CHAPTER IV. AN EXCITING CONTEST.

 Jed was not mistaken.

 

When he returned to the poorhouse supper was ready, and Mr. and Mrs. Fogson were waiting for him with sour and angry faces.

 

"Where have you been?" demanded Fogson.

 

"Absent on business," announced Jed coolly.

 

"Don't you know that your business is to stay here and work?"

 

"I have been working all day."

 

"No, you haven't. You have been to the village."

 

"I had a good reason for going."

 

"Why didn't you ask permission of me or Mrs. Fogson?"

 

"Because there wasn't time."

 

"You are two minutes late for supper. I've[Pg 31] a good mind to let you go without," said Mrs. Fogson.

 

"It wouldn't be much of a loss," answered Jed, not looking much alarmed.

 

"You are getting more and more impudent¹ every day. Why do you say there wasn't time to ask permission to leave your work?"

 

"Because the runaway² horse wouldn't stop while I was asking."

 

"What runaway horse?" demanded Fogson with sudden interest.

 

"While I was splitting wood I saw Dr. Redmond's wife being run away with. She looked awfully³ frightened. I ran out to the bend and stopped the horse. Then she wanted me to drive her home, for she was afraid he would run off again."

 

"Is that so? Well, of course that makes a difference. Did she give you anything?"

 

"Now it's coming," thought Jed.

 

"Yes," he answered.

 

"How much?" asked Mr. Fogson with a greedy look.

 

"A dollar."

 

[Pg 32]

 

"Quite handsome, on my word. Well, hand it over."

 

"What?" ejaculated Jed.

 

"Give me the dollar!" said Fogson in a peremptory⁴ tone.

 

"The dollar is mine."

 

"You are a pauper⁵. You can't hold any property. It's against the law."

 

"Is it? Who told you so?"

 

"No matter who told me so. I hope I understand the law."

 

"I hope I understand my rights."

 

"Boy, this is trifling⁶. You'd better not make me any trouble, or you will find yourself in a bad box."

 

"What do you want to do with the dollar?"

 

"None of your business! I shall keep it."

 

"I have no doubt you will if you get it, but it is mine," said Jed firmly.

 

"Mrs. Fogson," said her husband solemnly, "did you ever hear of such perverseness⁷?"

 

"No. The boy is about the worst I ever see."

 

"Mr. Fogson," said Jed, "when Mr. Avery was here I had money given me several times,[Pg 33] though never as much as this. He never thought of asking me for it, but always allowed me to spend it for myself."

 

"Mr. Avery and I are two different persons," remarked Mr. Fogson with asperity⁸.

 

"You are right, there," said Jed, in hearty⁹ concurrence¹⁰ with the speaker.

 

"And he was very unwise to let you keep the money. If it was five cents, now, I wouldn't mind," continued Mr. Fogson with noteworthy liberality. "But a dollar! You couldn't be trusted to spend a sum like that properly at your age."

 

"I am almost sixteen," said Jed significantly.

 

"No matter if you are. You are still a mere¹¹ boy. But I don't propose to waste any more words. Hand over that money!"

 

Jed felt that the critical moment had come. He must submit to a flagrant piece of injustice¹² or resist.

 

He determined¹³ to resist.

 

He met Fogson's glance firmly and resolutely¹⁴, and uttered but two words: "I won't!"

 

"Did you ever hear such impudence¹⁵, Mrs.[Pg 34] Fogson?" asked her husband, his face becoming red and mottled in his excitement.

 

"No, Simeon, I didn't!" ejaculated Mrs. Fogson.

 

"What shall I do?"

 

"Thrash him. It's the only way to cure him of his cantankerous¹⁶ conduct."

 

Jed was of good height for his age, and unusually thickset and strong. Though poorhouse fare was hardly calculated to give him strength, he had an intimate friend and school companion on a farm near by whose mother often gave him a substantial meal, so that he alone of the inmates¹⁷ of the poorhouse could afford to be comparatively indifferent to the mean table kept by the managers.

 

Jed was five feet six, and Simeon Fogson but two inches taller. Fogson, however, was not a well man. He was a dyspeptic, and frequently indulged in alcoholic¹⁸ drinks, which, as my young readers doubtless know, have a direct tendency to impair¹⁹ physical vigor²⁰.

 

"Get me the whip, Gloriana," said Mr. Fogson fiercely, addressing his wife by her rather uncommon²¹ first name. "I will see[Pg 35] whether this young upstart is to rule you and me and the whole establishment."

 

"I don't care about ruling anybody except myself," said Jed.

 

"You can't rule yourself. I am put in authority over you."

 

"Who put you in authority over me?" asked Jed defiantly²².

 

"The town."

 

"And did the town give you leave to rob me? Answer me that!"

 

"Did you ever hear the like?" exclaimed Mrs. Fogson, raising her arms in almost incredulous surprise.

 

By this time Mr. Fogson had the whip in his hand, and with an air of enjoyment²³ drew the lash²⁴ through his fingers.

 

"Take off your coat!" he said.

 

"I would rather keep it on," replied Jed undauntedly.

 

"It won't do you any good. I shall strike hard enough for you to feel it even if you had two coats on."

 

"You'd better not!" said Jed, eyeing Mr. Fogson warily²⁵.

 

[Pg 36]

 

"Are you going to stand the boy's impudence, Simeon?" demanded his wife sharply.

 

"No, I'm not;" and Simeon Fogson, flourishing the whip, brought it down on Jed's shoulders and back.

 

Then something happened which took the poorhouse superintendent²⁶ by surprise. Jed sprang toward him, and, grasping the whip with energy, tore it from his grasp, and with angry and inflamed²⁷ face confronted his persecutor²⁸. Mr. Fogson turned pale, and looked undecided what to do.

 

"Shall I hold him, Simeon?" asked his wife venomously.

 

"No; I'm a match for a half-grown boy like him," returned Fogson, ashamed to ask for help in so unequal a contest.

 

He sprang forward and grabbed Jed, who accepted the gage²⁹ of battle and clinched³⁰ with his adversary³¹. A moment afterward³² they were rolling on the floor, first one being uppermost, then the other.

1 impudent   

adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的

参考例句：

• She's tolerant toward those impudent colleagues.她对那些无礼的同事采取容忍的态度。
• The teacher threatened to kick the impudent pupil out of the room.老师威胁着要把这无礼的小学生撵出教室。

2 runaway   

n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的

参考例句：

• The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
• He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。

3 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

4 peremptory   

adj.紧急的，专横的，断然的

参考例句：

• The officer issued peremptory commands.军官发出了不容许辩驳的命令。
• There was a peremptory note in his voice.他说话的声音里有一种不容置辩的口气。

5 pauper   

n.贫民，被救济者，穷人

参考例句：

• You lived like a pauper when you had plenty of money.你有大把钱的时候，也活得像个乞丐。
• If you work conscientiously you'll only die a pauper.你按部就班地干，做到老也是穷死。

6 trifling   

adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的

参考例句：

• They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
• So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利，不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。

7 perverseness   

n. 乖张, 倔强, 顽固

参考例句：

• A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness spirit. 温良的舌是生命树，乖谬的嘴使人心碎。
• A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is spirit. 说安慰话的舌头是生命树；奸恶的舌头使人心碎。

8 asperity   

n.粗鲁，艰苦

参考例句：

• He spoke to the boy with asperity.他严厉地对那男孩讲话。
• The asperity of the winter had everybody yearning for spring.严冬之苦让每个人都渴望春天。

9 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

10 concurrence   

n.同意；并发

参考例句：

• There is a concurrence of opinion between them.他们的想法一致。
• The concurrence of their disappearances had to be more than coincidental.他们同时失踪肯定不仅仅是巧合。

11 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

12 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

13 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

14 resolutely   

adj.坚决地，果断地

参考例句：

• He resolutely adhered to what he had said at the meeting. 他坚持他在会上所说的话。
• He grumbles at his lot instead of resolutely facing his difficulties. 他不是果敢地去面对困难，而是抱怨自己运气不佳。

15 impudence   

n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼

参考例句：

• His impudence provoked her into slapping his face.他的粗暴让她气愤地给了他一耳光。
• What knocks me is his impudence.他的厚颜无耻使我感到吃惊。

16 cantankerous   

adj.爱争吵的，脾气不好的

参考例句：

• He met a crabbed,cantankerous director.他碰上了一位坏脾气、爱争吵的主管。
• The cantankerous bus driver rouse on the children for singing.那个坏脾气的公共汽车司机因为孩子们唱歌而骂他们。

17 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

19 impair   

v.损害，损伤；削弱，减少

参考例句：

• Loud noise can impair your hearing.巨大的噪音有损听觉。
• It can not impair the intellectual vigor of the young.这不能磨灭青年人思想活力。

20 vigor   

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。

21 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

22 defiantly   

adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地

参考例句：

• Braving snow and frost, the plum trees blossomed defiantly. 红梅傲雪凌霜开。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

24 lash   

v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛

参考例句：

• He received a lash of her hand on his cheek.他突然被她打了一记耳光。
• With a lash of its tail the tiger leaped at her.老虎把尾巴一甩朝她扑过来。

25 warily   

adv.留心地

参考例句：

• He looked warily around him,pretending to look after Carrie.他小心地看了一下四周，假装是在照顾嘉莉。
• They were heading warily to a point in the enemy line.他们正小心翼翼地向着敌人封锁线的某一处前进。

26 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

27 inflamed   

adj.发炎的，红肿的v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His comments have inflamed teachers all over the country. 他的评论激怒了全国教师。
• Her joints are severely inflamed. 她的关节严重发炎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 persecutor   

n. 迫害者

参考例句：

• My persecutor impervious to the laughter, continued to strike me. 打我的那个人没有受到笑声的影响，继续打着我。
• I am the persecutor of my self in the wild hunt. 我将自己置身于这狂野的追猎。

29 gage   

n.标准尺寸，规格；量规，量表 [=gauge]

参考例句：

• Can you gage what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gage one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

30 clinched   

v.（尤指两人）互相紧紧抱[扭]住( clinch的过去式和过去分词 )；解决（争端、交易），达成（协议）

参考例句：

• The two businessmen clinched the deal quickly. 两位生意人很快达成了协议。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Evidently this information clinched the matter. 显然，这一消息使问题得以最终解决。 来自辞典例句

31 adversary   

adj.敌手，对手

参考例句：

• He saw her as his main adversary within the company.他将她视为公司中主要的对手。
• They will do anything to undermine their adversary's reputation.他们会不择手段地去损害对手的名誉。

32 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。