CHAPTER XVI. AN UNPLEASANT ADVENTURE.

 A week later Jasper was one of the passengers on a train bound for St. Louis, and already within sixty miles of that flourishing city. He had stopped over at Niagara and Cincinnati—a day or so at each place. He gratified his desire to see the great cataract¹, and felt repaid for doing so, though the two stops trenched formidably upon his small capital. Indeed, at the moment when he is introduced anew to the reader's notice he had but ten dollars remaining of the sum with which he started. He was, however, provided, besides, with a through ticket to St. Louis.

 

He had been sitting alone, when a stranger entering the car seated himself in the vacant seat.

 

Looking up, Jasper noticed that he was a tall man, shabbily dressed, with thin, sallow face and a swelling² in the left cheek, probably produced by a quid of tobacco.

 

"Good-mornin', colonel," said the stranger, sociably³.

 

"Good-morning, sir," said Jasper, smiling. "I haven't the honor of being a colonel."

 

"Haven't you, cap'n? Well, that ain't of no account. It'll come in time. Where are you travelling?"

 

"To St. Louis."

 

"Ever been there afore?"

 

"No; this will be my first visit."

 

"You don't say! Where may you be from?"

 

"From New York State," answered Jasper, amused.

 

The stranger drew from his pocket a package of chewing tobacco and passed it politely to Jasper.

 

"Help yourself, colonel," he said hospitably⁴.

 

"No, thank you; I don't chew."

 

"Shoo, you don't say so! High time you began, then."

 

"I don't think I shall ever form the habit of chewing."

 

"Yes, you will, colonel; everybody does. Travellin' on business?"

 

"Well, not exactly," said Jasper, hesitatingly. "That is, I am looking for a chance to go into business."

 

"Got any capital?" interjected the stranger, carelessly, squirting a yellow stream upon the floor of the car.

 

"Oh, I don't expect to go into business for myself at present," said Jasper, amused at the thought.

 

"No?" said the other, reflectively. "If you had five thousand dollars I might take you into partnership⁵."

 

"What is your business?" asked Jasper, with curiosity.

 

"Cotton," said the stranger. "I'm a cotton broker⁶. I do a large business."

 

"You don't look like it," thought Jasper, looking at his shabby costume.

 

"You don't want a clerk, do you?" asked our hero.

 

"Well, no, colonel. There ain't any vacancy⁷ now in my establishment. May be soon."

 

Had Jasper felt favorably impressed with his companion he would have inquired where in the city his place of business might be, but it did not strike him that he should care to be in his employ.

 

He accordingly pulled out a copy of a popular magazine which he had bought the day before, and began to read. The stranger bought a paper of the train-boy, and engaged in a similar way. Fifteen minutes passed in this way. At the end of that time the stranger rose leisurely⁸, and with a brief "Mornin', colonel," passed out of the car. Whether he got into the next one or got out at the station which they were approaching Jasper could not distinguish, nor did he feel specially⁹ interested in the matter.

 

The time soon came when he felt his interest increased.

 

A few miles further on the conductor entered the car.

 

It was one of his usual rounds to look at tickets.

 

When he came up to Jasper, he said:

 

"Be lively now. Let me see your ticket."

 

"Isn't it in my hat?" asked Jasper, taking it off.

 

"No; did you put it there?"

 

"I thought I did," said our hero, surprised. "It was there when you last passed round."

 

"Look in your pockets."

 

Jasper felt in all of them, but the missing ticket could not be found.

 

"It may have fallen on the floor," he said, and rising he looked under the seat.

 

But in vain.

 

"Did you have any ticket?" asked the conductor, suspiciously.

 

"Certainly. You have looked at it yourself several times."

 

"You are mistaken; I got on at the last station."

 

"I have come all the way from Cincinnati," said Jasper, uncomfortably. "I couldn't have come so far without a ticket. What shall I do?"

 

"You'll have to pay from the last station to St. Louis."

 

This was not very agreeable in the state of Jasper's finances.

 

"How much is it?" he asked.

 

"Two dollars."

 

Jasper felt for his pocket-book, when a new surprise awaited him. A look of consternation¹⁰ swept over his countenance¹¹.

 

His pocket-book was gone.

 

"Don't keep me waiting," said the conductor, impatiently.

 

"My pocket-book is gone!" exclaimed our hero, gazing in blank dismay at the expectant official.

 

"What?"

 

"I can't find my pocket-book."

 

"Look here, young man," said the conductor, roughly, "that's too thin."

 

"It's true!" said Jasper.

 

"It won't go down, young man. I've seen such customers as you before. You're a beat!"

 

"A what?"

 

"A beat—a dead-beat, if you prefer it. Off you go at the next station!"

 

Jasper was greatly alarmed at the unexpected turn affairs had taken.

 

"Let me go to St. Louis, and I'll get money to pay you."

 

"It's no use," said the conductor, inexorably. "My orders are strict. If you can't pay, you can't ride."

 

"But my pocket was picked," said Jasper, new light flashing upon him. "There was a stranger who sat beside me a while ago. He must have taken my ticket and money, too."

 

"Of course there was," said the conductor, with sarcasm¹². "That's the way it usually happens. I'm used to such games, young man. It won't do you any good. Out you go!"

 

"Let me go through the cars and see if I can't find the man that robbed me. I'd know him in a minute."

 

"Well," said the conductor, relenting slightly, "be quick about it."

 

Jasper waited for no more. He rose from his seat and, carpet-bag in hand, passed into the next car.

 

It proved to be the smoking car.

 

Groups of men were playing cards, and, as Jasper judged, were playing for money. Among them, to his great joy, he recognized his shabby companion, the cotton broker of St. Louis. The latter was playing with three other men, black-bearded, and loud both in their dress and speech.

 

Without a moment's hesitation¹³ Jasper advanced and touched his late companion on the shoulder.

 

The latter looked up, and without a sign of recognition said:

 

"What's wanted, sir?"

 

For the first time it struck Jasper that his errand was rather an awkward one. How could he ask this man if he had taken his property?

 

"I beg your pardon, sir," said he, "but did you see anything of my ticket and money?"

 

"What do you mean, stranger?"

 

"You were sitting by me a little while ago, in the rear car."

 

"I don't remember it."

 

"And I thought you might have seen my pocket-book and ticket."

 

"Well, I didn't," said the other, fiercely. "What made you think I did?"

 

"I can't find them."

 

"I don't know anything about them. General, it's your deal."

 

He turned abruptly¹⁴ away from Jasper, and the boy slowly withdrew to a little distance, sorely puzzled. On the one hand, he felt convinced that this man had abstracted his ticket and money. On the other, he doubted whether it would be safe to charge him with it.

 

While he was hesitating, the cars began to go more slowly.

 

The conductor entered the car.

 

"Have you found your ticket?" he asked.

 

"No."

 

"Then leave the train at this next stopping-place."

 

Jasper had no chance to remonstrate¹⁵. Obeying necessity, he stepped upon the platform, and the train swept on.

1 cataract   

n.大瀑布，奔流，洪水，白内障

参考例句：

• He is an elderly gentleman who had had a cataract operation.他是一位曾经动过白内障手术的老人。
• The way is blocked by the tall cataract.高悬的大瀑布挡住了去路。

2 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

3 sociably   

adv.成群地

参考例句：

• Hall very sociably pulled up. 霍尔和气地勒住僵绳。
• Sociably, the new neighbors invited everyone on the block for coffee. 那个喜好交际的新邻居邀请街区的每个人去喝咖啡。

4 hospitably   

亲切地，招待周到地，善于款待地

参考例句：

• At Peking was the Great Khan, and they were hospitably entertained. 忽必烈汗在北京，他们受到了盛情款待。
• She was received hospitably by her new family. 她的新家人热情地接待了她。

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

7 vacancy   

n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺

参考例句：

• Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
• The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

8 leisurely   

adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的

参考例句：

• We walked in a leisurely manner,looking in all the windows.我们慢悠悠地走着，看遍所有的橱窗。
• He had a leisurely breakfast and drove cheerfully to work.他从容的吃了早餐，高兴的开车去工作。

9 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

10 consternation   

n.大为吃惊，惊骇

参考例句：

• He was filled with consternation to hear that his friend was so ill.他听说朋友病得那么厉害，感到非常震惊。
• Sam stared at him in consternation.萨姆惊恐不安地注视着他。

11 countenance   

n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同

参考例句：

• At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
• I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

12 sarcasm   

n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic）

参考例句：

• His sarcasm hurt her feelings.他的讽刺伤害了她的感情。
• She was given to using bitter sarcasm.她惯于用尖酸刻薄语言挖苦人。

13 hesitation   

n.犹豫，踌躇

参考例句：

• After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天，他终于直说了。
• There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。

14 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

15 remonstrate   

v.抗议，规劝

参考例句：

• He remonstrated with the referee.他向裁判抗议。
• I jumped in the car and went to remonstrate.我跳进汽车去提出抗议。