English Original
Located in the checkroom in Union Station, I see everybody that comes up the stairs.
Harry came in a little over three years ago and waited at the head of the stairs for the passengers from the 9:05 train. He was a thin, anxious kid, all dressed up to meet his girl, May. They planned to marry shortly after her arrival.
The passengers came, but May did not. She wasn't on the 9:18, the 9:40, or the 10:02. Harry grew desperate. He described her to me: small, dark, nineteen, with a neat walk and eyebrows that came to a little point in the middle. He showed me a telegram: "ARRIVE THURSDAY. MEET ME STATION. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. MAY." from Omaha.
He had no address for her in town. The next day, he was still there. He discovered she had left her typing job to "get married." For days, he met every train. The police checked, but most assumed May had played a trick. I never believed that.
After two weeks, I told Harry, "If you wait long enough, you'll see her coming up those stairs someday."
The next day, Harry was working behind the counter of Tony's magazine stand. "I had to get a job somewhere," he said sheepishly. We never spoke of May again, but I noticed he watched everyone on the stairs.
Later, Harry took over the stand, then bought it, building a nice little business.
Then came yesterday. I heard a cry and things falling. Harry had jumped over the counter, upsetting merchandise, and ran to grab a girl. She was small, dark, with eyebrows that came to a little point.
They clung to each other, laughing and crying. She explained, "It was the bus station I meant" in her telegram. She had waited at the bus station for days, spent all her money searching, and finally took a typing job in the city.
"What?" said Harry. "Have you been working in town? All the time?"
She nodded.
"Heavens. Didn't you ever come down here to the station?" He pointed to his magazine stand. "I've been there all the time. I own it. I've watched everybody that came up the stairs."
She paled. "I never came up the stairs before. You see, I went out of town yesterday on a short business trip... Oh, Harry!" She threw her arms around his neck and cried.
Then she backed away and pointed stiffly north. "Harry, for three years, for three solid years, I've been right over there... typing, in the office of the stationmaster."
中文翻译
我在联合车站的衣帽寄存处工作，能看到每一个走上楼梯的人。
三年多前，哈里来到这里，在楼梯口等待九点零五分那趟火车的乘客。那时他是个瘦削、焦急的年轻人，盛装打扮，为了迎接他的女孩梅。他们计划在她到达后不久就结婚。
乘客们到了，但梅没有。她不在九点十八分、九点四十分，甚至十点零二分的车上。哈里变得绝望。他向我描述她：娇小，深色头发，十九岁，步态优雅，眉毛中间有个小尖角。他给我看了一封电报：“周四到。车站见。爱爱爱爱。梅。”发自奥马哈。
他在城里没有她的地址。第二天，他还在那里。他发现她已辞去打字员的工作去“结婚”了。接连几天，他迎接每一趟列车。警察调查过，但多数人认为梅只是戏弄了他。我从不相信。
两周后，我告诉哈里：“只要你等得足够久，总有一天你会看到她走上那些楼梯。”
第二天，哈里在托尼的杂志摊柜台后工作。“我总得找个地方工作，”他不好意思地说。我们不再提起梅，但我注意到他注视着楼梯上的每一个人。
后来，哈里接管了报摊，然后买下了它，经营起一桩不错的小生意。
然后就是昨天。我听到一声呼喊和东西掉落的声音。哈里跳过柜台，碰翻了商品，跑去抓住了一个女孩。她娇小，深色头发，眉毛中间有个小尖角。
他们相拥在一起，又哭又笑。她解释道，她电报里指的是“汽车站”，不是“火车站”。她在汽车站等了几天，花光了所有钱寻找他，最后在城里找到了一份打字的工作。
“什么？”哈里说，“你一直在城里工作？整整三年？”
她点点头。
“天啊。你就从来没到这个车站来过？”他指向他的杂志摊。“我一直就在那儿。那个摊儿是我的。我看过每个上楼的人。”
她的脸色变得苍白。“我过去一直没上过这个楼梯。你看，我昨天出城是去办点公事……噢，哈里！”她伸手搂住他的脖子哭了起来。
随后她后退一步，僵硬地指向车站北头。“哈里，三年来，整整三年，我就在那儿……就在这个车站工作，在站长办公室里，打字。”