CHAPTER VI. "THE EVENING GLOBE."

 While Mark was passing through these exciting scenes Mrs. Mason went about her daily duties at home, anxiously considering how the rent was to be paid on the following day. Mark had not told her of his gift from Maud Gilbert, intending it as a surprise.

 

As she was washing the breakfast dishes, there was a little tap at the door. To her surprise, the visitor turned out to be Mrs. Mack, of the floor above, to whom Mark had applied¹ for a loan without success. As Mrs. Mack seldom left her room, Mrs. Mason regarded her with surprise.

 

"Come in and sit down, Mrs. Mack," she said kindly².

 

She had no regard for the old woman, but felt that she deserved some consideration on account of her great age.

 

Mrs. Mack hobbled in and seated herself in a rocking-chair.

 

"I hope you are well," said Mrs. Mason.

 

"Tollable, tollable," answered the old woman, glancing curiously³ about the room, as if making an inventory⁴ of what it contained.

 

"Can't I give you a cup of tea? At your age it will be strengthening."

 

"I'm not so very old," said the old woman querulously. "I'm only seventy-seven, and my mother lived to be eighty-seven."

 

"I hope you will live as long as you wish to. But, Mrs. Mack, you must make yourself comfortable. Old people live longer if they live in comfort. Will you have the tea?"

 

"I don't mind," answered Mrs. Mack, brightening up at the prospect⁵ of this unwonted luxury.

 

She did not allow herself tea every day, on account of its cost. There are many foolish people in the world, but among the most foolish are those who deny themselves ordinary comforts in order to save money for their heirs.

 

The tea was prepared, and the old woman drank it with evident enjoyment⁶.

 

"Your boy came up yesterday to borrow three dollars," she began then, coming to business.

 

"Yes, he told me so."

 

"He said he'd pay me Saturday night."

 

"Yes, he gets two weeks' pay then."

 

"I—I was afraid he might not pay me back, and I can't afford to lose so much money. I'm a poor old woman."

 

"Mark would have paid you back. He always pays his debts."

 

"Yes; I think he is a good boy. If I thought he would pay me back, I—I think I would lend him the money. He offered to pay me interest."

 

"Yes; he would pay you for the favor."

 

"If—if he will pay me four dollars on Saturday night I will lend him what he wants."

 

"What!" ejaculated Mrs. Mason. "Do you propose to ask him a dollar for the use of three dollars for two or three days?"

 

"It's—it's a great risk!" mumbled⁷ Mrs. Mack.

 

"There is no risk at all. To ask such interest as that would be sheer robbery. We are poor and we can't afford to pay it."

 

"I am a poor old woman."

 

"You are not poor at all. You are worth thousands of dollars."

 

"Who said so?" demanded Mrs. Mack in alarm.

 

"Everybody knows it."

 

"It's—it's a mistake, a great mistake. I—I can't earn anything. I'm too old to work. I don't want to die in a poorhouse."

 

"You would live a great deal better in a poorhouse than you live by yourself. I decline your offer, Mrs. Mack. I would rather pawn⁸ my wedding ring, as I proposed to Mark. That would only cost me nine cents in place of the dollar that you demand."

 

The old woman looked disappointed. She had thought of the matter all night with an avaricious⁹ longing¹⁰ for the interest that she expected to get out of Mark, and she had no thought that her offer would be declined.

 

"Never mind about business, Mrs. Mack!" said Mrs. Mason more kindly, as she reflected that the old woman could not change her nature. "Won't you have another cup of tea, and I can give you some toast, too, if you think you would like it."

 

An expression of pleasure appeared on the old woman's face.

 

"If—it's handy," she said. "I don't always make tea, for it is too much trouble."

 

It is safe to say that Mrs. Mack thoroughly¹¹ enjoyed her call, though she did not effect the loan she desired to make. When she rose to go, Mrs. Mason invited her to call again.

 

"I always have tea, or I can make it in five minutes," she said.

 

"Thank you kindly, ma'am; I will come," she said, "if it isn't putting you to too much trouble."

 

"Mother," said Edith, after the visitor had hobbled up-stairs, "I wouldn't give tea to that stingy old woman."

 

"My dear child, she is old, and though she is not poor, she thinks she is, which is almost as bad. If I can brighten her cheerless life in any way, I am glad to do so."

 

About one o'clock a knock was heard at the door. Mrs. Mason answered it in person, and to her surprise found in the caller a brisk-looking young man, with an intelligent face. He had a note-book in his hand.

 

"Is this Mrs. Mason?" he inquired.

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"Your son is a telegraph boy?"

 

"Yes."

 

"No. 79?"

 

"Yes, sir. Has anything happened to him?" she asked in quick alarm.

 

"I bring no bad news," answered the young man with a smile. "Have you a photograph or even a tintype of your son, recently taken?"

 

"I have a tintype taken last summer at Coney Island."

 

"That will do. Will you lend it to me till to-morrow?"

 

"But what can you possibly want with Mark's picture?" asked the mother, feeling quite bewildered.

 

"I represent the Daily Globe, Mrs. Mason. His picture is to appear in the evening edition."

 

"But why should you publish Mark's picture?"

 

"Because he has distinguished¹² himself by a heroic action. I can't stop to give you particulars, for I ought to be at the office now, but I will refer you to the paper."

 

With the tintype in his hand the reporter hurried to the office of the journal he represented, leaving Mrs. Mason in a state of wondering perplexity.

 

Within an incredibly short time hundreds of newsboys were running through the streets crying "Extry! Extra! A dynamite¹³ crank at the office of Luther Rockwell, the great banker!"

 

Mark Mason was returning from a trip to Brooklyn, when a newsboy thrust the paper in his face.

 

"Here, Johnny, give me that paper!" he said.

 

The boy peered curiously at him.

 

"Ain't you Mark Mason?" he asked.

 

"Yes; how did you know me?"

 

"Your picture is in the paper."

 

Mark opened the paper in natural excitement, and being a modest boy, blushed as he saw his picture staring at him from the front page, labeled underneath¹⁴ "The Heroic Telegraph Boy." He read the account, which was quite correctly written, with a mixture of emotions, among which gratification predominated.

 

"But where did they get my picture?" he asked himself.

 

There was also a picture of the dynamite crank, which was also tolerably accurate.

 

"I must take this home to mother," said Mark, folding up the paper. "Won't she be surprised!"

 

About the same time Solon Talbot and Edgar were in the Grand Central Depot¹⁵ on Forty-Second Street. Their visit was over, and Mr. Talbot had purchased the return tickets.

 

"You may buy a couple of evening papers, Edgar," said his father.

 

One of them selected was the Evening Globe.

 

Edgar uttered an exclamation¹⁶ as he opened it.

 

"What's the matter, Edgar?" asked his father.

 

"Just look at this! Here's Mark Mason's picture in the paper!"

 

"What nonsense you talk!" said Solon Talbot.

 

"No, I don't. Here is the picture, and here is his name!" said Edgar triumphantly¹⁷.

 

Solon Talbot read the account in silence.

 

"I see," said another Syracuse man coming up, "you are reading the account of the daring attempt to blow up banker Rockwell's office!"

 

"Yes," answered Solon.

 

"That was a brave telegraph boy who seized the bag of dynamite."

 

"Very true!" said Solon, unable to resist the temptation to shine by the help of the nephew whom he had hitherto despised. "That boy is my own nephew!"

 

"You don't say so!"

 

"Yes; his mother is the sister of my wife."

 

"But how does he happen to be a telegraph boy?"

 

"A whim¹⁸ of his. He is a very independent boy, and he insisted on entering the messenger service."

 

"Be that as it may, you have reason to be proud of him."

 

Edgar said nothing, but he wished that just for this once he could change places with his poor cousin.

 

"I'd have done the same if I'd had the chance," he said to himself.

1 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

2 kindly   

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。

3 curiously   

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。

4 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

5 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

6 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。

7 mumbled   

含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话，可我没太听清楚。
• George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。

8 pawn   

n.典当，抵押，小人物，走卒；v.典当，抵押

参考例句：

• He is contemplating pawning his watch.他正在考虑抵押他的手表。
• It looks as though he is being used as a political pawn by the President.看起来他似乎被总统当作了政治卒子。

9 avaricious   

adj.贪婪的，贪心的

参考例句：

• I call on your own memory as witness:remember we have avaricious hearts.假使你想要保证和证明，你可以回忆一下我们贪婪的心。
• He is so avaricious that we call him a blood sucker.他如此贪婪，我们都叫他吸血鬼。

10 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

11 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

12 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

13 dynamite   

n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破)

参考例句：

• The workmen detonated the dynamite.工人们把炸药引爆了。
• The philosopher was still political dynamite.那位哲学家仍旧是政治上的爆炸性人物。

14 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

15 depot   

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。

16 exclamation   

n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词

参考例句：

• He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
• The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。

17 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。

18 whim   

n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想

参考例句：

• I bought the encyclopedia on a whim.我凭一时的兴致买了这本百科全书。
• He had a sudden whim to go sailing today.今天他突然想要去航海。