"Alger Jr, Horatio - Ragged Dick" - читать интересную книгу автора (Alger Horatio Jr)

unsuspicious stranger walked up the front steps of the great
stone building on Centre Street, and tried to obtain admission.

"I guess he wouldn't want to stay long if he did get in," thought
Ragged Dick, hitching up his pants. "Leastways I shouldn't.
They're so precious glad to see you that they won't let you go,
but board you gratooitous, and never send in no bills."

Another of Dick's faults was his extravagance. Being always
wide-awake and ready for business, he earned enough to have
supported him comfortably and respectably. There were not a
few young clerks who employed Dick from time to time in his
professional capacity, who scarcely earned as much as he,
greatly as their style and dress exceeded his. But Dick was
careless of his earnings. Where they went he could hardly
have told himself. However much he managed to earn during
the day, all was generally spent before morning. He was fond
of going to the Old Bowery Theatre, and to Tony Pastor's, and
if he had any money left afterwards, he would invite some of
his friends in somewhere to have an oyster stew; so it seldom
happened that he commenced the day with a penny.

Then I am sorry to add that Dick had formed the habit of smoking.
This cost him considerable, for Dick was rather fastidious about
his cigars, and wouldn't smoke the cheapest. Besides, having a
liberal nature, he was generally ready to treat his companions.
But of course the expense was the smallest objection. No boy of
fourteen can smoke without being affected injuriously. Men are
frequently injured by smoking, and boys always. But large
numbers of the newsboys and boot-blacks form the habit.
Exposed to the cold and wet they find that it warms them up,
and the self-indulgence grows upon them. It is not uncommon
to see a little boy, too young to be out of his mother's sight,
smoking with all the apparent satisfaction of a veteran smoker.

There was another way in which Dick sometimes lost money.
There was a noted gambling-house on Baxter Street, which in
the evening was sometimes crowded with these juvenile gamesters,
who staked their hard earnings, generally losing of course,
and refreshing themselves from time to time with a vile mixture
of liquor at two cents a glass. Sometimes Dick strayed in here,
and played with the rest.

I have mentioned Dick's faults and defects, because I want it
understood, to begin with, that I don't consider him a model boy.
But there were some good points about him nevertheless.
He was above doing anything mean or dishonorable. He would
not steal, or cheat, or impose upon younger boys, but was
frank and straight-forward, manly and self-reliant. His nature
was a noble one, and had saved him from all mean faults.