But if Bob imagined for one moment that he had acquired even a notion of California in his experiences and observations down the San Joaquin and in Los Angeles, the next few stages of his Sentimental1 Journey very soon undeceived him. Baker2's business interests soon took him away. Bob, armed with letters of introduction from his friend, visited in turn such places as Santa Barbara, Riverside, San Diego, Redlands and Pasadena. He could not but be struck by the absolute differences that existed, not only in the physical aspects but in the spirit and aims of the peoples. If these communities had been separated by thousands of miles of distance they could not have been more unlike.
At one place he found the semi-tropical luxuriance of flowers and trees and fruits, the soft, warm sunshine, the tepid3, langourous, musical nights, the mellow4 haze5 of romance over mountain and velvet6 hill and soft sea, the low-shaded cottages, the leisurely7 attractive people one associates with the story-book conception of California. The place was charming in its surroundings and in its graces of life, but it was a cheerful, happy, out-at-the-heels, raggedy little town, whose bright gardens adorned8 its abyssmal streets, whose beautiful mountains palliated the naivete of its natural and atrocious roads. Bob mingled9 with its people with the pardonable amusement of a man fresh from the doing of big things. There seemed to be such long, grave and futile10 discussions over the undertaking11 of that which a more energetic community would do as a matter of course in the day's work. The liveryman from whom Bob hired his saddle horse proved to be a person of a leisurely and sardonic12 humour.
"Their chief asset here is tourists," said he. "That's the leading industry. They can't see it, and they don't want to. They have just one road through the county. It's a bum13 one. You'd think it was a dozen, to hear them talk about the immense undertaking of making it halfway14 decent. Any other place would do these things they've been talking about for ten years just on the side, as part of the get-ready. Lucky they didn't have to do anything in the way of getting those mountains set proper, or there'd be a hole there yet."
"Why don't you go East?" asked Bob.
"I did once. Didn't like it."
"What's the matter?"
"Well, I'll tell you. Back East when you don't do nothing, you feel kind of guilty. Out here when you don't do nothing, _you don't give a damn!_"
Nevertheless, Bob was very sorry when he had to leave this quiet and beautiful little town, with its happy, careless, charming people.
Thence he went directly to a town built in a half-circle of the mountains. The sunshine here was warm and grateful, but when its rays were withdrawn15 a stinging chill crept down from the snow. No sitting out on the verandah after dinner, but often a most grateful fire in the Club's fireplace. The mornings were crisp and enlivening. And again by the middle of the day the soft California warmth laid the land under its spell.
This was a place of orange-growers, young fellows from the East. Its University Club was large and prosperous. Its streets were wide. Flowers lined the curbs16. There were few fences. The houses were in good taste. Even the telephone poles were painted green so as to be unobtrusive. Bob thought it one of the most attractive places he had ever seen, as indeed it should be, for it was built practically to order by people of intelligence.
Thence he drove through miles and miles of orange groves17, so large that the numerous workmen go about their work on bicycles. Even here in the country, the roadsides were planted with palms and other ornamental18 trees, and gay with flowers. Abruptly19 he came upon a squalid village of the old regime, with ugly frame houses, littered streets, sagging20 sidewalks foul21 with puddles22, old tin cans, rubbish; populous23 with children and women in back-yard dressing24 sacks--a distressing25 reminder26 of the worst from the older-established countries. And again, at the end of the week, he most unexpectedly found himself seated on a country-club verandah, having a very good time, indeed, with some charming specimens27 of the idle rich. He talked polo, golf, tennis and horses; he dined at several most elaborate "cottages"; he rode forth28 on glossy29, bang-tailed horses, perfectly30 appointed; he drove in marvellously conceived traps in company with most engaging damsels. When, finally, he reached Los Angeles again he carried with him, as standing31 for California, not even the heterogeneous32 but fairly coherent idea one usually gains of a single commonwealth33, but an impression of many climes and many peoples.
"Yes," said Baker, "and if you'd gone North to where I live, you'd have struck a different layout entirely34."
1 sentimental | |
adj.多愁善感的,感伤的 | |
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2 baker | |
n.面包师 | |
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3 tepid | |
adj.微温的,温热的,不太热心的 | |
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4 mellow | |
adj.柔和的;熟透的;v.变柔和;(使)成熟 | |
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5 haze | |
n.霾,烟雾;懵懂,迷糊;vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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6 velvet | |
n.丝绒,天鹅绒;adj.丝绒制的,柔软的 | |
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7 leisurely | |
adj.悠闲的;从容的,慢慢的 | |
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8 adorned | |
[计]被修饰的 | |
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9 mingled | |
混合,混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 ); 混进,与…交往[联系] | |
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10 futile | |
adj.无效的,无用的,无希望的 | |
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11 undertaking | |
n.保证,许诺,事业 | |
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12 sardonic | |
adj.嘲笑的,冷笑的,讥讽的 | |
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13 bum | |
n.臀部;流浪汉,乞丐;vt.乞求,乞讨 | |
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14 halfway | |
adj.中途的,不彻底的,部分的;adv.半路地,在中途,在半途 | |
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15 withdrawn | |
vt.收回;使退出;vi.撤退,退出 | |
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16 curbs | |
v.限制,克制,抑制( curb的第三人称单数 ) | |
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17 groves | |
树丛,小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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18 ornamental | |
adj.装饰的;作装饰用的;n.装饰品;观赏植物 | |
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19 abruptly | |
adv.突然地,出其不意地 | |
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20 sagging | |
下垂[沉,陷],松垂,垂度 | |
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21 foul | |
adj.污秽的;邪恶的;v.弄脏;妨害;犯规;n.犯规 | |
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22 puddles | |
n.水坑, (尤指道路上的)雨水坑( puddle的名词复数 ) | |
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23 populous | |
adj.人口稠密的,人口众多的 | |
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24 dressing | |
n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料 | |
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25 distressing | |
a.使人痛苦的 | |
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26 reminder | |
n.提醒物,纪念品;暗示,提示 | |
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27 specimens | |
n.样品( specimen的名词复数 );范例;(化验的)抽样;某种类型的人 | |
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28 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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29 glossy | |
adj.平滑的;有光泽的 | |
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30 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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31 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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32 heterogeneous | |
adj.庞杂的;异类的 | |
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33 commonwealth | |
n.共和国,联邦,共同体 | |
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34 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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