【英文读物】Do and Dare A Brave Boy's Fight for Fortune.docx

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1、【英文读物】Do and Dare A Brave Boys Fight for FortuneCHAPTER I. THE POST OFFICE AT WAYNEBORO. “If we could only keep the post office, mother, we should be all right,” said Herbert Carr, as he and his mother sat together in the little sitting room of the plain cottage which the two had occupied ever since

2、 he was a boy of five.“Yes, Herbert, but I am afraid there wont be much chance of it.”“Who would want to take it from you, mother?”“Men are selfish, Herbert, and there is no office, however small, that is not sought after.”“What was the income last year?” inquired Herbert.Mrs. Carr referred to a bla

3、nk book lying on the table in which the post-office accounts were kept, and answered:“Three hundred and ninety-eight dollars and fifty cents.”“I shouldnt think that would be much of an inducement to an able-bodied man, who could work at any business.”“Your father was glad to have it.”“Yes, mother, b

4、ut he had lost an arm in the war, and could not engage in any business that required both hands.”“That is true, Herbert, but I am afraid there will be more than one who will be willing to relieve me of the duties. Old Mrs. Allen called at the office to-day, and told me she understood that there was

5、a movement on foot to have Ebenezer Graham appointed.”“Squire Walsinghams nephew?”“Yes; it is understood that the squire will throw his influence into the scale, and that will probably decide the matter.”“Then its very mean of Squire Walsingham,” said Herbert, indignantly. “He knows that you depend

6、on the office for a living.”“Most men are selfish, my dear Herbert.”“But he was an old schoolfellow of fathers, and it was as his substitute that father went to the war where he was wounded.”“True, Herbert, but I am afraid that consideration wont weigh much with John Walsingham.”“I have a great mind

7、 to go and see him, mother. Have you any objections?”“I have no objections, but I am afraid it will do no good.”“Mr. Graham ought to be ashamed, with the profits of his store, to want the post office also. His store alone pays him handsomely.”“Mr. Graham is fond of money. He means to be a rich man.”

8、“That is true enough. He is about the meanest man in town.”A few words are needed in explanation, though the conversation explains itself pretty well.Herberts father, returning from the war with the loss of an arm, was fortunate enough to receive the appointment of postmaster, and thus earn a small,

9、 but, with strict economy, adequate income, until a fever terminated his earthly career at middle age. Mr. Graham was a rival applicant for the office, but Mr. Carrs services in the war were thought to give him superior claims, and he secured it. During the month that had elapsed since his death, Mr

10、s. Carr had carried on the post office under a temporary appointment. She was a woman of good business capacity, and already familiar with the duties of the office, having assisted her husband, especially during his sickness, when nearly the whole work devolved upon her. Most of the village people w

11、ere in favor of having her retained, but the local influence of Squire Walsingham and his nephew was so great that a petition in favor of the latter secured numerous signatures, and was already on file at the department in Washington, and backed by the congressman of the district, who was a politica

12、l friend of the squire. Mrs. Carr was not aware that the movement for her displacement had gone so far.It was already nine oclock when Herberts conversation with his mother ended, and he resolved to defer his call upon Squire Walsingham till the next morning.About nine oclock in the forenoon our you

13、ng hero rang the bell of the village magnate, and with but little delay was ushered into his presence.Squire Walsingham was a tall, portly man of fifty, sleek and evidently on excellent terms with himself. Indeed, he was but five years older than his nephew, Ebenezer Graham, and looked the younger o

14、f the two, despite the relationship. If he had been a United States Senator he could not have been more dignified in his deportment, or esteemed himself of greater consequence. He was a selfish man, but he was free from the mean traits that characterized his nephew.“You are the Carr boy,” said the s

15、quire, pompously, looking over his spectacles at Herbert, as he entered the door.“My name is Herbert Carr,” said Herbert, shortly. “You have known me all my life.”“Certainly,” said the squire, a little ruffled at the failure of his grand manner to impose upon his young visitor. “Did I not call you t

16、he Carr boy?”Herbert did not fancy being called the Carr boy, but he was there to ask a favor, and he thought it prudent not to show his dissatisfaction. He resolved to come to the point at once.“I have called, Squire Walsingham,” he commenced, “to ask if you will use your influence to have my mothe

17、r retained in charge of the post office.”“Ahem!” said the squire, somewhat embarrassed. “I am not in charge of the post-office department.”“No, sir, I am aware of that; but the postmaster general will be influenced by the recommendations of people in the village.”“Very true!” said the squire, compla

18、cently. “Very true, and very proper. I do not pretend to say that my recommendation would not weigh with the authorities at Washington. Indeed, the member from our district is a personal friend of mine.”“You know how we are situated,” continued Herbert, who thought it best to state his case as brief

19、ly as possible. “Father was unable to save anything, and we have no money ahead. If mother can keep the post office, we shall get along nicely, but if she loses it, we shall have a hard time.”“I am surprised that in your fathers long tenure of office he did not save something,” said the squire, in a

20、 tone which indicated not only surprise but reproof.“There was not much chance to save on a salary of four hundred dollars a year,” said Herbert, soberly, “after supporting a family of three.”“Ahem!” said the squire, sagely; “where theres a will theres a way. Improvidence is the great fault of the l

21、ower classes.”“We dont belong to the lower classes,” said Herbert, flushing with indignation.Squire Walmsgham was secretly ambitious of representing his district some day in Congress, and he felt that he had made a mistake. It wont do for an aspirant to office to speak of the lower classes, and the

22、squire hastened to repair his error.“That was not the term I intended to imply,” he condescended to explain. “I meant to say that improvidence is the prevailing fault of those whose income is small.”“We havent had much chance to be improvident!” said Herbert “We have had to spend all our income, but

23、 we are not in debtthat is, we have no debts that we are unable to pay.”“That is well,” said Squire Walsingham, “but, my young constituentI mean my young friendI apprehend that you do not take a right view of public office. It is not designed to support a privileged class in luxury.”“Luxury, on four

24、 hundred a year!” replied Herbert.“I am speaking in general terms,” said the squire, hastily. “I mean to say that I cannot recommend a person to office simply because he or she needs the income.”“No, sir, I know that; but my mother understands the duties of the office, and no complaint has been made

25、 that she does not make a good postmaster.”“Possibly,” said the squire, non-commitally; “but I am opposed upon principle to conferring offices upon women. Men are more efficient, and better qualified to discharge responsible duties.”“Then, sir,” said Herbert, his heart sinking, “I am to understand t

26、hat you do not favor the appointment of my mother?”“I should be glad to hear that your mother was doing well,” said the squire, “but I cannot conscientiously favor the appointment of a woman to be postmaster of Wayneboro.”“That means that he prefers the appointment should go to his nephew,” thought

27、Herbert.“If my mother were not competent to discharge the duties,” he said, his face showing his disappointment in spite of himself, “I would not ask your influence, notwithstanding you were a schoolmate of fathers, and he lost his arm while acting as your substitute.”“I have already said that I wis

28、h your mother well,” said the squire, coloring, “and in any other way I am ready to help her and you. Indeed, I may be able to secure you a situation.”“Where, sir?”“Mr. Graham needs a boy in his store, and I think he will take you on my recommendation.”“Is Tom Tripp going away?” asked Herbert.“The T

29、ripp boy is unsatisfactory, so Mr. Graham tells me.”Herbert knew something of what it would be to be employed by Mr. Graham. Tom Tripp worked early and late for a dollar and a half per week, without board, for a hard and suspicious taskmaster, who was continually finding fault with him. But for shee

30、r necessity, he would have left Mr. Grahams store long ago. He had confided the unpleasantness of his position to Herbert more than once, and enlisted his sympathy and indignation. Herbert felt that he would not like to work for Mr. Graham at any price, more especially as it seemed likely that the s

31、torekeeper was likely to deprive his mother of her office and income.“I should not like to work for Mr. Graham, sir,” he said.“It appears to me that you are very particular, young man,” said Squire Walsingham.“I would be willing to work for you, sir, but not for him.”“Ahem!” said the squire, somewha

32、t mollified, “I will think of your case.”Herbert left the house, feeling that his mothers removal was only a matter of time. CHAPTER II. HERBERTS CHANCE. Herbert left the house of Squire Walsingham in a sober frame of mind. He saw clearly that his mother would not long remain in office, and without

33、her official income they would find it hard to get along. To be sure, she received a pension of eight dollars a month, in consideration of her husbands services in the war, but eight dollars would not go far towards supporting their family, small as it was. There were other means of earning a living

34、, to be sure, but Wayneboro was an agricultural town mainly, and unless he hired out on a farm there seemed no way open to him, while the little sewing his mother might be able to procure would probably pay her less than a dollar a week.The blow fell sooner than he expected. In the course of the nex

35、t week Mrs. Carr was notified that Ebenezer Graham had been appointed her successor, and she was directed to turn over the papers and property of the office to him.She received the official notification by the afternoon mail, and in the evening she was favored by a call from her successor.Ebenezer G

36、raham was a small man, with insignificant, mean-looking features, including a pair of weazel-like eyes and a turn-up nose. It did not require a skillful physiognomist to read his character in his face. Meanness was stamped upon it in unmistakable characters.“Good-evening, Mr. Graham,” said the widow

37、, gravely.“Good-evening, maam,” said the storekeeper. “Ive called to see you, Mrs. Carr, about the post office, I presume you have heard”“I have heard that you are to be my successor.”“Just so. As long as your husband was alive, I didnt want to step into his shoes.”“But you are willing to step into

38、mine,” said Mrs. Carr, smiling faintly.“Just sothat is, the govment appear to think a man ought to be in charge of so responsible a position.”“I shall be glad if you manage the office better than I have done.”“You see, maam, it stands to reason that a man is better fitted for business than a woman,”

39、 said Ebenezer Graham, in a smooth tone for he wanted to get over this rather awkward business as easily as possible. “Women, you know, was made to adorn the domestic circles, et cetery.”“Adorning the domestic circle wont give me a living,” said Mrs. Carr, with some bitterness, for she knew that but

40、 for the grasping spirit of the man before her she would have been allowed to retain her office.“I was comin to that,” said the new postmaster. “Of course, I appreciate your position as a widder, without much means, and Im going to make you an offer; that is, your boy, Herbert.”Herbert looked up fro

41、m a book he was reading, and listened with interest to hear the benevolent intentions of the new postmaster.“I am ready to give him a place in my store,” proceeded Ebenezer. “I always keep a boy, and thinks I to myself, the wages I give will help along the widder Carr. You see, I like to combine bus

42、iness with consideration for my feller creeters.”Mrs. Carr smiled faintly, for in spite of her serious strait she could not help being amused at the notion of Ebenezer Grahams philanthropy.“Whats going to become of Tom Tripp?” asked Herbert, abruptly.“Thomas Tripp isnt exactly the kind of boy I want

43、 in my store,” said Mr. Graham. “Hes a harum-scarum sort of boy, and likes to shirk his work. Then I suspect he stops to play on the way when I send him on errands. Yesterday he was five minutes longer than he need to have been in goin to Sam Dunnings to carry some groceries. Thomas doesnt seem to a

44、ppreciate his privileges in bein connected with a business like mine.”Tom Tripp was hardly to blame for not recognizing his good luck in occupying a position where he received a dollar and a half a week for fourteen hours daily work, with half a dozen scoldings thrown in.“How do you know I will suit

45、 you any better than Tom?” asked Herbert, who did not think it necessary to thank Mr. Graham for the proffered engagement until he learned just what was expected of him, and what his pay was to be.“Youre a different sort of a boy,” said Ebenezer, with an attempt at a pleasant smile. “Youve been brou

46、ght up different. Ive heard youre a smart, capable boy, that isnt afraid of work.”“No, sir, I am not, if I am fairly paid for my work.”The new postmasters jaw fell, and he looked uneasy, for he always grudged the money he paid out, even the paltry dollar and a half which went to poor Tom.“I always c

47、alkerlate to pay fair wages,” he said; “but I aint rich, and I cant afford to fling away money.”“How much do you pay Tom Tripp?” asked Herbert.He knew, but he wanted to draw Mr. Graham out.“I pay Thomas a dollar and fifty cents a week,” answered the storekeeper, in a tone which indicated that he reg

48、arded this, on the whole, as rather a munificent sum.“And he works from seven in the morning till nine oclock at night,” proceeded Herbert.“Them are the hours,” said Ebenezer, who knew better how to make money than to speak grammatically.“It makes a pretty long day,” observed Mrs. Carr.“So it does,

49、maam, but its no longer than I work myself.”“You get paid rather better, I presume.”“Of course, maam, as I am the proprietor.”“I couldnt think of working for any such sum,” said Herbert, decidedly.Mr. Graham looked disturbed, for he had reasons for desiring to secure Herbert, who was familiar with the routine of post-office work.