CHAPTER XVI. NELSON AND PEPPER PART.

 Nelson remained on watch, and as soon as he saw George Van Pelt¹ coming he headed him off and took him around the corner.

 

"I've bought the stand," he said.

 

"Already?"

 

"Yes. I had a talk with old Maxwell, offered him eighty cash, and he took me up. So we've saved ten dollars."

 

"He'll be mad when he learns he might have had ninety."

 

"He needn't know. Give me your money, and I'll pay him the balance."

 

So it was arranged, and Nelson went to the stand and closed the deal. Old Maxwell had taken in thirty-two cents, and this was passed over to the boy.

 

"Going to run the stand alone?" queried² the old man.

 

"No, a man is going to help me," said our hero.

 

"Who is it?"

 

"George Van Pelt."

 

[Pg 128]

 

"Oh, that's it, is it?" exclaimed old Maxwell. "I thought he wanted the stand himself."

 

"He couldn't raise the money. Here he comes now."

 

Nelson beckoned³ to Van Pelt, and soon both were hard at work cleaning up the stand. They talked the matter over and agreed to give old Maxwell a dollar more, if he would come around for two mornings and explain whatever proved strange to them.

 

"Sure, I'll do it," said Maxwell. "I want you to get the best of the man up on the elevated station and the man on the next block. They are both mean fellows and don't deserve any trade."

 

"We intend to hustle⁴ and get all the trade we can," said our hero.

 

It must be confessed that he felt very proud of his situation. He was no longer a mere⁵ newsboy, but a business man, and he felt, somehow, as if he had grown several inches taller.

 

"We must have a sign," said Van Pelt. "What will we make it—Van Pelt & Pepper, Newsdealers?"

 

"I don't like the name Pepper—for a last name, I mean," said our hero, scratching his curly head. "Better make it Van Pelt & Company, for the present." And the next day an oilcloth sign was tacked⁶ up proclaiming the new firm, and notifying[Pg 129] all that they dealt in newspapers, magazines, books, and school supplies. While Nelson tended the stand George Van Pelt went downtown to a jobbing house and bought some extra stock. In a few days business was in full blast and prospects⁷ looked very bright.

 

"I am glad to see you doing well," said Gertrude, on visiting the stand one Saturday, after giving her music lessons. "It looks quite like a place of business. It won't be long before you'll have a store."

 

"We'll have to save up for it," answered our hero.

 

He wanted the girl to stay a little while, but she could not, for Mrs. Kennedy was down with rheumatism⁸ and was next to helpless.

 

"She has been very kind to me and I wish to do what I can for her," said Gertrude.

 

"Is her stand closed?"

 

"No, Gladys Summers is running it for her. She has put her flowers in with the other stock."

 

"Gladys is good-hearted, too," was Nelson's comment.

 

Sam Pepper heard of the newsboy's new move two days after the stand was bought.

 

"Going into business with George Van Pelt, eh?" he observed, when Nelson came home that night.

 

[Pg 130]

 

"Yes."

 

"He's a poor sort. He'll never get rich. He's not slick enough."

 

"I'm satisfied with him," returned the newsboy briefly⁹.

 

"What did you take in to-day?"

 

"A little over nine dollars."

 

"Phew! that's better than I thought. How much profit?"

 

"About three dollars and a half above expenses."

 

"And you git half?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Then you ought to pay me more board money."

 

"I'm paying all it's worth now. I get no more meals, remember—I only use this place to sleep in."

 

"Well, that's worth more."

 

"I'm thinking of getting a room near the stand," went on Nelson, after a pause.

 

"What! you want to leave me!" roared Sam Pepper.

 

"Why not? There is nothing to keep me here. I don't want anything to do with your saloon."

 

"That's a nice way to talk to me."

 

"I can't help it. I hate the saloon, and it's too[Pg 131] far to come down here just to sleep; especially when I have to leave so early in the morning."

 

"Supposing I don't let you leave?"

 

To this Nelson made no reply.

 

"You're a nice son, I must say," went on Sam Pepper. "This is what I git for raising you."

 

"I am not your son, Sam Pepper. As for what you've done for me, I'm willing to pay you for that. You let me leave without any fuss and I'll give you two dollars a week until the debt is paid."

 

"Two dollars a week aint much."

 

"It's all I can afford, with my other expenses."

 

"Reckon you don't care much for me, any more."

 

"I never did care for you, and you know it. I don't like drinking people and the other kind that hang around here. I want to become respectable and make something of myself."

 

"Aint I respectable?" roared Pepper, raising his fist in anger. "Say that again, and I'll knock you down."

 

"I said that I didn't like the crowd that hangs around here. I'm going to get out, whether you take up my offer or not."

 

"Then clear out—and the sooner the better. It's a pity I didn't kick you out," growled¹⁰ Sam[Pg 132] Pepper, walking the floor savagely¹¹. "Go! go to-night!"

 

"I will," answered our hero.

 

No more was said, and the boy tied up what little clothing he had in a newspaper. He was soon ready to depart, and then he faced Pepper again.

 

"Good-by," he said, holding out his hand. "Let us part friends."

 

"You've missed it by turning against me," said Pepper, with a strange look in his eyes. "I might have made you rich."

 

"How?"

 

"Never mind now. You can go your way, and I'll go mine. I don't want to shake hands. Go!" And he turned his back on the newsboy.

 

"One word more, before I leave," said our hero. "Will you tell me my right name?"

 

"I won't tell you anything. If Nelson Pepper aint good enough for you, you can make the name what you please."

 

"Then good-by," said Nelson, a little sadly, and in a moment more he was gone.

 

It was so late he knew not where to look for a room that night, so trudged¹² back to the stand. It was entirely¹³ inclosed with wooden shutters¹⁴, and large enough inside for him to make himself fairly comfortable, and there he remained until daylight.

 

[Pg 133]

 

"I'm glad to hear you've left Pepper," said George Van Pelt, when he heard the news. "He's a bad fellow, and getting worse. If you want, you can get a room in the house next to where I live."

 

"What will they charge me?"

 

"You can get a small, but clean, hall bedroom for a dollar a week."

 

"That will just suit me," answered our hero.

 

The place was but three blocks away from the stand, and Nelson made the necessary arrangements that afternoon, during the time when trade was dull.

 

Nelson wondered what Pepper had meant by saying he had missed it in turning against the man. Did Pepper refer to the past, or did he have in mind what he could leave when he died?

 

"I don't want a cent of his money," our hero told himself; "but I would like to solve the mystery of my birth and parentage."

1 pelt   

v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火

参考例句：

• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。
• Crowds started to pelt police cars with stones.人群开始向警车扔石块。

2 queried   

v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问

参考例句：

• She queried what he said. 她对他说的话表示怀疑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"What does he have to do?\" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事？”琴向觉民问道，她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

3 beckoned   

v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He beckoned to the waiter to bring the bill. 他招手示意服务生把账单送过来。
• The seated figure in the corner beckoned me over. 那个坐在角落里的人向我招手让我过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 hustle   

v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌)

参考例句：

• It seems that he enjoys the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.看起来他似乎很喜欢大城市的热闹繁忙的生活。
• I had to hustle through the crowded street.我不得不挤过拥挤的街道。

5 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。

6 tacked   

用平头钉钉( tack的过去式和过去分词 )； 附加，增补； 帆船抢风行驶，用粗线脚缝

参考例句：

• He tacked the sheets of paper on as carefully as possible. 他尽量小心地把纸张钉上去。
• The seamstress tacked the two pieces of cloth. 女裁缝把那两块布粗缝了起来。

7 prospects   

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。

8 rheumatism   

n.风湿病

参考例句：

• The damp weather plays the very devil with my rheumatism.潮湿的天气加重了我的风湿病。
• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。

9 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

10 growled   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 savagely   

adv. 野蛮地，残酷地

参考例句：

• The roses had been pruned back savagely. 玫瑰被狠狠地修剪了一番。
• He snarled savagely at her. 他向她狂吼起来。

12 trudged   

vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He trudged the last two miles to the town. 他步履艰难地走完最后两英里到了城里。
• He trudged wearily along the path. 他沿着小路疲惫地走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

14 shutters   

百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门

参考例句：

• The shop-front is fitted with rolling shutters. 那商店的店门装有卷门。
• The shutters thumped the wall in the wind. 在风中百叶窗砰砰地碰在墙上。