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首页 » 儿童英文小说 » From Farm to Fortune or Nat Nason's Strange Experience » CHAPTER V THE SALE OF A COW
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CHAPTER V THE SALE OF A COW
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 Totally unconscious of what had taken place at the farm after his departure, Nat, in company with his friend, Sam Price, proceeded on his way to Brookville.
 
On the journey Nat told his friend of many things that had happened to him and of his uncle's meanness.
 
"I don't wonder you want a change," said Sam. "I'd want a change myself."
 
At last they came in sight of Brookville, and Nat drove the cow to the yard of Jackson the butcher.
 
The butcher was a fat, good-natured man of middle age. But he was a shrewd business man and first-class at driving a bargain.
 
"What do you want, boy?" he asked of Nat.
 
"Do you want to buy a cow, Mr. Jackson? Sam says you were out looking for cows day before yesterday."
 
"I did want cows then, but I've got nearly all I want now."
 
"Oh, then I'll go elsewhere," answered Nat.
 
"Hold on, not so fast. What do you want for your cow?"
 
"Thirty dollars."
 
"Phew! you don't want much."
 
"She's worth it. You can milk her or use her for meat, just as you choose."
 
"Whose cow is she?"
 
"Mine."
 
"Yours?" And the butcher gazed at Nat curiously1.
 
"Yes. I've owned her ever since she was a little calf2."
 
"And now you are tired of her?"
 
"Not exactly that, but I want to use the money. Will you buy her?"
 
"Yes, but not for thirty dollars."
 
"How much will you give?"
 
"Twenty dollars."
 
"I don't care to sell for twenty dollars."
 
"That's the best I can do."
 
"Then I'll have to go elsewhere. Come, Jennie," and Nat turned to drive the cow from the butcher's yard again.
 
"Hold on!" cried the meat man. "I'll give you twenty-two dollars."
 
"Make it twenty-five and I'll accept. I can't take less. I ought to get thirty dollars."
 
There was some more talk, and in the end, the butcher agreed to pay twenty-five dollars and did so. He wanted a receipt, and Nat wrote it out for him.
 
"So you are Nat Nason," said the butcher. "I used to know your father. A very nice man."
 
"He was a nice man."
 
"Live with your uncle now, don't you?"
 
"I have been living with him, yes. Good-day, and much obliged," returned the boy, and to avoid being questioned further he left the yard at once, followed by Sam.
 
"You made a good bargain on the cow," said Sam. "I reckon you got every cent she was worth."
 
"She was a good cow, Sam. I'm rather sorry to part with her. She was almost like a friend."
 
"What are you going to do next?"
 
"Strike out for the city."
 
"I wish you luck."
 
"You won't tell my uncle?"
 
"Not a word. But, say."
 
"Well?"
 
"When you get to the city write and tell me how you like it."
 
"I will, Sam, and you must tell me the news from home, and how my uncle gets along without me."
 
So it was arranged; and a few minutes later the two lads separated, and Sam Price started for home.
 
Brookville was on a small branch railroad running to Cleveland, and by consulting a time-table Nat learned that a train for Cleveland would leave in ten minutes. He lost no time in purchasing a ticket, and spent the rest of the time in eating some of the lunch he had brought along. With over twenty-three dollars still in his pocket he felt rich, and bought some peanuts and a cake of sweet chocolate.
 
When the train came along there were scarcely any passengers aboard, so he had little difficulty in getting the seat he wanted. He sat down by a window, with his bundle beside him, and gave himself up to thinking and to looking at the scenery as it whirled past.
 
Nat had traveled but little on the cars, so the ride to Cleveland was intensely enjoyable. The different places passed were so interesting that he soon forgot to think about his prospects3, or of what he was to do when he arrived at the city on the lake.
 
"Next stop is Cleveland!" cried the conductor, standing4 at the open doorway5. "All change, for trains east and west!"
 
A moment later the train rolled into the smoky station, and bundle in hand, Nat left the car and stepped onto the platform. From there he walked to the street, where he gazed in some bewilderment at the crowds of people and the swiftly moving street cars.
 
"Paper!" cried a newsboy. "Morning paper?"
 
"No, I don't want any paper," answered Nat.
 
"All about the big fire in Chicago, boss. Take a paper?"
 
"Yes, I'll take one," said Nat, and passed over the necessary change. Off darted6 the newsboy, to be lost in the crowd on the other side of the street. Nat gazed at the paper, to find that a tenement7 had burned out in Chicago, with the loss of one life.
 
"That's not such a terrible thing—for a big city like Chicago," he mused8, and then noticed that the newspaper was two days old.
 
"That boy stuck me!" he muttered, and a cloud crossed his face. "I wonder where he is?"
 
The boy could not be found, and in a moment Nat concluded it would be a waste of time to look for him.
 
"He caught me for a greeny, true enough," he thought. "I've got to keep my eyes open after this."
 
From one street Nat passed to another, gazing into the shop windows, and wondering what he had best do next. He had at first calculated to go to New York without delay, but now thought it would do no harm to remain in Cleveland a day or two.
 
"Perhaps I'll never get here again," he reasoned. "And I might as well see all there is to see."
 
Noon found him on one of the main streets. He was now hungry again, and coming to a modest-looking restaurant, he entered and sat down at a side table.
 
"What will you have?" asked the waiter, coming up to him.
 
"Give me a regular dinner," said Nat, seeing the sign on the wall:
 
Regular Dinner, 11 to 2. 30 cents.
 
The waiter walked off, and presently returned with some bread and butter.
 
"Pea or tomato soup?" he asked.
 
"What's that?" questioned the boy.
 
"Pea or tomato soup?"
 
"I don't want any soup—I want a regular dinner."
 
At this the waiter smiled, for he saw that Nat was green.
 
"We serve soup first—if the customer wants it."
 
"And what do you serve after that?"
 
"One kind of meat, vegetables, coffee or milk, and pie or pudding."
 
"Oh! Well bring me the meat and other stuff. I never cared for soup anyway."
 
"Roast beef or lamb?"
 
"Roast beef."
 
The waiter went off, and presently Nat was supplied with all he cared to eat. The food was good, and he took his time, finishing off with a piece of lemon meringue pie, a dainty of which he was exceedingly fond, but which Mrs. Felton had seldom dared to make.
 
"Thirty cents, but I guess it was worth it," he thought, as he left the restaurant.
 
Nat had never seen Lake Erie, and toward the middle of the afternoon he walked down in the direction of the water. The shipping9 interested him greatly, and it was dark before he realized that the day was gone without anything definite being accomplished10.
 
"Gracious, how time flies when one is in the city!" he thought. "To-morrow, I must make up my mind what to do next. If I don't, I'll have my money spent, and no job, either."
 
As it grew darker the boy felt the necessity of looking for accommodations for the night. Seeing a sign on a house, Furnished Rooms by the Day, Week, or Month, he ascended11 the stoop, and rang the bell. A young Irish girl answered his summons.
 
"Can I get a bed for to-night?" asked Nat.
 
"I guess yez can—I'll call Mrs. O'Hara," said the girl.
 
The landlady12 soon showed herself, and said she could let Nat have a hall room for fifty cents. To the boy's notion this seemed rather high.
 
"I can't take less," said Mrs. O'Hara, firmly.
 
"Very well; I'll take the room for to-night," answered Nat. "Can I put my bundle up there now?"
 
"To be sure."
 
Fortunately for Nat, the room proved clean and well-kept, and the bed was better than the one he had used at the farm. Tired out, the boy slept soundly until seven o'clock, when he lost no time in dressing13 and going below.
 
"Will you want the room again to-night, Mr. Nason?" asked the landlady.
 
"I don't think so," answered Nat. It made him feel a foot taller to be addressed as Mr. Nason. "If I want it, I'll let you know by supper time."
 
"Very well."
 
With his bundle under his arm, Nat left the house, and walked down the street toward one of the main thoroughfares of Cleveland. Then he stopped at a restaurant for breakfast.
 
"Now, I've got to make up my mind what to do," he told himself. "Maybe I had better go back to the depot14 and see about a train and the fare to New York."
 
After making several false turns, the boy found his way to the depot, and there hunted up the ticket office, and procured15 a time-table. He was just looking into the time-table when he felt a heavy hand placed on his shoulder.
 
"So I've found you, have I?" came harshly from Abner Balberry. "You young rascal16, what do you mean by runnin' away?"

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 curiously 3v0zIc     
adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地
参考例句:
  • He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
  • He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。
2 calf ecLye     
n.小牛,犊,幼仔,小牛皮
参考例句:
  • The cow slinked its calf.那头母牛早产了一头小牛犊。
  • The calf blared for its mother.牛犊哞哞地高声叫喊找妈妈。
3 prospects fkVzpY     
n.希望,前途(恒为复数)
参考例句:
  • There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
  • They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。
4 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
5 doorway 2s0xK     
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径
参考例句:
  • They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
  • Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
6 darted d83f9716cd75da6af48046d29f4dd248     
v.投掷,投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 );向前冲,飞奔
参考例句:
  • The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了,瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 tenement Egqzd5     
n.公寓;房屋
参考例句:
  • They live in a tenement.他们住在廉价公寓里。
  • She felt very smug in a tenement yard like this.就是在个这样的杂院里,她觉得很得意。
8 mused 0affe9d5c3a243690cca6d4248d41a85     
v.沉思,冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 );沉思自语说(某事)
参考例句:
  • \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们,”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道:‘我们这是在干什么?” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
9 shipping WESyg     
n.船运(发货,运输,乘船)
参考例句:
  • We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
  • There's a shipping charge of £5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。
10 accomplished UzwztZ     
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的
参考例句:
  • Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
  • Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
11 ascended ea3eb8c332a31fe6393293199b82c425     
v.上升,攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He has ascended into heaven. 他已经升入了天堂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The climbers slowly ascended the mountain. 爬山运动员慢慢地登上了这座山。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 landlady t2ZxE     
n.女房东,女地主
参考例句:
  • I heard my landlady creeping stealthily up to my door.我听到我的女房东偷偷地来到我的门前。
  • The landlady came over to serve me.女店主过来接待我。
13 dressing 1uOzJG     
n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料
参考例句:
  • Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
  • The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。
14 depot Rwax2     
n.仓库,储藏处;公共汽车站;火车站
参考例句:
  • The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
  • They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。
15 procured 493ee52a2e975a52c94933bb12ecc52b     
v.(努力)取得, (设法)获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 );拉皮条
参考例句:
  • These cars are to be procured through open tender. 这些汽车要用公开招标的办法购买。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • A friend procured a position in the bank for my big brother. 一位朋友为我哥哥谋得了一个银行的职位。 来自《用法词典》
16 rascal mAIzd     
n.流氓;不诚实的人
参考例句:
  • If he had done otherwise,I should have thought him a rascal.如果他不这样做,我就认为他是个恶棍。
  • The rascal was frightened into holding his tongue.这坏蛋吓得不敢往下说了。


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