章节正文
"You are a very strange child," said Mrs. Gordon.
"Indeed you are," added Grace
"I shall not feel right if you don't take this money. You know I
promised to pay you at the time you gave me the receipt."
"I did not suppose you would, that is, I did not think you would
be able to pay it. Your mother has got well, then?"
"No, ma'am; she is better, but she does not sit up any yet."
"Then how did you get this money?"
"I earned it."
"You!"
"Yes, ma'am; selling candy."
"Is it possible? The mayor told me you were a little candy
merchant, but I did not suppose you carried on such an extensive
trade."
"I make a great deal of money; almost five dollars a week; and
now I am able, I hope you will let me pay you."
"If you insist upon it, I shall, though I had much rather you
would keep the money."
"Thank you, ma'am. I shall feel much better when it is paid."
Mrs. Gordon reluctantly received the four dollars. It was a very
small sum to her, though a very large one to Katy. She saw that
the little candy merchant's pride was of the right kind, and she
was not disposed to give her any unnecessary mortification,
though she resolved that neither Katy nor her mother should ever
want a friend in their need.
"I owe you one dollar, also," continued Katy, advancing to the
side of Grace.
"Well, I declare!" laughed Grace. "If that isn't a good one!"
"I promised to pay you; and you know I would not take the money
as a gift," replied Katy.
"I am aware that you would not, and you are the promptest
paymistress I ever knew."
"With the dollar you lent me, I bought the molasses to make the
first lot of candy I sold. Your dollar has done a great deal of
good."
"I am glad it has; but I don't want to take it."
"Won't you let me feel like myself?"
"Certainly I will," laughed Grace.
"Then let me pay my debts, and not feel just like a beggar."
"You are the queerest child I ever saw!" exclaimed Grace, as she
took the dollar. "I am going to keep this dollar for you, and
perhaps some time you will not be so proud as you are now, though
I hope you will always have all the money you want."
"I think I shall, if my trade continues to be good," replied
Katy, who, now that all her debts had been paid, felt a heavy
load removed from her heart.
"You must bring your candy up here. The mayor says it is very
good. I have a sweet tooth, and I will buy lots of it," added
Grace.
"I will bring you up some to-morrow," replied Katy, moving
towards the door, and casting a last glance at the mischievous
lady in the picture.
"The mayor told me to ask you to call and see him again," said
Mrs. Gordon. "He is very much interested in you."
"He is very kind;" and she bade them good-by.
Katy felt highly honored by the notice the mayor had taken of
her. Like Master Simon Sneed, she felt almost like calling him
her friend the mayor; but she resolved to call upon him on her
way home. He received her very kindly, told her what a mistake
she had made in giving the pawnbroker his note, who had never
delivered it to the marshal, and promised to buy lots of candy
when she came with her tray.
When she returned home she found a message there from Tommy
Howard, requesting to see her that afternoon. She did not feel
like spending any more time in idleness, when she had so much
candy to sell; but Tommy's request was not to be neglected; and,
taking her tray, she called at his house as she passed up to the
court.
Tommy had been talking for a year about going to sea, and had
been for some time on the lookout for a chance as a cabin-boy or
a reefer. He had told her his plans, how he intended to be a good
sailor and work his way up to be captain of some fine ship. She
suspected, therefore, that he had found a chance to go to sea,
and wanted to tell her all about it.
She found him at home, waiting her expected visit; but a feeling
of sadness came over her when she saw his manly face, and thought
how badly she should feel if he should go off on the ocean, and,
perhaps, be drowned in its vast depths. He had been her friend
and protector. Johnny Grippen hardly dared to look at her since
the flogging he had given him; and Katy thought, perhaps, if he
went away, that she should have no one to defend her.
"I am going to-morrow, Katy," said he, after he had given her a
seat by the window.
"To sea?" asked Katy, gloomily.
"Yes; I have got a first-rate ship, and she sails to-morrow."
"I am so sorry you are going!"
"O, never mind it, Katy; I shall be back one of these days. I
wanted to tell you if Johnny Grippen gives you any impudence, to
let me know and I'll lick him when I come back."
"I guess he won't."
"He may; if he does, you had better tell his father."
"But where are you going, Tommy?"
"To Liverpool."
Katy started. Her grandfather lived there. After a moment's
thought she conceived a plan which made her heart bound with
emotion. She could send word to her grandfather, by Tommy, that
she and her mother were in Boston, and then he would send over
after them, and they could live in his fine house, and she should
be as happy as a queen. Then she and her mother might be
passengers in Tommy's ship--and wouldn't they have great times on
the passage! And as her grandfather was a merchant, and owned
ships, she might be able to do something for Tommy.
Under the seal of secrecy she related to her young sailor friend
all the particulars of her mother's history; and he wrote down
the names she gave him. Tommy promised to hunt all over Liverpool
till he found her grandfather; and to insure him a good
reception, Katy wrote a short letter to him, in which she stated
the principal facts in the case.
"Now, good-by, Tommy," said she, wiping away a tear; "I shall
think of you every day, and pray for you too. I hope there won't
be any storms to sink your ship."
"We shan't mind the storms. Good-by, Katy."
She felt very badly all the rest of the day, and her sales were
smaller than usual, for her energy was diminished in proportion
to the sadness of her heart.
CHAPTER XIII.
KATY EMPLOYS AN ASSISTANT.
As winter approached, Katy realized that the demand for molasses
candy was on the increase, and she found it necessary to make a
much larger quantity. Mrs. Colvin still rendered her assistance
"for a consideration," and the supply was thus made to correspond
with the demand.
Mrs. Redburn's health which had begun to improve with the advent
of their prosperity, now enabled her to sit up nearly the whole
day, and to render much aid in the household affairs, and
especially in the manufacturing of the candy. The good fortune
that had attended Katy's efforts brought many additional comforts
to their humbledwelling; indeed, they had everything that they
needed, and everything that any poor person would have required.
But the fond mother had never been able to reconcile herself to
the business which Katy followed. She dreaded every day lest the
temptations to which it constantly exposed her might lead her
astray. She loved her daughter with all her heart, and she would
rather have died in poverty and want than have had her corrupted.
She had every reason to believe that Katy was the pure and
innocent child she had always been; but she feared, as she grew
older, that some harm might befall her. She would rather bury her
than see her become a bad person, and she hoped soon to be able
to resume her own labors, and let Katy abandon her dangerous
business.
Mrs. Redburn often talked with her about the perils that lay in
her path; but Katy spoke like one who was fortified by good
resolutions and a strong will. She declared that she knew what
dangers were in her way, and that she could resist all the
temptations that beset her. Whatever views the mother had, there
seemed to be no opportunity to carry them out, for by Katy's
labors they were fed, clothed, and housed. She was her mother's
only support, and the candy trade, perilous as it was, could not
be given up.
Katy did not desire to abandon the business she had built up, for
she was proud of her achievement. She was resolved to be good and
true, and to her it did not seem half so perilous as to others.
She had even indulged some thoughts of enlarging her business.
Why could she not have a shop, and sell candy on a counter as
well as in the street? She mentioned this idea to her mother, who
was sure the shop could not succeed, for she was aware that her
daughter's winning manners were more than half her stock in
trade, and that her large sales resulted from carrying the candy
to hundreds of people who did not want it enough to go after it.
Therefore Katy gave up the shop at once, but she did not abandon
the idea of enlarging her business, though she did not exactly
see how it could be done. One day an accident solved the problem
for her, and at that time commenced a new era in the candy trade.
One pleasant morning in November, as she walked up the court, she
met Ann Grippen, a sister of Johnny who stopped to talk with her.
The Grippen family consisted of eleven persons. The father was a
day laborer, and as his wages were small, and he had a great many
mouths to feed, they were, of course, miserably poor. The older
children showed no ability or disposition to help their parents
but spent most of their time in strolling about the streets.
Johnny was a fair specimen of the boys, as Ann was of the girls.
She might have been seen almost any day with a well-worn basket
on her arm, exploring the streets and wharves in search of chips,
for Johnny was too vicious to do the work which more properly
belonged to him.
"You sell lots of candy now--don't you?" said Ann.
"Yes, a great deal," replied Katy, who was not disposed to spend
her time idly, and in the company of one whose reputation in the
neighborhood was not very good.
"Stop a minute--won't you? I want to speak to you."
"I will; but be as quick as you can, for I am in a hurry."
"Don't you think I could sell candy?" continued Ann.
"I dare say you could. Why don't you try, if you want to?"
"But I haven't got no candy; and mother can't make it, as you
can. If you are a mind to let me have some, I will sell it for
you, and you may give me what you like."
The idea struck the little merchant very favorably. There were a
great many girls just like Ann Grippen, who were wasting their
time about the streets, and learning to be wicked. Why couldn't
she employ them to sell candy?
"I will try you," replied Katy.
"Well, I'm all ready to begin."
"Not yet," said the little candy merchant, with a smile.
"Yes, I am."
"Your face and hands are very dirty."
"What odds will that make?" asked Ann, rather indignantly.
"Do you suppose anybody would eat a stick of candy after you had
touched it with those dirty fingers? Your customers would be
afraid of being poisoned."
"I s'pose I can wash 'em," replied Ann, who seemed still to
regard it as a very unnecessary operation.
"Indeed you are," added Grace
"I shall not feel right if you don't take this money. You know I
promised to pay you at the time you gave me the receipt."
"I did not suppose you would, that is, I did not think you would
be able to pay it. Your mother has got well, then?"
"No, ma'am; she is better, but she does not sit up any yet."
"Then how did you get this money?"
"I earned it."
"You!"
"Yes, ma'am; selling candy."
"Is it possible? The mayor told me you were a little candy
merchant, but I did not suppose you carried on such an extensive
trade."
"I make a great deal of money; almost five dollars a week; and
now I am able, I hope you will let me pay you."
"If you insist upon it, I shall, though I had much rather you
would keep the money."
"Thank you, ma'am. I shall feel much better when it is paid."
Mrs. Gordon reluctantly received the four dollars. It was a very
small sum to her, though a very large one to Katy. She saw that
the little candy merchant's pride was of the right kind, and she
was not disposed to give her any unnecessary mortification,
though she resolved that neither Katy nor her mother should ever
want a friend in their need.
"I owe you one dollar, also," continued Katy, advancing to the
side of Grace.
"Well, I declare!" laughed Grace. "If that isn't a good one!"
"I promised to pay you; and you know I would not take the money
as a gift," replied Katy.
"I am aware that you would not, and you are the promptest
paymistress I ever knew."
"With the dollar you lent me, I bought the molasses to make the
first lot of candy I sold. Your dollar has done a great deal of
good."
"I am glad it has; but I don't want to take it."
"Won't you let me feel like myself?"
"Certainly I will," laughed Grace.
"Then let me pay my debts, and not feel just like a beggar."
"You are the queerest child I ever saw!" exclaimed Grace, as she
took the dollar. "I am going to keep this dollar for you, and
perhaps some time you will not be so proud as you are now, though
I hope you will always have all the money you want."
"I think I shall, if my trade continues to be good," replied
Katy, who, now that all her debts had been paid, felt a heavy
load removed from her heart.
"You must bring your candy up here. The mayor says it is very
good. I have a sweet tooth, and I will buy lots of it," added
Grace.
"I will bring you up some to-morrow," replied Katy, moving
towards the door, and casting a last glance at the mischievous
lady in the picture.
"The mayor told me to ask you to call and see him again," said
Mrs. Gordon. "He is very much interested in you."
"He is very kind;" and she bade them good-by.
Katy felt highly honored by the notice the mayor had taken of
her. Like Master Simon Sneed, she felt almost like calling him
her friend the mayor; but she resolved to call upon him on her
way home. He received her very kindly, told her what a mistake
she had made in giving the pawnbroker his note, who had never
delivered it to the marshal, and promised to buy lots of candy
when she came with her tray.
When she returned home she found a message there from Tommy
Howard, requesting to see her that afternoon. She did not feel
like spending any more time in idleness, when she had so much
candy to sell; but Tommy's request was not to be neglected; and,
taking her tray, she called at his house as she passed up to the
court.
Tommy had been talking for a year about going to sea, and had
been for some time on the lookout for a chance as a cabin-boy or
a reefer. He had told her his plans, how he intended to be a good
sailor and work his way up to be captain of some fine ship. She
suspected, therefore, that he had found a chance to go to sea,
and wanted to tell her all about it.
She found him at home, waiting her expected visit; but a feeling
of sadness came over her when she saw his manly face, and thought
how badly she should feel if he should go off on the ocean, and,
perhaps, be drowned in its vast depths. He had been her friend
and protector. Johnny Grippen hardly dared to look at her since
the flogging he had given him; and Katy thought, perhaps, if he
went away, that she should have no one to defend her.
"I am going to-morrow, Katy," said he, after he had given her a
seat by the window.
"To sea?" asked Katy, gloomily.
"Yes; I have got a first-rate ship, and she sails to-morrow."
"I am so sorry you are going!"
"O, never mind it, Katy; I shall be back one of these days. I
wanted to tell you if Johnny Grippen gives you any impudence, to
let me know and I'll lick him when I come back."
"I guess he won't."
"He may; if he does, you had better tell his father."
"But where are you going, Tommy?"
"To Liverpool."
Katy started. Her grandfather lived there. After a moment's
thought she conceived a plan which made her heart bound with
emotion. She could send word to her grandfather, by Tommy, that
she and her mother were in Boston, and then he would send over
after them, and they could live in his fine house, and she should
be as happy as a queen. Then she and her mother might be
passengers in Tommy's ship--and wouldn't they have great times on
the passage! And as her grandfather was a merchant, and owned
ships, she might be able to do something for Tommy.
Under the seal of secrecy she related to her young sailor friend
all the particulars of her mother's history; and he wrote down
the names she gave him. Tommy promised to hunt all over Liverpool
till he found her grandfather; and to insure him a good
reception, Katy wrote a short letter to him, in which she stated
the principal facts in the case.
"Now, good-by, Tommy," said she, wiping away a tear; "I shall
think of you every day, and pray for you too. I hope there won't
be any storms to sink your ship."
"We shan't mind the storms. Good-by, Katy."
She felt very badly all the rest of the day, and her sales were
smaller than usual, for her energy was diminished in proportion
to the sadness of her heart.
CHAPTER XIII.
KATY EMPLOYS AN ASSISTANT.
As winter approached, Katy realized that the demand for molasses
candy was on the increase, and she found it necessary to make a
much larger quantity. Mrs. Colvin still rendered her assistance
"for a consideration," and the supply was thus made to correspond
with the demand.
Mrs. Redburn's health which had begun to improve with the advent
of their prosperity, now enabled her to sit up nearly the whole
day, and to render much aid in the household affairs, and
especially in the manufacturing of the candy. The good fortune
that had attended Katy's efforts brought many additional comforts
to their humbledwelling; indeed, they had everything that they
needed, and everything that any poor person would have required.
But the fond mother had never been able to reconcile herself to
the business which Katy followed. She dreaded every day lest the
temptations to which it constantly exposed her might lead her
astray. She loved her daughter with all her heart, and she would
rather have died in poverty and want than have had her corrupted.
She had every reason to believe that Katy was the pure and
innocent child she had always been; but she feared, as she grew
older, that some harm might befall her. She would rather bury her
than see her become a bad person, and she hoped soon to be able
to resume her own labors, and let Katy abandon her dangerous
business.
Mrs. Redburn often talked with her about the perils that lay in
her path; but Katy spoke like one who was fortified by good
resolutions and a strong will. She declared that she knew what
dangers were in her way, and that she could resist all the
temptations that beset her. Whatever views the mother had, there
seemed to be no opportunity to carry them out, for by Katy's
labors they were fed, clothed, and housed. She was her mother's
only support, and the candy trade, perilous as it was, could not
be given up.
Katy did not desire to abandon the business she had built up, for
she was proud of her achievement. She was resolved to be good and
true, and to her it did not seem half so perilous as to others.
She had even indulged some thoughts of enlarging her business.
Why could she not have a shop, and sell candy on a counter as
well as in the street? She mentioned this idea to her mother, who
was sure the shop could not succeed, for she was aware that her
daughter's winning manners were more than half her stock in
trade, and that her large sales resulted from carrying the candy
to hundreds of people who did not want it enough to go after it.
Therefore Katy gave up the shop at once, but she did not abandon
the idea of enlarging her business, though she did not exactly
see how it could be done. One day an accident solved the problem
for her, and at that time commenced a new era in the candy trade.
One pleasant morning in November, as she walked up the court, she
met Ann Grippen, a sister of Johnny who stopped to talk with her.
The Grippen family consisted of eleven persons. The father was a
day laborer, and as his wages were small, and he had a great many
mouths to feed, they were, of course, miserably poor. The older
children showed no ability or disposition to help their parents
but spent most of their time in strolling about the streets.
Johnny was a fair specimen of the boys, as Ann was of the girls.
She might have been seen almost any day with a well-worn basket
on her arm, exploring the streets and wharves in search of chips,
for Johnny was too vicious to do the work which more properly
belonged to him.
"You sell lots of candy now--don't you?" said Ann.
"Yes, a great deal," replied Katy, who was not disposed to spend
her time idly, and in the company of one whose reputation in the
neighborhood was not very good.
"Stop a minute--won't you? I want to speak to you."
"I will; but be as quick as you can, for I am in a hurry."
"Don't you think I could sell candy?" continued Ann.
"I dare say you could. Why don't you try, if you want to?"
"But I haven't got no candy; and mother can't make it, as you
can. If you are a mind to let me have some, I will sell it for
you, and you may give me what you like."
The idea struck the little merchant very favorably. There were a
great many girls just like Ann Grippen, who were wasting their
time about the streets, and learning to be wicked. Why couldn't
she employ them to sell candy?
"I will try you," replied Katy.
"Well, I'm all ready to begin."
"Not yet," said the little candy merchant, with a smile.
"Yes, I am."
"Your face and hands are very dirty."
"What odds will that make?" asked Ann, rather indignantly.
"Do you suppose anybody would eat a stick of candy after you had
touched it with those dirty fingers? Your customers would be
afraid of being poisoned."
"I s'pose I can wash 'em," replied Ann, who seemed still to
regard it as a very unnecessary operation.
- therefore [´ðeəfɔ:]
ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词) - waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)
- grandfather [´grænd,fɑ:ðə] n.(外)祖父；祖先 (初中英语单词)
- principal [´prinsəpəl] a.主要的 n.负责人 (初中英语单词)
- energy [´enədʒi] n.活力，精力；能力 (初中英语单词)
- prosperity [prɔ´speriti] n.繁荣；成功；幸运 (初中英语单词)
- additional [ə´diʃənəl] a.附加的，额外的 (初中英语单词)
- humble [´hʌmbəl] a.谦卑的 vt.贬抑 (初中英语单词)
- dwelling [´dweliŋ] n.住所；寓所 (初中英语单词)
- constantly [´kɔnstəntli] ad.经常地；不断地 (初中英语单词)
- poverty [´pɔvəti] n.贫穷(乏，瘠)；不足 (初中英语单词)
- abandon [ə´bændən] vt.抛弃，放弃，离弃 (初中英语单词)
- resist [ri´zist] v.抵抗；对抗；抵制 (初中英语单词)
- whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)
- achievement [ə´tʃi:vmənt] n.完成；成就，成绩 (初中英语单词)
- ability [ə´biliti] n.(办事)能力；才干 (初中英语单词)
- disposition [,dispə´ziʃən] n.安排；性情；倾向 (初中英语单词)
- learning [´lə:niŋ] n.学习；学问；知识 (初中英语单词)
- wicked [´wikid] a.邪恶的；不道德的 (初中英语单词)
- sadness [´sædnis] n.悲哀；悲痛；凄惨 (高中英语单词)
- related [ri´leitid] a.叙述的；有联系的 (高中英语单词)
- insure [in´ʃuə] vt.给...保险 (高中英语单词)
- reconcile [´rekənsail] vt.调和；使和谐 (高中英语单词)
- befall [bi´fɔ:l] v.降临；发表(于) (高中英语单词)
- perilous [´periləs] a.危险的；冒险的 (高中英语单词)
- counter [´kauntə] n.计算者；柜台；计算机 (高中英语单词)
- laborer [´leibərə] (=labourer) n.工人 (高中英语单词)
- specimen [´spesimən] n.标本，样品；抽样 (高中英语单词)
- reluctantly [ri´lʌktəntli] a.不情愿地；勉强地 (英语四级单词)
- resolved [ri´zɔlvd] a.决心的；坚定的 (英语四级单词)
- molasses [mə´læsiz] n.糖浆，糖蜜 (英语四级单词)
- marshal [´mɑ:ʃəl] n.(陆军)元帅 (英语四级单词)
- idleness [´aidlnis] n.懒；闲着不干事 (英语四级单词)
- lookout [´lukaut] n.警戒；景色；前途 (英语四级单词)
- protector [prə´tektə] n.保护者；防御者 (英语四级单词)
- secrecy [´si:krəsi] n.保密；秘密 (英语四级单词)
- winning [´winiŋ] n.&a.胜利(的) (英语四级单词)
- vicious [´viʃəs] a.不道德的；刻毒的 (英语四级单词)
- reputation [repju´teiʃən] n.名誉；名声；信誉 (英语四级单词)
- wasting [´weistiŋ] a.&n.浪费(的) (英语四级单词)
- calling [´kɔ:liŋ] n.点名；职业；欲望 (英语六级单词)
- miserably [´mizərəbli] ad.悲惨地；糟糕地 (英语六级单词)
- wharves [wɔ:vz] wharf的复数 (英语六级单词)
文章标签:名著
章节正文
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