15. A policeman was moving along the streets of New York. It was cold with a little rain and wind. Then he suddenly slowed his walk to look at a man standing in the dark of the night.
As the policeman walked towards him, the man said calmly and clearly, "My name is Bob, officer. I'm waiting for a friend."
"Twenty years ago tonight," he continued, "I said goodbye to my best friend Jimmy Wells here. I planned to leave for the West but Jimmy didn't, so we agreed to meet here again in twenty years."
"You were successful in the West, weren't you?" asked the policeman.
"Not really. I almost went broke and ran out of money in Chicago. I hope Jimmy has done well so that he can help me out." Bob shivered (颤抖)a little in the cold. "Your friend is late." the policeman said.
Bob took out a watch and replied, "He's coming soon." "I hope so." the policeman said and went away.
Bob waited for another twenty minutes, and then a thin man came to him. He walked to the thin man with a smile. However, the smile disappeared as he saw the thin man's face clearly. "You're not Jimmy Wells!"he cried. "No, I'm not," the thin man replied quietly. "And you are under arrest (逮捕) for the things you did in the West. Here's a note for you."
His hands began to shake a bit as he read the note:
Bob, I was the policeman who talked with you just row. It seems that twenty years in the West has changed you a lot. I didn't want to arrest you myself. So I left and got another policeman to do the job. Your friend, Jimmy Wells |
Bob didn't say anything. For a few minutes, he stood there in silence like a stone.