《【国外英文文学】Paul the Peddler.doc》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《【国外英文文学】Paul the Peddler.doc（155页珍藏版）》请在taowenge.com淘文阁网|工程机械CAD图纸|机械工程制图|CAD装配图下载|SolidWorks_CaTia_CAD_UG_PROE_设计图分享下载上搜索。
1、【国外英文文学】Paul the PeddlerPAUL THE PEDDLER OR THE FORTUNES OF A YOUNG STREET MERCHANTBY HORATIO ALGER, JR.BIOGRAPHY AND BIBLIOGRAPHYHoratio Alger, Jr., an author who lived among and for boys andhimself remained a boy in heart and association till death, wasborn at Revere, Mass., January 13, 1834. He w
2、as the son of aclergyman, was graduated at Harvard College in 1852, and at itsDivinity School in 1860 and was pastor of the Unitarian Church atBrewster, Mass., in 1862-66.In the latter year he settled in New York and began drawingpublic attention to the condition and needs of street boys. Hemingled
3、with them, gained their confidence showed a personalconcern in their affairs, and stimulated them to honest anduseful living. With his first story he won the hearts of allred-blooded boys everywhere, and of the seventy or more thatfollowed over a million copies were sold during the authorslifetime.I
4、n his later life he was in appearance a short, stout,bald-headed man, with cordial manners and whimsical views ofthings that amused all who met him. He died at Natick, Mass.,July 18, 1899.Mr. Algers stories are as popular now as when first published,because they treat of real live boys who were alwa
5、ys up andabout-just like the boys found everywhere to-day. They are purein tone and inspiring in influence, and many reforms in thejuvenile life of New York may be traced to them. Among the bestknown are:Strong and Steady; Strive and Succeed; Try and Trust; Bound toRise; Risen from the Ranks; Herber
6、t Carters Legacy; Brave andBold; Jacks Ward; Shifting for Himself; Wait and Hope; Paul thePeddler; Phil the Fiddler; Slow and Sure; Julius the Street Boy;Tom the Bootblack; Struggling Upward, Facing the World; The CashBoy; Making His Way; Tony the Tramp; Joes Luck; Do and Dare;Only an Irish Boy; Sin
7、k or Swim; A Cousins Conspiracy; AndyGordon; Bob Burton; Harry Vane; Hectors Inheritance; MarkMasons Triumph; Sams Chance; The Telegraph Boy; The YoungAdventurer; The Young Outlaw; The Young Salesman, and Luke Walton.PAUL THE PEDDLERCHAPTER IPAUL THE PEDDLERHeres your prize packages! Only five cents
8、! Money prize inevery package! Walk up, gentlemen, and try your luck!The speaker, a boy of fourteen, stood in front of the shabbybrick building, on Nassau street, which has served for many yearsas the New York post office. In front of him, as he stood withhis back to the building, was a small basket
9、, filled withordinary letter envelopes, each labeled Prize Package.His attractive announcement, which, at that time, had also themerit of novelty-for Paul had himself hit upon the idea, andmanufactured the packages, as we shall hereafter explain-drewaround him a miscellaneous crowd, composed chiefly
10、 of boys.Whats in the packages, Johnny? asked a bootblack, with hisbox strapped to his back.Candy, answered Paul. Buy one. Only five cents.There aint much candy, answered the bootblack, with adisparaging glance.What if there isnt? Theres a prize.How big a prize?Theres a ten-cent stamp in some of em.
11、 All have got somethingin em.Influenced by this representation, the bootblack drew out afive-cent piece, and said:Pitch one over then. I guess I can stand it. An envelope wasat once handed him.Open it, Johnny, said a newsboy at his side. Twenty curiouseyes were fixed upon him as he opened the packag
12、e. He drew outrather a scanty supply of candy, and then turning to Paul, with alook of indignation, said:Wheres the prize? I dont see no prize. Give me back my fivecents.Give it to me. Ill show you, said the young merchant.He thrust in his finger, and drew out a square bit of paper, onwhich was writ
13、ten- One Cent.Theres your prize, he added, drawing a penny from his pocket.It aint much of a prize, said the buyer. Wheres your tencents?I didnt say I put ten cents into every package, answered Paul.Id burst up pretty quick if I did that. Wholl have anotherpackage? Only five cents!Curiosity and tast
14、e for speculation are as prevalent amongchildren as with men, so this appeal produced its effect.Give me a package, said Teddy OBrien, a newsboy, stretchingout a dirty hand, containing the stipulated sum. He also waswatched curiously as he opened the package. He drew out a paperbearing the words- Tw
15、o Cents.Bully for you, Teddy! Youve had better luck than I, said thebootblack.The check was duly honored, and Teddy seemed satisfied, thoughthe amount of candy he received probably could not have cost overhalf-a-cent. Still, he had drawn twice as large a prize as thefirst buyer, and that was satisfa
16、ctory.Wholl take the next? asked Paul, in a businesslike manner. Maybe theres ten cents in this package. Thats where youdouble your money. Walk up, gentlemen. Only five cents!Three more responded to this invitation, one drawing a prize oftwo cents, the other two of one cent each. Just then, as itsee
17、med doubtful whether any more would be purchased by thosepresent, a young man, employed in a Wall street house, came outof the post office.What have you got here? he asked, pausing.Prize packages of candy! Money prize in every package! Onlyfive cents!Give me one, then. I never drew a prize in my lif
18、e.The exchange was speedily made.I dont see any prize, he said, opening it.Its on a bit of paper, mister, said Teddy, nearly as muchinterested as if it had been his own purchase.Oh, yes, I see. Well, Im in luck. Ten cents!Ten cents! exclaimed several of the less fortunate buyers,with a shade of envy
19、.Heres your prize, mister, said Paul, drawing out a ten-centstamp from his vest pocket.Well, Johnny, you do things on the square, thats a fact. Justkeep the ten cents, and give me two more packages.This Paul did with alacrity; but the Wall street clerks luck wasat an end. He got two prizes of a penn
20、y each.Well, he said, Im not much out of pocket. Ive bought threepackages, and its only cost me three cents.The ten-cent prize produced a favorable effect on the business ofthe young peddler. Five more packages were bought, and thecontents eagerly inspected; but no other large prize appeared. Two ce
21、nts was the maximum prize drawn. Their curiosity beingsatisfied, the crowd dispersed; but it was not long beforeanother gathered. In fact, Paul had shown excellent judgment inselecting the front of the post office as his place of business. Hundreds passed in and out every hour, besides those who pas
22、sedby on a different destination. Thus many ears caught the youngpeddlers cry-Prize packages! Only five cents apiece!-andmade a purchase; most from curiosity, but some few attracted bythe businesslike bearing of the young merchant, and willing toencourage him in his efforts to make a living. These l
23、ast, aswell as some of the former class, declined to accept the prizes,so that these were so much gain to Paul.At length but one package remained, and this Paul was some timegetting rid of. At last a gentleman came up, holding a littleboy of seven by the hand.Oh, buy me the package, papa? he said, d
24、rawing his fathersattention.What is there in it, boy? asked the gentleman.Candy, was the answer.Alfred, for this was the little boys name, renewed hisentreaties, having, like most boys, a taste for candy.There it is, Alfred, said his father, handing the package tohis little son.Theres a prize inside
25、, said Paul, seeing that they were aboutto pass.We must look for the prize by all means, said the gentleman. What is this? One cent?Yes sir; and Paul held out a cent to his customer.Never mind about that! You may keep the prize.I want it, pa, interposed Alfred, with his mouth full of candy.Ill give
26、you another, said his father, still declining toaccept the proffered prize.Paul now found himself in the enviable position of one who, ateleven oclock, had succeeded in disposing of his entire stock intrade, and that at an excellent profit, as we soon shall see. Business had been more brisk with him
27、 than with many merchants ona larger scale, who sometimes keep open their shops all daywithout taking in enough to pay expenses. But, then, it is to beconsidered that in Pauls case expenses were not a formidableitem. He had no rent to pay, for one thing, nor clerk hire,being competent to attend to h
28、is entire business single-handed. All his expense, in fact, was the first cost of his stock intrade, and he had so fixed his prices as to insure a good profiton that. So, on the whole, Paul felt very well satisfied at theresult of his experiment, for this was his first day in theprize-package busine
29、ss.I guess Ill go home, he said to himself. Motherll want toknow how I made out. He turned up Nassau street, and hadreached the corner of Maiden lane, when Teddy OBrien met him.Did you sell out, Johnny? he asked.Yes, answered Paul.How many packages did you have?Fifty.Thats bully. How much you made?I
30、 cant tell yet. I havent counted up, said Paul.Its bettern sellin papers, Ill bet. Ive only made thirtycents the day. Dont you want to take a partner, Johnny?No, I dont think I do, said Paul, who had good reason to doubtwhether such a step would be to his advantage.Then Ill go in for myself, said Te
31、ddy, somewhat displeased atthe refusal.Go ahead! Theres nobody to stop you, said Paul.Id rather go in with you, said Teddy, feeling that there wouldbe some trouble in making the prize packages, but influencedstill more by the knowledge that he had not capital enough tostart in the business alone.No,
32、 said Paul, positively; I dont want any partner. I can dowell enough alone.He was not surprised at Teddys application. Street boys are asenterprising, and have as sharp eyes for business as theirelders, and no one among them can monopolize a profitablebusiness long. This is especially the case with
33、the young streetmerchant. When one has had the good luck to find some attractivearticle which promises to sell briskly, he takes every care tohide the source of his supply from his rivals in trade. But thisis almost impossible. Cases are frequent where such boys aresubjected to the closest espionage
34、, their steps being dogged forhours by boys who think they have found a good thing and aredetermined to share it. In the present case Paul had hit upon anidea which seemed to promise well, and he was determined to keepit to himself as long as possible. As soon as he was subjectedto competition and r
35、ivalry his gains would probably diminish.CHAPTER IIPAUL AT HOMEPaul went up Centre street and turned into Pearl. Stoppingbefore a tenement-house, he entered, and, going up two flights ofstairs, opened a door and entered.You are home early, Paul, said a woman of middle age, lookingup at his entrance.
36、Yes, mother; Ive sold out.Youve not sold out the whole fifty packages? she asked, insurprise.Yes, I have. I had capital luck.Why, you must have made as much as a dollar, and its not twelveyet.Ive made more than that, mother. Just wait a minute, till Ivereckoned up a little. Wheres Jimmy?Miss Beckwit
37、h offered to take him out to walk with her, so I lethim go. Hell be back at twelve.While Paul is making a calculation, a few words of explanationand description may be given, so that the reader may understandbetter how he is situated.The rooms occupied by Paul and his mother were three in number. Th
38、e largest one was about fourteen feet square, and was lightedby two windows. It was covered with a neat, though well-worn,carpet; a few cane-bottomed chairs were ranged at the windows,and on each side of the table. There was a French clock on themantel, a rocking chair for his mother, and a few inex
39、pensiveengravings hung upon the walls. There was a hanging bookcasecontaining two shelves, filled with books, partly school books,supplemented by a few miscellaneous books, such as RobinsonCrusoe, Pilgrims Progress, a volume of Poetical Selections,an odd volume of Scott, and several others. Out of t
40、he main roomopened two narrow chambers, both together of about the same areaas the main room. One of these was occupied by Paul and Jimmy,the other by his mother.Those who are familiar with the construction of a New Yorktenement-house will readily understand the appearance of therooms into which we
41、have introduced them. It must, however, beexplained that few similar apartments are found so wellfurnished. Carpets are not very common in tenement-houses, andif there are any pictures, they are usually the cheapest prints. Wooden chairs, and generally every object of the cheapest, are tobe met with
42、 in the dwellings of the New York poor. If we findsomething better in the present instance, it is not because Pauland his mother are any better off than their neighbors. On thecontrary, there are few whose income is so small. But they haveseen better days, and the furniture we see has been saved fro
43、mthe time of their comparative prosperity.As Paul is still at his estimate, let us improve the opportunityby giving a little of their early history.Mr. Hoffman, the father of Paul, was born in Germany, but came toNew York when a boy of twelve, and there he grew up and married,his wife being an Ameri
44、can. He was a cabinetmaker, and, being askillful workman, earned very good wages, so that he was able tomaintain his family in comfort. They occupied a neat littlecottage in Harlem, and lived very happily, for Mr. Hoffman wastemperate and kind, when an unfortunate accident clouded theirhappiness, an
45、d brought an end to their prosperity. In crossingBroadway at its most crowded part, the husband and father was runover by a loaded dray, and so seriously injured that he lived buta few hours. Then the precarious nature of their prosperity wasfound out. Mr. Hoffman had not saved anything, having alwa
46、yslived up to the extent of his income. It was obviouslyimpossible for them to continue to live in their old home, payinga rent of twenty dollars per month. Besides, Paul did not seeany good opportunity to earn his living in Harlem. So, at hisinstigation, his mother moved downtown, and took rooms in atenement-house in Pearl street, agreeing to pay six dollars amonth for apartments which would now command double the price. They brought with t