"Here, boy, do you want a job?" said a gentleman, coming out of a dwelling3 with a valise and a large bundle in his hands.
"Yes, sir; thank you, sir," replied Noddy, springing forward, and taking the heavier articles, without giving the gentleman the trouble to state what he wanted of him.
This incident seemed to solve the problem for him. He could remain in Albany long enough to earn a[106] sufficient sum of money to pay his fare to Boston. He followed the gentleman to the railroad station, and handed the valise to the baggage-master. The gentleman gave him a quarter of a dollar for his services. It was a liberal return for the short time he had been employed, and a few more such jobs as that would soon put him in funds.
Noddy was sanguine4 now that he could earn money with entire ease, and all the difficulties which had beset5 him began to disappear. There was something exceedingly pleasant in the idea of being independent; of putting his hand into his pocket and always finding some money there which had been earned by his own labor6. It was a novel sensation to him.
"Work and win!" exclaimed he, as he walked out of the railroad station. "I understand it all now, and I may thank Miss Bertha for the idea."
In the enthusiasm of the moment, he began to consider whether it would not be better to remain on shore and amass7 a fortune, which he believed could be done in a short time. He could carry bundles and valises till he got money enough to buy a horse and wagon8, when he could go into the business on a more extensive scale. The road to fortune was open to him; all his trials and difficulties had sud[107]denly vanished, and he had only to reach out his hand to pluck the golden harvest.
The rattling9 of a train which had just arrived disturbed this pleasant dream, and Noddy hastened back to secure the fruit of his brilliant resolution. There were plenty of gentlemen with bags and valises in their hands, but not a single one of them wanted any assistance; and some of them answered his civil salutation with insult and harshness. The experiment did not work so well as he had anticipated, for Noddy's great expectations led him to believe that he should make about half a dollar out of the arrival of this train, instead of which he did not make a single cent.
"Work and win; but where are you going to get your work?" said Noddy to himself.
No more trains were to arrive for some hours, and he posted himself in the street, asking for a job whenever there was the least prospect10 of obtaining one. At noon, Noddy was hungry, and was obliged to spend half his morning's earnings11 for a coarse dinner, for his circumstances did not permit him to indulge in the luxury of roast beef and plum pudding. During the afternoon he lay in wait for a job at the railroad stations, and in the most public places[108] of the city. But the sum of his earnings was only five cents.
"Work and win!" said he. "Sum total of day's work, thirty cents; not enough to buy what I want to eat. It don't pay."
If work did not pay, stealing certainly would not; and we are happy to say, Bertha Grant had done her duty by him so faithfully, that he did not feel tempted13 to resort to any irregular means of obtaining a subsistence. If work did not pay, it was only because he could not obtain it. He had not yet struck a productive vein14. He had been a fishing a great many times; but when he had no success, he neither concluded that fish were not good, nor that there were no fish in the river.
There was a train to arrive, after dark, from New York city, and he determined15 to make one more effort to improve his fortunes. As the passengers came out of the station with small parcels of baggage in their hands, he offered his services to them. His heart almost leaped with rapture16 when a gentleman handed him a small carpet-bag, and told him to follow to the Delavan House. He took the bag, and then, to his horror, he discovered that the gentleman was Mr. Grant![109]
What had brought him to Albany? As Noddy's sphere of observation was confined to the little world of his own affairs, he concluded that the owner of Woodville must be there for the purpose of arresting him. Probably some of those smart constables17 had traced him to the town where he had embarked19 for Albany. Again the horrors of the court-house, the jail, and the tinker's shop were present to his mind. He had taken the valise, and was now following Mr. Grant to the hotel. It was dark at the place where he had received the carpet-bag, otherwise he would have been recognized.
Noddy had no doubt in regard to the correctness of his conclusions; and he could not help thinking that a great man, like Mr. Grant, was taking a good deal of pains to capture a poor boy, like him. His arrest was a matter of a great deal more consequence than he had supposed, which made it all the more necessary to his future peace and happiness that he should escape. The bag tied him to his persecutor20, or he would have run away as fast as he could. He could not carry off the baggage, for that would subject him to another penalty, even if he had been dishonest enough to do such a thing. He de[110]cided to follow Mr. Grant to the hotel, drop the bag, and run.
"Boy, do you know where the police office is?" said Mr. Grant, suddenly turning round upon him.
"No, sir," replied Noddy, whose natural boldness prompted him, when fairly cornered, to face the danger.
"What! Noddy?" exclaimed Mr. Grant. "I came to look for you."
"Thank you, sir," replied Noddy.
"You were a foolish fellow to run away. I'm not going to hurt you; neither is anybody else."
Noddy was not a little astonished to find Mr. Grant, in his own homely21 terms, "trying it on" in this manner. It was not strange that the constable18, or even Squire22 Wriggs, should resort to deception23 to entrap24 him; but he was not quite prepared for it from the upright proprietor25 of Woodville. If he was wanted "bad enough" to induce a gentleman of wealth and position to make a journey to Albany after him, it was the very best reason in the world why he should get out of the way as soon as possible.
"How is Miss Bertha, sir?" asked Noddy, who did not know what else to say.
"She is quite well, and feels very badly now at[111] your absence. You have made a great mistake, Noddy," replied Mr. Grant.
"Is Miss Fanny pretty well, sir?"
"Very well. We don't wish to injure you, or even to punish you, for setting the boat-house on fire. The worst that I shall do will be to send you——"
"Is Ben any better than he was?" continued Noddy, fully12 satisfied in his own mind in regard to the last remark.
"Ben is very well," said Mr. Grant, impatiently. "Now, you will come with me, Noddy, and not try to run away again."
"How is Mrs. Green and the rest of the folks?" asked Noddy, fully resolved that even Mr. Grant should not "pull wool over his eyes," as he quaintly26 expressed his view of this attempt to deceive him.
"She is well. Now come with me, Noddy. I will give you a good supper, and you shall have everything you need. Your circumstances have changed now, and you will be a rich man when you are of age."
"Have you heard from Mr. Richard lately, sir?"
"Never mind Richard, now. Come with me, Noddy. If you attempt to run away again, I shall be obliged to hand you over to a policeman."[112]
That looked much more like it, in Noddy's opinion, and he had no doubt of Mr. Grant's entire sincerity27 in the last remark.
"I will follow you, sir," replied Noddy, though he did not intend to continue on this route much farther.
"You understand that I am your friend, Noddy, and that no harm shall come to you."
"Yes, sir; I understand that."
"Come here now, and walk by my side. I don't want to call a policeman to take charge of you."
Noddy did not want him to do so either, and did not intend that he should. He placed himself by the side of his powerful persecutor, as he still regarded him, and they walked together towards the hotel. The young refugee was nervous and uneasy, and watched with the utmost diligence for an opportunity to slip away. As they were crossing a street, a hack28, approaching rapidly, caused Mr. Grant to quicken his pace in order to avoid being run over. Noddy, burdened with the weight of the carpet-bag, did not keep up with him, and he was obliged to fall back to escape the carriage.
"Here, boy, you take this bag, and follow the owner to the hotel, and he will give you something,"[113] said Noddy to a ragged29 boy at the corner of the street.
Without waiting for an answer, he darted30 down the cross street, and made his best time in the rush for liberty.
The boy, to whom Noddy had given the bag, ran over the street, and placed himself behind Mr. Grant, whom he judged to be the owner of the baggage.
"Where is the other boy?" demanded Mr. Grant.
"Gone down State Street to find ten cents he lost there," replied the wicked boy. "I'll carry your bag, sir."
"But I want the boy! Which way did he go?" said Mr. Grant, in hurried tones.
"Down there, sir. His mother'll lick him if he don't find the ten cents he lost. I'll carry the bag."
But Mr. Grant was unwilling31 to trust his property to the hands of such a boy, and he immediately reclaimed32 it.
"I want that boy!" exclaimed Mr. Grant, in great agitation33. "Which way did he go?"
"Down there," replied the ragged boy, pointing down a street in exactly the opposite direction from that taken by the fugitive34.[114]
But Mr. Grant was too wise a man to follow. He was in search of a policeman just then. As these worthy35 functionaries36 are never at hand when they are wanted, of course he did not find one. He called a carriage, and ordered the driver to convey him with all speed, and at double fare, to the police office. On his arrival, he immediately stated his business, and in a few hours the whole police force of the city were on the lookout37 for poor Noddy Newman.
The object of all this friendly solicitude38 was unconscious of the decided steps taken by Mr. Grant; but he ran till he had placed a safe distance between himself and his potent39 oppressor. He saw plenty of policemen in his flight, but he paid no attention to them, nor even thought what a powerful combination they formed against a weak boy like himself. He was satisfied, however, that he must leave the city; and when he was out of breath with running, he walked as nearly on a straight course as the streets would permit, till he reached the outskirts40 of the city.
"Stop that heifer!" shouted a man, who was chasing the animal.
Noddy headed her off, and she darted away in another direction. Our refugee was interested in[115] the case at once; for he could not permit any horned beast to circumvent41 him. He ran as though he had not run before that evening, and brought the wayward animal up in a corner when the man came to his assistance.
"You are a smart boy," said the drover.
"That's so," puffed42 Noddy, modestly.
"If you haven't got nothin' better to do, I'll make it wuth your while to help drive these cattle down to the keers," added the man.
As Noddy had nothing better to do, he at once accepted the offer, without even stipulating43 the price. They started the heifer again, and she concluded to join the drove which was in the adjoining street. It was no easy matter to drive the animals, which were not accustomed to the ways of the city, through the streets, and Noddy won a great deal of credit for the vigor44 and agility45 with which he discharged his duty. They reached the ferry boat, and crossing, came to the "keers," into which the young drover assisted in loading the cattle.
His employer gave him a quarter of a dollar, which hardly came up to Noddy's expectations; for it seemed to him like working very hard, and winning very little for it. The man asked him some[116] questions about his home. Noddy told as much of the truth as suited his purpose, and concluded by saying he wanted to get to Boston, where he could find something to do.
"O, you want sunthin to do—do ye?" replied the drover. "Well, I'll give you your victuals46, and what clothes you want, to help me drive."
This was not exactly Noddy's idea of "work and win," and he told the drover he wanted to go to sea.
"I'll tell you what I'll do. You may go down to Brighton, and help take keer of the cattle in the keers, and I'll take keer of you on the way."
Noddy was more than satisfied with all these "keers," and he promptly47 accepted the offer. In half an hour the train started, and he was on the way to Brighton, which is only a few miles from Boston.
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1
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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3
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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6
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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amass
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| vt.积累，积聚 | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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9
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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10
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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earnings
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| n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得 | |
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12
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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14
vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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15
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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17
constables
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| n.警察( constable的名词复数 ) | |
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constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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19
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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persecutor
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| n. 迫害者 | |
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homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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entrap
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| v.以网或陷阱捕捉，使陷入圈套 | |
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proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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quaintly
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| adv.古怪离奇地 | |
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sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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28
hack
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| n.劈，砍，出租马车；v.劈，砍，干咳 | |
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29
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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31
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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32
reclaimed
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| adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救 | |
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33
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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35
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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functionaries
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| n.公职人员，官员( functionary的名词复数 ) | |
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37
lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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38
solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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39
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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40
outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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41
circumvent
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| vt.环绕，包围；对…用计取胜，智胜 | |
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42
puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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43
stipulating
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| v.（尤指在协议或建议中）规定，约定，讲明（条件等）( stipulate的现在分词 )；规定，明确要求 | |
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44
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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45
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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46
victuals
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| n.食物；食品 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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