It was a cold day. There was no snow on the ground, but it was frozen into stiff ridges1, making it uncomfortable to walk upon. The sun had been out all day, but there was little heat or comfort in its bright, but frosty beams.
The winter is a hard season for the poor. It multiplies their necessities, while, in general, it limits their means and opportunities of earning. The winter of 1836-37 was far from being an exception to this rule. It was worse than usual, on account of the general stagnation2 of business.
In an humble3 tenement4, located on what was then the outskirts5 of New York, though to-day a granite6 warehouse7 stands on the spot, lived Timothy Crump, an industrious8 cooper. His family consisted of a wife and one child, a boy of twelve, whose baptismal name was John, though invariably addressed, by his companions, as Jack9.
There was another member of the household who would be highly offended if she were not introduced, in due form, to the reader. This was Miss Rachel Crump, maiden10 sister of Uncle Tim, as he was usually designated.
Miss Rachel was not much like her brother, for while the latter was a good-hearted, cheerful easy man, who was inclined to view the world in its sunniest aspect, Rachel was cynical11, and given to misanthropy. Poor Rachel, let us not be too hard upon thy infirmities. Could we lift the veil that hides the secrets of that virgin12 heart, it might be, perchance, that we should find a hidden cause, far back in the days when thy cheeks were rounder and thine eyes brighter, and thine aspect not quite so frosty. Ah, faithless Harry13 Fletcher! thou hadst some hand in that peevishness14 and repining which make Rachel Crump, and all about her, uncomfortable. Lured15 away by a prettier face, you left her to pass through life, unblessed by that love which every female heart craves16, and for which no kindred love will compensate17. It was your faithlessness that left her to walk, with repining spirit, the flinty path of the old maid.
Yes; it must be said—Rachel Crump was an old maid; not from choice, but hard necessity. And so, one by one, she closed up the avenues of her heart, and clothed herself with complaining, as with a garment. Being unblessed with earthly means, she had accepted the hearty18 invitation of her brother, and become an inmate19 of his family, where she paid her board by little services about the house, and obtained sufficient needle-work to replenish20 her wardrobe as often as there was occasion. Forty-five years had now rolled over her head, leaving clearer traces of their presence, doubtless, than if her spirit had been more cheerful; so that Rachel, whose strongly marked features never could have been handsome, was now undeniably homely21.
Mrs. Crump, fortunately for her husband's peace, did not in the least resemble her sister-in-law. Her disposition22 was cheerful, and she had frequent occasion to remonstrate23 with her upon the dark view she took of life. Had her temper been different, it is very easy to see that she would have been continually quarrelling with Rachel; but, happily, she was one of those women with whom it is impossible to quarrel. With her broad mantle24 of charity, she was always seeking to cover up and extenuate25 the defects of her sister-in-law, though she could not help acknowledging their existence.
It had been a hard winter for the cooper. For a month he had been unable to obtain work of any kind, and for the two months previous he had worked scarcely more than half the time. Unfortunately for him, his expenses for a few years back had kept such even pace with his income, that he had no reserved fund to fall back upon in such a time as this. That was no fault of his. Both he and his wife had been economical enough, but there are a great many things included in family expenses—rent, fuel, provisions, food, clothing, and a long list of sundries, besides; and all these had cost money, of which desirable article Uncle Tim's trade furnished not a very large supply.
So it happened that, as tradesmen were slow to trust, they had been obliged to part with a sofa to defray the expenses of the month of December. This article was selected because it was best convertible26 into cash,—being wanted by a neighbor,—besides being about the only article of luxury, if it could be called such, in possession of the family. As such it had been hardly used, being reserved for state occasions; yet hardly had it left (sic) the the house, when Aunt Rachel began to show signs of extreme lowness of spirits, and bewailed its loss as a privation of a personal comfort.
“Life's full of disappointments,” she groaned27. “Our paths is continually beset28 by 'em. There's that sofa! It's so pleasant to have one in the house when a body's sick. But there, it's gone, and if I happen to get down, as most likely I shall, for I've got a bad feeling in my stummick this very minute, I shall have to go up-stairs, and most likely catch my death of cold, and that will be the end of me.”
“Not so bad as that, I hope,” said Mrs. Crump, cheerfully. “You know, when you was sick last, you didn't want to use the sofa—you said it didn't lay comfortable. Besides, I hope, before you are sick again we may be able to buy it back again.”
Aunt Rachel shook her head despondingly.
“There ain't any use in hoping that,” said she. “Timothy's got so much behindhand that he won't be able to get up again; I know he won't.”
“But if he manages to get steady work soon, he will.”
“No, he won't. I'm sure he won't. There won't be any work before spring, and most likely not then.”
“You are too desponding, Aunt Rachel.”
“Enough to make me so. If you had only taken my advice, we shouldn't have come to this.”
“I don't know what advice you refer to, Rachel.”
“No, I don't expect you do. You didn't pay no attention to it. That's the reason.”
“But if you'll repeat it, perhaps we can profit by it yet,” said Mrs. Crump, with imperturbable29 good humor.
“I told you you ought to be layin' up something ag'in a rainy day. But that's always the way. Folks think when times is good it's always a goin' to be so, but I knew better.”
“I don't see how we could have been more economical,” said Mrs. Crump, mildly.
“There's a hundred ways. Poor folks like us ought not to expect to have meat so often. It's frightful30 to think what the butcher's bill must have been the last six months.”
Inconsistent Rachel! Only the day before she had made herself very uncomfortable because there was no meat for dinner, and said she couldn't live without it. Mrs. Crump might have reminded her of this, but the good woman was too kind to make the retort. She contented31 herself with saying that they must try to do better in future.
“That's always the way,” muttered Rachel. “Shut the stable door when the horse is stolen. Folks never learn from experience till it's too late to be of any use. I don't see what the world was made for, for my part. Everything goes topsy-turvy, and all sorts of ways except the right way. I sometimes think 'taint32 much use livin'.”
“Oh, you'll feel better by and by, Rachel. Hark, there's Jack, isn't it?”
“Anybody might know by the noise who it is,” pursued Rachel, in the same general tone that had marked her conversation hitherto. “He always comes stomping33 along as if he was paid for makin' a noise. Anybody ought to have a cast-iron head that lives anywhere in his hearing.”
Her cheerful remarks were here broken in upon by the sudden entrance of Jack, who, in his eagerness, slammed the door behind him, unheeding his mother's quiet admonition not to make a noise.
“Look there!” said he, displaying a quarter of a dollar.
“How did you get it?” asked his mother.
“Holding horses,” answered Jack.
“Here, take it, mother. I warrant you'll find a use for it.”
“It comes in good time,” said Mrs. Crump. “We're out of flour, and I had no money to buy any. Before you take off your boots, Jack, why can't you run over to the store, and get half a dozen pounds?”
“You see the Lord hasn't quite forgotten us,” remarked his mother, as Jack started on his errand.
“What's a quarter of a dollar?” said Rachel, gloomily. “Will it carry us through the winter?”
“It will carry us through to-night, and perhaps Timothy will have work to-morrow. Hark, that's his step.”
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1
ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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stagnation
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| n. 停滞 | |
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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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tenement
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| n.公寓；房屋 | |
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outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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7
warehouse
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| n.仓库；vt.存入仓库 | |
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8
industrious
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| adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的 | |
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9
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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10
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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cynical
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| adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的 | |
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virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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13
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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14
peevishness
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| 脾气不好；爱发牢骚 | |
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15
lured
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| 吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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16
craves
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| 渴望，热望( crave的第三人称单数 )； 恳求，请求 | |
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17
compensate
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| vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消 | |
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18
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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replenish
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| vt.补充；(把…)装满；(再)填满 | |
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homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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22
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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remonstrate
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| v.抗议，规劝 | |
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24
mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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25
extenuate
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| v.减轻，使人原谅 | |
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convertible
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| adj.可改变的，可交换，同意义的；n.有活动摺篷的汽车 | |
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27
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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28
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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imperturbable
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| adj.镇静的 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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31
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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32
taint
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| n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染 | |
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33
stomping
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| v.跺脚，践踏，重踏( stomp的现在分词 ) | |
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