But we were speaking of Vesey Street. It looks down to the water, and the soft music of steamship13 whistles comes tuning14 on a cold, gusty15 air. Thoroughly16 mundane17 little street, yet not unmindful of[Pg 171] matters spiritual, bounded as it is by divine Providence18 at one end (St. Paul's) and by Providence, R. I. (the Providence Line pier) at the other. Perhaps it is the presence of the graveyard19 that has startled Vesey Street into a curious reversal of custom. On most other streets, we think, the numbers of the houses run even on the south side, odd on the north. But just the opposite on Vesey. You will find all even numbers on the north, odd on the south. Still, Wall Street errs20 in the same way.
If marooned22 or quarantined on Vesey Street a man might lead a life of gayety and sound nourishment23 for a considerable while, without having recourse to more exalted24 thoroughfares. There are lodging25 houses in that row of old buildings down toward the docks; from the garret windows he could see masts moving on the river. For food he would live high indeed. Where will one see such huge glossy26 blue-black grapes; such enormous Indian River grapefruit; such noble display of fish—scallops, herrings, smelts27, and the larger kind with their dead and desolate28 eyes? There are pathetic rows of rabbits, frozen stiff in the bitter cold wind; huge white hares hanging in rows; a tray of pigeons with their iridescent29 throat feathers catching30 gleams of the pale sunlight. There are great sacks of nuts, barrels of cranberries31, kegs of olive oil, thick slabs32 of yellow cheese. On such a cold day it was pleasant to see a sign “Peanut Roasters and Warmers[Pg 172].”
Passing the gloomy vista33 of Greenwich Street—under the “L” is one of those mysterious little vents34 in the floor of the street from which issues a continual spout35 of steam—our Vesey grows more intellectual. The first thing one sees, going easterly, is a sign: The Truth Seeker, One flight Up. The temptation is almost irresistible36, but then Truth is always one flight higher up, so one reflects, what's the use? In this block, while there is still much doing in the way of food—and even food in the live state, a window full of entertaining chicks and ducklings clustered round a colony brooder—another of Vesey Street's interests begins to show itself. Tools. Every kind of tool that gladdens the heart of man is displayed in various shops. One realizes more and more that this is a man's street, and indeed (except at the meat market) few of the gayer sex are to be seen along its pavements. One of the tool shops has open-air boxes with all manner of miscellaneous oddments, from mouse traps to oil cans, and you may see delighted enthusiasts37 poring over the assortment38 with the same professional delight that ladies show at a notion counter. One of the tool merchants, however, seems to have weakened in his love of city existence, for he has put up a placard:
Wanted To Rent
Small Farm
Must Have Fruit and Spring Water
[Pg 173]
Our own taste for amusement leads us (once luncheon40 dispatched; you should taste Vesey Street's lentil soup) to the second-hand41 bookshops. Our imagined castaway, condemned42 to live on Vesey Street for a term of months, would never need to languish43 for mental stimulation44. Were he devout45, there is always St. Paul's, as we have said; and were he atheist46, what a collection of Bob Ingersoll's essays greets the faring eye! There is the customary number of copies of “The Pentecost of Calamity”; it seems to the frequenter of second-hand bazaars47 as though almost everybody who bought that lively booklet in the early days of the war must have sold it again since the armistice48. Much rarer, we saw a copy of “Hopkins's Pond,” that little volume of agreeable sketches49 written so long ago by Dr. Robert T. Morris, the well-known surgeon, and if we had not already a copy which the doctor inscribed50 for us we would certainly have rescued it from this strange exile.
There are only two of the really necessary delights of life that the Vesey Street maroon21 would miss. There is no movie, there are no doughnuts. We are wondering whether in any part of this city there has sprung up the great doughnut craze that has ravaged51 Philadelphia in the past months. As soon as prohibition52 became a certainty, certain astute[Pg 174] merchants of the Quaker City devoted53 themselves to inoculating54 the public with a taste for these humble55 fritters, and now they bubble gayly in the windows of Philadelphia's most aristocratic thoroughfare. It is really a startling sight to see Philadelphia lining56 up for its noonday quota57 of doughnuts, and the merchants over there have devised an ingenious method of tempting58 the crowd. A funnel59, erected60 over the frying sinkers, carries the fragrant61 fumes62 out through a transom and gushes63 it into the open air, so that the sniff64 of doughnuts is perceptible all down the block. There is a fortune waiting on Vesey Street for the man who will establish a doughnut foundry, and we solemnly pledge our own appetite and that of all our friends toward his success.[2]
At its upper end, perhaps in memory of the vanished Astor House, Vesey Street stirs itself into a certain magnificence, devoting its window space to jewellery and silver-mounted books of prayer. At this window one may regulate his watch at a clock warranted by Charles Frodsham of 84, Strand65, to whose solid British accuracy we hereby pay decent tribute. Over all this varied66 scene lifts the shining javelin-head of the Woolworth Building, seen now and then in an almost disbelieved glimpse of sublimity67; and the golden Lightning of the Telephone and Telegraph pinnacle68, waving his zigzag69 brands in the sun.
[2] Since this was written, the lack has been supplied—on Park Row, just above the top of Vesey Street; probably the most luxurious70 doughnut shop ever conceived.
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1
conscientious
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adj.审慎正直的,认真的,本着良心的 | |
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2
amiable
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adj.和蔼可亲的,友善的,亲切的 | |
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3
proximity
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n.接近,邻近 | |
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appreciation
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n.评价;欣赏;感谢;领会,理解;价格上涨 | |
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5
virtue
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n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力 | |
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6
erects
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v.使直立,竖起( erect的第三人称单数 );建立 | |
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7
lure
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n.吸引人的东西,诱惑物;vt.引诱,吸引 | |
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8
penetrate
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v.透(渗)入;刺入,刺穿;洞察,了解 | |
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9
quarry
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n.采石场;v.采石;费力地找 | |
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10
stimulating
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adj.有启发性的,能激发人思考的 | |
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11
enchanting
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a.讨人喜欢的 | |
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12
hilarious
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adj.充满笑声的,欢闹的;[反]depressed | |
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13
steamship
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n.汽船,轮船 | |
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14
tuning
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n.调谐,调整,调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 );调整;(给收音机、电视等)调谐;使协调 | |
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15
gusty
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adj.起大风的 | |
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16
thoroughly
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adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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17
mundane
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adj.平凡的;尘世的;宇宙的 | |
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18
providence
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n.深谋远虑,天道,天意;远见;节约;上帝 | |
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19
graveyard
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n.坟场 | |
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20
errs
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犯错误,做错事( err的第三人称单数 ) | |
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21
maroon
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v.困住,使(人)处于孤独无助之境;n.逃亡黑奴;孤立的人;酱紫色,褐红色;adj.酱紫色的,褐红色的 | |
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22
marooned
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adj.被围困的;孤立无援的;无法脱身的 | |
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23
nourishment
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n.食物,营养品;营养情况 | |
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24
exalted
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adj.(地位等)高的,崇高的;尊贵的,高尚的 | |
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25
lodging
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n.寄宿,住所;(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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26
glossy
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adj.平滑的;有光泽的 | |
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27
smelts
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v.熔炼,提炼(矿石)( smelt的第三人称单数 ) | |
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28
desolate
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adj.荒凉的,荒芜的;孤独的,凄凉的;v.使荒芜,使孤寂 | |
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29
iridescent
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adj.彩虹色的,闪色的 | |
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30
catching
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adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住 | |
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31
cranberries
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n.越橘( cranberry的名词复数 ) | |
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32
slabs
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n.厚板,平板,厚片( slab的名词复数 );厚胶片 | |
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33
vista
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n.远景,深景,展望,回想 | |
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34
vents
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(气体、液体等进出的)孔、口( vent的名词复数 ); (鸟、鱼、爬行动物或小哺乳动物的)肛门; 大衣等的)衩口; 开衩 | |
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35
spout
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v.喷出,涌出;滔滔不绝地讲;n.喷管;水柱 | |
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36
irresistible
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adj.非常诱人的,无法拒绝的,无法抗拒的 | |
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37
enthusiasts
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n.热心人,热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 ) | |
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38
assortment
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n.分类,各色俱备之物,聚集 | |
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39
yearning
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a.渴望的;向往的;怀念的 | |
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40
luncheon
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n.午宴,午餐,便宴 | |
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41
second-hand
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adj.用过的,旧的,二手的 | |
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42
condemned
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adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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43
languish
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vi.变得衰弱无力,失去活力,(植物等)凋萎 | |
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44
stimulation
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n.刺激,激励,鼓舞 | |
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45
devout
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adj.虔诚的,虔敬的,衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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46
atheist
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n.无神论者 | |
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47
bazaars
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(东方国家的)市场( bazaar的名词复数 ); 义卖; 义卖市场; (出售花哨商品等的)小商品市场 | |
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48
armistice
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n.休战,停战协定 | |
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49
sketches
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n.草图( sketch的名词复数 );素描;速写;梗概 | |
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50
inscribed
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v.写,刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 );内接 | |
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51
ravaged
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毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 ); 蹂躏; 劫掠; 抢劫 | |
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52
prohibition
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n.禁止;禁令,禁律 | |
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53
devoted
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adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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54
inoculating
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v.给…做预防注射( inoculate的现在分词 ) | |
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55
humble
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adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
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56
lining
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n.衬里,衬料 | |
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57
quota
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n.(生产、进出口等的)配额,(移民的)限额 | |
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58
tempting
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a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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59
funnel
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n.漏斗;烟囱;v.汇集 | |
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60
ERECTED
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adj. 直立的,竖立的,笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立,建立 | |
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61
fragrant
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adj.芬香的,馥郁的,愉快的 | |
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62
fumes
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n.(强烈而刺激的)气味,气体 | |
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63
gushes
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n.涌出,迸发( gush的名词复数 )v.喷,涌( gush的第三人称单数 );滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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64
sniff
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vi.嗅…味道;抽鼻涕;对嗤之以鼻,蔑视 | |
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65
strand
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vt.使(船)搁浅,使(某人)困于(某地) | |
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66
varied
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adj.多样的,多变化的 | |
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67
sublimity
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崇高,庄严,气质高尚 | |
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68
pinnacle
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n.尖塔,尖顶,山峰;(喻)顶峰 | |
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69
zigzag
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n.曲折,之字形;adj.曲折的,锯齿形的;adv.曲折地,成锯齿形地;vt.使曲折;vi.曲折前行 | |
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70
luxurious
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adj.精美而昂贵的;豪华的 | |
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