In the flat across the hall from us lived a lady with a black-and-tan terrier.[qh]

住在我们对面的那位夫人养了一只黑棕相间的小猎犬。[qh]

Her husband strung it and took it out every evening, but he always came home cheerful and whistling.[qh]

她丈夫每天傍晚也牵着它出去，可他却总是高高兴兴地吹着口哨回来。[qh]

One day I touched noses with the black-and-tan in the hall, and I struck him for an elucidation.[qh]

一天，我在走廊里跟那只黑棕花斑狗碰了碰鼻子打了声招呼，要求解释一下。[qh]

"See, here, Wiggle-and-Skip," I says, "you know that it ain't the nature of a real man to play dry nurse to a dog in public.[qh]

“喂，那个蹦蹦跳跳摇尾巴的，”我说，“你知道，一个男子汉在大庭广众之下充当一只狗的保姆这太不正常了。[qh]

I never saw one leashed to a bow-wow yet that didn't look like he'd like to lick every other man that looked at him.[qh]

我还从来没有见过哪个牵着汪汪狗在街上走的男人不想凑瞧他热闹的人。[qh]

But your boss comes in every day as perky and set up as an amateur prestidigitator doing the egg trick.[qh]

但是你那位老板每天回来都是一副心满意足的样子，就像一个业余魔术爱好者在变鸡蛋戏法儿。[qh]

How does he do it? Don't tell me he likes it."[qh]

他是怎么做到这一点的？别告诉我他真心喜欢遛狗。”[qh]

"Him?" says the black-and-tan. "Why, he uses Nature's Own Remedy. He gets spifflicated.[qh]

“他吗？”棕斑狗说。“哦，他服用了一种天然补药。他把自己灌醉。[qh]

At first when we go out he's as shy as the man on the steamer who would rather play pedro when they make 'em all jackpots.[qh]

我们出去刚到街上的时候他同样害羞，像个开汽艇的人，又像个打牌不敢冒险下注的人。[qh]

By the time we've been in eight saloons he don't care whether the thing on the end of his line is a dog or a catfish.[qh]

等我们串了八家酒馆之后，他就不管绳子的另一头儿拴着的是一条狗还是一条鲇鱼了。[qh]

I've lost two inches of my tail trying to sidestep those swinging doors."[qh]

有一次我自顾自地从旋转门往外钻时竟把尾巴挤掉了两英寸。”[qh]

The pointer I got from that terrier--vaudeville please copy--set me to thinking.[qh]

小猎犬给我的方法——挺好玩的，不妨学着去做——使我思索起来。[qh]