【英文读物】Chester Rand or The New Path to Fortune.docx

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1、【英文读物】Chester Rand or The New Path to FortuneCHAPTER I. SILAS TRIPP. Probably the best known citizen of Wyncombe, a small town nestling among the Pennsylvania mountains, was Silas Tripp. He kept the village store, occasionally entertained travelers, having three spare rooms, was town treasurer, and

2、conspicuous in other local offices. The store was in the center of the village, nearly opposite the principal churchthere were twoand here it was that the townspeople gathered to hear and discuss the news. Silas Tripp had one assistant, a stout, pleasant-looking boy of fifteen, who looked attractive

3、, despite his well-worn suit. Chester Rand was the son of a widow, who lived in a tiny cottage about fifty rods west of the Presbyterian church, of which, by the way, Silas Tripp was senior deacon, for he was a leader in religious as well as secular affairs. Chesters father had died of pneumonia abo

4、ut four years before the story commences, leaving his widow the cottage and about two hundred and fifty dollars. This sum little by little had melted, and a month previous the last dollar had been spent for the winters supply of coal. Mrs. Rand had earned a small income by plain sewing and binding s

5、hoes for a shoe shop in the village, but to her dismay the announcement had just been made that the shop would close through the winter on account of the increased price of leather and overproduction during the year. What shall we do, Chester? she asked, in alarm, when the news came. We cant live on

6、 your salary, and I get very little sewing to do. No, mother, said Chester, his own face reflecting her anxiety; we cant live on three dollars a week. I have been earning two dollars by binding shoes, said Mrs. Rand. It has been hard enough to live on five dollars a week, but I dont know how we can

7、manage on three. Ill tell you what Ill do, mother. Ill ask Mr. Tripp to raise my pay to four dollars a week. But will he do it? He is a very close man, and always pleading poverty. But I happen to know that he has ten thousand dollars invested in Pennsylvania Railroad stock. I overheard him saying s

8、o to Mr. Gardner. Ten thousand dollars! It seems a fortune! sighed Mrs. Rand. Why do some people have so much and others so little? It beats me, mother. But I dont think either of us would exchange places with Silas Tripp with all his money. By the way, mother, Mr. Tripp is a widower. Why dont you s

9、et your cap for him? Mrs. Rand smiled, as her imagination conjured up the weazened and wrinkled face of the village storekeeper, with his gray hair standing up straight on his head like a natural pompadour. If you want Mr. Tripp for a stepfather, she said, I will see what I can do to ingratiate myse

10、lf with him. No, a thousand times no! replied Chester, with a shudder. Id rather live on one meal a day than have you marry him. I agree with you, Chester. We will live for each other, and hope for something to turn up. I hope the first thing to turn up will be an increase of salary. To-morrow is Ne

11、w Years Day, and it will be a good time to ask. Accordingly, that evening, just as the store was about to close, Chester gathered up courage and said: Mr. Tripp. Well, thats my name, said Silas, looking over his iron-bowed spectacles. To-morrow is New Years Day. What if tis? I reckon I knew that wit

12、hout your tellin me. I came here last New Years Day. Ive been here a year. What if you have? And I thought perhaps you might be willing to raise my salary to four dollars a week, continued Chester, hurriedly. Oho, thats what youre after, is it? said Silas, grimly. You think Im made of money, I recko

13、n. Now, dont you? No, I dont; but, Mr. Tripp, mother and I find it very hard to get along, really we do. She wont have any more shoes to bind for three months to come, on account of the shoe shops closing. Its going to hurt me, too, said Silas, with a frown. When one business suspends it affects all

14、 the rest. Ill have mighty hard work to make both ends meet. This struck Chester as ludicrous, but he did not feel inclined to laugh. Here was Silas Tripp gathering in trade from the entire village and getting not a little in addition from outlying towns, complaining that he would find it hard to ma

15、ke both ends meet, though everyone said that he did not spend one-third of his income. On the whole, things did not look very encouraging. Perhaps, he said, nervously, you would raise me to three dollars and a half? What is the boy thinkin of? You must think Im made of money. Why, three dollars is h

16、ansome pay for what little you do. Why, I work fourteen hours a day, retorted Chester. Im afraid youre gettin lazy. Boys shouldnt complain of their work. The fact is, Chester, I feel as if I was payin you too much. Too much! Three dollars a week too much! Too much, considerin the state of business,

17、and yourself bein a boy. Ive been meanin to tell you that Ive got a chance to get a cheaper boy. Who is it? asked Chester, in dismay. Its Abel Wood. Abel Wood is every mite as big and strong as you are, and he come round last evenin and said hed work for two dollars and a quarter a week. I couldnt w

18、ork for that, said Chester. I dont mind bein generous, considerin youve been working for me more than a year. Ill give you two dollars and a half. Thats twenty-five cents moren the Wood boy is willin to take. Abel Wood doesnt know anything about store work. Ill soon learn him. Sitooated as I am, I f

19、eel that I must look after every penny, and Mr. Tripps face looked meaner and more weazened than ever as he fixed his small, bead-like eyes on his boy clerk. Then I guess Ill have to leave you, Mr. Tripp, said Chester, with a deep feeling of disgust and dismay. Do just as you like, said his employer

20、. Youre onreasonable to expect to get high pay when business is dull. High pay! repeated Chester, bitterly. Three dollars a week! Its what I call high pay. When I was a boy, I only earned two dollars a week. Money would go further when you were a boy. Yes, it did. Boys wasnt so extravagant in them d

21、ays. I dont believe you were ever extravagant, Mr. Tripp, said Chester, with a tinge of sarcasm which his employer didnt detect. No, I wasnt. I dont want to brag, but I never spent a cent foolishly. Do you know how much money I spent the first three months I was at work? A dollar? guessed Chester. A

22、 dollar! repeated Mr. Tripp, in a tone of disapproval. No, I only spent thirty-seven cents. Then I dont wonder you got rich, said Chester, with a curl of the lip. I aint rich, said Silas Tripp, cautiously. Who told you I was? Everybody says so. Then everybody is wrong. Im a leetle forehanded, thats

23、all. Ive heard people say you could afford to give up work and live on the interest of your money. Silas Tripp held up his hands as if astounded. Taint so, he said, sharply. If I gave up business, Id soon be in the poorhouse. Well, what do you say? Will you stay along and work for two dollars and a

24、half a week? I couldnt do it, said Chester, troubled. All right! Its jest as you say. Your week ends to-morrow night. If you see Abel Wood, you can tell him I want to see him. I will, answered Chester, bitterly. As he walked home he felt very despondent. Wouldnt it have been better, he asked himself

25、, to accept reduced wages than to give up his job? It would have been hard enough to attempt living on two dollars and a half a week, but that was better than no income at all. And yet, it looked so mean in Silas Tripp to present such an alternative, when he was abundantly able to give him the incre

26、ase he asked for. I must tell mother and see what she thinks about it, he said to himself.CHAPTER II. OUT OF WORK. Chester had a talk with his mother that evening. She felt indignant at Silas Tripps meanness, but advised Chester to remain in the store for the present. Id rather work anywhere else fo

27、r two dollars, said Chester, bitterly. It would be humiliating enough to accept the reduction, but he felt that duty to his mother required the sacrifice. He started on his way to the store in the morning, prepared to notify Mr. Tripp that he would remain, but he found that it was too late. Just bef

28、ore he reached the store, he met Abel Wood, a loose-jointed, towheaded boy, with a stout body and extraordinarily long legs, who greeted him with a grin. Im goin to work in your place Monday mornin, he said. Has Mr. Tripp spoken to you? asked Chester, his heart sinking. Yes, he said you was goin to

29、leave. Whats up? Mr. Tripp cut down my wages, said Chester. I couldnt work for two dollars and a half. Hes only goin to give me two and a quarter. You can afford to work for that. Your fathers got steady work. Yes, but all the same Ill ask for more in a few weeks. Where are you goin to work? I dont

30、know yet, answered Chester, sadly. Its awful hard to get a place in Wyncombe. I suppose it is. I hope something will turn up. He tried to speak hopefully, but there was very little hope in his heart. He went about his work in a mechanical way, but neglected nothing. When the time came for the store

31、to close, Silas Tripp took three dollars from the drawer and handed it to him, saying: Theres your wages, Chester. I expect its the last Ill pay you. Yes, sir, I suppose so. I dont know how Ill like the Wood boy. He haint no experience. Hell get it, sir. If you want to stay for two and a quarterthe

32、same Im going to give himIll tell him Ive changed my mind. No, sir; it wouldnt be right to put him off now. I guess Ill get something else to do. He turned and left the store, walking with a slower step than usual. His heart was heavy, for he felt that, poorly as they lived hitherto, they must live

33、more poorly still in the days to come. He reached home at last, and put the three dollars in his mothers hands. I dont know when I shall have any more money to give you, mother, he said. It looks dark, Chester, but the Lord reigns. He will still be our friend. There was something in these simple wor

34、ds that cheered Chester, and a weight seemed lifted from his heart. He felt that they were not quite friendless, and that there was still One, kinder and more powerful than any earthly friend, to whom they could look for help. When Monday morning came he rose at the usual hour and breakfasted. Ill g

35、o out and take a walk, mother, he said. Perhaps I may find some work somewhere. Almost unconsciously, he took the familiar way to the store, and paused at a little distance from it. He saw Abel come out with some packages to carry to a customer. It pained him to see another boy in his place, and he

36、turned away with a sigh. During the night four or five inches of snow had fallen. This gave him an idea. As he came to the house of the Misses Cleveland, two maiden sisters who lived in a small cottage set back fifty feet from the road, he opened the gate and went up to the front door. Miss Jane Cle

37、veland opened it for him. Good-morning, Chester, she said. Good-morning, Miss Cleveland. I thought you might want to get a path shoveled to the gate. So I would; Hannah tried to do it last time it snowed, but she caught an awful cold. But aint you working up at the store? Not now. Mr. Tripp cut down

38、 my wages, and I left. Do tell. Have you got another place? Not just yet. I thought Id do any little jobs that came along till I got one. Thats right. Whatll you charge to shovel a path? Chester hesitated. Fifteen cents, he answered, at last. Ill give you ten. Moneys skerce. Chester reflected that h

39、e could probably do the job in half an hour, and he accepted. It cheered him to think he was earning something, however small. He worked with a will, and in twenty-five minutes the work was done. Youre spry, said Jane Cleveland, when he brought the shovel to the door. It took Hannah twice as long, a

40、nd she didnt do it as well. It isnt the kind of work for ladies, replied Chester. Wait till I fetch the money. Miss Cleveland went into the house, and returned with a nickel and four pennies. Im reely ashamed, she said. Ill have to owe you a cent. But heres a mince pie Ive just baked. Take it home t

41、o your ma. Maybe itll come handy. Ill try to think of the other cent next time you come along. Dont trouble yourself about it, Miss Cleveland. The pie is worth a good deal more than the cent. Motherll be very much obliged to you. Shes very welcome, Im sure, said the kindly spinster. I hope youll get

42、 work soon, Chester. Thank you. Chester made his way homeward, as he did not care to carry the pie about with him. His mother looked at him in surprise as he entered the house. What have you there, Chester? she asked. A pie from Miss Cleveland. But how came she to give you a pie? I shoveled a path f

43、or her, and she gave me a pie and ten centsno, nine. So you see, mother, Ive earned something this week. I take it as a good omen. A willing hand will generally find work to do. How are you off for wood, mother? There is some left, Chester. Ill go out in the yard and work at the wood pile till dinne

44、r time. Then this afternoon I will go out again and see if I can find some more paths to shovel. But Chester was not destined to earn any more money that day. As a general thing, the village people shoveled their own paths, and would regard hiring such work done as sinful extravagance. Chester did,

45、however, find some work to do. About half-past three he met Abel Wood tugging a large basket, filled with groceries, to the ministers house. He had set it down, and was resting his tired arms when Chester came along. Give me a lift with this basket, Chester, thats a good fellow, said Abel. Chester l

46、ifted it. Yes, it is heavy, he said. The ministers got some company, went on Abel, and hes given an extra large order. How do you like working in the store, Abel? Its hard work, harder than I thought. But remember what a magnificent salary you will get, said Chester, with a smile. It aint half enough. Say, Chester, old Tripp is rich, aint he? I should call myself rich if I had his money. Hes a miserly old hunks, then, to give me such small pay. Dont let him hear you say so. Ill take care of that. Come, youll help me, wont you? Yes, answered C