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.