"Five books sold to-day!" thought Walter, complacently2, as he started on his walk home. "That gives me six dollars and a quarter profit. I wish I could keep that up."
But our young merchant found that he was not likely to keep up such sales. The next day he sold but two copies, and the day succeeding three. Still for three days and a half the aggregate3 sale was eleven copies, making a clear profit of thirteen dollars and seventy-five cents. At the end of the week he had sold twenty copies; but to make up this number he had been obliged to visit one or two neighboring villages.
He now prepared to move on. The next place at which he proposed to stop for a few days we will call Bolton. He had already written to Cleveland for a fresh supply of books to be forwarded to him there. He had but two books left, and his baggage being contained in a small valise, he decided4 to walk this distance, partly out of economy, but principally[Pg 258] because it would enable him to see the country at his leisure. During the first five miles he succeeded in selling both books, which relieved him of the burden of carrying them, leaving him only his valise.
Walter was strong and stout5, and enjoyed his walk. There was a freshness and novelty about his present mode of life, which he liked. He did not imagine he should like to be a book-agent all his life, but for a time he found it quite agreeable.
He stopped under the shade of a large elm and ate the lunch which he had brought with him from the inn. The sandwiches and apples were good, and, with the addition of some water from a stream near by, made a very acceptable lunch. When he resumed his walk after resting a couple of hours, the weather had changed. In the morning it was bright sunshine. Now the clouds had gathered, and a storm seemed imminent6. To make matters worse, Walter had managed to stray from the road. He found himself walking in a narrow lane, lined on either side by thick woods. Soon the rain come pattering down, at first in small drops, but quickly poured down in a drenching7 shower. Walter took[Pg 259] refuge in the woods, congratulating himself that he had sold the books, which otherwise would have run the risk of being spoiled.
"I wish there were some house near by in which I could rest," thought Walter. The prospect8 of being benighted9 in the woods in such weather was far from pleasant.
Looking around anxiously, he espied10 a small foot-path, which he followed, hoping, but hardly expecting, that it might lead to some place of refuge. To his agreeable surprise he emerged after a few minutes into a small clearing, perhaps half an acre in extent, in the middle of which was a rough cabin. It was a strange place for a house, but, rude as it was, Walter hailed its appearance with joy. At all events it promised protection from the weather, and the people who occupied it would doubtless be willing to give him, for pay of course, supper and lodging11. Probably the accommodations would not be first class, but our hero was prepared to take what he could get, and be thankful for it. Accordingly he advanced fearlessly and pounded on the door with his fist, as there was neither bell nor knocker.
[Pg 260]
The door not being opened immediately, he pounded again. This time a not particularly musical voice was heard from within:—
"No," answered Walter, "it isn't Jack."
His voice was probably recognized as that of a boy, and any apprehension13 that might have been felt by the person within was dissipated. Walter heard a bolt withdrawn14, and the door opening revealed a tall, gaunt, bony woman, who eyed him in a manner which could not be considered very friendly or cordial.
"I am a book-agent," said Walter.
"Do you expect to sell any books here?" asked the woman, with grim humor.
"No," said Walter, "but I have been caught in the storm, and lost my way. Can I stop here over night if the storm should hold on?"
"No, I suppose not," said Walter; "but it will be[Pg 261] a favor to me if you will take me in, and I will pay you whatever you think right. I suppose there is no tavern near by."
He half hoped there might be, for he had already made up his mind that this would not be a very agreeable place to stop at.
"There's one five miles off," said the woman.
"That's too far to go in such weather. If you'll let me stay here, I will pay you whatever you ask in advance."
"Humph!" said the woman, doubtfully, "I don't know how Jack will like it."
As Walter could know nothing of the sentiments of the Jack referred to, he remained silent, and waited for the woman to make up her mind, believing that she would decide in his favor.
He proved to be right.
"Well," she said, half unwillingly17, "I don't know but I'll take you in, though it isn't my custom to accommodate travellers."
"I will try not to give you much trouble," said Walter, relieved to find that he was sure of food and shelter.
[Pg 262]
"Humph!" responded the woman.
She led the way into the building, which appeared to contain two rooms on the first floor, and probably the same number of chambers18 above. There was no entry, but the door opened at once into the kitchen.
"Come up to the fire if you're wet," said the woman.
The invitation was hospitable19, but the manner was not. However, Walter was glad to accept the invitation, without thinking too much of the manner in which it was expressed, for his clothes were pretty well saturated20 by the rain. There was no stove, but an old brick fireplace, on which two stout logs were burning. There was one convenience at least about living in the woods. Fuel was abundant, and required nothing but the labor21 of cutting it.
"I think I'll take off my shoes," said Walter.
"You can if you want to," said his grim hostess.
He extended his wet feet towards the fire, and felt a sense of comfort stealing over him. He could hear the rain falling fiercely against the sides of the cabin, and felt glad that he was not compelled to stand the brunt of the storm.
Illustration
[Pg 263]
He looked around him guardedly, not wishing to let his hostess see that he was doing so, for she looked like one who might easily be offended. The room seemed remarkably22 bare of furniture. There was an unpainted table, and there were also three chairs, one of which had lost its back. These were plain wooden chairs, and though they appeared once to have been painted, few vestiges23 of the original paint now remained. On a shelf were a few articles of tin, but no articles of crockery were visible, except two cracked cups. Walter had before this visited the dwellings24 of the poor, but he had never seen a home so poorly provided with what are generally regarded as the necessaries of life.
"I wonder what Lem would say if he should see me now," thought Walter, his thoughts going back to the Essex Classical Institute, and the friend whose studies he shared. They seemed far away, those days of careless happiness, when as yet the burdens of life were unfelt and scarcely even dreamed of. Did Walter sigh for their return? I think not, except on one account. His father was then alive, and he would have given years of his own life to[Pg 264] recall that loved parent from the grave. But I do not think he would have cared, for the present at least, to give up his business career, humble25 though it was, and go back to his studies. He enjoyed the novelty of his position. He enjoyed even his present adventure, in spite of the discomforts26 that attended it, and there was something exciting in looking about him, and realizing that he was a guest in a rough cabin in the midst of the woods, a thousand miles away from home.
Guarded as he had been in looking around him, it did not escape without observation.
"Well, young man, this is a poor place, isn't it?" asked the woman, suddenly.
"I don't know," said Walter, wishing to be polite.
"That's what you're thinkin', I'll warrant," said the woman. "Well, you're not obliged to stay, if you don't want to."
"But I do want to, and I am very much obliged to you for consenting to take me," said Walter, hastily.
"You said you would pay in advance," said the woman.
"So I will," said Walter, taking out his pocket-book, "if you will tell me how much I am to pay."
"You may give me a dollar," said the woman.
Walter drew out a roll of bills, and, finding a one-dollar note, handed it to the woman.
She took it, glancing covetously27 at the remaining money which he replaced in his pocket-book. Walter noticed the glance, and, though he was not inclined to be suspicious, it gave him a vague feeling of anxiety.
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1
humbug
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| n.花招，谎话，欺骗 | |
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2
complacently
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| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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3
aggregate
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| adj.总计的，集合的；n.总数；v.合计；集合 | |
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4
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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7
drenching
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| n.湿透v.使湿透( drench的现在分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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8
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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9
benighted
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| adj.蒙昧的 | |
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10
espied
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| v.看到( espy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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12
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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13
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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14
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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15
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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16
tavern
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| n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店 | |
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17
unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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18
chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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19
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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saturated
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| a.饱和的，充满的 | |
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21
labor
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| 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 | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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23
vestiges
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| 残余部分( vestige的名词复数 )； 遗迹； 痕迹； 毫不 | |
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24
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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discomforts
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| n.不舒适( discomfort的名词复数 )；不愉快，苦恼 | |
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covetously
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| adv.妄想地，贪心地 | |
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