The fashionably dressed man, with graying hair on his temples who sat opposite him at the table, left his own foaming2 mug untouched as he watched the handsome, rough-looking boy of twenty-four with a half smile.
“Nor my father before me,” added Hugh, as he set down the empty stein. “No silver spoons in the mouths of our family when they are born.”
“Your father was a pretty fine man,” remarked the other.
“Oh, yes, I suppose so,” said the boy carelessly. “I remember, Mr. Ogden, that you and he were a sort of pals3. I suppose it was on his account that you looked me up to-day. I’m sorry I haven’t any better hospitality to show[4] you than a near-beer joint4. These hot dogs aren’t so bad, though. Try ’em.”
The young fellow drove his fork into the food on his plate and his companion followed his example, while a brazen5 automatic piano in the corner crashed out “The Virginia Blues6.”
John Ogden began to eat. “I love that clever human who cursed the man that put the din7 into dinner, and took the rest out of restaurant,” he said.
“M’h’m,” agreed Hugh with his mouth full.
“Who are left in your family?” asked Ogden. “The last time I saw you was twelve years ago, and do you know why I remember the date?”
Hugh looked up. “Can’t imagine. Something about father, I suppose.”
“No, about your sister Carol.”
“Good old Carol?” said the boy with surprise.
“Yes. How much more time have you before you must go back to the store?”
Hugh looked at his wrist watch. Its dilapidated leather bracelet8 matched the carelessness of its owner’s general appearance. “Half an hour.”
“Then let us eat quickly and get to some quiet spot.”
They found it in a hotel lobby on the way to[5] Hugh’s place of business, and in transit9 John Ogden took further mental note of his companion’s shabbiness. Not only were his clothes in need of brushing, but he had not shaved to-day; his shoes were dusty and by industry the boy finished several cigarettes before, in the hotel lobby, they found a couple of neighboring chairs, and he lighted another.
“Hard luck to tote you around this way, Mr. Ogden, but all I’ve got is a hall bedroom in a hash house.”
“You talk a lot about luck, don’t you?” remarked the older man. “You don’t look as if you had ever gone after it very hard.”
“Oh, yes,” responded Hugh; “I’ve batted around considerable after jobs.”
“You don’t keep them very long, eh?”
“No, and the devil can take them for all me. I’ve never had anything worth keeping since I got back from France. I care for nobody and nobody cares for me. That’s about the size of it, and most of the other fellows are the same way. My friends are all Bolshevists.”
“Oh, come now,” said the older man, regarding the frank young ne’er-do-well with some disgust, “that isn’t worthy10 of your father’s son.”
“Perhaps not; but what do you care?” turning[6] upon his well-dressed, well-groomed companion; nettled11 by the shade of contempt in his tone. “My father’s dead and that’s the end of him.”
“I was going to tell you why I care,” said Ogden, meeting the inimical look in the exceedingly handsome blue eyes bent12 upon him. He paused a minute, then added, “I am glad I stopped over and hunted you up. You remind me of her.”
“Oh, yes,” said Hugh listlessly, “Carol. You said something about Carol.”
“I did,” returned the other quietly. “Twelve years ago to-day I asked her to be my wife.”
“You—Carol?” The boy’s voice was so incredulous that Ogden smiled.
“Yes; I wasn’t always forty-two, you know. I was thirty then, and she was eighteen.”
“That was the reason you hung around father, then?”
“One of the reasons, yes,” said Ogden slowly. “She was a sober little head for eighteen, and it was largely because for years she had had to be a mother to her little brother.”
The tone and manner in which this was said caused Hugh to remove his cigarette for a thoughtful moment. “Good old Carol,” he said; then, restoring the cigarette, he added,[7] “I wish to thunder she had married you. That guy Morrison carried her off to Colorado. She hated to leave me like the devil. She wrote me every day while I was over there.”
“Don’t light another cigarette, Hugh,” exclaimed the other in irrepressible impatience13. “Don’t you know you never will hold a position if you’re one of these coffin-tack slaves?”
Hugh flared14 up. The flare15 showed in his beautiful eyes and darkened them to violet. Who was this glass of fashion to dictate16 to a decent Bolshevist like himself!
“And don’t I tell you I don’t give a damn how many dinky positions I lose?” he retorted.
Ogden put a soothing17 hand on the boy’s big arm and was nervously18 shaken off. “I’m sorry, old man. Don’t take it that way. Of course you’re free, white, and twenty-one; but I can’t help taking an interest in you.”
“Better cut it. I thank you, of course, for looking me up”—Hugh rose—“but I’ve got to trot19 along now. Good luck to you.”
John Ogden rose, too. “It won’t be good luck for me unless I see you again. I’m staying at this hotel. Come to dinner with me to-night.”
“Oh, no. Thank you just the same, but I’ve no togs decent to dine in a place like this.”[8] The boy was somewhat touched by the older man’s invitation and manner, and he smiled grudgingly20, revealing perfect teeth and more than ever causing Ogden a twinge of memory. “I can dress for a dinner of Reds in some cellar. That’s my size.”
“Wait a minute, Hugh. Listen. This is my anniversary. I never could love another girl after Carol. I’ve gone lonely for twelve years for her sake. If she could have felt differently I should have been your big brother all this time. Won’t you dine with me to-night? This is always a hard day for me.”
Hugh looked down on his immaculate companion curiously21. How could a man, with hair graying around the temples and growing thin on the crown, nurse memories of love? It seemed absurd. But the face regarding him so steadily22 was a strong one. An idea suddenly occurred to the boy.
“Were you in the big shindy?”
“Yes.”
“What were you?”
“Get any bumps?”
“Yes, I achieved a little limp. Didn’t you notice it?”
“I hated the officers,” remarked Hugh.
[9]
“Will you come to-night?”
There was only a trifle more of hesitation24 before the boy answered: “Well—I’ll come.”
Ogden slapped him on the back and he moved off with long, deliberate strides. The older man looked after him. The boy’s splendid build and the grace with which his head was set on those firm shoulders attracted many a glance wherever he appeared.
The man sighed. He was familiar with the type of disillusioned25 returned members of the A.E.F., who went out surrounded by the incense26 of hero-worship, and came back to the shock of finding themselves negligible.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
draught
|
|
| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
foaming
|
|
| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
pals
|
|
| n.朋友( pal的名词复数 )；老兄；小子；（对男子的不友好的称呼）家伙 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
joint
|
|
| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
brazen
|
|
| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
blues
|
|
| n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
din
|
|
| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
bracelet
|
|
| n.手镯，臂镯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
transit
|
|
| n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
worthy
|
|
| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
nettled
|
|
| v.拿荨麻打，拿荨麻刺（nettle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
impatience
|
|
| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
Flared
|
|
| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
flare
|
|
| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
dictate
|
|
| v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
soothing
|
|
| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
nervously
|
|
| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
trot
|
|
| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
grudgingly
|
|
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
curiously
|
|
| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
steadily
|
|
| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
infantry
|
|
| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
hesitation
|
|
| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
disillusioned
|
|
| a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
incense
|
|
| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |