ＷＥＢ絵本「電報（黒島伝治）」

第２回配信

But, he could not stand to pull his son into unfavorable place like his place.
He had two children. The older daughter married into a family in a neighboring village the previous year.
The younger son was remaining in his family.
Fortunately, he had money enough to pay fees of a junior high school.
So, he asked his cousin, who was an umbrella seller in the city, to take care of his son.
He intended to send his son to school economically.

しかし息子を、自分がたどって来たような不利な立場に陥入れるのは、彼れには忍びないことだった．

二人の子供の中で、姉は、去年隣村へ嫁づけた．

あとには弟が一人残っているだけだ．

幸い、中学へやるくらいの金はあるから、市で傘屋をしている従弟に世話をして貰って、安くで通学させるつもりだった．

"I hope he will pass the exam," he said putting his rice bowl on the table.
"He is sure to pass it because he has always got the highest grades in his class since he was a first-year student," she said looking at his broad head.
His gray hair grew and was messy because he hadn't had a haircut for the past one month or more.
"Um, there are many good students in the city. Who knows what will happen."
"Every morning, I pray to Kannon God for him. He is sure to pass the exam."
Gensaku didn't answer to that word.

「具合よく通ってくれりゃえいがなあ．」と彼は茶碗を置いて云った．

「そりゃ、通るわ．一年からずっと一番ばかりでぬけて来たんじゃもの．」と、おきのは源作の横広い頭を見て云った．

胡麻塩の頭髪は一ヵ月以上も手入れをしないので長く伸び乱れていた．

「いいや、それでも市に行きゃえらい者が多いせにどうなるやら分からんて．」

「毎朝、私、観音様にお願を掛けよるんじゃものきっと通るわ．」

源作はそれには答えなかった．

He was dreaming that his son would graduate from the jounior high school and enter a technical high school and graduate from it and join an industrial experimental station as an engineer and earn the salary of 1 dollar 20 cents.
彼は、息子が中学を卒業して、高等工業へ入って、出ると、工業試験場の技師になり、百二十円の月給を取るのを想像していた．

A post card came from his cousin in the city.
It said that his son was very well and lively.
Further it said that there were many applicants to the prefectual junior high school.
It also said:
The students from elementary schools in the city had started the preparation of the entrance exam with their teachers' help six month before;
Additionally, they wouldn't panic in the exam room and would answer the questions calmly to the best of their knowledge;
The students from the rural area would suffer a loss of 20 or 30 percents in this regard;
However, the son would pass the exam because he was an brilliant student.

市の従弟から葉書が来た．

息子は丈夫で元気が好いと書いてあった．

県立中学は、志願者が非常に多いと云って来た．

市内の小学校を出た子供は、先生が六ヵ月も前から、肝煎って受験準備を整えている上に、試験場でもあわてずに落ちついて知って居るだけを書いて出すが、田舎から出て来た者は、そういう点で二三割損をする．もっとも、この子はよく出来るということだから、通ることは通るだろうが、と書いてあった．

Gensaku read out the post card to his wife and said, "I want him passing the exam."
"I will pray harder."
If people prayed to a god for something, their dreams would not come true; Gensaku always thought so; but now, he didn't intend to deny her word.

「通ったらえらいものじゃがなあ．」源作は、葉書を嬶に読んできかせた後、こう云った．

「もっと熱心にお願いをするわ．」

こういうことを、神仏に願っても、効くものでない、と常々から思っている源作も、今は、妻の言葉を退ける気になれなかった．

While Gensaku was working in the field, Okino's uncle visited her.
源作が野良仕事に出ている留守に、おきのの叔父が来た．
（つづく）