Cat in the rain
Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)
CAT IN THE RAIN
Ernest Hemingway's importance as a creator of a unique style, as n speaker for the "lost generation", as a humanitarian and an antifascist cannol be overestimated.
"Cat in the Rain", published in the first collection of his short prose (192 S) remains one of the stories most often reprinted, translated and admired by tin- readers. It is also highly characteristic of his individual manner.
There were only two Americans at the hotel. They did not know any of the people they passed on the stairs to their room. Their room was on llit second floor facing the sea. It also faced the public garden and the war monument. There were big palms and green benches in the public garden In the good weather there was always an artist with his easel. Artists liked lln way the palms grew and the bright colours of the hotels facing the garden* and the sea. Italians came from a long way off to look up at the war mOIIH ment. It was made of bronze and glistened in the rain. It was raining. The Mill dripped from the palm trees. Water stood in pools on the gravel paths. I lit sea broke in a long line in the rain and slipped back down the beach to i unit» up and break again in a long line in the rain.
The motor-cars were gone from the square by the war monunwH| Across the square in the doorway of the cafe a waiter stood looking out the empty square.
The American wife stood at the window looking out. Outside right inn their window a cat was crouched under one of the dripping green table* T cat was trying to make herself so compact that she would not be dripped on.
"I'm going down and get that kitty," the American wife said.
"I'll do it," her husband offered from the bed.
'No, I'll get it. The poor kitty out trying to keep dry under a table '
The husband went on reading, lying propped up with the two pillow* the foot of the bed.
"Don't get wet," he said.
The wife went downstairs and the hotel owner stood up and bowMil her as she
CAT IN THE RAIN
Ernest Hemingway's importance as a creator of a unique style, as n speaker for the "lost generation", as a humanitarian and an antifascist cannol be overestimated.
"Cat in the Rain", published in the first collection of his short prose (192 S) remains one of the stories most often reprinted, translated and admired by tin- readers. It is also highly characteristic of his individual manner.
There were only two Americans at the hotel. They did not know any of the people they passed on the stairs to their room. Their room was on llit second floor facing the sea. It also faced the public garden and the war monument. There were big palms and green benches in the public garden In the good weather there was always an artist with his easel. Artists liked lln way the palms grew and the bright colours of the hotels facing the garden* and the sea. Italians came from a long way off to look up at the war mOIIH ment. It was made of bronze and glistened in the rain. It was raining. The Mill dripped from the palm trees. Water stood in pools on the gravel paths. I lit sea broke in a long line in the rain and slipped back down the beach to i unit» up and break again in a long line in the rain.
The motor-cars were gone from the square by the war monunwH| Across the square in the doorway of the cafe a waiter stood looking out the empty square.
The American wife stood at the window looking out. Outside right inn their window a cat was crouched under one of the dripping green table* T cat was trying to make herself so compact that she would not be dripped on.
"I'm going down and get that kitty," the American wife said.
"I'll do it," her husband offered from the bed.
'No, I'll get it. The poor kitty out trying to keep dry under a table '
The husband went on reading, lying propped up with the two pillow* the foot of the bed.
"Don't get wet," he said.
The wife went downstairs and the hotel owner stood up and bowMil her as she