Clementine Classics: Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser. Theodore Dreiser

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СКАЧАТЬ that is a great resort for Chicago people. The hotels are swell. You are not familiar with this part of the country, are you?”

      “Oh, yes, I am,” answered Carrie. “That is, I live at Columbia City. I have never been through here, though.”

      “And so this is your first visit to Chicago,” he observed.

      All the time she was conscious of certain features out of the side of her eye. Flush, colorful cheeks, a light mustache, a gray fedora hat. She now turned and looked upon him in full, the instincts of self-protection and coquetry mingling confusedly in her brain. Final sign? Female starts to freak the fuck out and tries to get the hell out of there.

      “I didn’t say that,” she said.

      “Oh,” he answered, in a very pleasing way and with an assumed air of mistake, “I thought you did.”

      Here was a type of the travelling canvasser for a manufacturing house—a class which at that time was first being dubbed by the slang of the day “drummers.” He came within the meaning of a still newer term, which had sprung into general use among Americans in 1880, and which concisely expressed the thought of one whose dress or manners are calculated to elicit the admiration of susceptible young women—a “masher.” His suit was of a striped and crossed pattern of brown wool, new at that time, but since become familiar as a business suit. The low crotch of the vest revealed a stiff shirt bosom of white and pink stripes. From his coat sleeves protruded a pair of linen cuffs of the same pattern, fastened with large, gold plate buttons, set with the common yellow agates known as “cat’s-eyes.” His fingers bore several rings—one, the ever-enduring heavy seal—and from his vest dangled a neat gold watch chain, from which was suspended the secret insignia of the Order of Elks. Fun fact: The Elks were segregated until as late as 1985, and they did not accept women until the mid 1990’s. They still don’t allow atheists. The whole suit was rather tight-fitting, and was finished off with heavy-soled tan shoes, highly polished, and the gray fedora hat. He was, for the order of intellect represented, attractive, and whatever he had to recommend him, you may be sure was not lost upon Carrie, in this, her first glance.

      Lest this order of individual should permanently pass, let me put down some of the most striking characteristics of his most successful manner and method. Good clothes, of course, were the first essential, the things without which he was nothing. A strong physical nature, actuated by a keen desire for the feminine, was the next. A mind free of any consideration of the problems or forces of the world and actuated not by greed, but an insatiable love of variable pleasure. His method was always simple. Its principal element was daring, backed, of course, by an intense desire and admiration for the sex. Let him meet with a young woman once and he would approach her with an air of kindly familiarity, not unmixed with pleading, which would result in most cases in a tolerant acceptance. If she showed any tendency to coquetry he would be apt to straighten her tie, or if she “took up” with him at all, to call her by her first name. If he visited a department store it was to lounge familiarly over the counter and ask some leading questions. In more exclusive circles, on the train or in waiting stations, he went slower. If some seemingly vulnerable object appeared he was all attention—to pass the compliments of the day, to lead the way to the parlor car, carrying her grip, or, failing that, to take a seat next her with the hope of being able to court her to her destination. Pillows, books, a footstool, the shade lowered; all these figured in the things which he could do. If, when she reached her destination he did not alight and attend her baggage for her, it was because, in his own estimation, he had signally failed. It’s tough being a white dude at the turn of the century. All that attending to baggage and shit. Those bitches heard of scoliosis or what?

      A woman should some day write the complete philosophy of clothes. No matter how young, it is one of the things she wholly comprehends. There is an indescribably faint line in the matter of man’s apparel which somehow divides for her those who are worth glancing at and those who are not. Once an individual has passed this faint line on the way downward he will get no glance from her. There is another line at which the dress of a man will cause her to study her own. This line the individual at her elbow now marked for Carrie. She became conscious of an inequality. Her own plain blue dress, with its black cotton tape trimmings, now seemed to her shabby. She felt the worn state of her shoes.

      “Let’s see,” he went on, “I know quite a number of people in your town. Morgenroth the clothier and Gibson the dry goods man.”

      “Oh, do you?” she interrupted, aroused by memories of longings their show windows had cost her.

      At last he had a clue to her interest, and followed it deftly. In a few minutes he had come about into her seat. He talked of sales of clothing, his travels, Chicago, and the amusements of that city.

      “If you are going there, you will enjoy it immensely. Have you relatives?”

      “I am going to visit my sister,” she explained.

      “You want to see Lincoln Park,” he said, “and Michigan Boulevard. They are putting up great buildings there. It’s a second New York—great. Poor Chicago. Playing second fiddle, even then. It’s your own fault, really. Who wants that much fucking crust on their pizza? So much to see—theatres, crowds, fine houses—oh, you’ll like that.”

      There was a little ache in her fancy of all he described. Again with “her fancy.” He may be referring to her psyche. Or her self-esteem. But I think Dreiser honestly thought that was the medical term for “ovaries.” Her insignificance in the presence of so much magnificence faintly affected her. She realized that hers was not to be a round of pleasure, and yet there was something promising in all the material prospect he set forth. There was something satisfactory in the attention of this individual with his good clothes. She could not help smiling as he told her of some popular actress of whom she reminded him. She was not silly, and yet attention of this sort had its weight.

      “You will be in Chicago some little time, won’t you?” he observed at one turn of the now easy conversation.

      “I don’t know,” said Carrie vaguely—a flash vision of the possibility of her not securing employment rising in her mind. Oh, god. Suddenly reminded of Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big’s first meeting. Yes, I watched that show, and no, you can’t judge me. It’s godawful, and I’ve seen every episode and both fucking movies.

      “Several weeks, anyhow,” he said, looking steadily into her eyes.

      There was much more passing now than the mere words indicated. He recognized the indescribable thing that made up for fascination and beauty in her. She realized that she was of interest to him from the one standpoint which a woman both delights in and fears. Her manner was simple, though for the very reason that she had not yet learned the many little affectations with which women conceal their true feelings. Some things she did appeared bold. A clever companion—had she ever had one—would have warned her never to look a man in the eyes so steadily. I don’t blame her. Eye contact is a bitch. That’s why I’m all about neck contact. Nothing sexual there, amiright?

      “Why do you ask?” she said.

      “Well, I’m going to be there several weeks. I’m going to study stock at our place and get new samples. I might show you ‘round.”

      “I don’t know whether you can or not. I mean I don’t know whether I can. I shall be living with my sister, and—”

      “Well, if she minds, we’ll fix that.” He took out his pencil and a little pocket notebook as if it were all settled. “What is your address there?”

      She fumbled her purse СКАЧАТЬ