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首页 » 儿童英文小说 » From Farm to Fortune or Nat Nason's Strange Experience » CHAPTER XVI ABNER VISITS NEW YORK
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CHAPTER XVI ABNER VISITS NEW YORK
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 Several days passed, and Nat's uncle did all in his power to please his new wife. He found her very tart1 at times, and inclined to have her own way, but she was a good cook and general housekeeper2, and that counted for a great deal.
 
"It won't do to cross her," he told himself. "I've got to find out about thet gold first."
 
At last he could stand the suspense3 no longer and so, one day, while at the dinner table, he told the story of a rich find of money by a lady in Philadelphia.
 
"It was in the weekly paper," said he, "and by the way," he went on, "what about the pot of gold you found?"
 
"The pot of gold I found?" she repeated, blankly.
 
"Yes, the one you found in the well. What did you do with it?"
 
"Why, I never found any pot of gold in a well, Abner! What put that in your head?"
 
He shoved back his chair in horror, and gazed at her blankly.
 
"Didn't you tell me you had found a pot of gold in a well, Lucy?" he demanded.
 
"Never!"
 
"Certainly, you did. You asked me if you could keep it or if the law could take it from you. I told you the law couldn't touch it."
 
"Oh, I remember now!" she answered, sweetly. "I read about such a find in a story magazine, and I was wondering if the finder could keep it, or if it would have to be turned over to the person who owned the property on which the well was located. But I certainly never said anything about my finding a pot of gold."
 
"Well, I'll be jiggered! Didn't you go to the bank an' ask 'em if they would take five thousand dollars?"
 
"Oh, I was only curious to know how much they would take, that was all, Abner." And she smiled again.
 
Abner could not endure that smile, and pushing back his chair still further, he arose and left the house. Once in the barn he shook his fist viciously at an imaginary enemy.
 
"Of all the fools!" he muttered. "I've been tuk in clean an' clear! She ain't got no pot o' gold, an' never did have! If this ain't jest the worst yet. Abner Balberry, you ought to be kicked full o' holes, and ducked in the pond besides!"
 
He felt in no mental condition to go back to the house, and so did not return until it was time for supper. He found a good meal awaiting him, and his wife on hand as pert as ever.
 
"What made you run off?" she demanded. "It wasn't a nice way to do."
 
"You fooled me about thet pot o' gold," he answered, bluntly.
 
"I never did, and I want you to stop talking about it, Abner Balberry."
 
This was said so sharply it fairly made him jump.
 
"Eh?"
 
"Did you marry me simply for my money?" she demanded, coming up to him with her hands on her hips5.
 
"N—no!" he stammered6.
 
"Well, then, stop talking about a pot o' gold. I haven't any, and neither have you."
 
"Ain't you got no money o' your own, Lucy?"
 
"If I have I'm going to keep it to myself," she answered. "Come to supper."
 
He sat down and ate in silence. The next day he wanted to speak about money again, but she cut him short.
 
"I don't want to hear about it," she said, tartly7. "I'm your wife, and I am going to do my share, keeping house and helping8 around. And you have got to do your share, and treat me fairly. I once heard that the first Mrs. Balberry didn't get all that was coming to her—that she had to wear the same dress and bonnet9 for years. Now, I want to say, right now, that isn't my style. When I want a new dress I want it, and you are going to give it to me."
 
"Am I?" he said, slowly.
 
"Yes, you are, Abner Balberry, and if I want spending money you have got to give me that, too. If you don't, I'll quit work and won't do a blessed thing around the house. So there!"
 
She spoke10 with such vigor11 that it made him groan12. He felt it in his bones that she meant to have her way.
 
"I am a-goin' to do my duty," he said, humbly13.
 
"You'd better. If you don't——" and she ended with a shake of her head that meant a great deal.
 
"She's bound to have her way," he told himself later. "I've got to git used to it, I suppose. Drat the luck, anyway. I wish I had never heard o' thet pot o' gold!"
 
In a roundabout fashion Abner Balberry had heard that Nat had gone to Buffalo14, and then he learned through a man who had been to New York that his nephew was in the metropolis15. Abner had often longed to visit New York, and here he saw his opportunity to do so.
 
"I'm a-goin' to New York," he announced one day, shortly after the pot of gold incident.
 
"What are you going to do there?" asked his wife.
 
"I'm a-goin' to look fer Nat. I've heard he's down there, an' I want to save him from goin' to destruction."
 
"Better leave him where he is," said the new wife, who did not fancy another of her husband's people around the farm.
 
"No, I'm a-goin' to hunt him up. I feel it's my duty to do it."
 
"Then, if you go to New York, you have got to take me along, Abner."
 
"Take you along, Lucy?"
 
"Yes. I've always wanted to go to New York. Fred can take care of the farm while we are gone." Fred and the other Guff children had been installed on the place, but none of them had proved of much assistance. Fred, himself, was decidedly lazy—not half as willing as Nat, so Abner himself admitted.
 
"I don't see how I can take you, Lucy. It costs a heap to go to New York."
 
"Well, if you can spend the money on yourself, you can spend it on me, too," she answered, calmly.
 
"But it's my duty to go—to save Nat from goin' to the dogs."
 
"You didn't bother about Nat when you were courting me."
 
"I didn't know where he was, exactly."
 
"Pooh! Well, if you go you must take me. If you don't, you won't find me or the things when you get back."
 
This rather alarmed the miserly farmer, and he was half afraid she might sell off all his belongings17, and clear out.
 
"All right, you shall go," he said, at last. "But it's goin' to cost a terrible sight o' money," he added, with a long sigh.
 
It was decided16 that they should start for New York on the following Monday morning. Mrs. Balberry had relatives at Rochester, and they made arrangements to stop over at that point for one night, for neither the farmer or his spouse18 wished to take a berth19 in a sleeping car.
 
"It's money thrown away," said Abner, "an', besides, who kin4 sleep with a car runnin' fifty miles an hour? If there was an accident a feller would be killed before he woke up!"
 
Mrs. Balberry's son, Fred, grumbled20 greatly at having to run the farm during their absence, and the mother had to promise the lad fifty cents a day for the extra work.
 
"It's an outrage," declared Abner, when he heard of this. "He ain't worth his keep!"
 
"He is my son, and you have no right to abuse him!" declared the new wife, and then the farmer found it best to say no more. He was discovering that his wife had a sharp tongue, and could use it on the slightest provocation21.
 
Not to go to the expense of buying meals on the train, they provided themselves with a basket full of food, and set off bright and early at the time appointed. The run to Rochester was without incident, and Mrs. Balberry's relatives there treated them kindly22. Then, on Tuesday, they took another train for New York, and late in the afternoon found themselves at the Grand Central Depot23.
 
"It's a fearfully crowded place," was Abner Balberry's comment, as he gazed around.
 
"Which way are we to go, Abner?" asked his wife, and now she clung to him, for the bustle24 and noise frightened her.
 
"Let's git out on the street, where I kin have a look around," he answered, and pulled her along through the crowd. A boy wanted to take his carpet bag, but he shook the urchin25 off.
 
Fortunately, while at Rochester, the farmer had heard of a hotel which I shall call the Callac House, located but a few blocks from the station. A policeman directed the pair to this place, and here Abner Balberry succeeded in getting a room for a dollar and a half a night.
 
"Steep, ain't it?" he remarked, when he and his wife had been taken to the room, on the seventh floor.
 
"Steep? I should say it was, Abner—the seventh story! It's dreadful! I know I shan't sleep—thinking of what to do in case of a fire!"
 
"I meant the price. I don't care how high up it is."
 
"Will they give us meals for that, too?"
 
"No, the meals is extry."
 
"It's 'most a waste of money, I must say."
 
"Well, I had to pay it, an' so there ain't no use to talk about it. Let's go to bed, an' git our money's worth, an' in the mornin' I'll look fer Nat."

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 tart 0qIwH     
adj.酸的;尖酸的,刻薄的;n.果馅饼;淫妇
参考例句:
  • She was learning how to make a fruit tart in class.她正在课上学习如何制作水果馅饼。
  • She replied in her usual tart and offhand way.她开口回答了,用她平常那种尖酸刻薄的声调随口说道。
2 housekeeper 6q2zxl     
n.管理家务的主妇,女管家
参考例句:
  • A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
  • She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家,一家人吃得很省。
3 suspense 9rJw3     
n.(对可能发生的事)紧张感,担心,挂虑
参考例句:
  • The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。
  • The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。
4 kin 22Zxv     
n.家族,亲属,血缘关系;adj.亲属关系的,同类的
参考例句:
  • He comes of good kin.他出身好。
  • She has gone to live with her husband's kin.她住到丈夫的亲戚家里去了。
5 hips f8c80f9a170ee6ab52ed1e87054f32d4     
abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯,耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 );[建筑学]屋脊;臀围(尺寸);臀部…的
参考例句:
  • She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
  • They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 stammered 76088bc9384c91d5745fd550a9d81721     
v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠,结结巴巴地说,“你是什么意思?” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
7 tartly 0gtzl5     
adv.辛辣地,刻薄地
参考例句:
  • She finished by tartly pointing out that he owed her some money. 她最后刻薄地指出他欠她一些钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Kay said tartly, "And you're more Yankee than Italian. 恺酸溜溜他说:“可你哪,与其说是意大利人,还不如说是新英格兰人。 来自教父部分
8 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
9 bonnet AtSzQ     
n.无边女帽;童帽
参考例句:
  • The baby's bonnet keeps the sun out of her eyes.婴孩的帽子遮住阳光,使之不刺眼。
  • She wore a faded black bonnet garnished with faded artificial flowers.她戴着一顶褪了色的黑色无边帽,帽上缀着褪了色的假花。
10 spoke XryyC     
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
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
11 vigor yLHz0     
n.活力,精力,元气
参考例句:
  • The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
  • She didn't want to be reminded of her beauty or her former vigor.现在,她不愿人们提起她昔日的美丽和以前的精力充沛。
12 groan LfXxU     
vi./n.呻吟,抱怨;(发出)呻吟般的声音
参考例句:
  • The wounded man uttered a groan.那个受伤的人发出呻吟。
  • The people groan under the burden of taxes.人民在重税下痛苦呻吟。
13 humbly humbly     
adv. 恭顺地,谦卑地
参考例句:
  • We humbly beg Your Majesty to show mercy. 我们恳请陛下发发慈悲。
  • "You must be right, Sir,'said John humbly. “你一定是对的,先生,”约翰恭顺地说道。
14 buffalo 1Sby4     
n.(北美)野牛;(亚洲)水牛
参考例句:
  • Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
  • The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。
15 metropolis BCOxY     
n.首府;大城市
参考例句:
  • Shanghai is a metropolis in China.上海是中国的大都市。
  • He was dazzled by the gaiety and splendour of the metropolis.大都市的花花世界使他感到眼花缭乱。
16 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
17 belongings oy6zMv     
n.私人物品,私人财物
参考例句:
  • I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
  • Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。
18 spouse Ah6yK     
n.配偶(指夫或妻)
参考例句:
  • Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
  • What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么?
19 berth yt0zq     
n.卧铺,停泊地,锚位;v.使停泊
参考例句:
  • She booked a berth on the train from London to Aberdeen.她订了一张由伦敦开往阿伯丁的火车卧铺票。
  • They took up a berth near the harbor.他们在港口附近找了个位置下锚。
20 grumbled ed735a7f7af37489d7db1a9ef3b64f91     
抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 发牢骚; 咕哝; 发哼声
参考例句:
  • He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
  • The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏,水手们边干活边发着牢骚。
21 provocation QB9yV     
n.激怒,刺激,挑拨,挑衅的事物,激怒的原因
参考例句:
  • He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子,一点就着。
  • They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。
22 kindly tpUzhQ     
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地
参考例句:
  • Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
  • A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。
23 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。
24 bustle esazC     
v.喧扰地忙乱,匆忙,奔忙;n.忙碌;喧闹
参考例句:
  • The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深,喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
  • There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the railway station.火车站里非常拥挤。
25 urchin 0j8wS     
n.顽童;海胆
参考例句:
  • You should sheer off the urchin.你应该躲避这顽童。
  • He is a most wicked urchin.他是个非常调皮的顽童。


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