CHAPTER XXII. A DISAPPOINTMENT.

 "How shall we strike out?" asked George Van Pelt¹, as he and our hero came to a halt under the elevated railroad.

 

"It's more than likely they'll try to sell those things to some stationer or at a second-hand² store," answered Nelson. "And the chances are that they'll sell 'em as quick as possible."

 

"You are right there," answered his partner. "Supposing you take one side of the street and I'll take the other, and we'll ask at the different stores."

 

This was agreed upon, and soon our hero had visited five stores.

 

Nobody had seen the thieves or knew anything about them.

 

"It's no use," he thought, and then entered a sixth establishment, kept by an old man.

 

"Yes, I saw them," said the old man. "They were here early this morning, and wanted to sell me the things dog-cheap. But I was suspicious of them, so I didn't buy."

 

[Pg 171]

 

"Do you know where they went next?"

 

"One of them said something about taking the elevated train."

 

"You didn't watch them?"

 

"No; I was going to, but a customer took my time."

 

The old man described both Darnley and Snocks, and also some of the goods offered, so there could not possibly be any mistake.

 

"I hate thieves," he concluded. "I hope you catch them."

 

"If we need a witness, will you aid us?" asked Nelson.

 

"I will."

 

"Thank you," said Nelson, and left him one of the business cards he and Van Pelt had had printed.

 

On the corner he beckoned³ to his partner and told Van Pelt of what he had learned.

 

"We'll ask the elevated railroad gate-keeper below," said Van Pelt.

 

But at the station they got no satisfaction.

 

"I came on an hour ago," said the gate-keeper. "The other man has gone home."

 

"And you haven't seen 'em?" asked Nelson.

 

"No. The fact is, so many people come and go we hardly notice anybody."

 

"That is so," said George Van Pelt, as he and[Pg 172] our hero walked away. "Nelson, I am afraid we are stumped⁴."

 

"It looks like it," said the newsboy soberly.

 

"What shall we do next?"

 

"I hardly know, George. I hate to give up. The stuff we lost cost too much money."

 

"Do you suppose either Darnley or Snocks went home?"

 

"It's possible."

 

"We ought to visit their homes and make sure."

 

The matter was talked over for several minutes, and it was finally agreed that Nelson should visit the homes of the two boys while George Van Pelt returned to the news stand to relieve Paul.

 

Billy Darnley lived on the fourth floor of a large rear tenement⁵ on one of the dirtiest streets of the East Side. To get to the place our hero had to pass through an alleyway filled with rubbish and teeming⁶ with neglected children. Hardened as he was to the rougher side of city life he could not help but shudder⁷ at the sight.

 

"Poor things! they are a heap worse off than myself," was his thought.

 

At a corner of the alleyway he ran across a small girl and one several years older. The little girl was a cripple, and the larger girl was making fun of her deformity.

 

[Pg 173]

 

"Limpy leg! Limpy leg!" she cried shrilly⁸. "Limpy leg, aint you ugly!" At this the cripple began to cry.

 

"Stop that!" called out Nelson. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself. This little girl can't help being a cripple. Perhaps some day you'll be a cripple yourself, and then you won't want anybody to make fun of you." And at this the big girl fell back abashed⁹.

 

"She always does that," said the cripple. "She's awful mean."

 

Nelson asked the girl where Billy Darnley lived, and the girl pointed¹⁰ out the rooms. Soon the newsboy was knocking on one of the doors to the apartment.

 

"Come in," said a rough voice, and Nelson entered, to find himself confronted by a burly man slightly the worse for the rum he had been drinking.

 

"Is this where Billy Darnley lives?" he asked.

 

"I'm Billy Darnley," answered the man.

 

"I mean Billy Darnley, the newsboy."

 

"That's my son. He lives here, but he aint here now. He's out selling papers."

 

"Has he been home in the last two or three hours?"

 

"No."

 

[Pg 174]

 

There was an awkward pause, and the man eyed Nelson curiously¹¹.

 

"What do you want of Billy?" he questioned at last.

 

"I want to recover some things he stole from my news stand," answered our hero stoutly¹².

 

"Things he stole?" cried Darnley senior.

 

"Yes."

 

"Are you sure Billy stole them?"

 

"Yes—he and another boy named Len Snocks."

 

"When was this?"

 

"Last night."

 

"Humph! Tell me all about it."

 

Nelson did as requested. Before he had finished Darnley senior gave a long yawn.

 

"Hang that boy!" he observed. "He's going from bad to worse. He will end up on the gallows¹³ if he aint careful."

 

To console himself he got out a black bottle and took a deep drink. Evidently he was not deeply impressed.

 

"Have you any idea where Billy is now?" asked our hero.

 

"No. He'll keep shady, I suppose. I can't help you. Go to the police. If he gets hung some day it will be his own fault."

 

The man turned his back on Nelson as if to[Pg 175] end the interview. In a minute more our hero was in the street again.

 

"A fine father for any boy to have," was his thought. "I reckon one is about as bad as the other, and perhaps both will end up in the electric chair."

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 second-hand   

adj.用过的，旧的，二手的

参考例句：

• I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
• They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

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 stumped   

僵直地行走，跺步行走( stump的过去式和过去分词 )； 把（某人）难住； 使为难； （选举前）在某一地区作政治性巡回演说

参考例句：

• Jack huffed himself up and stumped out of the room. 杰克气喘吁吁地干完活，然后很艰难地走出房间。
• He was stumped by the questions and remained tongue-tied for a good while. 他被问得张口结舌，半天说不出话来。

5 tenement   

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。

6 teeming   

adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注

参考例句：

• The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。
• the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道

7 shudder   

v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动

参考例句：

• The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材，他浑身一阵战栗。
• We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。

8 shrilly   

尖声的； 光亮的，耀眼的

参考例句：

• The librarian threw back his head and laughed shrilly. 图书管理员把头往后面一仰，尖着嗓子哈哈大笑。
• He half rose in his seat, whistling shrilly between his teeth, waving his hand. 他从车座上半欠起身子，低声打了一个尖锐的唿哨，一面挥挥手。

9 abashed   

adj.窘迫的，尴尬的v.使羞愧，使局促，使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He glanced at Juliet accusingly and she looked suitably abashed. 他怪罪的一瞥，朱丽叶自然显得很窘。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The girl was abashed by the laughter of her classmates. 那小姑娘因同学的哄笑而局促不安。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

11 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。

12 stoutly   

adv.牢固地，粗壮的

参考例句：

• He stoutly denied his guilt.他断然否认自己有罪。
• Burgess was taxed with this and stoutly denied it.伯杰斯为此受到了责难，但是他自己坚决否认有这回事。

13 gallows   

n.绞刑架，绞台

参考例句：

• The murderer was sent to the gallows for his crimes.谋杀犯由于罪大恶极被处以绞刑。
• Now I was to expiate all my offences at the gallows.现在我将在绞刑架上赎我一切的罪过。