Chapter 7 In Franklin's Footsteps

 "Father," said Harry¹, the next morning, as Mr. Walton was about to leave the house, "there's something I want to say to you."

 

"What is it?" asked his father, imagining it was some trifle.

 

"I'll go out with you, and tell you outside."

 

"Very well, my son."

 

Harry put on his cap, and followed his father into the open air.

 

"Now, my son, what is it?"

 

"I want to go away from home."

 

"Away from home! Where?" asked Mr. Walton, in surprise.

 

"I don't know where; but somewhere where I can earn my own living."

 

"But you can do that here. You can give me your help on the farm, as you always have done."

 

"I don't like farming, father."

 

"You never told me that before. Is it because of the hard work?"

 

"No," said Harry, earnestly. "I am not afraid of hard work; but you know how it is, father. This isn't a very good farm, and it's all you can do to make a living for the rest of us out of it. If I could go somewhere, where I could work at something else, I could send you home my wages."

 

"I am afraid a boy like you couldn't earn very large wages."

 

"I don't see why not, father. I'm strong and stout², and willing to work."

 

"People don't give much for boys' work."

 

"I don't expect much; but I know I can get something, and by and by it will lead to more. I want to help you to pay for that cow you've just bought of Squire³ Green."

 

"I don't see how I'm going to pay for it," said Mr. Walton, with a sigh. "Hard money's pretty scarce, and we farmers don't get much of it."

 

"That's just what I'm saying, father. There isn't much money to be got in farming. That's why I want to try something else."

 

"How long have you been thinking of this plan, Harry?"

 

"Only since last night."

 

"What put it into your head?"

 

"That book I got as a prize."

 

"It is the life of Franklin, isn't it?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Did he go away from home when he was a boy?"

 

"Yes, and he succeeded, too."

 

"I know he did. He became a famous man. But it isn't every boy that is like Franklin."

 

"I know that. I never expect to become a great man like him; but I can make something."

 

Harry spoke⁴ those words in a firm, resolute⁵ tone, which seemed to indicate a consciousness of power. Looking in his son's face, the elder Walton, though by no means a sanguine⁶ man, was inclined to think favorably of the scheme, But he was cautious, and he did not want Harry to be too confident of success.

 

"It's a new idea to me," he said. "Suppose you fail?"

 

"I don't mean to."

 

"But suppose you do--suppose you get sick?"

 

"Then I'll come home. But I want to try. There must be something for me to do in the world."

 

"There's another thing, Harry. It takes money to travel round, and I haven't got any means to give you."

 

"I don't want any, father. I mean to work my way. I've got twenty-five cents to start with. Now, father, what do you say?"

 

"I'll speak to your mother about it."

 

"To-day?"

 

"Yes, as soon as I go in."

 

With this Harry was content. He had a good deal of confidence that he could carry his point with both parents. He went into the house, and said to his mother:

 

"Mother, father's going to speak to you about my going away from home. Now don't you oppose it."

 

"Do you really think it would be a good plan, Harry?"

 

"Yes, mother."

 

"And if you're sick will you promise to come right home?"

 

"Yes, I'll promise that."

 

"Then I won't oppose your notion, though I ain't clear about its being wise."

 

"We'll talk about that in a few months, mother."

 

"Has Harry spoken to you about his plan of going away from home?" asked the farmer, when he reentered the house.

 

"Yes," said Mrs. Walton.

 

"What do you think?"

 

"Perhaps we'd better let the lad have his way. He's promised to come home if he's taken sick."

 

"So let it be, then, Harry. When do you want to go?"

 

"As soon as I can."

 

"You'll have to wait till Monday. It'll take a day or two to fix up your clothes," said his mother.

 

"All right, mother."

 

"I don't know but you ought to have some new shirts. You haven't got but two except the one you have on."

 

"I can get along, mother. Father hasn't got any money to spend for me. By the time I want some new shirts, I'll buy them myself."

 

"Where do you think of going, Harry? Have you any idea?"

 

"No, mother. I'm going to trust to luck. I shan't go very far. When I've got fixed⁷ anywhere I'll write, and let you know."

 

In the evening Harry resumed the "Life of Franklin," and before he was ready to go to bed he had got two thirds through with it. It possessed⁸ for him a singular fascination⁹. To Harry it was no alone the "Life of Benjamin Franklin." It was the chart by which he meant to steer¹⁰ in the unknown career which stretched before him. He knew so little of the world that he trusted implicitly¹¹ to that as a guide, and he silently stored away the wise precepts¹² in conformity¹³ with which the great practical philosopher had shaped and molded his life.

 

During that evening, however, another chance was offered to Harry, as I shall now describe.

 

As the family were sitting around the kitchen table, on which was placed the humble¹⁴ tallow candle by which the room was lighted, there was heard a scraping at the door, and presently a knock. Mr. Walton answered it in person, and admitted the thin figure and sharp, calculating face of Squire Green.

 

"How are you, neighbor?" he said, looking about him with his parrotlike glance. "I thought I'd just run in a minute to see you as I was goin' by."

 

"Sit down, Squire Green. Take the rocking-chair."

 

"Thank you, neighbor. How's the cow a-doin'?"

 

"Middling well. She don't give as much milk as the one I lost."

 

"She'll do better bymeby. She's a good bargain to you, neighbor."

 

"I don't know," said Hiram Walton, dubiously¹⁵. "She ought to be a good cow for the price you asked."

 

"And she is a good cow," said the squire, emphatically; "and you're lucky to get her so cheap, buyin' on time. What are you doin' there, Harry? School through, ain't it?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"I hear you're a good scholar. Got the prize, didn't you?"

 

"Yes," said Mr. Walton; "Harry was always good at his books."

 

"I guess he knows enough now. You'd ought to set him to work."

 

"He is ready enough to work," said Mr. Walton. "He never was lazy."

 

"That's good. There's a sight of lazy, shiftless boys about in these days. Seems as if they expected to earn their bread 'n butter a-doin' nothin'. I've been a thinkin', neighbor Walton, that you'll find it hard to pay for that cow in six months."

 

"I am afraid I shall," said the farmer, thinking in surprise, "Can he be going to reduce the price?"

 

"So I thought mebbe we might make an arrangement to make it easier."

 

"I should be glad to have it made easier, squire. It was hard on me, losing that cow by disease."

 

"Of course. Well, what I was thinkin' was, you might hire out your boy to work for me. I'd allow him two dollars a month and board, and the wages would help pay for the cow."

 

Harry looked up in dismay at this proposition. He knew very well the meanness of the board which the squire provided, how inferior it was even to the scanty¹⁶, but well-cooked meals which he got at home; he knew, also that the squire had the knack¹⁷ of getting more work out of his men than any other farmer in the town; and the prospect¹⁸ of being six months in his employ was enough to terrify him. He looked from Squire Green's mean, crafty¹⁹ face to his father's in anxiety and apprehension²⁰. Were all his bright dreams of future success to terminate in this?

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

3 squire   

n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅

参考例句：

• I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。
• The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 resolute   

adj.坚决的，果敢的

参考例句：

• He was resolute in carrying out his plan.他坚决地实行他的计划。
• The Egyptians offered resolute resistance to the aggressors.埃及人对侵略者作出坚决的反抗。

6 sanguine   

adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的

参考例句：

• He has a sanguine attitude to life.他对于人生有乐观的看法。
• He is not very sanguine about our chances of success.他对我们成功的机会不太乐观。

7 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

8 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

9 fascination   

n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋

参考例句：

• He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
• His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

10 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

11 implicitly   

adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地

参考例句：

• Many verbs and many words of other kinds are implicitly causal. 许多动词和许多其他类词都蕴涵着因果关系。
• I can trust Mr. Somerville implicitly, I suppose? 我想，我可以毫无保留地信任萨莫维尔先生吧？

12 precepts   

n.规诫，戒律，箴言( precept的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They accept the Prophet's precepts but reject some of his strictures. 他们接受先知的教训，但拒绝他的种种约束。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The legal philosopher's concern is to ascertain the true nature of all the precepts and norms. 法哲学家的兴趣在于探寻所有规范和准则的性质。 来自辞典例句

13 conformity   

n.一致，遵从，顺从

参考例句：

• Was his action in conformity with the law?他的行动是否合法？
• The plan was made in conformity with his views.计划仍按他的意见制定。

14 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

15 dubiously   

adv.可疑地，怀疑地

参考例句：

• "What does he have to do?" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事？”琴向觉民问道，她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• He walked out fast, leaving the head waiter staring dubiously at the flimsy blue paper. 他很快地走出去，撇下侍者头儿半信半疑地瞪着这张薄薄的蓝纸。 来自辞典例句

16 scanty   

adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的

参考例句：

• There is scanty evidence to support their accusations.他们的指控证据不足。
• The rainfall was rather scanty this month.这个月的雨量不足。

17 knack   

n.诀窍，做事情的灵巧的，便利的方法

参考例句：

• He has a knack of teaching arithmetic.他教算术有诀窍。
• Making omelettes isn't difficult,but there's a knack to it.做煎蛋饼并不难，但有窍门。

18 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

19 crafty   

adj.狡猾的，诡诈的

参考例句：

• He admired the old man for his crafty plan.他敬佩老者的神机妙算。
• He was an accomplished politician and a crafty autocrat.他是个有造诣的政治家，也是个狡黠的独裁者。

20 apprehension   

n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑

参考例句：

• There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.有些地方仍然存疑，于是她越来越担心。
• She is a girl of weak apprehension.她是一个理解力很差的女孩。