章节正文
trembling with the first dim ecstasy of a woman be-
loved.
Together they hurried to the bootblack's stand.
An hour they spent there gazing at the malformed
youth.
A window-cleaner fell from the fifth story to the
sidewalk beside them. As the ambulance came clang-
ing up William pressed her hand joyously. "Four
ribs at least and a compound fracture," he whispered,
swiftly. "You are not sorry that you met me, are
you, dearest?
"Me?" said Violet, returning the pressure. "Sure
not. I could stand all day rubbering with you."
The climax of the romance occurred a few days
later. Perhaps the reader will remember the intense
excitement into which the city was thrown when Eliza
Jane, a colored woman, was served with a subpoena.
The Rubber Tribe encamped on the spot. With his
own hands William Pry placed a board upon two beer
kegs in the street opposite Eliza Jane's residence.
He and Violet sat there for three days and nights.
Then it occurred to a detective to open the door and
serve the subpoena. He sent for a kinetoscope and
did so.
Two souls with such congenial tastes could not long
remain apart. As a policeman drove them away with
his night stick that evening they plighted their troth.
The seeds of love bad been well sown, and had grown
up, hardy and vigorous, into a - let us call it a rub-
ber plant.
The wedding of William Pry and Violet Seymour
was set for June 10. The Big Church in the Middle
of the Block was banked high with flowers. The
populous tribe of Rubberers the world over is ram-
pant over weddings. They are the pessimists of the
pews. They are the guyers of the groom and the
banterers of the bride. They come to laugh at your
marriage, and should you escape from Hymen's
tower on the back of death's pale steed they will
come to the funeral and sit in the same pew and cry
over your luck. Rubber will stretch.
The church was lighted. A grosgrain carpet lay
over the asphalt to the edge of the sidewalk. Brides-
maids were patting one another's sashes awry and
speaking of the Bride's freckles. Coachmen tied
white ribbons on their whips and bewailed the space
of time between drinks. The minister was musing
over his possible fee, essaying conjecture whether it
would suffice to purchase a new broadcloth suit for
himself and a photograph of Laura Jane Libbey for
his wife. Yea, Cupid was in the air.
And outside the church, oh, my brothers, surged
and heaved the rank and file of the tribe of Rubberers.
in two bodies they were, with the grosgrain carpet
and cops with clubs between. They crowded like
cattle, they fought, they pressed and surged and
swayed and trampled one another to see a bit of a
girl in a white veil acquire license to go through a
man's pockets while be sleeps.
But the hour for the wedding came and went, and
the bride and bridegroom came not. And impatience
gave way to alarm and alarm brought about search,
and they were not found. And then two big police-
men took a band and dragged out of the furious mob
of onlookers a crushed and trampled thing, with a
wedding ring in its vest pocket and a shredded and
hysterical woman beating her way to the carpet's
edge, ragged, bruised and obstreperous.
William Pry and Violet Seymour, creatures of
habit, had joined in the seething game of the specta-
tors, unable to resist the overwhelming desire to gaze
upon themselves entering, as bride and bridegroom,
the rose-decked church.
Rubber will out.
ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS
"One thousand dollars," repeated Lawyer Tolman,
solemnly and severely, "and here is the money."
Young Gillian gave a decidedly amused laugh as
he fingered the thin package of new fifty-dollar notes.
"It's such a confoundedly awkwardamount," he
explained, genially, to the lawyer. "If it had been
ten thousand a fellow might wind up with a lot of
fireworks and do himself credit. Even fifty dollars
would have been less trouble."
"You heard the reading of your uncle's will," con-
tinued Lawyer Tolman, professionally dry in his
tones. "I do not know if you paid much attention
to its details. I must remind you of one. You are
required to render to us an account of the manner of
expenditure of this $1,000 as soon as you have dis-
posed of it. The will stipulates that. I trust that
you will so far comply with the late Mr. Gillian's
wishes."
"You may depend upon it," said the young man.%
politely, "in spite of the extra expense it will entail.
I may have to engage a secretary. I was never good
at accounts."
Gillian went to his club. There be hunted out one
whom he called Old Bryson.
Old Bryson was calm and forty and sequestered.
He was in a corner reading a book, and when he saw
Gillian approaching he sighed, laid down his book
and took off his glasses.
"Old Bryson, wake up," said Gillian. "I've a
funny story to tell you."
" I wish you would tell it to some one in the billiard
room," said Old Bryson. "You know how I hate
your stories."
" This is a better one than usual," said Gillian,
rolling a cigarette; " and I'm glad to tell it to you.
It's too sad and funny to go with the rattling of
billiard bars. I've just come from my late uncle's
firm of legal corsairs. He leaves me an even thou-
sand dollars. Now, what can a man possibly do with
a thousand dollars? "
"I thought," said Old Bryson, showing as much
interest as a bee shows in a vinegar cruet, "that the
late Septimus Gillian was worth something like half
a million."
" He was," assented Gillian, joyously, " and that's
where the joke comes in. He's left his whole cargo of
doubloons to a microbe. That is, part of it goes to
the man who invents a new bacillus and the rest to es-
tablish a hospital for doing away with it again.
There are one or two trifling bequests on the side.
- the butler and the housekeeper get a seal ring and
$10 each. His nephew gets $1,000."
"You've always had plenty of money to spend,"
observed Old Bryson.
"Tons," said Gillian. "Uncle was the fairygod-
mother as far as an allowance was concerned."
"Any other heirs? " asked Old Bryson.
"None." Gillian frowned at his cigarette and
kicked the upholstered leather of a divan uneasily.
There is a Miss Hayden, a ward of my uncle, who
lived in his house. She's a quiet thing - musical -
the daughter of somebody who was unlucky enough to
be his friend. I forgot to say that she was in on the
seal ring and $10 joke, too. I wish I had been.
Then I could have had two bottles of brut, tipped the
waiter with the ring and had the whole business off
my bands. Don't be superior and insulting, Old Bry-
son - tell me what a fellow can do with a thousand
dollars."
Old Bryson rubbed his glasses and smiled. And
when Old Bryson smiled, Gillian knew that be in-
tended to be more offensive than ever.
"A thousand dollars," lie said, "means much or
little. One man may buy a happy home with it and
laugh at Rockefeller. Another could send his wife
South with it and save her life. A thousand dollars
would buy pure milk for one hundred babies during
June, July, and August and save fifty of their lives.
You could count upon a half hour's diversion with it
at faro in one of the fortified art galleries. It would
furnish an education to an ambitious boy. I am told
that a genuine Corot was secured for that amount in
an auction room yesterday. You could move to a
New Hampshire town and live respectably two
years on it. You could rent Madison Square Garden
for one evening with it, and lecture your audience, if
you should have one, on the precariousness of the pro-
fession of heir presumptive."
"People might like you, Old Bryson," said Gillian,
always unruffled, "if you wouldn't moralize. I asked
you to tell me what I could do with a thousand
dollars."
"You?" said Bryson, with a gentle laugh.
"Why, Bobby Gillian, there's only one logical thing
you could do. You can go buy Miss Lotta Lauriere
a diamond pendant with the money, and then take
yourself off to Idaho and inflict, your presence upon a
ranch. I advise a sheep ranch, as I have a particular
dislike for sheep."
"Thanks," said Gillian, rising, "I thought I
could depend upon you, Old Bryson. You've hit on
the very scheme. I wanted to chuck the money in a
lump, for I've got to turn in an account for it, and
I hate itemizing."
Gillian phoned for a cab and said to the driver:
"The stage entrance of the Columbine Theatre."-
Miss Lotta Lauriere was assisting nature with a
powder puff, almost ready for her call at a crowded
Matinee, when her dresser mentioned the name of Mr.
Gillian.
"Let it in," said Miss Lauriere. " Now, what is
it, Bobby? I'm going on in two minutes."
"Rabbit-foot your right ear a little," suggested
Gillian, critically. " That's better. It won't take
two minutes for me. What do you say to a little
thing in the pendant line? I can stand three ciphers
with a figure one in front of 'em."
"Oh, just as you say," carolled Miss Lauriere.
my right glove, Adams. Say, Bobby, did you see
that necklace Della Stacey had on the other night?
Twenty-two hundred dollars it cost at Tiffany's.
But, of course -pull my sash a little to the left,
Adams."
"Miss Lauriere for the opening chorus!" cried the
call boy without.
Gillian strolled out to where his cab was waiting.
loved.
Together they hurried to the bootblack's stand.
An hour they spent there gazing at the malformed
youth.
A window-cleaner fell from the fifth story to the
sidewalk beside them. As the ambulance came clang-
ing up William pressed her hand joyously. "Four
ribs at least and a compound fracture," he whispered,
swiftly. "You are not sorry that you met me, are
you, dearest?
"Me?" said Violet, returning the pressure. "Sure
not. I could stand all day rubbering with you."
The climax of the romance occurred a few days
later. Perhaps the reader will remember the intense
excitement into which the city was thrown when Eliza
Jane, a colored woman, was served with a subpoena.
The Rubber Tribe encamped on the spot. With his
own hands William Pry placed a board upon two beer
kegs in the street opposite Eliza Jane's residence.
He and Violet sat there for three days and nights.
Then it occurred to a detective to open the door and
serve the subpoena. He sent for a kinetoscope and
did so.
Two souls with such congenial tastes could not long
remain apart. As a policeman drove them away with
his night stick that evening they plighted their troth.
The seeds of love bad been well sown, and had grown
up, hardy and vigorous, into a - let us call it a rub-
ber plant.
The wedding of William Pry and Violet Seymour
was set for June 10. The Big Church in the Middle
of the Block was banked high with flowers. The
populous tribe of Rubberers the world over is ram-
pant over weddings. They are the pessimists of the
pews. They are the guyers of the groom and the
banterers of the bride. They come to laugh at your
marriage, and should you escape from Hymen's
tower on the back of death's pale steed they will
come to the funeral and sit in the same pew and cry
over your luck. Rubber will stretch.
The church was lighted. A grosgrain carpet lay
over the asphalt to the edge of the sidewalk. Brides-
maids were patting one another's sashes awry and
speaking of the Bride's freckles. Coachmen tied
white ribbons on their whips and bewailed the space
of time between drinks. The minister was musing
over his possible fee, essaying conjecture whether it
would suffice to purchase a new broadcloth suit for
himself and a photograph of Laura Jane Libbey for
his wife. Yea, Cupid was in the air.
And outside the church, oh, my brothers, surged
and heaved the rank and file of the tribe of Rubberers.
in two bodies they were, with the grosgrain carpet
and cops with clubs between. They crowded like
cattle, they fought, they pressed and surged and
swayed and trampled one another to see a bit of a
girl in a white veil acquire license to go through a
man's pockets while be sleeps.
But the hour for the wedding came and went, and
the bride and bridegroom came not. And impatience
gave way to alarm and alarm brought about search,
and they were not found. And then two big police-
men took a band and dragged out of the furious mob
of onlookers a crushed and trampled thing, with a
wedding ring in its vest pocket and a shredded and
hysterical woman beating her way to the carpet's
edge, ragged, bruised and obstreperous.
William Pry and Violet Seymour, creatures of
habit, had joined in the seething game of the specta-
tors, unable to resist the overwhelming desire to gaze
upon themselves entering, as bride and bridegroom,
the rose-decked church.
Rubber will out.
ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS
"One thousand dollars," repeated Lawyer Tolman,
solemnly and severely, "and here is the money."
Young Gillian gave a decidedly amused laugh as
he fingered the thin package of new fifty-dollar notes.
"It's such a confoundedly awkwardamount," he
explained, genially, to the lawyer. "If it had been
ten thousand a fellow might wind up with a lot of
fireworks and do himself credit. Even fifty dollars
would have been less trouble."
"You heard the reading of your uncle's will," con-
tinued Lawyer Tolman, professionally dry in his
tones. "I do not know if you paid much attention
to its details. I must remind you of one. You are
required to render to us an account of the manner of
expenditure of this $1,000 as soon as you have dis-
posed of it. The will stipulates that. I trust that
you will so far comply with the late Mr. Gillian's
wishes."
"You may depend upon it," said the young man.%
politely, "in spite of the extra expense it will entail.
I may have to engage a secretary. I was never good
at accounts."
Gillian went to his club. There be hunted out one
whom he called Old Bryson.
Old Bryson was calm and forty and sequestered.
He was in a corner reading a book, and when he saw
Gillian approaching he sighed, laid down his book
and took off his glasses.
"Old Bryson, wake up," said Gillian. "I've a
funny story to tell you."
" I wish you would tell it to some one in the billiard
room," said Old Bryson. "You know how I hate
your stories."
" This is a better one than usual," said Gillian,
rolling a cigarette; " and I'm glad to tell it to you.
It's too sad and funny to go with the rattling of
billiard bars. I've just come from my late uncle's
firm of legal corsairs. He leaves me an even thou-
sand dollars. Now, what can a man possibly do with
a thousand dollars? "
"I thought," said Old Bryson, showing as much
interest as a bee shows in a vinegar cruet, "that the
late Septimus Gillian was worth something like half
a million."
" He was," assented Gillian, joyously, " and that's
where the joke comes in. He's left his whole cargo of
doubloons to a microbe. That is, part of it goes to
the man who invents a new bacillus and the rest to es-
tablish a hospital for doing away with it again.
There are one or two trifling bequests on the side.
- the butler and the housekeeper get a seal ring and
$10 each. His nephew gets $1,000."
"You've always had plenty of money to spend,"
observed Old Bryson.
"Tons," said Gillian. "Uncle was the fairygod-
mother as far as an allowance was concerned."
"Any other heirs? " asked Old Bryson.
"None." Gillian frowned at his cigarette and
kicked the upholstered leather of a divan uneasily.
There is a Miss Hayden, a ward of my uncle, who
lived in his house. She's a quiet thing - musical -
the daughter of somebody who was unlucky enough to
be his friend. I forgot to say that she was in on the
seal ring and $10 joke, too. I wish I had been.
Then I could have had two bottles of brut, tipped the
waiter with the ring and had the whole business off
my bands. Don't be superior and insulting, Old Bry-
son - tell me what a fellow can do with a thousand
dollars."
Old Bryson rubbed his glasses and smiled. And
when Old Bryson smiled, Gillian knew that be in-
tended to be more offensive than ever.
"A thousand dollars," lie said, "means much or
little. One man may buy a happy home with it and
laugh at Rockefeller. Another could send his wife
South with it and save her life. A thousand dollars
would buy pure milk for one hundred babies during
June, July, and August and save fifty of their lives.
You could count upon a half hour's diversion with it
at faro in one of the fortified art galleries. It would
furnish an education to an ambitious boy. I am told
that a genuine Corot was secured for that amount in
an auction room yesterday. You could move to a
New Hampshire town and live respectably two
years on it. You could rent Madison Square Garden
for one evening with it, and lecture your audience, if
you should have one, on the precariousness of the pro-
fession of heir presumptive."
"People might like you, Old Bryson," said Gillian,
always unruffled, "if you wouldn't moralize. I asked
you to tell me what I could do with a thousand
dollars."
"You?" said Bryson, with a gentle laugh.
"Why, Bobby Gillian, there's only one logical thing
you could do. You can go buy Miss Lotta Lauriere
a diamond pendant with the money, and then take
yourself off to Idaho and inflict, your presence upon a
ranch. I advise a sheep ranch, as I have a particular
dislike for sheep."
"Thanks," said Gillian, rising, "I thought I
could depend upon you, Old Bryson. You've hit on
the very scheme. I wanted to chuck the money in a
lump, for I've got to turn in an account for it, and
I hate itemizing."
Gillian phoned for a cab and said to the driver:
"The stage entrance of the Columbine Theatre."-
Miss Lotta Lauriere was assisting nature with a
powder puff, almost ready for her call at a crowded
Matinee, when her dresser mentioned the name of Mr.
Gillian.
"Let it in," said Miss Lauriere. " Now, what is
it, Bobby? I'm going on in two minutes."
"Rabbit-foot your right ear a little," suggested
Gillian, critically. " That's better. It won't take
two minutes for me. What do you say to a little
thing in the pendant line? I can stand three ciphers
with a figure one in front of 'em."
"Oh, just as you say," carolled Miss Lauriere.
my right glove, Adams. Say, Bobby, did you see
that necklace Della Stacey had on the other night?
Twenty-two hundred dollars it cost at Tiffany's.
But, of course -pull my sash a little to the left,
Adams."
"Miss Lauriere for the opening chorus!" cried the
call boy without.
Gillian strolled out to where his cab was waiting.
- compound [kəm´paund]
n.&a.混合(的) v.合成 (初中英语单词) - violet [´vaiələt] n.&a.紫罗兰(的)；紫色 (初中英语单词)
- pressure [´preʃə] n.压榨 vt.对...施压力 (初中英语单词)
- romance [rəu´mæns] n.中世纪骑士小说 (初中英语单词)
- rubber [´rʌbə] n.(摩)擦的人；橡皮 (初中英语单词)
- detective [di´tektiv] n.侦探 a.侦探的 (初中英语单词)
- policeman [pə´li:smən] n.警察 (初中英语单词)
- wedding [´wediŋ] n.婚礼，结婚 (初中英语单词)
- funeral [´fju:nərəl] n.葬礼，丧葬；困难 (初中英语单词)
- carpet [´kɑ:pit] n.地毯 vt.铺地毯 (初中英语单词)
- minister [´ministə] n.部长；大臣 v.伺候 (初中英语单词)
- acquire [ə´kwaiə] vt.求得，获得，学得 (初中英语单词)
- furious [´fjuəriəs] a.狂怒的；猛烈的 (初中英语单词)
- unable [ʌn´eibəl] a.不能的；无能为力的 (初中英语单词)
- resist [ri´zist] v.抵抗；对抗；抵制 (初中英语单词)
- lawyer [´lɔ:jə] n.律师；法学家 (初中英语单词)
- package [´pækidʒ] n.包(裹) vt.组装 (初中英语单词)
- reading [´ri:diŋ] n.(阅)读；朗读；读物 (初中英语单词)
- remind [ri´maind] vt.提醒；使记(想)起 (初中英语单词)
- account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)
- trifling [´traifliŋ] a.微小的；轻浮的 (初中英语单词)
- nephew [´nevju:, ´nɛfju] n.侄子；外甥 (初中英语单词)
- allowance [ə´lauəns] n.津贴；配给量；考虑 (初中英语单词)
- musical [´mju:zikəl] a.音乐的；悦耳的 (初中英语单词)
- ambitious [æm´biʃəs] a.有雄心的；热望的 (初中英语单词)
- amount [ə´maunt] n.总数；数量 v.合计 (初中英语单词)
- yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)
- audience [´ɔ:diəns] n.听众；观众；接见 (初中英语单词)
- advise [əd´vaiz] vt.忠告；建议；通知 (初中英语单词)
- scheme [ski:m] n.计划；阴谋，诡计 (初中英语单词)
- opening [´əupəniŋ] n.开放；开端 a.开始的 (初中英语单词)
- waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)
- ecstasy [´ekstəsi] n.狂喜；出神，入迷 (高中英语单词)
- hurried [´hʌrid] a.仓促的，慌忙的 (高中英语单词)
- climax [´klaimæks] n.顶点；高潮 (高中英语单词)
- vigorous [´vigərəs] a.精力旺盛的；健壮的 (高中英语单词)
- sidewalk [´saidwɔ:k] n.人行道 (高中英语单词)
- suffice [sə´fais] vt.使满足 vi.足够 (高中英语单词)
- crowded [´kraudid] a.充(拥)满了的 (高中英语单词)
- ragged [´rægid] a.衣服破烂的 (高中英语单词)
- repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)
- severely [si´viəli] ad.剧烈地；严格地 (高中英语单词)
- decidedly [di´saididli] ad.坚决地，果断地 (高中英语单词)
- awkward [´ɔ:kwəd] a.笨拙的；为难的 (高中英语单词)
- butler [´bʌtlə] n.(男)管家 (高中英语单词)
- housekeeper [´haus,ki:pə] n.主妇，女管家 (高中英语单词)
- offensive [ə´fensiv] a.冒犯的 n.进攻 (高中英语单词)
- genuine [´dʒenjuin] a.真正的；真诚的 (高中英语单词)
- inflict [in´flikt] vt.加以(打击等) (高中英语单词)
- ambulance [´æmbjuləns] n.救护车(船，飞机) (英语四级单词)
- congenial [kən´dʒi:niəl] a.意气相投的；合适的 (英语四级单词)
- asphalt [´æsfælt] n.沥青 (英语四级单词)
- conjecture [kən´dʒektʃə] n.&v.猜测(想)；设想 (英语四级单词)
- bridegroom [´braidgru:m] n.新郎 (英语四级单词)
- overwhelming [,əuvə´welmiŋ] a.压倒的；势不可挡的 (英语四级单词)
- comply [kəm´plai] vi.照做 (英语四级单词)
- vinegar [´vinigə] n.醋 (英语四级单词)
- unlucky [ʌn´lʌki] a.倒霉的，不幸的 (英语四级单词)
- diversion [dai´və:ʃən] n.转移；消遣 (英语四级单词)
- auction [´ɔ:kʃən] n.&vt.拍卖 (英语四级单词)
- logical [´lɔdʒikəl] a.逻辑(上)的 (英语四级单词)
- dresser [´dresə] n.(剧院)服装员；碗柜 (英语四级单词)
- necklace [´neklis] n.项链 (英语四级单词)
- joyously [´dʒɔiəsli] ad.快乐地，高兴地 (英语六级单词)
- beating [´bi:tiŋ] n.敲；搅打；失败 (英语六级单词)
- august [ɔ:´gʌst] a.尊严的；威严的 (英语六级单词)
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章节正文
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