Chapter OneA 20-year appointment

The policeman made his rounds up the avenue in an impressive way. His impressiveness was habitual and not for show, for there were few people around.¹ The time was barely 10 o’clock at night, but chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain in them had driven most people indoors.²

The cop tested doors as he went to make sure they were locked. He twirled his club like a master in martial arts. He turned now and then to cast his watchful eye down the broad street. The officer, with his large form and confident walk, made a fine picture of a guardian of the peace.³

His assigned area was one where most shops closed early at night. Now and then, a person might see the lights of a liquor store or an all-night small restaurant, but the majority of the doors belonged to business owners who had already gone home several hours ago.⁴

Key Words

appointment (n): cuộc hẹn

make the/one’s rounds: đi từ một

điểm này đến một điểm khác

impressive (adj): ấn tượng

habitual (adj): thường xuyên

barely (adv): vừa đến

a taste of: mùi vị

indoors (adv): trong nhà

test (v): kiểm tra

make sure (idiom): chắc chắn

lock (v): khóa

martial arts (n): võ thuật

cast (v): đưa mắt nhìn

watchful (adj): thận trọng

form (n): hình dáng

confident (adj): tự tin

guardian (n): người bảo vệ

the peace (n): hòa bình

assigned (adj): được phân công

majority of: phần lớn

belong to (phrasal verb): thuộc về

Key Sentences

¹ His impressiveness was habitual and not for show, for there were few people around.

² The time was barely 10 o’clock at night, but chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain in them had driven most people indoors.

³ The officer, with his large form and confident walk, made a fine picture of a guardian of the peace.

⁴ ... but the majority of the doors belonged to business owners who had already gone home several hours ago.

About halfway down one block, the policeman suddenly slowed his pace. In the doorway of a dark entrance to a hardware store, a man leaned.¹ He had an unlit cigarette in his mouth. As the policeman walked up to him, the loiterer spoke quickly.

“It’s all right, officer,” he said, reassuringly. “I’m just waiting for a friend. We made an appointment twenty years ago. Sounds a little funny to you, doesn’t it? Well, I’ll explain it to you if you’d like to make certain everything is all right.² About that long ago, there used to be a restaurant where this store stands – ‘Big Joe’ Brady’s restaurant.”³

“Until five years ago,” said the policeman. “It was torn down then.”

The man in the doorway struck a match and lit his cigarette. The light showed a pale, square–

jawed face with keen eyes and a little white scar near his right eyebrow.⁴ He had a diamond pin in his scarf.

Check up

Based on the story, write down “T” if true or “F” if false.

1. The man was waiting for his friend to keep an appointment. ____

2. The man gave a gentle impression. ____

Key Words & Sentences

pace (n): tốc độ

doorway (n): lối vào

entrance (n): cổng vào

hardware store (n): cửa hàng dụng cụ

unlit (adj): chưa cháy, chưa được đốt

reassuringly (adj): một cách quả quyết

make an apointment (idiom): hẹn gặp

sound (v): nghe như

make certain (idiom): chắc chắn, đảm bảo

tear down (phrasal verb): xé rách

(tear - tore - torn)

strike a match: đánh diêm

(strike - struck - struck)

pale (adj): tái nhợt

square-jawed (adj): hàm vuông

keen (adj): tinh tường

scar (n): vết sẹo

¹ In the doorway of a dark entrance to a hardware store, a man leaned.

² Well, I’ll explain it to you if you’d like to make certain everything is all right.

³ About that long ago, there used to be a restaurant where this store stands -- ‘Big Joe’ Brady’s restaurant.

⁴ The light showed a pale, square - jawed face with keen eyes and a little white scar near his right eyebrow.

“Twenty years ago tonight,” said the man, “I ate here at ‘Big Joe’ Brady’s with Jimmy Wells, my best friend and the best guy in the world. He and I were raised here in New York, just like two brothers, together. I was eighteen, and Jimmy was twenty. The next morning, I was to go out to the West to make my fortune. You couldn’t have dragged Jimmy out of New York; he thought it was the only place on earth. Well, we agreed that night that we would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and time, no matter what our conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come.¹ We figured that in twenty years, each of us ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be.”²

“It sounds pretty interesting,” said the policeman. “But it seems to me that you have had a rather long time between meetings.³ Haven’t you heard from your friend since you left?”

Key Words

raise (v): nổi lên

make one’s fortune: tìm kiếm cơ may

drag (v): lôi kéo

on earth: trên đời này

agree (v): đồng ý

exactly (adv): chính xác

distance (n): khoảng cách

figure (v): tính toán

destiny (n): số phận

work out (v): thành công

rather (adv): phần nào

hear from (v): nghe tin từ

Key Sentences

¹ Well, we agreed that night that we would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and time, no matter what our conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come.

² We figured that in twenty years, each of us ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be.

³ But it seems to me that you have had a rather long time between meetings.

“Well, yes, for a time we wrote to each other,” said the man. “But after a year or two, we lost track of each other. You see, the West is a pretty big place, and I kept moving around pretty frequently. But I know Jimmy will meet me here if he’s alive, for he always was the most loyal friend in the world.¹ He’ll never forget. I came a thousand miles to stand in this door tonight, and it’s worth it if my old friend turns up.”²

The waiting man pulled out an expensive watch. Small diamonds in the wristband sparkled in the faint light of a street lamp.

“Three minutes to ten,” he announced. “It was exactly ten o’clock when we parted here at the restaurant door, twenty years ago.”³

“You did pretty well out in the West, didn’t you?” asked the policeman.

“You bet! I hope Jimmy has done half as well. He was a little lazy, though, even if he was a good fellow. I’ve had to compete with some very smart men to make my fortune.⁴ A man can get lazy in New York. It takes the West to put a competitive edge on him.”

Check up

Choose what does not match with the story.

a. The man seemed to be successful in the West.

b. Jimmy was a very faithful friend to the man.

c. The man was afraid Jimmy would forget the appointment.

Key Words

for a time: trong một thời gian

lose track of (idiom): mất dấu vết của

(lose - lost - lost)

pretty (adv): khá là

frequently (adv): thường xuyên

alive (adj): còn sống

loyal (adj): trung thành

be worth: đáng

turn up (v): xuất hiện

pull out (v): rút ra

wristband (n): cổ tay áo

sparkle (v): lấp lánh

faint (adj): mờ nhạt

announce (v): loan báo

part (v): chia tay

you bet!: anh cá không?

as well (idiom): cũng như thế

lazy (adj): lười

even if (adv): dù là

fellow (adj): đồng đội

compete (v): cạnh tranh

competitive (adj): cạnh tranh

edge (n): khía cạnh

Key Sentences

¹ But I know Jimmy will meet me here if he’s alive, for he always was the most loyal friend in the world.

² I came a thousand miles to stand in this door tonight, and it’s worth it if my old friend turns up.

³ It was exactly ten o’clock when we parted here at the restaurant door, twenty years ago.

⁴ I’ve had to compete with some very smart men to make my fortune.

The policeman twirled his club and took a step or two.

“I’ll be on my way. Hope your friend comes around all right. Are you going to leave if he doesn’t show up exactly on time?”¹

“No way!” said the other. “I’ll give him half an hour at least. If Jimmy is alive on Earth, he’ll be here by that time. So long, officer.”

“Good night, sir,” said the policeman, passing down the street, trying doors as he went.

There was now a slight, cold rain falling, and the wind had become stronger, so now it blew steadily.² The few pedestrians on the streets hurried gloomily and silently along with their coat collars turned high and their hands in their pockets. And in the door of the hardware store, the man who had come a thousand miles to keep an appointment with his boyhood friend, no matter how ridiculous it seemed, smoked his cigarette and waited.³

Check up

Based on the story, write down “T” if true or “F” if false.

a. The man asked the policeman to find his old friend. ___

b. The man would wait for his friend until at least 10:30. ___

Key Words & Sentences

show up (v): xuất hiện

on time: đúng giờ

no way: không đời nào

at least: ít nhất

pass (v): băng qua

slight (adj): (mưa) rào

collar (n): cổ áo

keep an appointment (idiom):

đúng hẹn

boyhood (n): thời niên thiếu

ridiculous (adj): lố bịch

¹ Are you going to leave if he doesn’t show up exactly on time?

2 There was now a slight, cold rain falling, and the wind had become stronger, so now it blew steadily.

3 And in the door of the hardware store, the man who had come a thousand miles to keep an appointment with his boyhood friend, no matter how ridiculous it seemed, smoked his cigarette and waited.

About twenty minutes he waited, and then a tall man in a long overcoat, with the collar turned up to his ears, hurried across from the opposite side of the street.¹ He went directly to the waiting man.

“Is that you, Bob?” he asked, doubtfully.

“Is that you, Jimmy Wells?” cried the man in the door.

“Incredible!” exclaimed the new arrival, grasping both the other’s hands with his own.²

“It’s Bob, true to his word. I was certain I’d find you here if you were still in existence.³ Well, well, well! – twenty years is a long time. The old restaurant is gone, Bob; I wish it had lasted so we could have had another dinner there. How has the West treated you, old man?”

“Excellent; it has given me everything I asked it for. You’ve changed lots, Jimmy. I never thought you were so tall. You’re quite a few centimeters taller than I remember.”

“Oh, I grew a bit after I was twenty.”

Key Words

overcoat (n): áo khoác ngoài

(loại thân dài)

directly (adv): trực tiếp

doubtfully (adv): đầy nghi ngờ

incredible (adj): không thể tin được/không thể ngờ

exclaim (v): kêu lên

arrival (n): người mới đến

grasp (v): nắm lấy

true (adj): đúng

one’s word: lời nói của ai đó

in existence: còn sống

be gone: phá hủy rồi

last (v): kéo dài, còn

treat (v): đối xử

lots: nhiều (cách dùng giống như

“a lot” nhưng ít trang trọng hơn)

Key Sentences

¹ About twenty minutes he waited, and then a tall man in a long overcoat, with the collar turned up to his ears, hurried across from the opposite side of the street.

² “Incredible!” exclaimed the new arrival, grasping both the other’s hands with his own.

³ I was certain I’d find you here if you were still in existence.

“Doing well in New York, Jimmy?”

“So-so. I have a position in one of the city departments. Come on, Bob; we’ll go around to a place I know of and have a good long talk about old times.”¹

The two men started up the street, arm in arm. The man from the West had become excited by success.² He was beginning to tell the story of his career. The other, hidden in his overcoat, listened with interest.

At the corner stood a drugstore, brilliant with electric lights. When they came into this light, each of them turned at the same time to look upon the other’s face.³

The man from the West stopped suddenly and released his arm.

“You’re not Jimmy Wells,” he snapped. “Twenty years is a long time, but not long enough to change a man’s nose from long and thin to short and wide.”⁴

Check up

The man from the West was upset when he found out that __________________.

a. the other was the owner of the drugstore

b. the other was not his friend Jimmy

c. the other had plastic surgery

Key Words & Sentences

position (n): vị trí

department (n): bộ phận

arm in arm (idiom): khoác tay nhau

excited (adj): hào hứng

success (n): sự thành công

career (n): nghề nghiệp

hidden (adj): che giấu

brilliant (adj): sáng trưng

electric light: ánh đèn điện

look upon (phrasal verb): nhìn vào

release (v): thả ra

snap (v): gằn giọng

¹ Come on, Bob; we’ll go around to a place I know of and have a good long talk about old times.

² The man from the West had become excited by success.

³ When they came into this light, each of them turned at the same time to look upon the other’s face.

⁴ “Twenty years is a long time, but not long enough to change a man’s nose from long and thin to short and wide.”

“But it sometimes changes a good man into a bad one,” said the tall man. “You’ve been under arrest for ten minutes, ‘Silky’ Bob. The Chicago Police Department thought you would come to New York. They want to have a chat with you. You’ll come quietly, won’t you? That’s the smart thing to do. Now, before we go on to the police station, here’s a note I was asked to hand you.¹ You may read it here at the window. It’s from Police Officer Wells.”

The man from the West unfolded the little piece of paper handed to him.² His hand was steady when he began to read, but it trembled a little by the time he had finished.³ The note was rather short.

Bob,

I was at the appointed place on time. When you struck the match to light your cigar, I saw it was the face of the man wanted in Chicago.⁴Somehow I couldn’t do it myself, so I went around and got a plain clothes man to do the job.

Jimmy

Check up

Choose what does not match with the story.

a. The man from the West was on the wanted list in Chicago.

b. Jimmy went to the appointed place to meet his friend.

c. The man in a long overcoat was Jimmy’s friend.

Key Words

have a chat with: có cuộc nói chuyện với

note (n): lời nhắn

be asked to: được nhờ để làm gì

hand (v): trao tận tay

unfold (v): mở ra

steady (adj): điềm tĩnh

tremble (v): run

appointed (adj): đã hẹn

wanted (adj): bị truy nã

somehow (adv): không hiểu sao

get A to do something: nhờ A

làm việc gì đó

plainclothes (n): thường phục

Key Sentences

¹ Now, before we go on to the police station, here’s a note I was asked to hand you.

² The man from the West unfolded the little piece of paper handed to him.

³ His hand was steady when he began to read, but it trembled a little by the time he had finished.

⁴ When you struck the match to light your cigar, I saw it was the face of the man wanted in Chicago.

Comprehension Quiz

A. Choose the correct answers to the questions.

1. What is this story about?

(a) Boyhood friends who promised to meet again after 20 years.

(b) Two strangers who took very different paths in life.

(c) A policeman who finally arrested the man he has been hunting for 20 years.

2. Who is Jimmy Wells?

(a) A big time criminal who made his fortune in the West.

(b) The policeman at the beginning of the story.

(c) The man in the overcoat who greeted Bob on the street.

B. Complete the sentences with the words given.

note - jewelry - club - fortune

1. The plainclothes man gave ‘Silky’ Bob a _____________ from Jimmy Wells.

2. Bob went out to the West to make his _____________.

3. The man in the doorway had expensive _____________ that glittered in the light.

4. The policeman twirled his _____________ and walked away down the street.