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CHAPTER II
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HOW WILLIAM W. KOLDERUP, OF SAN FRANCISCO, WAS AT LOGGERHEADS WITH J. R. TASKINAR, OF STOCKTON.
A man extraordinarily1 rich, who counted dollars by the million as other men do by the thousand; such was William W. Kolderup.
People said he was richer than the Duke of Westminster, whose income is some $4,000,000 a year, and who can spend his $10,000 a day, or seven dollars every minute; richer than Senator Jones, of Nevada, who has $35,000,000 in the funds; richer than Mr. Mackay himself, whose annual $13,750,000 give him $1560 per hour, or half-a-dollar to spend every second of his life.
I do not mention such minor2 millionaires as the Rothschilds, the Vanderbilts, the Dukes of Northumberland, or the Stewarts, nor the directors of the powerful bank of California, and other opulent personages of the old and new worlds whom William W. Kolderup would have been able to comfortably pension. He could, without [Pg 12]inconvenience, have given away a million just as you and I might give away a shilling.
It was in developing the early placer-mining enterprises in California that our worthy3 speculator had laid the solid foundations of his incalculable fortune. He was the principal associate of Captain Sutter, the Swiss, in the localities, where, in 1848, the first traces were discovered. Since then, luck and shrewdness combined had helped him on, and he had interested himself in all the great enterprises of both worlds. He threw himself boldly into commercial and industrial speculations4. His inexhaustible funds were the life of hundreds of factories, his ships were on every sea. His wealth increased not in arithmetical but in geometrical progression. People spoke6 of him as one of those few "milliardaires" who never know how much they are worth. In reality he knew almost to a dollar, but he never boasted of it.
At this very moment when we introduce him to our readers with all the consideration such a many-sided man merits, William W. Kolderup had 2000 branch offices scattered7 over the globe, 80,000 employés in America, Europe, and Australia, 300,000 correspondents, a fleet of 500 ships which continually ploughed the ocean for his profit, and he was spending not less than a million a year in bill-stamps and postages. In short, he was[Pg 13] the honour and glory of opulent Frisco—the nickname familiarly given by the Americans to the Californian capital.
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1
extraordinarily
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adv.格外地;极端地 | |
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minor
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adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修 | |
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worthy
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adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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speculations
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n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 );思考;投机活动;推断 | |
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hip
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n.臀部,髋;屋脊 | |
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spoke
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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 | |
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scattered
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adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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auction
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n.拍卖;拍卖会;vt.拍卖 | |
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irresistible
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adj.非常诱人的,无法拒绝的,无法抗拒的 | |
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admiration
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n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕 | |
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11
resounded
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v.(指声音等)回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 );产生回响;(指某处)回荡着声音 | |
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hubbub
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n.嘈杂;骚乱 | |
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resolute
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adj.坚决的,果敢的 | |
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downwards
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adj./adv.向下的(地),下行的(地) | |
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bidder
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n.(拍卖时的)出价人,报价人,投标人 | |
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bidders
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n.出价者,投标人( bidder的名词复数 ) | |
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peculiar
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adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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vocation
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n.职业,行业 | |
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hush
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int.嘘,别出声;n.沉默,静寂;v.使安静 | |
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withdrawal
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n.取回,提款;撤退,撤军;收回,撤销 | |
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hovered
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鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫 | |
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cleaves
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v.劈开,剁开,割开( cleave的第三人称单数 ) | |
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utterance
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n.用言语表达,话语,言语 | |
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embark
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vi.乘船,着手,从事,上飞机 | |
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petroleum
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n.原油,石油 | |
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treasury
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n.宝库;国库,金库;文库 | |
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poker
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n.扑克;vt.烙制 | |
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prodigal
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adj.浪费的,挥霍的,放荡的 | |
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rascal
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n.流氓;不诚实的人 | |
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Vogue
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n.时髦,时尚;adj.流行的 | |
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detested
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v.憎恶,嫌恶,痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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rivalry
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n.竞争,竞赛,对抗 | |
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thoroughly
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adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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distraction
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n.精神涣散,精神不集中,消遣,娱乐 | |
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squandered
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v.(指钱,财产等)浪费,乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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legislative
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n.立法机构,立法权;adj.立法的,有立法权的 | |
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stentorian
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adj.大声的,响亮的 | |
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mathematician
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n.数学家 | |
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appreciable
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adj.明显的,可见的,可估量的,可觉察的 | |
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versus
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prep.以…为对手,对;与…相比之下 | |
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adversaries
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n.对手,敌手( adversary的名词复数 ) | |
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behold
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v.看,注视,看到 | |
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catastrophe
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n.大灾难,大祸 | |
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mere
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adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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jargon
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n.术语,行话 | |
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apoplectically
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Apoplectically | |
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wriggled
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v.扭动,蠕动,蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 );(使身体某一部位)扭动;耍滑不做,逃避(应做的事等) | |
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chronometer
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n.精密的计时器 | |
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adversary
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adj.敌手,对手 | |
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rout
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n.溃退,溃败;v.击溃,打垮 | |
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surfeited
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v.吃得过多( surfeit的过去式和过去分词 );由于过量而厌腻 | |
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sufficiently
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adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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succumbed
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不再抵抗(诱惑、疾病、攻击等)( succumb的过去式和过去分词 ); 屈从; 被压垮; 死 | |
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avenged
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v.为…复仇,报…之仇( avenge的过去式和过去分词 );为…报复 | |
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hatred
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n.憎恶,憎恨,仇恨 | |
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conqueror
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n.征服者,胜利者 | |
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smote
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v.猛打,重击,打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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delirious
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adj.不省人事的,神智昏迷的 | |
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上一章:
CHAPTER I.
下一章:
CHAPTER III
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