The Land of the Halt
瘸子之鄉
Many years sinbsp;in a small territory, there was not one of the inhabitants who did not stutter when he spoke, and halt in walking; both the defects, moreover, were sidered aplishments. A stranger saw the evil, and thinking how they would admire his walking, went about without halting, after the usual manner of our race.Every one stopped to look at him,and all tho who looked, laughed, and holding their sides to repress their merriment, shouted, “Teach the stranger how to roperly! ”
The stranger sidered it his duty to cast the reproabsp;from himlf.“You halt, ”he cried, “It is not I, you must ac yourlves to leave off so awkward a habit! ”This only incread the uproars, when they heard him speak; he did not even stammer; this was suffit to disgrace him, and he was laughed at throughout the try.
很多年前，在一個很小的地方，住在那裏的所有居民都口吃且瘸著腿走路，而這兩種缺陷居然還被視為才能。一個外地人到了那裏，看到了這樣的缺陷，以為那裏的居民會羨慕他的走姿。於是，他沒有跛腳，而是按照正常人的走姿走來走去。當地人都停下來看他，都哈哈大笑起來。最後，他們好不容易忍住笑喊道：“來教教這個外地人怎樣正確地走路吧！”
這個外地人覺得自己有責任反駁他們。“你們才是瘸子，”他高聲喊道，“不是我，你們必須改掉這種難看的走姿！”這更使當地人哄然大笑。因為他們聽他說話居然不口吃！這真讓人覺得丟臉啊。他所到之處，都會遭到別人的嘲笑。