第55页
关于那只斑点狗，我想的越多，我就越相信这世界上有很多事情是科学所无法解释的。任何科学依据都无法解释那只斑点狗。我猜想这是超自然现象或者神秘主义，或者那之类的什么东西，加上一大堆通神学的理论。克朗代克是个好地方。要不是斑点狗，我应该已经在那儿成了一名百万富翁了。它让我心烦意乱。我整整忍受了它两年，而且我觉得我筋疲力尽了。我离开的时候，正是1899年的夏天。我什么也没对史蒂夫说。我只是悄悄地走了。但我都安排好了。我给史蒂夫写了张便条，并附上了一包“灭鼠药”，告诉他如何使用。我被那只斑点狗折磨得筋疲力尽、骨瘦如柴。我总是紧张兮兮的，以至于附近没人的时候我都要跳起来，向四处张望一下。但是摆脱了它之后，我以惊人的速度恢复着体力。到达旧金山之前，我已经增了20磅；乘渡船到奥克兰的时候，我就恢复如初了，所以即使我妻子也没看出来我有什么变化。
Steve wrote to me once, and his letter seemed irritated. He took it kind of hard because I'd left him with Spot. Also, he said he'd used the "rough-on-rats," per directions, and that there was nothing doing. A year went by. I was back in the office and prospering in all ways—even getting a bit fat. And then Steve arrived. He didn't look me up. I read his name in the steamer list, and wondered why. But I didn't wonder long. I got up one morning and found that Spot chained to the gate-post and holding up the milkman. Steve went north to Seattle, I learned, that very morning. I didn't put on any more weight. My wife made me buy him a collar and tag, and within an hour he showed his gratitude by killing her pet Persian cat. There is no getting rid of that Spot. He will be with me until I die, for he'll never die. My appetite is not so good since he arrived, and my wife says I am looking peaked. Last night that Spot got into Mr. Harvey's hen-house (Harvey is my next-door neighbour) and killed nineteen of his fancy-bred chickens. I shall have to pay for them. My neighbours on the other side quarrelled with my wife and then moved out. Spot was the cause of it. And that is why I am disappointed in Stephen Mackaye. I had no idea he was so mean a man.
史蒂夫曾给我写过一封信，信中显得很是恼火。他过得不太顺心，因为我把那只斑点狗留给了他。他还说他用了“灭鼠药”，到处都用上了，可是什么效果也没有。一年过去了。我回到了办公室工作，各方面都很有起色——甚至还有点儿发福。接着史蒂夫来了。他并没有来看望我。我在汽船乘客名单上看到了他的名字，很好奇他为什么没来看我。但是我并没有好奇多久。一天早晨起床后，我发现斑点狗被拴在了门柱上，拦住了送奶工的路。就在那天早上，我得知史蒂夫北上去了西雅图。我再也没有胖起来过。妻子让我给它买个项圈和标牌，出于感激，不到一小时，它就把她的宠物波斯猫给弄死了。这下，我是怎样都摆脱不了那只斑点狗了。它会一直跟着我直到我死，因为它永远死不了。自从它来了之后，我的胃口也没那么好了，妻子说我看起来很消瘦。昨晚那只斑点狗跑进了哈维先生的鸡笼里（哈维是我们隔壁的邻居），咬死了十九只品种优良的小鸡。我不得不为它们付款。旁边的邻居们和妻子大吵了一架后，搬了出去。斑点狗是起因。这就是我为什么对斯蒂芬·麦凯非常失望的原因。我不知道他竟是如此卑劣的人。