CHAPTER V. — SAM'S FINANCES.

 Sam did not find it quite so pleasant being in a place as he had anticipated. He had been accustomed to roam about the streets subject only to his own control. Now he was no longer his own master. He must go and come at the will of his employer. To be sure, his earnings¹ were greater than in his street life, and he had a regular home. He knew beforehand where he was going to sleep, and was tolerably sure of a meal. But before the end of the first week he got out of money. This was not strange, for he had begun without any reserve fund.

 

On the third day he applied² to Henry Martin for a loan.

 

"If you don't lend me some stamps, I'll have to go without breakfast," he said.

 

"When shall you get your first week's pay?" asked Henry.

 

"Saturday night, the boss said, though I didn't go to work till Wednesday."

 

"Then you need money for your meals today and to-morrow?"

 

"Yes," said Sam.

 

"I'll lend you a dollar if you'll be sure to pay me up to-morrow night."

 

"I'll do it, sure."

 

"There it is, then. Now, Sam, I want to give you a little advice."

 

"What is it?"

 

"To-morrow, after paying me and putting by enough to pay the rent of the room, you'll have two dollars and seventy-five cents left."

 

"So I shall," said Sam, with satisfaction.

 

"You mustn't forget that this has got to last you for meals for the next week."

 

"How much is it a day?"

 

"About forty cents."

 

"I guess I can make it do."

 

"I shall get along for two fifty, and you ought to find what you will have left enough."

 

"I've had to live on ten cents a day more'n once," said Sam.

 

"That's too little."

 

"I should think it was. I went to bed hungry, you bet!"

 

"Well, there's no need of being so economical as that. You've got to eat enough, or you won't be fit for work. You'll have to be careful, though, if you want to come out even."

 

"Oh, I can manage it," said Sam, confidently.

 

But Sam was mistaken. He proved himself far from a good calculator. On Sunday he gratified an unusually healthy appetite, besides buying two five-cent cigars. This made necessary an outlay³ of seventy-five cents. The next day also he overran his allowance. The consequence was that on Wednesday night he went to bed without a cent. He did not say anything about the state of his finances to Henry, however, till the next morning.

 

"Henry," he said, "I guess I'll have to borrer a little more money."

 

"What for?" asked his companion.

 

"I haven't got anything to buy my breakfast with."

 

"How does that happen?"

 

"I don't know," said Sam. "I must have lost some out of my pocket."

 

"I don't think you have. You have been extravagant⁴, that's what's the matter. How much did you spend on Sunday?"

 

"I don't know."

 

"I do, for I kept account. You spent seventy-five cents. That's twice as much as you could afford."

 

"It was only for one day."

 

"At any rate, you have used up in four days as much as ought to have lasted you the whole week."

 

"I don't get enough pay," grumbled⁵ Sam, who was unprepared with any other excuse.

 

"There are plenty of boys that have to live on as small pay. I am one of them."

 

"Will you lend me some money?"

 

"I'll tell you what I will do. I'll lend you twenty-five cents every morning, and you'll have to make it do all day."

 

"I can't live on that. You spend more yourself."

 

"I know I do; but if you spend twice as much as you ought one day, you've got to make it up another."

 

"Give me the money for three days all at once," said Sam.

 

"No, I won't."

 

"Why not?"

 

"You'd spend it all in one day, and want to borrow some more to-morrow."

 

"No, I wouldn't."

 

"Then, you don't need it all the first day."

 

"You're mean," grumbled Sam.

 

"No, I'm not. I'm acting⁶ like a friend. It's for your own good."

 

"What can I get for twenty-five cents?"

 

"That's your lookout⁷. You wouldn't have had to live on it, if you hadn't been too free other days."

 

In spite of Sam's protestations, Henry remained firm, and Sam was compelled to restrain his appetite for the remainder of the week. I am ashamed to say that, when Saturday night came, Sam tried to evade⁸ paying his just debt. But this his roommate would not permit.

 

"That won't do, Sam," he said. "You must pay me what you owe me."

 

"You needn't be in such an awful hurry," muttered Sam.

 

"It's better for both of us that you pay it now," said Henry. "If you didn't, you'd spend it."

 

"I'll pay you next week. I want to go to hear the minstrels to-night."

 

"You can't go on borrowed money."

 

"If I pay you up, I don't have enough to last me till next pay day."

 

"That's your lookout. Do you know what I would do if I was in your place?"

 

"What would you do?"

 

"I'd live on four dollars a week till I'd got five dollars laid aside."

 

"I'd like the five dollars, but I don't want to starve myself."

 

"It would be rather inconvenient⁹ living on four dollars, I admit, but you would feel paid for it afterward¹⁰. Besides, Sam, you need some shirts and stockings. I can't keep lending you mine, as I have been doing ever since you came here."

 

"I can't afford to buy any."

 

"I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll buy some for you, if you'll agree to pay me up at the rate of fifty cents a week."

 

"All right!" said Sam, who was very ready to make promises. "Give me the money, and I'll buy some to-night."

 

"I'd rather go with you, and see that you get them," said Henry, quietly. "You might forget what you were after, and spend the money for something else."

 

Perhaps Sam recognized the justice of his companion's caution. At any rate, he interposed no objection.

 

I hope my young readers, who are used to quite a different style of living, will not be shocked on being told that Sam purchased second-hand¹¹ articles at a place recommended by his roommate. Considering the small sum at his command, he had no choice in the matter. Boys who have to pay their entire expenses out of five dollars a week cannot patronize fashionable tailors or shirt makers¹². So for three dollars Sam got a sufficient supply to get along with, though hardly enough to make a display at a fashionable watering place.

 

Sam put the bundle, containing this important addition to his wardrobe under his arm, not without a feeling of complacency.

 

"Now," said Henry, "it will take you six weeks to pay me for these, at half a dollar a week."

 

"All right!" said Sam, carelessly.

 

He was not one to be disturbed about a debt and his companion was shrewd enough to see that he must follow Sam up, if he wanted to get his money paid at the periods agreed upon.

 

Henry Martin continued to devote a part of every evening to study. He tried to prevail upon Sam to do the same, but without success.

 

"I get too tired to study," said Sam, and while his roommate was at home he was in the habit of strolling about the streets in search of amusement.

 

On the next Tuesday evening he met a boy of his acquaintance, who inquired where he was going.

 

"Nowhere in particular," said Sam.

 

"Come into French's Hotel, and see them play billiards¹³."

 

Sam complied.

 

There was one vacant table, and presently the other proposed a game.

 

"I can't afford it," said Sam.

 

"Oh, it won't be much. If you beat me I'll have to pay."

 

Sam yielded, and they commenced playing, Both being novices¹⁴, the game occupied an hour, and Sam, who was beaten, found to his dismay that he had to pay sixty cents.

 

"It don't seem more'n fifteen minutes," he said to himself. "It's awful dear."

 

"So it is," said his companion; "but if you had beaten me you would have got off for nothing."

 

"I don't see how I'm goin' to live on five dollars a week," thought Sam, uncomfortably, "I wonder when they'll raise me."

1 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

2 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。

3 outlay   

n.费用，经费，支出；v.花费

参考例句：

• There was very little outlay on new machinery.添置新机器的开支微乎其微。
• The outlay seems to bear no relation to the object aimed at.这费用似乎和预期目的完全不相称。

4 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

5 grumbled   

抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
• The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

7 lookout   

n.注意，前途，瞭望台

参考例句：

• You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
• It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。

8 evade   

vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避

参考例句：

• He tried to evade the embarrassing question.他企图回避这令人难堪的问题。
• You are in charge of the job.How could you evade the issue?你是负责人，你怎么能对这个问题不置可否？

9 inconvenient   

adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的

参考例句：

• You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
• Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？

10 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。

11 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。

12 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 billiards   

n.台球

参考例句：

• John used to divert himself with billiards.约翰过去总打台球自娱。
• Billiards isn't popular in here.这里不流行台球。

14 novices   

n.新手( novice的名词复数 )；初学修士（或修女）；（修会等的）初学生；尚未赢过大赛的赛马

参考例句：

• The Russians are such novices in Africa. 在非洲的俄国人简直都是些毫无经验的生手。 来自辞典例句
• Where the primary track all novices, screams everywhere, ha ha good terror. 那里的初级道上全是生手，到处都是尖叫声，哈哈好恐怖的。 来自互联网