A ferry-boat paused midway of the long tow rope and its commuters, crowded on the forward deck, watched this slow-moving procession with some show of annoyance5. Not a few impatient remarks rose loud and clear above the hum of the restless crowd, directed at the head of a man seated in the stern of the boat, calmly puffing6 on a pipe. Aft on the barge, a young boy was wrestling heroically with the tiller, trying to keep the lumbering7 hulk head on.
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Slowly they crawled upstream. On their left was the precipitous Jersey8 shore, and on their right the towering buildings of the great city. Over the water the late afternoon sun spread a warm, mellow9 glow and touched with gold the myriad10 windows of the clustering skyscrapers11 across the river.
The man knocked out his pipe with calm deliberation and turned his wide, gray eyes to the lofty Palisades, now bathed in a dazzling crimson12. Then slowly his glance wandered back to where the shimmering13 light fell across the little shanty14 on the barge and picked out in hold relief the incongruously new and shining letters, Minnie M. Baxter.
A smile lighted up his lined, weary features, a smile of pride in ownership.
“She ain’t so bad fer the old battle-axe that she is, hey Skippy?” he called to the boy.
The boy’s tousled head appeared from around the battered15 cabin.
“I’ll say she ain’t, Pop,” he answered. “An’ she’s ours! Gee16, I can’t believe my pop really an’ truly owns a whole barge!”
The man laughed, then listened for a moment to a significant sound emanating17 from the muffled engine.
“That there front cylinder’s missin’ agin, Skippy,” he shouted. “Loop ’er in that there ring; the tide’s runnin’ out now so she’ll stand upstream. Set ’er even ’n’ come aboard here.”
9
The boy nodded obediently and with an end of rope fastened the old tiller to a rusty18 ring. Then, hurrying forward, he jumped into the water and grasping the taut19 tow line, pulled himself hand over hand and scrambled20 over the stern of the launch.
The father put out a large, work-worn hand and helped him in with a tenderness that was surprising in one so rough and uncouth21 looking.
“Gimme that there shirt and them shoes while I hang ’em near the engine,” he said, his voice soft with affection. “Ye’ll be gettin’ a bad throat agin.” He made no demand for the boy’s trousers, which were the only other article of apparel that the little fellow wore.
Having spread the clothing to dry and adjusted the rebellious22 motor, the man returned to the stern. He relighted his pipe and sat down with an arm about his son.
“I’ll steer23 her fer a while, Pop,” said Skippy.
For a few minutes there was silence.
“Yer glad we’re goin’ straight?” the man asked with a sudden move of his arm on the boy’s shoulder.
Skippy’s eyes widened and he looked up at his parent, hesitantly.
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“I mean yer glad we’re goin’ straight—in a straight racket, I mean? Now there ain’t goin’ to be no more worry about coppers24. I won’t care if they’re floatin’ all over the harbor an’ I won’t be worryin’ about no pinches. A man don’t ever think uv bein’ pinched when his racket’s on the up and up. An’ that’s me from now on. I said when I got three hunderd saved I’d buy a barge an’ not touch no more shady rackets. An’ I have! Three hunderd—every penny we had in the world, sonny, I paid Josiah Flint fer the Minnie M. Baxter. She’s worth every dime25 uv it.”
Skippy nodded gravely.
“An’ll that help me t’ be honest when I grow up, too,” he asked eagerly, “an’ be like—like a gentleman even?”
“Sure, Skippy. Ain’t that just why I saves up an’ buys the Minnie M. Baxter? So’s yer kin4 grow up clean an’ honest like—that’s why I done Josiah Flint’s dirty work fer his dirty money! So’s I could save an’ buy this ol’ battle-axe an’ give yer a good an’ a clean start.”
“But we’re gonna carry garbage an’ ashes on her,” said Skippy. “That ain’t so clean exactly, is it, Pop?”
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“Garbage an’ ashes’ll bring in clean money, Skippy—that’s what I’m talkin’ about—clean money. Since yer ma died I ain’t had many real honest like jobs. It’s been hard ter git ’em with yer needin’ me with yer so much counta yer bad throat. Anyways the money come easier an’ quicker on my jobs even if it was dirty an’ now I’m all through with gettin’ it shady like.”
“An’ my throat’s lots better’n it usta be, Pop,” said Skippy eagerly. “I ain’t had a bad one for three months’n over.”
“Sure, I know. Everthin’ll be jake now with us goin’ straight. Ol’ Flint, let him have his dirty money an’ his fine yacht. It’s a wonder he gets so generous an’ sells me such a good scow fer three hunderd smackers. Everybody says he’s such a money-pincher he’d even try makin’ money on a rusty nail.”
“A regular miser26, huh, Pop?” said Skippy. “Maybe he felt sorry about you savin’ all that money so’s you could get a clean business. Did he say the Minnie M. Baxter’s a good barge for haulin’ garbage an’ ashes?”
“Sure. He boosted her hisself when I tells him I wants a good scow. An’ he oughta know, him that owns more scows’n he can count.”
“Gee, three hunnerd dollars—real money,” mused27 the boy.
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“Sure, but not for no scow like this one. Brand new ones cost four times that. Big Joe Tully paid Ol’ Flint five hunderd fer his an’ Joe cleaned up two thousand bucks28 on the first year. He tole me that fer a fact.”
“But ain’t Big Joe Tully doin’ sumpin’ for Mr. Flint now?” Skippy asked.
“Big Joe can’t keep away from dirty money,” replied the man. “He wants to get rich quick. Not me, though. I can keep away from Ol’ Flint from now on, an’ what’s more, I will!”
“Gee, I know you will, Pop,” said the boy, with shining eyes. “You’re not like—well, you’re different from old Mr. Flint an’ that Big Joe.”
The father ran his hand over his son’s tousled head and gripped a handful of the straight brown hair affectionately.
“That cabin ain’t goin’ ter make us no bad little shack29, hey Skippy?” he said nodding toward the little square shelter aft.
“She’s swell30 inside—for a barge, I mean. Three bunks31 an’ a nice oil stove an’ a table an’ chairs. Gee, that’s a regular home, huh Pop? Even there’s a kerosene32 lamp.”
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“Sure. Yer can read books an’ be nice and comfortable in there nights. That paint job,” he said, scrutinizing33 it thoughtfully; “I ain’t so fond uv that there red, rusty color. It’s kinda gloomy. Well, we can repaint her sometime when we’re makin’ money. Blamed if that launch across stream ain’t headin’ straight this way.”
“It’s the harbor inspectors34, Pop. Whadja s’pose....”
“Well, I got my license35 all ready, if that’s what they’re after. Anyways, we ain’t got no stuff[1] aboard, so we should worry.”
Skippy wondered and shivered a little. His father’s services in the employ of the rich, unscrupulous Josiah Flint had brought a certain instinctive36 fear of all uniformed officials and the harbor inspectors were no exception. It was difficult for him to believe even now that these uniformed men meant no harm to his father.
Skippy had lived in the shadow of the law a little too long.
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收听单词发音
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1
barge
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| n.平底载货船，驳船 | |
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hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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3
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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jersey
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| n.运动衫 | |
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mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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myriad
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| adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量 | |
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skyscrapers
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| n.摩天大楼 | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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shanty
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| n.小屋，棚屋；船工号子 | |
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battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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gee
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| n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转 | |
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emanating
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| v.从…处传出，传出( emanate的现在分词 )；产生，表现，显示 | |
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18
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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taut
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| adj.拉紧的，绷紧的，紧张的 | |
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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uncouth
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| adj.无教养的，粗鲁的 | |
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rebellious
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| adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的 | |
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steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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24
coppers
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| 铜( copper的名词复数 )； 铜币 | |
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dime
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| n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角 | |
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miser
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| n.守财奴，吝啬鬼 (adj.miserly) | |
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mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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bucks
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| n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃 | |
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shack
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| adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚 | |
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swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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bunks
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| n.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的名词复数 )；空话，废话v.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的第三人称单数 )；空话，废话 | |
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32
kerosene
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| n.(kerosine)煤油，火油 | |
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scrutinizing
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的现在分词 ) | |
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inspectors
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| n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官 | |
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license
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| n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许 | |
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instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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