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CHAPTER I—JOE MAXWELL MAKES A START
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The post-office in the middle Georgia village of Hillsborough used to be a queer little place, whatever it is now. It was fitted up in a cellar; and the postmaster, who was an enterprising gentleman from Connecticut, had arranged matters so that those who went after their letters and papers could at the same time get their grocery supplies.
Over against the wall on one side was a faded green sofa. It was not an inviting1 seat, for in some places the springs peeped through, and one of its legs was broken, giving it a suspicious tilt2 against the wall. But a certain little boy found one corner of the rickety old sofa a very comfortable place, and he used to curl up there nearly every day, reading such stray newspapers as he could lay hands on, and watching the people come and go.
To the little boy the stock of goods displayed for sale was as curious in its variety as the people who called day after day for the letters that came or that failed to come. To some dainty persons the mingled3 odor of cheese, cam-phene, and mackerel would have been disagreeable; but Joe Maxwell—that was the name of the little boy—had a healthy disposition4 and a strong stomach, and he thought the queer little post-office was one of the pleasantest places in the world.
A partition of woodwork and wire netting cut off the post-office and the little stock of groceries from the public at large, but outside of that was an area where a good many people could stand and wait for their letters. In one corner of this area was the rickety green sofa, and round about were chairs and boxes and barrels on which tired people could rest themselves.
The Milledgeville papers had a large circulation in the county. They were printed at the capital of the State, and were thought to be very important on that account. They had so many readers in the neighborhood that the postmaster, in order to save time and trouble, used to pile them up on a long shelf outside the wooden partition, where each subscriber5 could help himself. Joe Maxwell took advantage of this method, and on Tuesdays, when the Milledgeville papers arrived, he could always be found curled up in the corner of the old green sofa reading the Recorder and the Federal union. What he found in those papers to interest him it would be hard to say. They were full of political essays that were popular in those days, and they had long reports of political conventions and meetings from all parts of the State. They were papers for grown people, and Joe Maxwell was only twelve years old, and small for his age.
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1
inviting
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adj.诱人的,引人注目的 | |
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2
tilt
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v.(使)倾侧;(使)倾斜;n.倾侧;倾斜 | |
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3
mingled
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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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disposition
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n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署 | |
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subscriber
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n.用户,订户;(慈善机关等的)定期捐款者;预约者;签署者 | |
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tavern
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n.小旅馆,客栈;小酒店 | |
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veranda
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n.走廊;阳台 | |
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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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rumor
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n.谣言,谣传,传说 | |
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afterward
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adv.后来;以后 | |
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surmounted
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战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 ); 克服(困难); 居于…之上; 在…顶上 | |
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ransack
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v.彻底搜索,洗劫 | |
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quaint
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adj.古雅的,离奇有趣的,奇怪的 | |
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relished
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v.欣赏( relish的过去式和过去分词 );从…获得乐趣;渴望 | |
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adventurous
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adj.爱冒险的;惊心动魄的,惊险的,刺激的 | |
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16
pranks
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n.玩笑,恶作剧( prank的名词复数 ) | |
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prank
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n.开玩笑,恶作剧;v.装饰;打扮;炫耀自己 | |
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capers
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n.开玩笑( caper的名词复数 );刺山柑v.跳跃,雀跃( caper的第三人称单数 ) | |
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middle-aged
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adj.中年的 | |
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rumors
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n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 );[古]名誉;咕哝;[古]喧嚷 | |
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proficiency
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n.精通,熟练,精练 | |
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decided
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adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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corps
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n.(通信等兵种的)部队;(同类作的)一组 | |
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wagons
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n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 );铁路货车;小手推车 | |
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outfit
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n.(为特殊用途的)全套装备,全套服装 | |
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entirely
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ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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mule
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n.骡子,杂种,执拗的人 | |
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mules
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骡( mule的名词复数 ); 拖鞋; 顽固的人; 越境运毒者 | |
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browsing
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v.吃草( browse的现在分词 );随意翻阅;(在商店里)随便看看;(在计算机上)浏览信息 | |
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sleeper
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n.睡眠者,卧车,卧铺 | |
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awakened
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v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到 | |
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trampling
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踩( trample的现在分词 ); 践踏; 无视; 侵犯 | |
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rattle
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v.飞奔,碰响;激怒;n.碰撞声;拨浪鼓 | |
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clatter
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v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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ware
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n.(常用复数)商品,货物 | |
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flopping
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n.贬调v.(指书、戏剧等)彻底失败( flop的现在分词 );(因疲惫而)猛然坐下;(笨拙地、不由自主地或松弛地)移动或落下;砸锅 | |
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horrifying
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a.令人震惊的,使人毛骨悚然的 | |
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prostrated
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v.使俯伏,使拜倒( prostrate的过去式和过去分词 );(指疾病、天气等)使某人无能为力 | |
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plantation
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n.种植园,大农场 | |
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revival
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n.复兴,复苏,(精力、活力等的)重振 | |
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squealing
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v.长声尖叫,用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的现在分词 ) | |
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braying
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v.发出驴叫似的声音( bray的现在分词 );发嘟嘟声;粗声粗气地讲话(或大笑);猛击 | |
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apparition
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n.幽灵,神奇的现象 | |
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ushering
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v.引,领,陪同( usher的现在分词 ) | |
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uproar
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n.骚动,喧嚣,鼎沸 | |
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repenting
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对(自己的所为)感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的现在分词 ) | |
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deserted
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adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的 | |
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forth
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adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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impatience
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n.不耐烦,急躁 | |
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misgivings
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n.疑虑,担忧,害怕;疑虑,担心,恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 );疑惧 | |
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belongings
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n.私人物品,私人财物 | |
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52
reins
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感情,激情; 缰( rein的名词复数 ); 控制手段; 掌管; (成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的)保护带 | |
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standing
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n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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pointed
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adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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trotted
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小跑,急走( trot的过去分词 ); 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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steadily
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adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地 | |
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crooked
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adj.弯曲的;不诚实的,狡猾的,不正当的 | |
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creek
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n.小溪,小河,小湾 | |
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plunge
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v.跳入,(使)投入,(使)陷入;猛冲 | |
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promptly
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adv.及时地,敏捷地 | |
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61
hearty
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adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的 | |
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hearth
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n.壁炉炉床,壁炉地面 | |
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