shade of acacia trees on both sides of the street. After a week or two, the smell will be gone.

and then people began to really feel sorry for her. People in the town think of the fact that Miss Emily's aunt, Mrs. Wyatt, has finally become a complete madman, and all believe that the Grierson family thinks too highly of themselves and doesn't understand their position. Miss Emily and women like her despise any young man. For a long time, we have always regarded this family as a figure in a painting: Miss Emily, who is slim and dressed in white, stands behind her, and the silhouette of her father with his feet apart is in front, with his back to Emily and a whip in his hand, and a front door that opens backwards happens to embed them. Therefore, when she was nearly 3 years old and unmarried, we really didn't feel happy, just felt that our previous views had been confirmed. Even if her family has crazy blood, if there is any chance in front of her, she will not let it go.

after her father died, it is said that all the property left to her is that house; People are also a little happy. In the end, they can show their pity for Emily. Single and alone, poor and without complaint, she became understanding. Now she also understands the feeling that everyone is excited and happy with a penny more and miserable and disappointed with a penny less.

The day after her father's death, all the women are going to visit her home to express their condolences and willingness to help, which is our custom. Miss Emily received them at home, dressed as usual, without a trace of sadness on her face. She told them that her father was not dead. She was like this for three days in a row, whether it was a church priest visiting her or a doctor trying to persuade her to let them dispose of the body. Just as they were going to resort to law and force, she collapsed, so they quickly buried her father.

at that time, we hadn't called her crazy. We believe that she can't control herself by doing so. We still remember that her father drove away all the young men, and we also know that she has nothing now, just as people often do, holding on to the man who took everything from her.

3

She was ill for a long time. When I saw her again, her hair had been cut short and she looked like a girl, which was similar to the angel image on the stained glass window in the church-a bit sad and solemn.

The administration has made a contract to pave the sidewalk, and construction started in the summer of her father's death. The construction company came with a group of blacks, mules and machines. The foreman was a Yankee named Homer? Bolong, tall, dark-skinned, smart and capable, has a loud voice and his eyes are lighter than his face. Groups of children followed him and listened to him scold the black people with outrageous words, while the black people sang their labor trumpets rhythmically as the pickaxe rose and fell. Not long after, he knew everyone in the town. Whenever people hear the sound of laughter somewhere in the square, homer? Barron must be in the center of the crowd. Soon after, on Sunday afternoons, we saw him and Miss Emily traveling together in a light carriage. The yellow wheelbarrow matches the chestnut iron horse picked out from the stable, which is very suitable.

At first, we were all happy to see that Miss Emily had a little sustenance, because the women all said, "The Grier family will never really take a fancy to a Yankee, a man who gets a daily salary." However, there are others, some older people say that even sadness will not make a truly noble woman forget "noble behavior", although it is not called "noble behavior" verbally. They just said, "Poor Emily, her relatives should come to her." She has relatives in Alabama; But many years ago, her father fell out with them over the property rights of the crazy old woman Wyatt, and the two families have not had any contact since. They didn't even send anyone to the funeral.

As soon as the old people talk about "the lovely Emily", they whisper to each other. They said to each other, "Do you really think that's the case?" "Of course. What else could it be? ..... "And this sentence they said gently with their hands over their mouths; When the brisk horseshoes drove away, they closed the shutters that blocked the sun on Sunday afternoon, and they could hear the rustle of silks and satins: "Poor Emily."

She held her head high-even when we were convinced that she had fallen, as if she wanted people to recognize her dignity as the last figure of the Grierson family more than ever; It seems that her dignity needs contact with the secular to reaffirm her unaffected character. For example, she bought rat poison and arsenic that time. It was more than a year after people began to say "poor Emily", and her two cousins came to visit her at that time.

"I want to buy some poison." She told the pharmacist. At that time, she was in her early thirties, and she was still a woman with a thin waist and shoulders, only thinner than usual. Her black eyes were cold and arrogant, and the flesh on her face was stretched tightly at the temples and eye sockets on both sides. That facial expression is what a lighthouse watcher should have in your imagination. "I want to buy some poison." She said.

"I see, Miss Emily. What kind do you want to buy? Is it a poisonous mouse or something? Then let me introduce-"

" I want the most effective poison in your shop, I don't care about the kind. "

the pharmacist can name several kinds at a time. "They are poisonous to death, even elephants. But all you want is-"

" Arsenic, "said Miss Emily. "Is arsenic ineffective?"

"Is it ... arsenic? I see, miss. But what you want is ... "

" What I want is arsenic. "

medicine and teacher looked down at her. She looked back at him, her body straight and her face like a taut flag. "Oh, of course," said the pharmacist. "If you want this poison. However, the law requires you to explain what it is used for. "

Miss Emily just stared at him and tilted her head back so that her eyes could meet his eyes, until she saw him look away and went in to get the arsenic wrapped. The black deliveryman sent the bag of medicine to her; The pharmacist never showed up again. She went home and opened the medicine bag. The skull bone on the box was marked with the following words: "Poisonous rats use drugs".

Four

So, the next day, we all said, "She's going to commit suicide"; We all say this is the best thing. The first time we saw her and homer? When Barron was together, we all said, "She is going to marry him." Later, she said, "She still has to convince him." Because Qianmo himself said that he likes to associate with men, everyone knows that he drinks with young people in the Milu Club, and he himself said that he has no intention of getting married. Every Sunday afternoon, they passed by in a beautiful light carriage: Miss Emily held her head high, Homer wore a hat askew, a cigar in her mouth, and a reins and whip in her hands with yellow gloves. We can't help saying behind the shutters, "Poor Amy Gang."

Later, some women began to say that this was a disgrace to the whole town and a bad example for young people. The man didn't want to interfere, but the women finally forced the Baptist pastor-Miss Emily's family belonged to the Anglican Church-to visit her. He never revealed the course of the visit, but he never wanted to go there again. The next Sunday, they appeared in the street in a carriage, so the next day, the pastor's wife wrote to tell Emily that she lived in her family building in Alabama.

it turns out that she still has it at home.