CHAPTER XXIII. — SAM FALLS INTO BAD COMPANY.

 For a time matters went on smoothly¹. Sam was abashed² by the result of his experiment, and discouraged from making another. He felt that he had a good place. Living chiefly at the lodging-house his expenses were small, and four dollars a week were ample to meet them. There was one thing he missed, however,—the freedom to roam about the streets at will. He felt this the more when the pleasant spring weather came on. There were times when he got sick of the confinement³, and longed to leave the office.

 

It was a bright morning in May when Dr. Graham called from the inner office:—

 

"Sam."

 

"What, sir?"

 

"Do you know the way to Brooklyn?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"I want you to go over there for me."

 

"All right, sir."

 

It may be explained that Dr. Graham, on the first of May, had moved over to Brooklyn, and was occupying a house about a mile from Fulton Ferry.

 

"I want you to go to my house," said the doctor, "No. — H—— street, and carry this letter to my wife."

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"I forgot entirely⁴ to leave her some money to meet a bill; but if you go at once it will reach her in time. Stay, I will give you the address on a card."

 

"All right, sir."

 

"Here is a quarter. It will pay your car-fare, and over the ferry both ways. Now, mind you come back as quick as you can."

 

This Sam readily promised. He was glad to get away for the morning, as he calculated that the expedition would take him nearly, or quite, three hours. He took a car and got out at the Astor House. On his way down to the ferry he met an old street acquaintance,—Jim Nolan.

 

"How are you, Sam?" said Jim.

 

"Tip-top!" answered Sam.

 

"Where do you keep yourself? Are you blackin' boots, now?"

 

"No," answered Sam, with rather an important air. "I'm in an office."

 

"How much do you get?"

 

"Four dollars a week."

 

"That's good. How'd you get it?"

 

"Oh, the doctor took a fancy to me, and asked me to come."

 

"You're in luck. So you're with a doctor?"

 

"Yes,—Dr. Graham. He's a corn-doctor."

 

"Where does he hang out?"

 

"No.—, Broadway."

 

"Do you have much to do?"

 

"Not very much."

 

"How do you come down here, then?"

 

"I'm takin' a letter to Brooklyn for the doctor."

 

"Are you?"

 

"Yes," said Sam; adding unluckily, "There's money in it."

 

"Is there?" said Jim, pricking⁵ up his ears. "How do you know? Let's see the letter."

 

Sam took the letter from his inside coat-pocket, and passed it to Jim.

 

The latter held it up to the light, and tried to look inside. Fortune favored his efforts. The envelope was imperfectly fastened, and came open.

 

"There, Jim," said Sam, "now see what you've done."

 

"Let's look inside, and see how much money there is," suggested Jim.

 

Sam hesitated.

 

"It won't do any harm to look at it," said the tempter.

 

"That's so," said Sam.

 

He accordingly drew out the enclosure, and disclosed two ten-dollar bills.

 

Jim's eyes sparkled with greed.

 

"Twenty dollars!" he exclaimed. "What a lot of good that would do us!"

 

Sam's principles were not firm, but he had a good place, and the temptation was not as strong as in Jim's case; so he answered, "Maybe it would, but it aint ours."

 

Jim fastened his little black eyes on Sam cunningly.

 

"It might be," he answered.

 

"How could it be?"

 

"You could keep it."

 

"The doctor'd find it out."

 

"Tell him somebody hooked it out of your pocket. He wouldn't know."

 

Sam shook his head.

 

"I aint goin to lose a good place just for that," he said.

 

"Think what a lot of things you could do for ten dollars," urged Jim.

 

"Twenty, you mean."

 

"That's ten apiece, isn't it?"

 

"Oh, you want some, do you?" inquired Sam.

 

"Yes; I'll take it from you, and then give you back half. So, it'll be me that stole it. They can't do nothin' to you. Come, I'll go over to Brooklyn with you, and then you can make up your mind."

 

On board the boat Jim renewed his persuasions⁶, and finally Sam yielded.

 

"I'm afraid the doctor'll think I took it," he said.

 

"No matter! He can't prove nothin'."

 

"We'll find it hard to change the bills."

 

"No we won't. I'll tell you where to go. Can you play billiards⁷?"

 

"No; but I'd like to learn."

 

"I know, and I'll learn you. There's a saloon over in Brooklyn where we can go and have a game. We'll pay out of one of the bills."

 

Now Sam had long wanted to learn the game of billiards, and this seemed a good opportunity. Perhaps this consideration as much as any determined⁸ him to close with his friend's proposal. When, therefore, they had reached the Brooklyn side, instead of taking the horse-cars to Dr. Graham's house, Sam followed his companion to a low billiard saloon not far away.

 

There were four tables, one of which only was occupied, for it was too early. On one side of the room was a bar, behind which stood a man in his shirt-sleeves.

 

"Well, boys, what do you want?" he asked.

 

"We want a table," said Jim. "We're goin to play a game."

 

The man in the shirt-sleeves produced, from underneath⁹ the counter, a green pasteboard box containing four ivory billiard balls.

 

"What table will you have?" he asked.

 

"This one here," said Jim, leading the way to one farthest from the door.

 

"Now take a cue, Sam," he said. "We'll have a jolly game."

 

"You must tell me how to play."

 

"Oh, I'll learn you."

 

Jim was not a very skilful¹⁰ player, but he knew something about the game, and under his instruction Sam made some progress, being able to make a shot now and then. He was very much pleased with the game, and determined to devote his spare earnings¹¹ to this form of recreation hereafter. When the game was ended, a full hour had passed.

 

"I didn't think it was so late," said Sam, starting. "I shall have to go."

 

"Go and pay for the game first."

 

"You ought to pay half."

 

"No; I beat. The one that loses the game has to pay."

 

"Of course you beat. It was my first game."

 

"Never mind. You'll soon play as well as I, and then I shall have to pay half the time."

 

"Do you think I'll improve?"

 

"Of course you will. We'll play again to-night."

 

"Here?"

 

"No, in New York. I'll show you a good saloon in Chatham street."

 

Sam stepped up to the counter.

 

"How much do you want?" he asked.

 

"Sixty cents."

 

"It's only twenty-five cents a game," said Jim Nolan.

 

"Your game was longer than two ordinary ones. I'll call it fifty cents."

 

Sam produced the ten-dollar bill, and received in return nine dollars and a half. The clerk was rather surprised at a boy presenting so large a bill. He suspected that it was not come by honestly; but, as he argued, that was none of his business. What he cared for most was to get paid for the billiards. So Sam, who had felt a little uneasy about offering the money, was more at his ease.

 

"We had a good game, didn't we?" said Jim.

 

"Yes," said Sam.

 

"And you did bully¹² for the first time. I couldn't play so well my first game."

 

Sam felt flattered by this compliment from his companion.

 

"Now I must go back," he said.

 

"I'll go along back with you. But we'll take a drink first. I want to change my bill too."

 

"Why didn't you do it in the billiard-saloon? They had a bar there."

 

"They might suspect something if both of us offered tens. Here's a place close by. Come in here."

 

Jim led the way into a drinking-saloon, and Sam followed.

 

"It's my treat," said Jim. "What'll you have?"

 

"What are you goin' to take?"

 

"A whiskey-punch."

 

"I'll take one too."

 

"Two whiskey-punches, and mind you make 'em stiff," said Jim.

 

He tossed down his glass, but Sam drank more slowly.

 

Jim paid for the drinks, and they went out into the street.

1 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

2 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》

3 confinement   

n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限

参考例句：

• He spent eleven years in solitary confinement.他度过了11年的单独监禁。
• The date for my wife's confinement was approaching closer and closer.妻子分娩的日子越来越近了。

4 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。

5 pricking   

刺，刺痕，刺痛感

参考例句：

• She felt a pricking on her scalp. 她感到头皮上被扎了一下。
• Intercostal neuralgia causes paroxysmal burning pain or pricking pain. 肋间神经痛呈阵发性的灼痛或刺痛。

6 persuasions   

n.劝说，说服（力）( persuasion的名词复数 )；信仰

参考例句：

• To obtain more advertisting it needed readers of all political persuasions. 为获得更多的广告，它需要迎合各种政治见解的读者。 来自辞典例句
• She lingered, and resisted my persuasions to departure a tiresome while. 她踌躇不去，我好说歹说地劝她走，她就是不听。 来自辞典例句

7 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。

8 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

9 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

10 skilful   

(=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的

参考例句：

• The more you practise,the more skilful you'll become.练习的次数越多，熟练的程度越高。
• He's not very skilful with his chopsticks.他用筷子不大熟练。

11 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%。

12 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• 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。