请在标志之内击打我（双语）

请在标志之内击打我

（美国）哈维·麦凯

 陈荣生  译

  （图片欣赏——区怡摄/湛江）

多年前的一天，两个年轻人在争吵，有迹象表明他们正变得越来越较真。未来的美国总统林肯当时也是一个年轻人，但他对公平竞争是真心期待的，所以被叫来解决这个难题。

与高大的林肯相比，被判输了的那个年轻人只是跟林肯齐胸高，但他却口气很大地威胁林肯。

“你听着，兰基，我要把你打趴在地！”他喊道。

林肯低头诙谐地看着这个小个子挑战者。“好吧，”他说，“但我们要来一场公平搏斗。你这么矮小，你没有多少地方可让我击打，但我这么高大，你也无法打到我的头部。所以，你用粉笔在我身上做一个标记，显示你的身高。我们搏斗时，你一定要记住在这个标记之内击中我，否则就不公平了。”

这个想法简直是太荒谬了，那个小霸王不由地大笑起来，一场争吵成了一个玩笑，就这么终止了。

（译自《成功》）

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原文如下，若有问题，可留言，我将尽量回答。

Hit Me Inside The Marker

Harvey Mackay

One day many years ago, two young fellows were in a quarrel, and it had signs of becoming serious. Future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, himself a young man at the time, but with an earnest desire for fair play, was called upon to decide the difficulty.

One of the combatants, who had been defeated in the decision, and above whom the towering Lincoln stood head and shoulders over, boastfully threatened Lincoln.

“See here, Lanky, I’ll lick you!” he shouted.

Abe looked down comically at the small challenger. “All right,” he said, “but let’s fight fair. You are so small there isn’t much of you for me to hit, but I am so big, you can’t help hit me. So you make a chalk mark on me that will show just your size. When we fight, you must be sure to hit me inside this mark or it won’t be fair.”

The idea was so ridiculous, the little bully began to laugh, and the quarrel ended as a joke.