章节正文
family should come upon you. Besides, you are not sure how long
you can retain your present employment."
"I know that, mother; but something else will be sure to turn up.
If I can't do anything else, I can turn bootblack, though I would
prefer something else. There is no chance of my being out of
work long."
"There are fewer things for me to do," said his mother, "but
perhaps you can think of something. I shall go out this
afternoon, and try my luck once more. If I do not succeed, I
will consult with you this evening."
"Suppose I tell you that I have work for you, enough to last for
two or three weeks, that will pay five times as well as the work
you have been doing; what would you say to that?" asked Paul,
smiling.
"Are you in earnest, Paul?" asked his mother, very much
surprised.
"Quite in earnest, mother. There's a gentleman up-town that
wants a dozen shirts made, and is willing to pay ten shillings
apiece."
"Ten shillings! Why, that's a dollar and a quarter."
"Of course it is. I told him I thought you would accommodate
him."
"You are sure I can get the work to do?"
"Certainly. I am to go up to his house this evening and get the
pattern and an order for the materials."
"It seems too good to be true," said his mother. "Why, I can
earn at least a dollar a day."
"Then you will be doing as well as I am."
"Tell me how you heard of it, Paul," said Mrs. Hoffman.
Paul told the story of the manner in which he formed Mr.
Preston's acquaintance.
"It's lucky you ran into him, Paul," said Jimmy.
"He didn't think so at the time," said Paul, laughing. "He said
I nearly knocked the breath out of him."
"You won't go out this afternoon, mother, will you?" asked
Jimmy.
"No, it will not be necessary now; I didn't think this morning
that such a piece of good luck was in store for, me."
CHAPTER X
ANOTHER LOSS
After supper Paul brushed his clothes carefully and prepared to
go to the address given him by Mr. Preston. He decided to walk
one way, not wishing to incur the expenses of two railroad fares.
The distance was considerable, and it was nearly eight o'clock
when he arrived at his destination.
Paul found himself standing before a handsome house of brown
stone. He ascended the steps, and inquired, on the door being
opened, if Mr. Preston was at home.
"I'll see," said the servant.
She returned in a short time, and said: "He says you may come
upstairs."
Paul followed the servant, who pointed out a door at the head of
the first staircase.
Paul knocked, and, hearing "Come in" from within, he opened the
door and entered.
He found himself in a spaciouschamber, handsomely furnished.
Mr. Preston, in dressing-gown and slippers, sat before a
cheerful, open fire.
"Come and sit down by the fire," he said, sociably.
"Thank you, sir, I am warm with walking," and Paul took a seat
near the door.
"I am one of the cold kind," said Mr. Preston, "and have a fire
earlier than most people. You come about the shirts, I suppose?"
"Yes, sir."
"Will your mother undertake them?"
"With pleasure, sir. She can no longer get work from the shop."
"Business dull, I suppose?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then I am glad I thought of giving her the commission. How's
business with you to-day, eh?"
"Pretty good, sir."
"How many neckties did you sell?"
"Nineteen, sir."
"And how much do you get for that?"
"Nine shillings and a half--a dollar and eighteen cents."
"That's pretty good for a boy like you. When I was of your age I
was working on a farm for my board and clothes."
"Were you, sir?" asked Paul, interested.
"Yes, I was bound out till I was twenty-one. At the end of that
time I was to receive a hundred dollars and a freedom suit to
begin the world with. That wasn't a very large capital, eh?"
"No, sir."
"But the death of my employer put an end to my apprenticeship at
the age of eighteen. I hadn't a penny of money and was thrown
upon my own resources. However, I had a pair of good strong
arms, and a good stock of courage. I knew considerable about
farming, but I didn't like it. I thought I should like trade
better. So I went to the village merchant, who kept a small
dry-goods store, and arranged with him to supply me with a small
stock of goods, which I undertook to sell on commission for him.
His business was limited, and having confidence in my honesty, he
was quite willing to intrust me with what I wanted. So I set out
with my pack on my back and made a tour of the neighboring
villages."
Paul listened with eager interest. He had his own way to make,
and it was very encouraging to find that Mr. Preston, who was
evidently rich and prosperous, was no better off at eighteen than
he was now.
"You will want to know how I succeeded. Well, at first only
moderately; but I think I had some tact in adapting myself to the
different classes of persons with whom I came in contact; at any
rate, I was always polite, and that helped me. So my sales
increased, and I did a good thing for my employer as well as
myself. He would have been glad to employ me for a series of
years, but I happened to meet a traveling salesman of a New York
wholesale house, who offered to obtain me a position similar to
his own. As this would give me a larger field and larger
profits, I accepted gladly, and so changed the nature of my
employment. I became very successful. My salary was raised from
time to time, till it reached five thousand dollars. I lived
frugally and saved money, and at length bought an interest in the
house by which I had been so long employed. I am now senior
partner, and, as you may suppose, very comfortably provided for.
"Do you know why I have told you this?" asked Mr. Preston,
noticing the eagerness with which Paul had listened.
"I don't know, sir; but I have been very much interested."
"It is because I like to give encouragement to boys and young men
who are now situated as I used to be. I think you are a smart
boy."
"Thank you, sir."
"And, though you are poor, you can lift yourself to prosperity,
if you are willing to work hard enough and long enough."
"I am not afraid of work," said Paul, promptly.
"No, I do not believe you are. I can tell by a boy's face, and
you have the appearance of one who is willing to work hard. How
long have you been a street peddler?"
"About a year, sir. Before that time my father was living, and I
was kept at school."
"You will find the street a school, though of a different kind,
in which you can learn valuable lessons. If you can get time in
the evening, however, it will be best to keep up your school
studies."
"I am doing that now, sir."
"That is well. And now, about the shirts. Did your mother say
how long it would take her to make them?"
"About three weeks, I think, sir. Will that be soon enough?"
"That will do. Perhaps it will be well, however, to bring half
the number whenever they are finished."
"All right, sir."
"I suppose your mother can cut them out if I send a shirt as a
pattern?"
"Yes, sir."
Mr. Preston rose, and, going to a bureau, took therefrom a shirt
which he handed to Paul. He then wrote a few lines on a slip of
paper, which he also handed our hero.
"That is an order on Barclay & Co.," he explained, "for the
requisite materials. If either you or your mother presents it,
they will be given you."
"Very good, sir," said Paul.
He took his cap, and prepared to go.
"Good-evening, Mr. Preston," he said.
"Good-evening. I shall expect you with the shirts when they are
ready."
Paul went downstairs and into the street, thinking that Mr.
Preston was very sociable and agreeable. He had fancied that
rich men were generally "stuck up," but about Mr. Preston there
seemed an absence of all pretense. Paul's ambition was aroused
when he thought of the story he had heard, and he wondered
whether it would be possible for him to raise himself to wealth
and live in as handsome a house as Mr. Preston. He thought what
a satisfaction it would be if the time should ever come when he
could free his mother from the necessity of work, and give little
Jimmy a chance to develop his talent for drawing. However, such
success must be a long way off, if it ever came.
He had intended to ride home, but his mind was so preoccupied
that he forgot all about it, and had got some distance on his way
before it occurred to him. Then, not feeling particularly tired,
he concluded to keep on walking, as he had commenced.
"It will save me six cents," he reflected, "and that is
something. If I am ever going to be a prosperous merchant, I
must begin to save now."
So he kept on walking. Passing the Cooper Institute, he came
into the Bowery, a broad and busy street, the humble neighbor of
Broadway, to which it is nearly parallel.
He was still engaged in earnest thought, when he felt a rude slap
on the back. Looking round, he met the malicious glance of Mike
Donovan, who probably would not have ventured on such a liberty
if he had not been accompanied by a boy a head taller than
himself, and, to judge from appearances, of about the same
character.
"What did you do that for, Mike?" demanded Paul.
"None of your business. I didn't hurt you, did I?" returned
Mike, roughly.
"No, but I don't care to be hit that way by you."
"So you're putting on airs, are you?"
"No, I don't do that," returned Paul; "but I don't care about
having anything to do with you."
"That's because you've got a new shirt, is it?" sneered Mike.
"It isn't mine."
"That's what I thought. Who did you steal it from?"
"Do you mean to insult me, Mike Donovan?" demanded Paul,
angrily.
"Just as you like," said Mike, independently.
"If you want to know why I don't want to have anything to do with
you, I will tell you."
"Tell ahead."
"Because you're a thief."
"If you say that again, I'll lick you," said Mike, reddening with
anger.
"It's true. You stole my basket of candy the other day, and that
isn't the only time you've been caught stealing."
you can retain your present employment."
"I know that, mother; but something else will be sure to turn up.
If I can't do anything else, I can turn bootblack, though I would
prefer something else. There is no chance of my being out of
work long."
"There are fewer things for me to do," said his mother, "but
perhaps you can think of something. I shall go out this
afternoon, and try my luck once more. If I do not succeed, I
will consult with you this evening."
"Suppose I tell you that I have work for you, enough to last for
two or three weeks, that will pay five times as well as the work
you have been doing; what would you say to that?" asked Paul,
smiling.
"Are you in earnest, Paul?" asked his mother, very much
surprised.
"Quite in earnest, mother. There's a gentleman up-town that
wants a dozen shirts made, and is willing to pay ten shillings
apiece."
"Ten shillings! Why, that's a dollar and a quarter."
"Of course it is. I told him I thought you would accommodate
him."
"You are sure I can get the work to do?"
"Certainly. I am to go up to his house this evening and get the
pattern and an order for the materials."
"It seems too good to be true," said his mother. "Why, I can
earn at least a dollar a day."
"Then you will be doing as well as I am."
"Tell me how you heard of it, Paul," said Mrs. Hoffman.
Paul told the story of the manner in which he formed Mr.
Preston's acquaintance.
"It's lucky you ran into him, Paul," said Jimmy.
"He didn't think so at the time," said Paul, laughing. "He said
I nearly knocked the breath out of him."
"You won't go out this afternoon, mother, will you?" asked
Jimmy.
"No, it will not be necessary now; I didn't think this morning
that such a piece of good luck was in store for, me."
CHAPTER X
ANOTHER LOSS
After supper Paul brushed his clothes carefully and prepared to
go to the address given him by Mr. Preston. He decided to walk
one way, not wishing to incur the expenses of two railroad fares.
The distance was considerable, and it was nearly eight o'clock
when he arrived at his destination.
Paul found himself standing before a handsome house of brown
stone. He ascended the steps, and inquired, on the door being
opened, if Mr. Preston was at home.
"I'll see," said the servant.
She returned in a short time, and said: "He says you may come
upstairs."
Paul followed the servant, who pointed out a door at the head of
the first staircase.
Paul knocked, and, hearing "Come in" from within, he opened the
door and entered.
He found himself in a spaciouschamber, handsomely furnished.
Mr. Preston, in dressing-gown and slippers, sat before a
cheerful, open fire.
"Come and sit down by the fire," he said, sociably.
"Thank you, sir, I am warm with walking," and Paul took a seat
near the door.
"I am one of the cold kind," said Mr. Preston, "and have a fire
earlier than most people. You come about the shirts, I suppose?"
"Yes, sir."
"Will your mother undertake them?"
"With pleasure, sir. She can no longer get work from the shop."
"Business dull, I suppose?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then I am glad I thought of giving her the commission. How's
business with you to-day, eh?"
"Pretty good, sir."
"How many neckties did you sell?"
"Nineteen, sir."
"And how much do you get for that?"
"Nine shillings and a half--a dollar and eighteen cents."
"That's pretty good for a boy like you. When I was of your age I
was working on a farm for my board and clothes."
"Were you, sir?" asked Paul, interested.
"Yes, I was bound out till I was twenty-one. At the end of that
time I was to receive a hundred dollars and a freedom suit to
begin the world with. That wasn't a very large capital, eh?"
"No, sir."
"But the death of my employer put an end to my apprenticeship at
the age of eighteen. I hadn't a penny of money and was thrown
upon my own resources. However, I had a pair of good strong
arms, and a good stock of courage. I knew considerable about
farming, but I didn't like it. I thought I should like trade
better. So I went to the village merchant, who kept a small
dry-goods store, and arranged with him to supply me with a small
stock of goods, which I undertook to sell on commission for him.
His business was limited, and having confidence in my honesty, he
was quite willing to intrust me with what I wanted. So I set out
with my pack on my back and made a tour of the neighboring
villages."
Paul listened with eager interest. He had his own way to make,
and it was very encouraging to find that Mr. Preston, who was
evidently rich and prosperous, was no better off at eighteen than
he was now.
"You will want to know how I succeeded. Well, at first only
moderately; but I think I had some tact in adapting myself to the
different classes of persons with whom I came in contact; at any
rate, I was always polite, and that helped me. So my sales
increased, and I did a good thing for my employer as well as
myself. He would have been glad to employ me for a series of
years, but I happened to meet a traveling salesman of a New York
wholesale house, who offered to obtain me a position similar to
his own. As this would give me a larger field and larger
profits, I accepted gladly, and so changed the nature of my
employment. I became very successful. My salary was raised from
time to time, till it reached five thousand dollars. I lived
frugally and saved money, and at length bought an interest in the
house by which I had been so long employed. I am now senior
partner, and, as you may suppose, very comfortably provided for.
"Do you know why I have told you this?" asked Mr. Preston,
noticing the eagerness with which Paul had listened.
"I don't know, sir; but I have been very much interested."
"It is because I like to give encouragement to boys and young men
who are now situated as I used to be. I think you are a smart
boy."
"Thank you, sir."
"And, though you are poor, you can lift yourself to prosperity,
if you are willing to work hard enough and long enough."
"I am not afraid of work," said Paul, promptly.
"No, I do not believe you are. I can tell by a boy's face, and
you have the appearance of one who is willing to work hard. How
long have you been a street peddler?"
"About a year, sir. Before that time my father was living, and I
was kept at school."
"You will find the street a school, though of a different kind,
in which you can learn valuable lessons. If you can get time in
the evening, however, it will be best to keep up your school
studies."
"I am doing that now, sir."
"That is well. And now, about the shirts. Did your mother say
how long it would take her to make them?"
"About three weeks, I think, sir. Will that be soon enough?"
"That will do. Perhaps it will be well, however, to bring half
the number whenever they are finished."
"All right, sir."
"I suppose your mother can cut them out if I send a shirt as a
pattern?"
"Yes, sir."
Mr. Preston rose, and, going to a bureau, took therefrom a shirt
which he handed to Paul. He then wrote a few lines on a slip of
paper, which he also handed our hero.
"That is an order on Barclay & Co.," he explained, "for the
requisite materials. If either you or your mother presents it,
they will be given you."
"Very good, sir," said Paul.
He took his cap, and prepared to go.
"Good-evening, Mr. Preston," he said.
"Good-evening. I shall expect you with the shirts when they are
ready."
Paul went downstairs and into the street, thinking that Mr.
Preston was very sociable and agreeable. He had fancied that
rich men were generally "stuck up," but about Mr. Preston there
seemed an absence of all pretense. Paul's ambition was aroused
when he thought of the story he had heard, and he wondered
whether it would be possible for him to raise himself to wealth
and live in as handsome a house as Mr. Preston. He thought what
a satisfaction it would be if the time should ever come when he
could free his mother from the necessity of work, and give little
Jimmy a chance to develop his talent for drawing. However, such
success must be a long way off, if it ever came.
He had intended to ride home, but his mind was so preoccupied
that he forgot all about it, and had got some distance on his way
before it occurred to him. Then, not feeling particularly tired,
he concluded to keep on walking, as he had commenced.
"It will save me six cents," he reflected, "and that is
something. If I am ever going to be a prosperous merchant, I
must begin to save now."
So he kept on walking. Passing the Cooper Institute, he came
into the Bowery, a broad and busy street, the humble neighbor of
Broadway, to which it is nearly parallel.
He was still engaged in earnest thought, when he felt a rude slap
on the back. Looking round, he met the malicious glance of Mike
Donovan, who probably would not have ventured on such a liberty
if he had not been accompanied by a boy a head taller than
himself, and, to judge from appearances, of about the same
character.
"What did you do that for, Mike?" demanded Paul.
"None of your business. I didn't hurt you, did I?" returned
Mike, roughly.
"No, but I don't care to be hit that way by you."
"So you're putting on airs, are you?"
"No, I don't do that," returned Paul; "but I don't care about
having anything to do with you."
"That's because you've got a new shirt, is it?" sneered Mike.
"It isn't mine."
"That's what I thought. Who did you steal it from?"
"Do you mean to insult me, Mike Donovan?" demanded Paul,
angrily.
"Just as you like," said Mike, independently.
"If you want to know why I don't want to have anything to do with
you, I will tell you."
"Tell ahead."
"Because you're a thief."
"If you say that again, I'll lick you," said Mike, reddening with
anger.
"It's true. You stole my basket of candy the other day, and that
isn't the only time you've been caught stealing."
- retain [ri´tein]
vt.保持；保留；留住 (初中英语单词) - consult [kən´sʌlt] v.商量；磋商；请教 (初中英语单词)
- earnest [´ə:nist] a.认真的 n.认真；诚恳 (初中英语单词)
- willing [´wiliŋ] a.情愿的，乐意的 (初中英语单词)
- breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)
- considerable [kən´sidərəbəl] a.重要的；值得重视 (初中英语单词)
- standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
- pointed [´pɔintid] a.尖(锐)的；中肯的 (初中英语单词)
- undertake [,ʌndə´teik] vt.从事；承担；担保 (初中英语单词)
- working [´wə:kiŋ] a.工人的；劳动的 (初中英语单词)
- employer [im´plɔiə] n.雇佣者，雇主 (初中英语单词)
- prosperous [´prɔspərəs] a.繁荣的；顺利的 (初中英语单词)
- contact [´kɔntækt] n.接触；联系 v.联络 (初中英语单词)
- polite [pə´lait] a.有礼貌的；温和的 (初中英语单词)
- series [´siəri:z] n.连续；系列；丛书 (初中英语单词)
- obtain [əb´tein] v.获得；买到；得到承认 (初中英语单词)
- situated [´sitʃueitid] a.位于；处于....境地 (初中英语单词)
- valuable [´væljuəbəl, -jubəl] a.有价值的，贵重的 (初中英语单词)
- whenever [wen´evə] conj.&ad.无论何时 (初中英语单词)
- bureau [´bjuərəu] n.局；编辑部；事务所 (初中英语单词)
- downstairs [,daun´steəz] ad.在楼下 a.楼下的 (初中英语单词)
- agreeable [ə´gri:əbəl] a.适合的；符合的 (初中英语单词)
- absence [´æbsəns] n.不在，缺席；缺乏 (初中英语单词)
- ambition [æm´biʃən] n.雄心，野心；企图 (初中英语单词)
- satisfaction [,sætis´fækʃən] n.满意；满足 (初中英语单词)
- talent [´tælənt] n.天才；才干；天资 (初中英语单词)
- institute [´institju:t] n.学院 vt.建立；设置 (初中英语单词)
- humble [´hʌmbəl] a.谦卑的 vt.贬抑 (初中英语单词)
- insult [in´sʌlt, ´insʌlt] n.&vt.侮辱；损害 (初中英语单词)
- decided [di´saidid] a.明显的；决定的 (高中英语单词)
- hearing [´hiəriŋ] n.听力；听证会；审讯 (高中英语单词)
- spacious [´speiʃəs] a.广阔的，宽敞的 (高中英语单词)
- chamber [´tʃeimbə] n.房间；议院；会议室 (高中英语单词)
- commission [kə´miʃən] n.委任(状) vt.委任 (高中英语单词)
- limited [´limitid] a.有限(制)的 (高中英语单词)
- honesty [´ɔnisti] n.诚实，老实 (高中英语单词)
- salesman [´seilzmən] n.店员；推销员 (高中英语单词)
- gladly [´glædli] ad.愉快地，高兴地 (高中英语单词)
- comfortably [´kʌmfətəbli] ad.舒适地 (高中英语单词)
- eagerness [´i:gənis] n.渴望；热忱 (高中英语单词)
- encouragement [in´kʌridʒmənt] n.鼓励；赞助；引诱 (高中英语单词)
- undertook [,ʌndə´tuk] undertake的过去式 (英语四级单词)
- intrust [in´trʌst] vt.=entrust (英语四级单词)
- drawing [´drɔ:iŋ] n.画图；制图；图样 (英语四级单词)
- apprenticeship [ə´prentisʃip] n.学徒工身份 (英语六级单词)
- cooper [´ku:pə] v.&n.制桶工人；修桶工人 (英语六级单词)
- malicious [mə´liʃəs] a.恶意的；预谋的 (英语六级单词)
文章标签:名著
章节正文
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