An Unforgettable Holiday難忘的假期

A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it.
“Is this your car, Mister?” he said.
Paul nodded. “My brother gave it to me for Christmas.” The boy was astounded. “You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you nothing? Boy, I wish . . .” He hesitated.
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.
“I wish,” the boy went on, “That I could be a brother like that.”
Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, “Would you like to take a ride in my car?”
“Oh yes, I'd love that.”
After a short ride, the boy turned with his eyes aglow, said, “Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?”
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked.
He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.
“There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs.
His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And some day I'm gonna give you one just like it . . . then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you about.“
Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride. That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when he said： “It is more blessed to give . . . ”
——Dan Clark
urchin 淘氣鬼，頑童，尤其是指男孩子astound 使(人)大吃一驚，lad 少年jar Paul all the way down to his heels 完全出乎了保羅的意料astonishment 和in surprise意思差不多，表示很驚訝impulsively 沖動地aglow 熾熱的，臉上發熱的crippled 跛足的squeeze up against him squeeze是擠壓的意思，在這里，很形象地說明小男孩緊緊抱著跛腳的弟弟，怕他摔倒了。
Buddy 美國俚語, 老兄,老弟It is more blessed to give 施比受更有福