找到的原文如下：
Thank You,Ma'am (Langston Hughes)
She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hummer and nails.She carried the purse slung across her shoulder.It was about eleve o’clock at night,dark.She was walking alone when a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse.The purse strap came off,but he pulled so hard that he lost his balance.He fell on his back on the sidewalk,and his legs flew up.The large woman turned around,picked him up by his T- shirt and shook him hard.
After that,the woman said,”Pick up my purse,boy.Give it to me.”She held him tightly.”Now aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”
Held up by his T – shirt,the boy said,”Yes’m.”
The woman said,”What did you do it for?”
The boy said,”It was a joke.”
She said,”You lie!”
“Lady,I’m sorry,”whispered the boy.
“Um – hum!Your face needs washing.Don’t you wash your face at home?”
“No’m ,”said the boy.
“Then it will get washed this evening,”said the large woman,starting up the street,dragging the frightened boy behind her.He was thin and looked
as if he was fourteen.He had on tennis shoes and blue jeans.
“You should be my boy.I would teach you what is right.All I can do for you right now is to wash your face.Are you hungry?”
“No’m.I just want you to let me go.”
“When I get through with you,sir,you are going to remember Mrs.Luella Bates Washington Jones.”
Sweat bathed the boy’s face and he began to struggle.Mrs.Jones continued to drag him up the street.When she got to her door,she dragged the boy inside,down a hall and into a room at the back of the house.She turned on the light and left the door open.The boy could hear people laughing and talking in the house.
She said,”What is your name?”
“Roger,”answered the boy.
“Roger,you go to that wash basin and wash your face,”said the woman.She let him go – at last.Roger looked at the door.He looked at the woman.He looked at the door – and then he went to the wash basin.
“Let the water run until it gets warm,”she said.”Here’s a clean towel.”
“Are you taking me to jail?”asked the boy,bending over the wash basin.
“With that face,I would not take you any where.Have you been home to eat yet?”
“There’s nobody at my house,”said the boy.
“Then we’ll eat,”said the woman.”I believe you’re hungry.So you tried to snatch my purse.”
“I want a pair of blue suede shoes,”said the boy.
“Well,you didn’t have to snatch my purse to get some suede shoes,”said Mrs.Jones.”You could have asked me.”
“Ma’am?”
With water dripping from his face,the boy looked at her.There was a long pause.After he dried his face,he turned around,wondering what to do next.The door was open.He could make a dash for it down the hall.He could run,run ,run,run run!
The woman was sitting on the bed.After a while,she said,”I was young once.And I wanted things I couldn’t get.”There was another long pause.The boy’s mouth opened.Then he frowned.
The woman said,”Um – hum!You thought I was going to say but,didn’t you?You thought I was going to say,but I did not snatch people’s purses.Well,I was not going to say that.”Pause.Slience.”I’ve done things,too,which I wouldn’t want to tell you.So you sit down while I find us something to eat.”
In a corner of the room behind a screen was a small gas stove and a refrigerator.Mrs.Jones got up and went behind the screen.She did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run now,nor did she watch her purse,which she left behind her on the bed.But the boy took care to sit on the far side of the room,away from the purse,where he thought she could easily see him out of the corner of her eye.He did not trust the woman not to trust him.And he did not want to be mistrusted now.
“Do you need somebody to go to the store?”asked the boy.”To get some milk or something?”
“Don’t think I do,”said the woman.”Unless you want fresh milk yourself.I’m going to make cocoa out of this canned milk I’ve got here.”
“That’ll be fine, “said the boy.
She heated some beans and ham,made the cocoa,and set the table.The woman did not ask about where he lived,or about his family,or anything that would embarrass him.Instead,as they ate,she told him about her work in a hotel beauty shop that stayed open late.She told him what she work was like.Then she cut him a half of her ten – cent cake.
“Eat some more,”she said.
When they had finished eating,she got up and said,”Now here,take this ten dollars and buy some blue suede shoes.And next time,don’t snatch my purse,nor anybody eles’s – because shoes got by bad ways will burn your feet.I’ve got to go to bed now.But from here on,I hope you’ll behave.”
She led him down the ball to the front door and opened it.”Good night!Behave yourself!”she said,looking out into the street as he went down the steps.
The boy wanted to say something besides,”Thank you,ma’am,”to Mrs.Jones.His lips moved,but he could not even say that as he turned at the foot of the steps and looked up at the large woman.Then she shut the door.And he never saw her again.
译文：
她体态庞大，总是携带一个巨大的包，包里除了锤子钉子几乎什么都有，她一般把包跨在肩上。大约晚上十一点，夜深人静之时，她一人走在街上，身后跟着一个男孩想抢走她的包。（男孩猛地一把抓下来，）包的带子滑落了，但由于男孩用力过猛，自己失去了平衡跌了个跟头，他仰面摔在街上，四脚朝天。胖女人转身揪起男孩衣领狠狠地甩他。
然后，胖女人说道：“把包捡起来给我。”（而后）她紧紧抓住男孩说：“你难道不觉得羞愧吗？”男孩被抓住了衣领，只好说”是“。”“你为什么要这么做？”“仅仅只是开玩笑。”“你撒谎！”“对不起，太太！”男孩低声细语。 “唔，你的脸看起来很脏。你在家不洗脸吗？”“并没有洗。”“那么今晚就让我带你去洗吧。”胖女子说完，继续走在街上，拽着吓坏的男孩跟在她身后一起走。男孩看起来十四岁左右，很瘦，穿着蓝色
牛仔裤和网球鞋。
“也许你应该做我的儿子，那样我就能教你什么该做什么不该，然而现在我该做的就是带你洗脸。对了，你
饿了吗？”“没有。我只希望你能放我走。”“当我把你的事情了结了之后，你就会记住‘Luella Bates Washington Jones太太’这个名字。”
男孩脸上汗如雨下，不停地抽搐。一路上胖太太把男孩一直拽到自己家门口，她带着男孩进了门，穿过正厅，来到屋后一间房里。胖太太开了灯，没有关门，男孩能够听到一群人在屋里有说有笑。
“你叫什么？”“Roger”“Roger，去洗脸盆那里把脸洗干净。”男孩的目光在门和胖女人之间徘徊，最终他走到洗脸盆旁。“让水不停地流，直到有热水出来吧。这里有条干净的毛巾。”男孩跪倒在脸盆旁，问道：“你要带我去监狱吗？”“脸洗的这么干净，我不会带你去任何地方。对了，你在家吃过吗？”“我家里没人。”“那我们去吃吧。我觉得你是因为饥饿难忍才会抢我的包。”“我只是想要一双羊皮鞋。”“然而你没必要抢我的包，你完全可以跟我说然后找我要。”“Ma am”
男孩凝望着胖太太，泪水顺颊而下。二人沉默了许久，男孩泪也干了，转过身彷徨着将来。门是开的，他完全可以直接离开。
胖太太坐在床上，许久她才开口：“我年轻的时候，也有过类似的经历，想要我不可能拥有的东西。”言罢，又沉默了良久。男孩惊讶地张开了嘴，皱起眉头。胖女人说道：“我想说的是……我以前没抢过包……好吧，我本来不想说的……我做过一些事情，本来并不想让你知道。你坐下吧，我去找些吃的。”
在房子的角落，一个荧屏后面，放着一个瓦斯炉一个冰箱。胖太太来到屏幕后面，她并没有盯着男孩是否趁机逃跑，也没有盯着放在床上的提包。然而男孩却远离提包而坐，让胖太太的视线能够看到他的所作所为。他并没觉得太太不信任他，也不想让太太不信任他。
男孩问道：“你需要一个人去店里帮忙买些牛奶什么的吗？”“我可不这么想。除非你自己想要一些鲜奶。我准备拿这个罐装奶做些可可。”“好吧。”
胖太太煮了一些豆子和火腿，做成了可可，并整理了一下桌子。太太不愿意为难他，因此没有问他的家庭住址等。反而两人在享用美餐时，太太告诉他自己平时在一个酒店美容店工作到很晚，说的很详细。然后太太把一块十美分蛋糕切一半分给他，让他多吃点。吃完后，太太起身说道：“拿着这十美分，多买几双羊皮鞋子。以后勿要再抢别人的包了，毕竟通过不正当手段拿到的鞋子会烫烧双脚。我要上床睡觉了。从现在开始，希望你洁身自好。”
太太把他带到门前，不忘嘱咐，目送着他在街上远去。男孩本想说“Thank You,Ma'am（谢谢你，太太！）”，但是从他踏上步伐的那一刻起，他哽咽了，似乎什么也说不出来，只能凝望着太太，然后越走越远。太太关上了门，此后男孩再也没有遇到她。