"Got a ride out er you dis time, boss," the negro said, with a smile, as John came up. "Met some o' yo' hands goin' in. Want any mo' help ter tote mortar10 en' bricks? 'Kase if you do, I'll th'o' up dis job. De headman said maybe I was stealin' nickels 'kase de traffic is so low dis spring, en' I didn't turn in much. If you got any room fer—"
"You'll have to see Sam Cavanaugh," John answered, gruffly. "If you climb a scaffold as slow as you drive a car you wouldn't suit our job."
"Huh! dat ain't me; it's dis ol' poky hoss. I'm des hired to bresh de flies offen his back."[Pg 9]
The negro gave a loud guffaw11 over his own wit and proceeded to unhitch the trace-chains and drive the horse around to the opposite end of the car. John entered and took a seat. He drew from the pocket of his short coat a blue, white-inked drawing and several pages of figures which Cavanaugh had asked him to look over. A rather pretentious12 court-house was to be built in a Tennessee village. Bids on the work had been invited from contractors14 in all directions and John's employer had made an estimate of his own of the cost of the work and had asked John's opinion of it. John was deeply submerged in the details of the estimate when the car suddenly started with a jerk. He swore impatiently, and looked up and scowled15, but the slouching back of the driver was turned to him and the negro was quite unconscious of the wrath16 he had stirred. For the first half-mile John was the only passenger; then a woman and a child got aboard. The car jerked again and trundled onward17. The woman knew who John was and he had seen her before, for he had worked on a chimney Cavanaugh had built for her, but she did not speak to him nor he to her. That he had no acquaintances among the women of the town and few among the men outside of laborers18 had never struck John as odd. There were gaudily19 dressed women who came from neighboring cities and visited his mother and Jane Holder20 now and then, but he did not like their looks, and so he never spoke21 to them nor encouraged their addressing him. A psychologist would have classified John as a sort of genius in his way, for his whole thought and powers of observation pertained22 to the kind of work in which he was engaged. Cavanaugh half jestingly called him a "lightning calculator," and turned to him for advice on all occasions.[Pg 10]
Reaching the Square, John sprang from the car and, with the papers in his hand and the pencil racked above his ear, he hurried into a hardware-store and approached a clerk who was sweeping23 the floor.
"We need those nails and bolts this morning," he said, gruffly. "You were to send them around yesterday."
"They are in the depot24, but the agent hasn't sent 'em up yet," the clerk answered. "We'll get them around to you by ten o'clock sharp."
"That won't do." John frowned. "We could have got them direct from the wholesale25 house, and have had them long ago, but Sam would deal with you. He is too good-natured and you fellers all impose on him."
"Well, I'll tell you what I'll do," the clerk proposed. "I'll send a dray for them this minute and you'll have them on the ground in a half-hour."
"All right," John said, coldly, and turned away.
The building on which he was at work was a brick residence in a side-street near by which was being erected26 for a wealthy banker of Ridgeville, and as John approached it he saw a group of negro laborers seated on a pile of lumber27 at the side of the half-finished house.
"Here comes John now," one of them said, and it was significant that his given name was used, for it was a fact that a white man in John's position would, as a rule, be spoken of in a more formal manner, but to whites and blacks alike he was simply "John" or "John Trott." This was partly due, perhaps, to his youth, but there was no doubt that John's lack of social standing28 had something to do with it. He had been nothing but a dirty, neglected street urchin29, a playmate of blacks and the lowest whites, till Cavanaugh had put him to work and[Pg 11] had discovered in him a veritable dynamo of physical and mental energy.
"Good morning," several of the negroes said, cordially, but John barely nodded. It was his way, and they thought nothing of it.
"Has Sam got here yet?" he inquired of a stalwart mortar-mixer called Tobe.
"No, suh, boss, he 'ain't," said the negro. "I was gwine ter see 'im. I'm out o' sand—not mo' 'n enough ter las' twell—"
"Four loads will be dumped here in half an hour," John broke in. "Did you patch that hose? Don't let the damn thing leak like it did yesterday."
"It's all right, boss. She won't bust30 erg'in." The negro smiled. Evidently he had not washed his face that day, for splotches of whitewash31 with globules of dry mortar were on his black cheeks and the backs of his hands.
The whistle at a shingle-factory blew. It was eight o'clock, the hour for work to begin.
"Mort'!" John's command was directed to two mortar-carriers, who promptly32 grasped their padded wooden hods and made for the mortar-bed where Tobe was already shoving and pulling the grayish mass to and fro with a hoe.
John hung up his coat on the trunk of an apple-tree into which some nails had been driven, and took his trowel and other tools from a long wooden box with a sloping water-proof lid. He was about to ascend33 the scaffold when he saw Cavanaugh approaching and signaling to him to wait.
The contractor13 was a man of sixty years, whose beard and hair were quite gray. He was short and stocky, slow[Pg 12] of movement, and gentle and genial34 in his manner. He had been a contractor for fifteen years, and had accumulated nothing, which his friends said was owing to his good nature in not insisting on his rights when it came to charges and settlements. Widows and frugal35 maiden36 ladies would have no one else to build for them, for Sam Cavanaugh was noted37 for his honesty and liberality, and he was never known to use faulty material.
"Mort' there! Get a move on you, boys!" John was eying his employer with impatience38 as he approached. "Fill all four boards and scrape the dry off clean!"
"Wait a minute, John!" Cavanaugh said, almost pleadingly. "I want to see you about the court-house bid. I want to mail it this morning."
"What! And hold up this whole gang?" John snorted, impatiently.
"Oh, let 'em wait—let 'em wait this time," Cavanaugh said. "Where are the papers?"
With a suppressed oath, John went to his coat and got them. "I haven't time to go over all that, Sam," he answered. "Wait till dinner-time."
"But I thought you was going to look it over at home," the contractor said, crestfallen39, as he took the papers into his fat hands.
"Oh, I've looked them over, all right," John replied, "and that's the trouble—that's why it will take time to talk it over."
"You mean— I see." Cavanaugh pulled at his short, stiff beard nervously40. "I'm too high, and you are afraid I'll lose the job."
"Too high nothing!" John sniffed41, with a harsh smile. "You are so damned low that they will make you give double security to keep you from falling down on it.[Pg 13] Say, Sam, you told me you was in need of money and want to make something out of this job. Well, if you do, and want me to go up there in charge of the brickwork, you will have to make out another bid. I'm done with seeing you come out by the skin of your teeth in nearly every job you bid on. When a county builds a court-house like that they expect to pay for it."
"Why, I thought— I thought—" Cavanaugh began.
But John broke in: "You thought a thousand dollars would cover the ironwork. It will take two. The market reports show that steel beams have gone out of sight. Nails are up, too, and bolts, screws, locks, and all lines of plumbing42 material."
"Why, John, I thought—"
"You don't keep posted." John glanced up at the scaffold as if anxious to get to work. "Then look at your estimate of sash, doors, blinds, and glass. You are under the cost by seven hundred at least. And where in God's world could you get slate43 at your figure? And the clock and bell according to the requisition? Sam, you made those figures when you were asleep."
"Then you think I could afford— I want the job bad, my boy—do you reckon I could land it if I raised my offer, say by fifteen hundred?"
"You will have to raise it four thousand," John said, thoughtfully. "Think of the risk you would be running. If the slightest thing goes crooked44 the official inspectors45 will make you tear it down and do it over. Look at your estimate on painting," pointing with the tip of his trowel at a line on the quivering manuscript which the contractor held before his spectacled eyes. "You are away under on it. White lead is booming, and oil and varnish46, and[Pg 14] you have left out stacks of small items—sash cords, sash weights, and putty."
"Then you think this won't do?" Cavanaugh's face was turning red.
"Do? It will do if you want to present several thousand dollars to one of the richest counties in Tennessee. Why, one of those big farmers up there could build that house and give it to the state without hurting himself, while you hardly own a roof over your head."
"You may be right about my figures," Cavanaugh muttered. "Say, John, I want to get this bid off. Leave the bricklaying to Pete Long and come over to the hotel and write it out for me."
"And let him ruin my wall?" John snorted. "Not on your life! His mortar joints47 are as thick as the mud in the cracks of a log cabin. I'll do it to-night after I go home, but not before. I don't believe any man ought to let one job stand idle in order to try to hook another. To-morrow is Saturday. They couldn't get the bid anyway till Monday. There will be plenty of time."
As John finished he was turning to the scaffold. "Well, all right," Cavanaugh called after him. "That will have to do."[Pg 15]
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
battered
|
|
| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
veranda
|
|
| n.走廊；阳台 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
outskirts
|
|
| n.郊外，郊区 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
cemetery
|
|
| n.坟墓，墓地，坟场 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
granite
|
|
| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
slabs
|
|
| n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
shafts
|
|
| n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
rumble
|
|
| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
mortar
|
|
| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
guffaw
|
|
| n.哄笑；突然的大笑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
pretentious
|
|
| adj.自命不凡的，自负的，炫耀的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
contractor
|
|
| n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
contractors
|
|
| n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
scowled
|
|
| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
wrath
|
|
| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
onward
|
|
| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
laborers
|
|
| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
gaudily
|
|
| adv.俗丽地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
holder
|
|
| n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
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： |
|
|
|
|
22
pertained
|
|
| 关于( pertain的过去式和过去分词 )； 有关； 存在； 适用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
sweeping
|
|
| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
depot
|
|
| n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
wholesale
|
|
| n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
ERECTED
|
|
| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
lumber
|
|
| n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
urchin
|
|
| n.顽童；海胆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
bust
|
|
| vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
whitewash
|
|
| v.粉刷，掩饰；n.石灰水，粉刷，掩饰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
promptly
|
|
| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
ascend
|
|
| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
genial
|
|
| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
frugal
|
|
| adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
maiden
|
|
| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
noted
|
|
| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
impatience
|
|
| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
crestfallen
|
|
| adj. 挫败的，失望的，沮丧的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
nervously
|
|
| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
sniffed
|
|
| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
plumbing
|
|
| n.水管装置；水暖工的工作；管道工程v.用铅锤测量（plumb的现在分词）；探究 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
slate
|
|
| n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
crooked
|
|
| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
inspectors
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
varnish
|
|
| n.清漆；v.上清漆；粉饰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
joints
|
|
| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |