sister carrie

Chapter 61 (1)

Chapter 35 To no avail: sad face (1)
The next morning, he looked at the newspaper, glanced at the long advertising column, and wrote down a few places.Then he turned to the column for recruiting male workers, but he was very unhappy.Another day was ahead of him--a long day, to find a place--and he had to.He perused the long column, most of which were about hiring bakers, grain store clerks, cooks, typesetters, coachmen, etc., and two of them caught his attention: one was that a wholesale furniture store was hiring a cashier. , and the other is that a wine merchant is recruiting a salesman.He didn't expect the second job advertisement to appear.He immediately decided to go there and have a look.

That firm was Ashbury & Co., the whiskey brokers.

He was immediately introduced to the manager upon arrival.

"Good morning, sir," said the manager, thinking at first that he had met an out-of-town customer of his company.

"Good morning," said Hurstwood, "you're advertising for a salesman, aren't you?"

"Oh," said the manager, clearly showing the air of understanding after listening to the other party, "yes, yes, I'm in."

"I'd like to see," said Hurstwood pompously, "as I have some experience of the trade myself."

"Oh, yeah?" said the man, "What experience do you have?"

"Well, I've been manager of several hotels in my life. Lately I've had a one-third stake in a hotel in Warren Street, Hudson Street."

"I see," said the man.

Hurstwood stopped to see what the other party had to say.

"We do need a salesman," said the man. "I don't know if that's your intention yet."

"I see," said Hurstwood. "Well, I can't pick and choose just yet. If I get the chance, I'd love to be next."

The man didn't show kindness at all when he said "you can't pick and choose".He wanted someone who hadn't even thought about choosing or picking a better chance.Especially dislike an older person.He wanted someone who was young, active, and willing to work for a normal wage.Hurstwood was not at all to his liking.He had a different air of his own, different from the man he was going to hire.

"Well," he replied, "we would be happy to consider your application. We cannot make a decision within a few days. Please send us your resume."

"I'll do it," said Hurstwood.

He nodded his goodbyes and left.When he reached the corner, he looked at the address of the furniture wholesale company, and saw that it was on No.20 Sanjie Street in the West District.He just walked over there.That place is not too big.It looks medium-sized, the people inside are lazy, and the wages are low.He walked by, glanced at it, and decided not to go in.

"Maybe they want a girl, ten dollars a week," he thought.

At one o'clock, thinking it was time for something to eat, he went to a restaurant in Madison Street.In that restaurant, he was thinking about which ones he wanted to visit.He is really tired.The sky was full of dark clouds again.On the opposite side, across Madison Square Park, stood several large hotels overlooking the busy scene below.He made up his mind to sit in the lounge of one of them for a while.It was warm and well lit there.He had met no acquaintances at the Broadway Central Hotel.It is very likely that you will not meet any acquaintances here.He found a seat on a velvet couch under a large window overlooking the bustling Broadway.He sat there brooding.Things weren't too bad for him here.He sat quietly, looking out, with some relief that he still had several hundred dollars in his pocket.I can somewhat forget the tiredness caused by constant walking on the road and the exhaustion of looking for work everywhere.

Of course, this is just an escape from a serious situation, only slightly less serious.He was still so sullen, so downcast.The clock seemed to run very slowly, and it took a long time to pass an hour.He used it to observe the hotel guests coming and going, as well as some prosperous pedestrians on Broadway outside, who showed that they were people of good fortune in their clothes and expressions.For the first time since his arrival in the city, he had free time and had ample opportunity to look at the scene before him.Now that he is forced to have nothing to do, he makes all kinds of guesses about other people's activities.How happy he saw the young people, how beautiful the women he saw, how well-dressed, so focused on going somewhere.He looked at the provocative winks of the graceful and luxurious girl.Oh, how much it costs to deal with these people--he knows it all! It's been a long, long time since he'd had the opportunity to pull out all the stops!
The bell outside struck four.It was still early, but he thought he might as well go home.

As she walked home, she remembered at the same time that Carrie would think that he sat too long in the rocking chair at home early in the morning.He had hoped that he would not have to go home so early, but it was painfully slow.To the other side, it was him standing on the ground of his own house.He can just sit in the rocking chair and read his stuff.This busy, drowsy, and provocative scene before me will no longer be seen.He can read his newspaper.So he went home anyway.Carrie was watching, quite alone.It was dark, and the house was rather dark.

"You're going to hurt your eyes," he said when he saw her.

After taking off his overcoat he felt it necessary to tell a little about his day.

"I talked to a wholesale hotel company," he said. "I might go out and sell."

"It's not very good!" said Carrie.

"Not so bad," he replied.

As usual, he first bought two papers from the newspaper vendor around the corner—the Daily World and the Evening Sun.He didn't stop as he walked by, just took the newspaper and left.

He drew his chair up to the fire and lit the gas.Thus began another evening.While he was reading the news he loved so much, all his worries disappeared without a trace.

The next day was worse than the day before, because he couldn't remember where to go.There was nothing in the paper--until ten o'clock--to his liking.He felt that he should go out, but the thought of going out gave him a headache.Where are you going? Where are you going?
"You mustn't forget to leave money for this week's expenses," said Carrie calmly.

They agreed to give her 20 yuan a week for daily expenses.When she said that, he sighed softly and took out his wallet.Fear came back, spending, spending, but no income.

"My God," he said to himself, "it can't go on like this."

He said nothing to Carrie, however.She could sense that her request had aroused his uneasiness.Giving her money quickly became a matter of distress.

"But what can I do?" she thought. "Oh, why should I worry so much?"

Hurstwood walked out of the house toward Broadway.He thought about where he wanted to go.However, it didn't take long to arrive at the big hotel on the No.30 street.He knew that the hotel lounge was comfortable.After walking twenty blocks, he felt cold.

"I'm going to get a shave in the barber's in the hotel," he thought.

In this way, after this "haircut therapy", he can sit there with peace of mind.

Once again time was uncomfortably slow, and he went home early for several days, each day tormented by having to search.Every day, disgust, frustration, and humiliation drove him into the hotel lounge to hang out.

For another three days, the storm continued and he never went out at all.One evening, it snowed, and large expanses of white snow fell.In the morning, the snow did not stop, and the wind blew hard, and the newspapers reported the news of the blizzard.Looking out the front window.I saw a thick layer of snow.

"I don't think I'll be out today," he said to Carrie at breakfast. "It's a terrible day, the papers say."

"The coalman hasn't brought the coal yet," said Carrie.She called for several catties of coal.

"I'll go and see," said Hurstwood.This is the first time he has brought it up to do some housework.However, the desire to sit at home made him bring it up as a small obligation for his entitlement.

The snow kept falling all day and all night, and the city suffered from traffic jams.The newspapers paid great attention to the details of the blizzard, emphasizing in large type the woes of the poor.

Hurstwood sat reading his paper by the corner fire.He didn't think about what he had to find work to do.The blizzard was so fierce that everything came to a standstill, and he couldn't talk about it if he urgently needed to find something to do.He made himself comfortable and stretched out his feet to warm the fire securely.

Carrie was disturbed to see him so calmly.Although the blizzard was fierce, she always felt that something was wrong with him being so comfortable.He was too secure in his attitude towards his situation.

Still, Hurstwood read newspapers and newspapers.He paid little attention to Carrie, too.As for her, she was also busy with housework and seldom spoke so as not to disturb him.

By the next day, it was still snowing.Another day, it's too cold.Hurstwood, following the warnings in the papers, sat still, and now offered himself to some small work.One time was to buy meat, and the other time was to buy sundries.It really didn't occur to him that there was any point in doing these little errands.He just felt as if he was not useless-in this weather, doing this at home, there is indeed some use.

On the fourth day, however, the sky cleared and he read in the paper that the storm was over.But he stayed at home, thinking how muddy the street was.

It was about noon when he finally put down his newspaper and went out.The weather is getting warmer and it is difficult to walk on the street.He hitchhiked across No. 14 Street, backed up on Broadway, and headed south.He came across a small advertisement for a hotel on Pearl Street.He changed his mind when he got to Broadway Central Station, though.

"What's the use of that?" he thought, looking out at the mud and snow. "I can't buy the shares. Nine times out of ten there will be no results. I think I'd better get out of the car." So he got out of the car.In the hotel lounge.He found a seat, sat and waited again, thinking about what to do.

(End of this chapter)