"Here," she said. "Eat this candy. All boys like candy."
Homer took a piece of the candy from the box, put it into his mouth, and tried to chew.
"You would not bring me a bad telegram," she said. "You are a good boy -- like my little Juanito when he was a little boy. Eat another piece." And she made the messenger take another piece of the candy.
Homer sat chewing the dry candy while the Mexican woman talked. "It is our own candy," she said, "from cactus. I made it for my Juanito when he come home, but you eat it. You are my boy, too."
Now suddenly she began to sob, holding herself in as if weeping were a disgrace. Homer wanted to get up and run, but he knew he would stay. He even thought he might stay the rest of his life. He just didn't know what else to do to try to make the woman less unhappy, and if she had asked him to take the place of her son, he would not have been able to refuse, because he would not have known how. He got to his feet, as if by standing he meant to begin correcting what could not be corrected and then he knew the foolishness of this intention and became more awkward than ever. In his heart he was saying over and over again, "What can I do? What the hell can I do? I'm only the messenger."

NEW WORDS

soften
v. (cause to) become soft(er) or gentle （使）软化；（使）温和
tragic
a. very sad, unfortunate; of or related to tragedy 悲惨的；悲剧的
messenger
n. a person employed to deliver telegrams, letters or parcels 送信人，电报投递员
gently
ad. softly 轻轻地
immediately
a. at once
immediate
a.
eager
a. marked by strong interest or impatient desire 热切的，渴望的
hinge
n. 铰链
whoever
pron. no matter who 无论谁，不管谁
saintly
a. like a saint; very holy 像圣徒一样的；圣洁的
implication
n. 含义
imply
vt.
shock
vt. cause unpleasant or angry surprise to (sb.) 使（某人）震惊
deliver
vt. take (sth.) to the place where it esp. sth. bad 交付，递送
awkward
a. uncomfortable 尴尬的
responsible
a. having done or been the cause of esp. sth. bad（应）负责的

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