CHAPTER XVI IN NEW YORK CITY

 "Will he live, mamma?"

 

"I think so, Rose. But he has been badly misused¹."

 

"Bill Hosker ought to be locked up for it."

 

"Nobody will lock Bill up. He has too much influence with the politicians," answered the woman.

 

She was bending over Randy, who was still unconscious. Mother and daughter had carried our hero from the yard to their room in the rear of the tenement². Nobody else had been around. The girl had witnessed Bill Hosker's nefarious³ deed and had at once summoned her parent.

 

Mrs. Clare was a poor widow lady who supported herself by sewing. Rose was her only child and did what she could to help her mother. Sewing did not pay well, and the Clares had all they could do to make both ends meet.

 

But Mrs. Clare had a warm heart and so had Rose, and it pained them greatly to see Randy so mistreated. They carried him into their one room and placed him on their bed and did what they could for him.

 

At last he opened his eyes and stared around him. Then he sat up slowly.

 

"Where am I?" he asked, faintly.

 

"We brought you into the house—mother and I," answered Rose. "Don't you remember, Bill Hosker struck you down?"

 

"Oh, yes; I remember that now." Randy took a deep breath and put his hand to his head. "He hit me pretty hard, didn't he?"

 

"I am afraid he did," answered Mrs. Clare. "It was a shame, too."

 

"Where is he now?"

 

"He ran away."

 

"He stole eighty cents from me."

 

"Perhaps he took more," said Rose. "He went through your pockets after he knocked you down. I saw him do it."

 

With his head still aching, our hero felt in first one pocket and then another. He gave something like a groan⁴.

 

"Every cent is gone!"

 

"How much did you have?"

 

"Between four and five dollars."

 

"I am sorry for you," said Mrs. Clare. "But I am afraid you will never see your money again."

 

"Does that rascal⁵ live around here?"

 

"Sometimes. He comes and goes to suit himself. I suppose he will stay away now for a while."

 

"Is there any use of my reporting this to the police, do you think?"

 

"I don't think so. He once took my pocket-book from the table here—I am sure of it—but when I reported it to the police nothing was done. They said his word was as good as mine."

 

"How long have I been here?"

 

"About half an hour."

 

"Then he has had a good chance to get away. Did you bring me here?"

 

"Yes."

 

"You are very kind, Mrs. ——"

 

"I am Mrs. Clare and this is my daughter Rose."

 

"And I am Randy Thompson, a deckhand on the Hudson River steamboat Helen Shalley."

 

"Oh!" Mrs. Clare paused for a moment. "Do you know Mr. Polk, the purser?"

 

"Yes, but not very well. I just got the job as a deckhand to-day."

 

"Mr. Polk is a relative of mine by marriage."

 

"I see."

 

"We—that is—well, we are not very good friends," went on Mrs. Clare.

 

"Mamma thinks Mr. Polk hasn't been honest with us," put in Rose, quickly. "I don't think so either."

 

"Rose, you must not talk so!"

 

"But it is true, isn't it?" returned the daughter.

 

"I may be misjudging Cousin Peter," said Mrs. Clare. "You see," she added, by way of an explanation, "my cousin Peter Polk had the settlement of my husband's affairs when he died, and I have always imagined that—well, that Rose and I did not get exactly what was coming to us."

 

"Mamma thought the account was three hundred dollars short," said Rose, who was inclined to be blunt.

 

"Couldn't you get a clear statement?" questioned Randy, with interest.

 

"We got a statement, but it was not clear to me," answered Mrs. Clare.

 

As soon as he felt able to do so, Randy got on his feet. He felt rather dizzy and he had a large lump over his left ear, where he had been struck by the club.

 

"See here," he said, when he was ready to depart, "I am much obliged to you for what you have done. But I'd like you to do more, if you will. As soon as this Bill Hosker comes back to this neighborhood let me know. You'll always find me on board of the Helen Shalley."

 

"I'll let you know," answered Rose. "But don't let Bill Hosker know who told you, or he'll want to kill me."

 

When Randy got back to the steamboat he felt so weak he could scarcely walk on board. Jones came forward to meet him.

 

"Say, you ain't been drinking, have you?" he demanded, as he saw our hero stagger.

 

"No, I don't drink," answered Randy. "I've been knocked down and robbed."

 

And sitting down on a bench he told his story to the other deckhand, and let Jones feel of the lump on his head.

 

"I was going to warn you when you went ashore⁶, but I thought you'd be wise enough to keep out of trouble. It's a shame."

 

"They told me it wouldn't do any good to tell the police."

 

"I am afraid not. Such things happen pretty often in that kind of a neighborhood."

 

Randy was glad enough to turn in. He bathed the lump with cold water and put on some witch-hazel, which made it feel better. Despite the adventure he slept soundly until it was time to turn out in the morning.

 

"I suppose you'll want some money," said Jones. "I can lend you a dollar till pay day, if you wish."

 

"Thank you," returned Randy. "You are kind, and I'll accept the loan. I'll pay you back just as soon as I get my pay. I hate to be without a cent in my pocket."

 

"I have been there myself and know just how it feels," answered Jones. He had, in his rough way, taken a fancy to our hero, which feeling was reciprocated⁷.

 

There was plenty to do before the steamboat left the dock at New York City, and Randy's arms ached when the command came to cast off the lines. He had done his full share of the labor⁸, and Pat Malloy nodded approvingly.

 

"Kape it up an' you'll be all roight," said the head deckhand.

 

The trip to Albany that day had much of novelty in it for Randy. There was a good deal of work, of which he had not dreamed before, yet there were also times when he could look at the scenery as the big craft glided⁹ along. At the newsstand on board there was a big folding map of the river, showing the different towns and points of interest, and this the standkeeper loaned him for a couple of hours. He studied the map closely and was soon able to recognize certain points as they appeared.

 

Several days slipped by and Randy felt quite at home on board. He had been supplied with the regulation deckhand's outfit¹⁰; dark blue shirt and trousers, and a cap to match, and looked very well when thus attired¹¹. He was getting acquainted with the work and could handle a trunk, or a box or barrel almost as well as Jones or Malloy.

 

"How does the boy do?" asked Captain Hadley of Malloy.

 

"It's the new broom as swapes clane," answered the head deckhand. "I ain't braggin' yit, captain."

 

"But he is doing all right so far?"

 

"Aye, aye, sur—very well indade."

 

"I am glad to hear it. Mr. Shalley told me the boy needed the job. His father is on the sick list, and he has got to do what he can to help support his parents."

 

"I reckon he'll be all right," answered Pat Malloy. "He's better than thim foreigners, anyway." To him, the only foreigners were Italians and Germans. He did not think himself one, although he had come from the "ould sod" less than six years before.

 

1 misused   

v.使用…不当( misuse的过去式和过去分词 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• He misused his dog shamefully. 他可耻地虐待自己的狗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had grossly misused his power. 他严重滥用职权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 nefarious   

adj.恶毒的，极坏的

参考例句：

• My father believes you all have a nefarious purpose here.我父亲认为你们都有邪恶的目的。
• He was universally feared because of his many nefarious deeds.因为他干了许多罪恶的勾当，所以人人都惧怕他。

4 groan   

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。

5 rascal   

n.流氓；不诚实的人

参考例句：

• If he had done otherwise,I should have thought him a rascal.如果他不这样做，我就认为他是个恶棍。
• The rascal was frightened into holding his tongue.这坏蛋吓得不敢往下说了。

6 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

7 reciprocated   

v.报答，酬答( reciprocate的过去式和过去分词 )；（机器的部件）直线往复运动

参考例句：

• Her passion for him was not reciprocated. 她对他的热情没有得到回应。
• Their attraction to each other as friends is reciprocated. 作为朋友，他们相互吸引着对方。 来自辞典例句

8 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

9 glided   

v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔

参考例句：

• The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
• They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

11 attired   

adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The bride was attired in white. 新娘穿一身洁白的礼服。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is appropriate that everyone be suitably attired. 人人穿戴得体是恰当的。 来自《简明英汉词典》