登陆注册
5257200000005

第5章 Chapter 2(1)

Occasionally, during the following month, I dropped in at 117 Wall Street to inquire how the repairing and refumishing of the vessel was coming on, how additions to the passenger list were averaging, how many people the committee were decreeing not "select" every day and banishing in sorrow and tribulation. I was glad to know that we were to have a little printing press on board and issue a daily newspaper of our own. I was glad to learn that our piano, our parlor organ, and our melodeon were to be the best instruments of the kind that could be had in the market. I was proud to observe that among our excursionists were three ministers of the gospel, eight doctors, sixteen or eighteen ladies, several military and naval chieftains with sounding titles, an ample crop of "Professors" of various kinds, and a gentleman who had " COMMISSIONER OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TOEUROPE, ASIA, AND AFRICA " thundering after his name in one awful blast!

I had carefully prepared myself to take rather a back seat in that ship because of the uncommonly select material that would alone be permitted to pass through the camel's eye of that committee on credentials; I had schooled myself to expect an imposing array of military and naval heroes and to have to set that back seat still further back in consequence of it maybe; but I state frankly that I was all unprepared for this crusher.

I fell under that titular avalanche a torn and blighted thing. I said that if that potentate must go over in our ship, why, I supposed he must--but that to my thinking, when the United States considered it necessary to send a dignitary of that tonnage across the ocean, it would be in better taste, and safer, to take him apart and cart him over in sections in several ships.

Ah, if I had only known then that he was only a common mortal, and that his mission had nothing more overpowering about it than the collecting of seeds and uncommon yams and extraordinary cabbages and peculiar bullfrogs for that poor, useless, innocent, mildewed old fossil the Smithsonian Institute, I would have felt so much relieved.

During that memorable month I basked in the happiness of being for once in my life drifting with the tide of a great popular movement. Everybody was going to Europe--I, too, was going to Europe. Everybody was going to the famous Paris Exposition--I, too, was going to the Paris Exposition.

The steamship lines were carrying Americans out of the various ports of the country at the rate of four or five thousand a week in the aggregate.

If I met a dozen individuals during that month who were not going to Europe shortly, I have no distinct remembrance of it now. I walked about the city a good deal with a young Mr. Blucher, who was booked for the excursion.

He was confiding, good-natured, unsophisticated, companionable; but he was not a man to set the river on fire. He had the most extraordinary notions about this European exodus and came at last to consider the whole nation as packing up for emigration to France. We stepped into a store on Broadway one day, where he bought a handkerchief, and when the man could not make change, Mr. B. said:

"Never mind, I'll hand it to you in Paris."

"But I am not going to Paris."

"How is--what did I understand you to say?"

"I said I am not going to Paris."

"Not going to Paris! Not g-- well, then, where in the nation are you going to?""Nowhere at all."

同类推荐
  • 佛说诸法勇王经

    佛说诸法勇王经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 忠志

    忠志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Ivanoff

    Ivanoff

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 睽车志

    睽车志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 战争与和平

    战争与和平

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 情绪掌控,决定你的人生格局

    情绪掌控,决定你的人生格局

    你为什么还没有成功?就是因为掌控不了情绪。很多人都是这样,明明很努力、很勤奋,可就是在某一个时间点没控制好情绪,导致别人误解自己,认为你是一个“脾气大于本事的人”,让1%的情绪失控毁了99%的努力,把自己一次次拉向深渊。本书就是要告诉你如何从各个方面提升自己掌控情绪的能力。知名心理学者小宋老师,用他的专业知识、生动的案例,从沟通方式、思维模式、心理疏导方法等方面,教你掌控情绪,克服自己这一致命短板,开启快速的上升通道。
  • 银河帝国9:钢穴

    银河帝国9:钢穴

    人类蜗居在银河系的一个小角落——太阳系,在围绕太阳旋转的第三颗行星上,生活了十多万年之久。人类在这个小小的行星(他们称之为“地球”)上,建立了两百多个不同的行政区域(他们称之为“国家”),直到地球上诞生了第一个会思考的机器人。在机器人的帮助下,人类迅速掌握了改造外星球的技术,开启了恢弘的星际殖民运动;人类在银河系如蝗虫般繁衍扩张,带着他们永不磨灭的愚昧与智慧、贪婪与良知,登上了一个个荒凉的星球,并将银河系卷入漫长的星际战国时代,直至整个银河被统一,一个统治超过2500万个住人行星、疆域横跨十万光年、总计数兆亿人口的庞大帝国崛起——银河帝国。
  • 零棋

    零棋

    简介:【1V1爽文,宠文】一世又一世,我们兜兜转转时有跳出了命运的轮回,也许谁都没有。青梅竹马,两小无猜,钰儿,等你长发及腰,我娶你可好,好呀,墨炎哥哥;我没有受伤,只是忘记了微笑的模样;新书《楼兰客栈》,请多指教,书友群:293345262
  • 不若,难恋

    不若,难恋

    许你三世繁华,却换不来你一生牵挂。他是天界唯一的天神,是天界的独裁者——天帝!她是世间最无用的神,却是最伟大的魔。本是应世间万物而生,却是因天下万物而死。为这天下献魂供命,这天下不但不感谢她,反而想她死。他曾感慨过:“她说的没错,我们的确不配为神,我们甚至连魔都比不上。”他护了她三世,她毁了他一生。他说是他错了,她说她后悔了。谁又在灵池下想着谁?(本文是我的第一本小说,是虐恋,写的肯定不好,不过我会慢慢改哦。谢谢大家看我的小说。)
  • 小亨集

    小亨集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 迷途小说

    迷途小说

    一早醒来,刘东就觉得有点疲惫。昨天晚上几个同事吃过饭,王其对刘东说玩几圈。刘东喝了几杯酒,兴致也上来了。王其没看出来刘东的内心活动,见刘东没吱声,以为刘东不想玩,说,刘局长,与民同乐是为官己任哦。刘东摸了摸自己的口袋,说玩几圈就玩几圈,不过说好了我这只有一千块钱,如果输完了就散伙。王其听刘东这样说,内心里忽然高兴起来。喜欢打麻将的人都是这样,三缺一的时候急死人,谁要是及时雨宋江,或者是说曹操曹操到的话,期待的人是绝对满心欢喜的。王其满怀喜悦的心情说,刘局长这样的体恤民情,我等当俯首追随。刘东笑着说,王其,别贫嘴了,要战趁早开始,说不定谁体恤谁呢。
  • 缠蛇记(下)

    缠蛇记(下)

    一年后,蒋峻熙考上了警察。当了警察的蒋峻熙每周都要抽出一个晚上,穿上便服,去县城安宁河大桥桥头“堪舆之家”门前的露天茶馆喝茶。堪舆之家的主人,是一个年近古稀的中学退休物理老师,姓尹。尹老师退休后,勤研堪舆之学,颇有心得,试着帮人看阳宅阴地风水,择红白喜事吉日,不曾想一不小心出了名,来找他的人渐渐多了起来。尹老师干脆挂起了“堪舆之家”的招牌,门前搭一凉棚,摆上几张茶桌,就成了一家茶馆。从此,那里经常会聚集一些三教九流人物,谈风水,论政治,摆各种各样的龙门阵。
  • 让爱自由落地

    让爱自由落地

    高三物理老师童悦深深爱着哥哥彦杰,彦杰却选择了她的同学乔可欣。教育局长苏陌,妻子因车祸成了植物人,在她悲痛之时,对她展开强大的追求。叶少宁的出现好像是悬崖边的一根藤蔓,她紧紧抓住。两人从一夜情开始,三个月后闪电步入婚姻。叶少宁上司正是童悦妈妈当年横刀夺爱的受害者,她的女儿车欢欢留学回国,车欢欢与叶少宁痴恋多年的女子极其相似,相处中,疯狂爱上了叶少宁。而就在此时,彦杰神秘失踪,苏陌的妻子去世。他们的婚姻摇摇欲坠,如何才能让爱自由落地?
  • 二次元最强英灵

    二次元最强英灵

    林天带着英灵系统来到了火影世界,在这里他又会翻起怎样的浪花?(世界∶火影[进行中]—fate[暂定]—……有什么想要看的世界可以从评论里发,我会不定时间选一下。)
  • 穿越异世小娘子

    穿越异世小娘子

    云秋水和冯静依是一对闺蜜,一次意外穿越,两个人来到了异世。两人性格迥异,所以在异世也选择了不同的生活道路,一个闯荡江湖,一个入宫为妃。当然,最后的结局是美好的,两个闺蜜自始至终互相扶持,最终在异世闯出一片新天地。【情节虚构,请勿模仿】