The Young Vigilantes: A Story of California Life in the Fifties

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Drake Samuel Adams. The Young Vigilantes: A Story of California Life in the Fifties

I. A NARROW ESCAPE

II. WALTER TELLS HIS STORY

III. AND CHARLEY TELLS HIS

IV. WHAT HAPPENED ON BOARD THE "ARGONAUT"

V. ONE WAY OF GOING TO CALIFORNIA

VI. A BLACK SHEEP IN THE FOLD

VII. THE FLIGHT

VIII. OUTWARD BOUND

IX. ACROSS NICARAGUA

X. THE LUCK OF YANKEE JIM

XI. SEEING THE SIGHTS IN 'FRISCO

XII. AN UNEXPECTED MEETING

XIII. IN WHICH A MAN BREAKS INTO HIS OWN STORE, AND STEALS HIS OWN SAFE

XIV. CHARLEY AND WALTER GO A-GUNNING

XV. THE YOUNG VIGILANTES

XVI. RAMON FINDS HIS MATCH

XVII. A SHARP RISE IN LUMBER

XVIII. A CORNER IN LUMBER

XIX. HEARTS OF GOLD

XX. Bright, Seabury & Company

Отрывок из книги

Walter's first want was to find a boarding house suited to his means. Turning into a side street, walled in by a row of two-story brick houses, all as like as peas in a pod, he found that the difficulty would be to pick and choose, as all showed the same little tin sign announcing "Board and Lodging, by the Day or Week," tacked upon the door. After walking irresolutely up and down the street two or three times, he finally mustered up courage to give a timid pull at the bell of one of them. The door opened so suddenly that Walter fell back a step. He began stammering out something, but before he could finish, the untidy-looking girl sang out at the top of her voice: "Miss Hashall, Miss Hashall, there's somebody wants to see you!" She then bolted off through the back door singing "I want to be an angel," in a voice that set Walter's teeth on an edge. To make a long story short, Walter soon struck a bargain with the landlady, – a fat, pudgy person in a greasy black poplin, wearing a false front, false teeth, and false stones in her breastpin. True, Walter silently resented her demanding a week's board in advance, it seemed so like a reflection upon his honesty, but was easily mollified by the motherly interest she seemed to take in him – or his cash.

Bright and early the next morning Walter sallied out in search of work. His landlady had told him to apply at the first loft he came to. "Why, you can't make no mistake," the woman declared. "They're all drove to death, and hands is scurse as hens' teeth, all on account of this Kalerforny fever what carries so many of 'em off. Don't I wish I was a man! I'd jest like to dig gold enough to buy me a house on Beacon Street and ride in my kerridge. You just go and spunk right up to 'em, like I do. That's the way to get along in this world, my son."

.....

"There, you needn't get your back up, old chap. It's the funniest thing I ever heard of. Why, it beats all!"

"It's done every day," Charley broke in. "You won't lose anything by me, Walt," he added, anxiously scanning Walter's face. "See if you do."

.....