English Original
I've never told this story before, but just the same I'm telling you now. I was a boy of 8 in 1885 and lived in a small western town. The town was peaceful except for one man: Sliver Pete.
Sliver Pete was the meanest, ugliest hombre anyone knew. He carried a Colt .45, cheated at cards, killed anyone who challenged him, and even murdered sheriffs who tried to arrest him. The terrified townspeople offered a $20,000 reward to anyone who could run him out of town or kill him. Many tried, but all ended up in the cemetery.
One windy day, a stagecoach arrived with an unusual passenger. A tall, gaunt man dressed like a preacher stepped out. He called himself Preacher Dan and said he was raising money to build a church—by playing cards. That afternoon, he joined a card game with Sliver Pete.
As the game progressed, Preacher Dan asked to see Sliver Pete's gun. To everyone's surprise, Sliver Pete handed it over. The preacher examined it, but then "accidentally" dropped it. He quickly picked it up, wiped it off, and returned it.
The stakes grew higher, and Sliver Pete seemed to be winning everything. Just as he was about to claim the final pot, Preacher Dan calmly accused him of cheating. Enraged, Sliver Pete challenged him to a duel in the street.
A crowd gathered as the two men faced each other. Sliver Pete fired first, and Preacher Dan fell. But then, impossibly, the preacher stood up again. Sliver Pete shot him again... and again. Each time, Preacher Dan rose back to his feet. After the sixth shot, a white dove flew from beneath the preacher's body into the sky.
Terrified, believing he had killed a messenger of God, Sliver Pete dropped his gun and fled town forever. The grateful townspeople gave Preacher Dan the reward. He took only half, leaving the rest for the town church, and then departed.
Only I, the boy who watered the horses, knew the secret. On that windy day, I had glimpsed the writing on the preacher's trunk: "Dan the Magnificent. Magician's Illusions Great and Small." He wasn't a preacher, but a magician. He had switched Sliver Pete's real bullets for blanks when he dropped the gun. The dove was just for show. He used psychology and illusion to rid our town of a monster and was paid handsomely for his service.
Some say an angel came to our town that day. In a way, perhaps one did.
中文翻译
这个故事我从未对人讲过，但现在我要告诉你。那是1885年，我8岁，住在一个西部小镇上。镇上本来很安宁，除了一个叫银矿镇皮特的男人。
皮特是人们所知最卑鄙、最丑陋的恶棍。他随身带着一把柯尔特.45左轮手枪，玩牌作弊，杀死任何挑战他的人，甚至连试图逮捕他的警长也杀。惊恐的镇民悬赏两万美元，给任何能把他赶出镇子或杀死他的人。许多人尝试过，但最终都躺进了墓地。
一个刮风的日子，驿马车载来了一位不寻常的乘客。一个瘦高个、穿着像牧师的男人走了下来。他自称丹牧师，说来镇上为建教堂筹款——方式是通过玩牌。那天下午，他加入了有皮特在内的牌局。
牌局进行中，丹牧师请求看看皮特的枪。令人惊讶的是，皮特把枪递了过去。牧师仔细查看，然后"不小心"把枪掉在了地上。他迅速捡起，擦干净，还了回去。
赌注越来越高，皮特似乎要赢走一切。就在他即将拿走最后赌注时，丹牧师平静地指控他作弊。暴怒的皮特向他提出到街上决斗。
两人在街道两端对峙，一群人围了过来。皮特先开枪，丹牧师应声倒地。但接着，不可思议地，牧师又站了起来。皮特又开了一枪……又一枪。每一次，丹牧师都重新站了起来。第六枪后，一只白鸽从牧师身下飞出，直冲云霄。
皮特吓坏了，以为自已杀死了上帝的使者。他扔下枪，永远逃离了小镇。感激的镇民把赏金给了丹牧师。他只拿了一半，另一半留给了镇上的教堂，然后便离开了。
只有我，那个给马喂水的男孩，知道这个秘密。在那个刮风的日子，我瞥见了牧师行李箱上的字："神奇的丹。大小魔术幻象。"他根本不是牧师，而是一位魔术师。他在掉枪时，把皮特的真子弹换成了空包弹。鸽子只是道具。他利用心理学和幻术为我们小镇除掉了祸害，并为此获得了一笔丰厚的报酬。
有人说那天一位天使来到了我们小镇。从某种意义上说，也许真是如此。