1. Just across the street from the Methodist Church, in the principal street of Benton, is a small one-story house, consisting of three rooms only. This is occupied by Mrs. Cooper, a widow, and her only son Johnny, with whom it is our purpose to become further acquainted. When the Great Rebellion broke out, Johnny’s father was one of the fi rst to enlist . It was a great trial to him to leave behind his wife and son, but he felt it his duty to go. For more than a year he wrote cheerful letters home; but one dark day there came over the wires tidings of the disastrous battle of Fred-ericksburg, and in the list of killed was the name of James Cooper.

2. It was a sad day for Mrs. Cooper; but she had little time to mourn. The death of her husband threw the burden of maintaining herself and Johnny upon her shoulders. After a while she obtained a pension of eight dollars a month, which helped her considerably. One half of it paid her rent, and the other half paid for her fuel and lights. But it costs a good deal to buy food and clothes for two persons, and she was obliged to toil early and late with her needle to make up the requisite sum. Johnny was now eleven years old, and might have obtained a chance to peg shoes in some of the shoe-shops in the village, as indeed he wanted to do; but Mrs. Cooper felt that he ought to be kept at school. As she would not be able to leave him money, she was resolved at least to give him as good an education as the village schools would allow.

3. One evening, just after tea, Mrs. Cooper laid down her work with a little sigh. “Johnny,” said she, “I will get you to run over to Squire Baker’s, and say that I shall not be able to fi nish his shirts to-night, but I will try to send them over in the morning before he goes.”

4. “You don’t feel well mother, do you?”

“No, I have a bad headache. I think I shall go to bed early, and see if I can’t sleep it off.”

“I don’t believe it agrees with you to sew so much,” said Johnny.

“I sometimes wish I had a sewing-machine,” said his mother. “That would enable me to do three times as much work with less fatigue.”

5. “How much does a sewing-machine cost?”

“I suppose a good one would cost not far from a hundred dollars.”

“A hundred dollars! That is a good deal of money,” said Johnny.

“Yes, quite too much for our means. Of course there is no chance of my being able to purchase one.”

6. As Johnny went across the fi eld to Squire Baker’s, he could not help thinking of what his mother had said. He had hoped the cost of a machine would not exceed twenty dollars, for in that case there might be some chance of his earning the amount in time. Occasionally the neighbors called upon him to do odd jobs, and paid him small sums. These in time might amount to twenty dollars. But a hundred seemed quite too large for him to think of accumulating.

7. “Still,” thought Johnny, “I’ve a good mind to try. I won’t wait for jobs to come to me; I’ll look out for them. I have a good deal of time out of school when I might be doing something. If I don’t get enough to buy a sewing-machine, I may get something else that mother will like.”

8. The next day was Saturday, and school did not keep. It was about the fi rst of October. In the town where Johnny lived there were many swamps planted with cranberries, which were now ripe and ready for gathering. It was necessary to pick them before a frost, since this fruit, if touched with the frost, will decay rapidly. As Johnny was coming home from the store, he met a school companion, who seemed to be in a hurry.

9. “Where are you going, Frank?” he inquired.

“I’m going to pick cranberries for Squire Baker.”

“How much does he pay?”

“Two cents a quart.”

“Do you think he would hire me?” asked Johnny, with a sudden thought.

“Yes, and be glad to get you. He’s got a good many cranberries on the vines, and he’s afraid there will be a frost to-night.”

“Then I’ll ask mother if I can go. Just hold on a minute.”

“All right.”

10. Having obtained permission, Johnny rejoined his companion, and proceeded at once to the swamp. The fruit was abundant; for the crop this year was unusually good, and Johnny found that he could pick quite rapidly. When noon came, he found that he had picked twenty quarts.

“Can you come again this afternoon?” asked the squire.

“Yes, sir,” said Johnny promptly.

“I shall be very glad to have you, for hands are scarce.”

11. Johnny had already earned forty cents, and hoped to earn as much more in the afternoon. He was so excited by his success that he hurried through his dinner with great rapidity, and was off once more to the swamps. He worked till late, and found at the end of the day that he had gathered fi fty quarts. He felt very rich when the squire handed him a one-dollar greenback in return for his services. He felt pretty tired in consequence of stooping so much, but the thought that he had earned a whole dollar in one day fully repaid him.

12. “Mother,” said Johnny, when he got home, “if you are willing, I will keep this money. There is something very particular I want it for.”

“ Certainly,” said his mother. “You shall keep this, and all you earn. I am very sure you will not wish to spend it unwisely.”

“No, mother, you may be sure of that.”

13. On Monday it so happened that the teacher was sick, and school was suspended. Johnny found no difficulty in obtaining a chance to pick cranberries for another neighbor. He was determined to do a little better than on Saturday. When evening came, he was paid for fi fty-three quarts,—one dollar and six cents.

“I wish there were cranberries to be picked all the year round,” thought Johnny. “I should soon get a hundred dollars.”

14. But this was about the last of his picking. School kept the next day, and though he got a little time after school, he could only pick a few quarts. When the cranberry season was over, Johnny found himself the possessor of four dollars. After that his gains were small. Occasionally he ran on an errand for a neighbor. Once he turned the grindstone for about half an hour, and received the small compensation of one cent from a rather parsimonious farmer. Johnny was about to throw it away, when the thought came to him, that, small as it was, it would help a little.

15. So the autumn slipped away, and winter came and went. In the spring

Johnny found more to do. On the fi rst day of June he counted his money and found he had fi fteen dollars.

“ It’ll take a long time to get a hundred dollar,” sighed Johnny. “If mother would only let me go to work in a shoe-shop? But she thinks I had better go to school. But by and by there’ll be a chance to pick cranberries again. I wish there’d be a vacation then.”

( HORATIO ALGER, JR )

中文阅读

1. 从卫理公会教堂穿过大街，走上本顿街的主街道，就会看到一栋小小的平房，平房里面只有三个房间。寡妇库珀太太带着她唯一的孩子强尼就住在这里。我们要说的，就是这个强尼。大动乱爆发时，强尼的父亲是第一批报名参军的。离开妻儿上战场对他是个艰难的抉择，然而，他觉得保家卫国，匹夫有责。一年多来，他往家写过许多轻松愉快的信。然而，在一个黑暗的日子里，传来弗雷德里克斯堡灾难性战役的消息，在阵亡名单中，赫然写着詹姆斯·库珀的名字。

2. 对库珀太太来说，那日子真叫人悲痛欲绝，但她没有多少时间哀伤。丈夫一死，维持母子两人生计的重担就压上了她的肩头。之后，她每个月可以领到八美元的抚恤金，这很大程度上缓解了她的压力。这八美元一半拿去付房租，一半拿去买煤买蜡烛。可是，两个人的吃穿用度也不是小数目，她不得不日夜操劳，做些针线活补贴家用。当时强尼11岁，本可以到村子里的鞋店里钉鞋，而且他也乐意去干这活儿；可是库珀太太认为他应该留在学校念书。她认为，既然不能给他留下什么钱财，就一定要让他把书念完，至少接受村里的学校所能提供的最好的教育。

3. 一天傍晚，刚喝过晚茶，库珀太太放下手头的活计，轻轻叹了口气。她说：“强尼，你要替我去跑一趟贝克老爷家，就说他的衬衫今晚我做不完了，不过我会努力赶在他明早出门前送过去的。”

4. “妈妈，您身体不舒服，是吗？”

“是啊，我头痛得厉害。我觉得我应该早点儿上床睡觉，看看睡上一觉能不能好一些。”

“您老是这么缝啊补的，我看这头痛没那么容易好。”强尼说。

“有时候我想，要是有台缝纫机就好了，”妈妈说，“有了缝纫机，就不会这么累了，而且干的活儿能是现在的三倍。”

5. “一台缝纫机多少钱？”

“我觉得一台好的缝纫机怎么着也要一百来美元。”

“一百美元！那可是一大笔钱呢。”强尼说。

“是啊，对我们来说确实太贵了。当然了，我肯定没有机会去买一台回来。”

6. 强尼穿过田野，朝贝克老爷家走去，他忍不住想着妈妈刚才的话。他真希望一台缝纫机不要超过二十美元，要是那样，他就可以去挣钱买回来了。邻居们偶尔会叫他去帮忙做些杂务，付给他点儿小费。把这些钱全部攒起来说不定能攒到二十美元。但是一百美元太多了，他想都不敢想什么时候能攒够。

7. “可是，”强尼心想，“我还是要试试。我不会等工作来找我。我可以主动去找活儿干。我有很多时间都不用上学，可以去干点儿什么。就算我攒不到足够的钱去买缝纫机，也可以去买点儿妈妈喜欢的东西呀。”

8. 第二天就是星期六，学校周末休息。那天大概是十月一日吧。强尼住的镇子里有很多沼泽地里都种了蔓越橘，现在正是蔓越橘成熟的季节，要准备采摘了。这种水果一沾到寒霜就会迅速腐烂，所以必须要抢在霜冻降临前把它们采回去。强尼正从商店往家走，这时，他突然遇到一个同校的伙伴，那个伙伴走得很匆忙。

9. “弗兰克，你去哪儿？”他问道。

“我去给贝克老爷采蔓越橘。”

“他给你开多少钱？”

“一夸脱两美分。”

“你觉得他会不会雇我？”强尼突然心思一动，问道。

“会，他会很高兴雇你的。他还有很多蔓越橘没采呢，而且他担心今晚就有寒霜。”

“那我要去问问妈妈让不让我去。你等我一下。”

“好的。”

10. 得到妈妈的许可后，强尼找到他的伙伴，两人马上朝沼泽地走去。今年收成特别好，蔓越橘非常多。强尼发现自己采得很快，到中午时分，已经采了二十夸脱。

“你今天下午能再来吗？”贝克老爷问。

“能，先生。”强尼马上答道。

“你来帮我干活儿我很高兴，因为人手十分紧缺。”

11. 强尼已经挣到了四十美分，希望下午能挣得更多。他对自己的成就十分激动，匆匆扒了几口饭就往沼泽地赶去。他干到很晚，一共采了五十夸脱。当贝克老爷把一张一美元的绿色美钞付给他的时候，他觉得自己简直成了富翁。他累得腰都弯不下去了，可是一想到自己一天就挣了一美元，他就觉得非常值得。

12. 强尼回到家，说：“妈妈，如果您同意，我想自己保管这笔钱。我想买件非常特殊的东西。”

“当然可以，”妈妈说，“你可以自己保管。你自己挣的钱都自己拿着吧。我相信你肯定不会乱花钱的。”

“是的，妈妈，这您放心。”

13. 星期一，刚好老师生病了，学校停课。强尼很快就找到活儿干了——去帮另一家邻居采摘蔓越橘。他一心要比星期六干得更好。到傍晚时分，他采了五十三夸脱，挣了一美元六美分。

“真希望全年都有蔓越橘采，”强尼心想，“那样我很快就能挣够一百美元了。”

14. 但这是他最后一次采蔓越橘了。学校第二天就开始上课了，尽管放学后还能干一会儿，可只能采到几夸脱。蔓越橘采摘期结束时，强尼发现自己挣了四美元。此后，他挣得很少。偶尔帮邻居跑跑腿。有一次，他推磨推了半个小时，那个吝啬的农民只给了他一美分的酬劳。强尼想把这一美分丢掉，但他转念一想，就算挣得再少也多少能有点儿用。

15. 秋天就这么过去了，冬天来到又走了。春天，强尼找到了更多的活。六月一日，他数了数自己的积蓄，发现已经攒了十五美元。

“要挣够一百美元得花很长时间啊，”强尼叹了口气，“要是妈妈准我去鞋店上班呢？可她觉得我最好去上学。过不了多久，就又有机会采蔓越橘了。希望到时候学校放假。”

（小霍雷肖·阿尔杰） f2kIRm30W7pz8wB8tYBqND5a9ZD1E0wlP3SpdqC5M9PKBC0+VbtTyCNtUFXU7fb4