Introduction：“Death in the Woods”chronicles the deceptively simple story of the life and death of a poor and downtrodden farm woman。The narrator，an adolescent boy at the time of these events，observes her dead body—a formative moment in his development as a man and an artist。He puts together the pieces of herstory，which takes on mystery and mythic meaning as he reflects back on it years later。
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1 She was an old woman and lived on a farm near the town in which I lived。All country and small-town people have seen such old women，but no one knows much about them。Such an old woman es into town driving an old worn-out horse or shees afoot carrying a basket。She may own a few hens and have eggs to sell。She brings them in a basket and takes them to a grocer。There she trades them in。She gets some salt pork and some beans。Then she gets a pound or two of sugar and some flour。
評注：作者雖然被認為是美國現代主義文學的先驅，但他的題材依然是舊式的。這個故事的發生地很可能是在美國中西部俄亥俄的一個小城，也就是安德森生活的地方。
2 Afterwards she goes to the butcher’s and asks for some dog-meat。She may spendten or fifteen cents，but when she does she asks for something。Formerly the butchers gave liver to anyone who wanted to carry it away。In our family we were always having it。Once one of my brothers got a whole cow’s liver at the slaughterhouse near the fairgrounds in our town。We had it until we were sick of it。It never cost a cent。I have hated the thought of it ever since。
3 The old farm woman got some liver and a soup-bone。She never visited with anyone，and as soon as she got what she wanted she lit out for home。It made quite aload for such an old body。No one gave her a lift。People drive right down a road and never notice an old woman like that。
4 There was such an old woman who used to e into town past our house one summer and fall when I was a young boy and was sick with what was called inflammatory rheumatism。She went home later carrying a heavy packon her back。Two or three large gaunt-looking dogs followed at her heels。
5 The old woman was nothing special。She was one of the nameless ones that hardly anyone knows，but she got into my thoughts。I have just suddenly now，after all these years，remembered her and what happened。It is a story。Her name was Grimes，and she lived with her husband and son in a small unpainted house on the bank of a small creek four miles from town。
評注：故事中的“我”即是敘事者，同時也是參與者。安德森此處故意暴露了“我”在講述或創造這個老婦人的故事時的元小說性。
6 The husband and son were a tough lot。Although the son was but twenty-one，hehad already served a term in jail。It was whispered about that the woman’s husband stole horses and ran them off to some other county。Now and then，when a horse turned up missing，the man had also disappeared。No one ever caught him。Once，when I was loafing at Tom Whitehead’s livery barn，the man came there and saton the bench in front。Two or three other men were there，but no one spoke to him。He sat for a few minutes and then got up and went away。When he was leaving he turned around and stared at the men。There was a look of defiance in his eyes。“Well，I have tried to be friendly。You don’t want to talk to me。It has been so wherever I have gone in this town。If，some day，one of your fine horses turns up missing，well，then what？”He did not say anything actually。“I’d like to bust one of you on the jaw，”was about what his eyes said。I remember how the look inhis eyes made me shiver。
7 The old man belonged to a family that had had money once。His namewas Jake Grimes。It all es back clearly now。His father，John Grimes，had owned a sawmill when the country was new，and had made money。Then he got to drinking and running after women。When he died there wasn’t much left。
8 Jake blew in the rest。Pretty soon there wasn’t anymore lumber to cut and his land was nearlyall gone。
9 He got his wife off a German farmer，for whom he went to work one June day inthe wheat harvest。She was a young thing then and scared to death。You see，thefarmer was up to something with the girl—she was，I think，a bound girl and his wife had her suspicions。She took it out on the girl when the man wasn’t around。Then，when the wife had to go off to town for supplies，the farmer got after her。She told young Jake that nothing really ever happened，but he didn’t know whether to believe it or not。
light out：[美俚]匆匆離去
inflammatory：adj。發炎的
rheumatism：n。風濕病
loaf：v。閑逛
defiance：n。蔑視，挑釁
bust：v。以拳重擊
lumber：n。木材
be up to sth。with sb。：對某人有意思
bound：adj。被寄養的
suspicion：n。猜疑，懷疑
take it out on sb。：向某人出氣
10 He got her pretty easy himself，the first time he was out with her。He wouldn’t have married her if the German farmer hadn’t tried to tell him where to getoff。He got her to go riding with him in his buggy one night when he was threshing on the place，and then he came for her the next Sunday night。
11 She managed to get out of the house without her employer’s seeing，but when she was getting into the buggy he showed up。It was almost dark，and he just popped up suddenly at the horse’s head。He grabbed the horse by the bridle and Jake got out his buggy-whip。
12 They had it out all right！The German was a tough one。Maybe he didn’t carewhether his wife knew or not。Jake hit him over the face and shoulders with thebuggy-whip，but the horse got to acting up and he had to get out。
13 Then the two men went for it。The girl didn’t see it。The horse started to run away and went nearly a mile down the road before the girl got him stopped。Then she managed to tie him to a tree beside the road。（I wonder how I know all this。It must have stuck in my mind from small-town tales when I was a boy。）Jakefound her there after he got through with the German。She was huddled up in thebuggy seat，crying，scared to death。She told Jake a lot of stuff，how the German had tried to get her，how he chased her once into the barn，how another time，when they happened to be alone in the house together，he tore her dress open clear down the front。The German，she said，might have got her that time if he hadn’t heard his old woman drive in at the gate。She had been off to town for supplies。Well，she would be putting the horse in the barn。The German managed to sneak off to the fields without his wife seeing。He told the girl he would kill herif she told。What could she do？She told a lie about ripping her dress in the barn when she was feeding the stock。I remember now that she was a bound girl anddid not know where her father and mother were。Maybe she did not have any father。You know what I mean。
buggy：n。[俚]雙輪單座的輕馬車
thresh：v。打穀子
huddle up：蜷縮
sneak off：偷偷溜走
14 Such bound children were often enough cruelly treated。They were children who had no parents，slaves really。There were very few orphan homes then。They were legally bound into some home。It was a matter of pure luck how it came out。
評注：老婦人年輕時的故事是通過“我”的記憶片斷組合在一起的，這其中當然也有不可靠的成分。需要注意的是，老婦人從一開始就是被奴役的對象，她總是在服侍、喂養男性，從那個德國雇主到後來自己的丈夫和兒子。她所代表的悲劇性性別象征意義，是此文的一個重要主題。
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15 She married Jake and had a son and daughter，but the daughter died。
16 Then she settled down to feed stock。That was her job。At the German’s placeshe had cooked the food for the German and his wife。The wife was a strong woman with big hips and worked most of the time in the fields with her husband。She fed them and fed the cows in the barn，fed the pigs，the horses and the chickens。Every moment of every day，as a young girl，was spent feeding something。
17 Then she married Jake Grimes and he had to be fed。She was a slight thing，and when she had been married for three or four years，and after the two childrenwere born，her slender shoulders became stooped。
18 Jake always had a lot of big dogs around the house，that stood near the unused sawmill near the creek。He was always trading horses when he wasn’t stealingsomething and had a lot of poop bony ones about。Also he kept three or four pigsand a cow。They were all pastured in the few acres left of the Grimes place andJake did little enough work。
19 He went into debt for a threshing outfit and ran it for several years，but it did not pay。People did not trust him。They were afraid he would steal the grain at night。He had to go a long way off to get work and it cost too much to getthere。In the winter he hunted and cut a little firewood，to be sold in some nearby town。When the son grew up he was just like the father。They got drunk together。If there wasn’t anything to eat in the house when they came home the old man gave his old woman a cut over the head。She had a few chickens of her own andhad to kill one of them in a hurry。When they were all killed she wouldn’t have any eggs to sell when she went to town，and then what would she do？
20 She had to scheme all her life about getting things fed，getting the pigsfed so they would grow fat and could be butchered in the fall。When they were butchered her husband took most of the meat off to town and sold it。If he did not do it first the boy did。They fought sometimes and when they fought the old womanstood aside trembling。
21 She had got the habit of silence anyway—that was fixed。Sometimes，when shebegan to look old—she wasn’t forty yet—and when the husband and son wereboth off，trading horses or drinking or hunting or stealing，she went around the house and the barnyard muttering to herself。
stoop：v。彎曲
mutter：v。嘀嘀咕咕
ow was she going to get everything fed？—That was her problem。The dogs hadto be fed。There wasn’t enough hay in the barn for the horses and the cow。If she didn’t feed the chickens how could they lay eggs？Without eggs to sell how could she get things in town，things she had to have to keep the life of the farm going？Thank heaven，she did not have to feed her husband—in a certain way。That hadn’t lasted long after their marriage and after the babies came。Where he went on his long trips she did not know。Sometimes he was gone from home for weeks，and after the boy grew up they went off together。