This very day he had taken them from their place of concealment4, and, spreading them on the bed, was counting them over with trembling fingers when his son quietly opened the door, and entered the room.
The old man looked around, pale and alarmed, and clutched at the gold in the hope of hiding it before the intruder, whoever it might be, could catch a glimpse of it. But he was nervous, and had only thrust a part of the gold hurriedly into his pocket when James entered.
Over the old man’s face there crept an expression of dire5 dismay. There was no one in the world whom he less wished to see than his son.
The latter’s keen glance detected his father’s employment, and did not fail to observe the half dozen gold pieces still remaining on the bed spread, though old Jerry, as quickly as possible, gathered them up, and thrust them into his pocket.
“Good morning, dad!” said James, in a jocular tone. “I am afraid you are not glad to see me.”
[107]
Old Jerry stared at him in mute consternation6.
“Considering that I am your only son, you might give me a better welcome,” said James, carefully closing the door, and sinking into a chair.
“Go away, go away!” said the old man, hoarsely7. “You—you are a bold, bad man, and I don’t want to see you.”
“Come, dad, that is unkind!” said James Barclay, in a bantering8 tone. “You mustn’t forget that I am your son.”
“I wish I could forget it,” muttered the old man.
“I am not so bad as you think I am, father. Seeing that we are all that is left of the family, it’s only right that we should live friendly. I’m glad to see you are not so poor as you pretend.”
“That don’t go down, dad. What were you doing when I came in?”
Old Jerry looked confused.
“How many gold pieces have you got there? Let me count them.”
“Three or four!” repeated James, mockingly. “Thirty or forty, more likely.”
“You—you are quite wrong, James,” said Jerry, in nervous alarm. “It’s—it’s all I have in the world.”
“Perhaps it is, and perhaps it isn’t. When I was here before, you pretended you didn’t have any money at all. What are you going to do with it?”
“I am keeping it to—to bury me,” answered Jerry.
“Then you’d better give it to me. You can’t bury yourself, you know. I’ll see you buried all right when the time comes.”
“I couldn’t do it, James. I must keep it as long as I live. When I die—”
[108]
“It comes to me, I suppose.”
“Ye—es.”
“Then I might as well have it now, don’t you think so, dad?”
“Go away! I don’t feel well. I want to be left alone,” stammered Jerry, with a terrified look at the stout13, broad shouldered visitor, whom he could hardly believe to be his son, so great was the difference between the burly strength of the one, and the shrinking weakness of the other.
“Look here, dad, you ain’t treating me well. You don’t seem to consider that I am your only son. Are you saving up your money for that young telegraph brat14 that lives with you?”
“That isn’t answering my question. Are you going to leave him all your money?”
“I—I have very little—to leave, James,” returned the old man, lapsing16 into his usual whine9. “There won’t be anything left when my funeral expenses are paid.”
“What there is will go to me, will it?”
“Then I think you’d better make your will and say so. Otherwise that boy will claim all.”
“Paul is a good boy. I—I should starve but for what he brings me every week.”
“You look half starved as it is. Come, are you willing to make your will in my favor?”
“I—I’ll think of it, James.”
“And give it to me to keep.”
“It—it won’t do you any good, I—I am so poor.”
“I’ll take the chance of that. You’ve got more money in your pocket than would bury you five times over.”
“No—no,” protested the old man in alarm. “You—you[109] frighten me, James. I don’t feel well. Won’t you go away?”
“There is no need to be scared, dad. I don’t want your money.”
“Is that true, James?” said the old man, in a tone of relief. “I have so little it wouldn’t do you any good.”
“Didn’t that boy tell you I wanted to make you a present?”
“Yes, he said so.”
“Yet you hid away from me and wouldn’t let me know where you lived.”
“Did Paul tell you? How did you find me out, James?”
“No, he didn’t tell me, but I found out all the same. Never mind how! Only I warn you it won’t do you any good to hide from me in future. I have ways of finding you out. But let me convince you that I don’t need your money. Do you see that?”
As he spoke18 he drew out a roll of counterfeit19 bills and exhibited them to the astonished eyes of old Jerry.
The old man regarded him with new respect as the possessor of such unexpected wealth.
“Are—are they square?” he asked.
“Of course they are,” answered James. “I intended to give you a present if you hadn’t treated me so coolly—”
“Well, if you apologize, it’s all right!” said James, with noble magnanimity. “You’ll find you haven’t judged me right. I can do more for you than that telegraph kid. But I want you to trust me, and treat me kind, do hear?”
“To show you that I’m in earnest, I’ll make you a[110] fair offer. Give me two of those five dollar gold pieces, and I’ll give you these two ten dollar bills. If that isn’t a handsome offer, I don’t know what is.”
Jerry was dazzled by this offer. The fact that it was made by such a scapegrace as he knew his son to be should have put him on his guard, but cupidity22 blinded him.
“Do you mean it, James?” he asked, surveying the bills with avidity.
“Certainly I do. I make the present just to show you that I don’t bear no grudge23, and want to live friendly.”
“Let me see the bills, James.”
“There, take them in your hand if you like.”
Old Jerry took the bills, and eyed them at first longingly24, but as he marked their new appearance a suspicion entered his mind. If they were counterfeit his son’s unexpected liberal offer would be accounted for. James’s character, too, made it very probable that he would engage in circulating counterfeit bills.
“I—I would rather keep the gold, James,” he said, handing back the bills.
“Then you’re a fool!” said James Barclay roughly. “I see you don’t want to be friendly. I wanted to be on good terms with you, seein’ you’re my father, but now I don’t care. Give me that gold!”
“Go away!” said the old man, in renewed alarm.
James Barclay’s reply was to rise from his seat, and stride over to where his father was sitting on the bed. He seized the old man roughly by the shoulder, and made a motion to search the pocket containing the gold pieces.
“Give it up peaceably or I’ll hurt you!” he said.
Jerry uttered a shrill25 cry, and tried to make a feeble opposition26, but he was like a child in the hands of the burly ruffian.
[111]
“Stop your whimpering!” said James, fiercely. “That gold I mean to have, and you’d best give it up.”
Jerry again uttered a cry, which was heard by Mrs. Hogan, an opposite neighbor, who, opening the door, saw, unnoticed by either, the uneven27 struggle between Jerry and his assailant.
Mrs. Hogan was a brave woman. She dashed back into her own room, and returned in an instant with a dipper of hot water. Armed with this she was prepared for hostilities28.
“Let the old man alone, you thafe of the worruld!” she exclaimed, indignantly.
James Barclay turned, and, seeing that it was a woman, replied scornfully, “Get out of here, woman, or it’ll be the worse for you!”
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收听单词发音
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1
misers
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| 守财奴，吝啬鬼( miser的名词复数 ) | |
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2
hoard
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| n./v.窖藏，贮存，囤积 | |
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3
secreted
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| v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的过去式和过去分词 )；隐匿，隐藏 | |
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4
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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5
dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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6
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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7
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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8
bantering
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| adj.嘲弄的v.开玩笑，说笑，逗乐( banter的现在分词 )；（善意地）取笑，逗弄 | |
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9
whine
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| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
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10
whined
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| v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨 | |
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11
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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14
brat
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| n.孩子；顽童 | |
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15
mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16
lapsing
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| v.退步( lapse的现在分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失 | |
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17
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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18
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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19
counterfeit
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| vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的 | |
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20
offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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21
meekly
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| adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地 | |
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22
cupidity
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| n.贪心，贪财 | |
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23
grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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24
longingly
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| adv. 渴望地 热望地 | |
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25
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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26
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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27
uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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28
hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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