PDF chapter test TRY NOW
I loved him for this. By myself, I might never have found Lutkins. With the hack driver’s knowing help, I was sure of getting my man. I took him into my confidence and told him that I wanted to serve the summons on Lutkins — that the man had refused to be a witness, when his information would have quickly settled our case. The driver listened earnestly. At the end, he hit me on the shoulder and laughed, “Well, we’ll give Brother Lutkins a little surprise.”
“Let’s start, driver.”
“Most folks around here call me Bill or Magnuson. My business is called ‘William Magnuson Fancy Carting and Hacking’.”
“All right, Bill. Shall we proceed to Fritz’s”.
“Yes, Lutkins is just as likely to be there as anywhere. Plays a lot of poker. He’s good at deceiving people.” Bill seemed to admire Lutkins’ talent for dishonesty. I felt that if he had been a policeman, he would have caught Lutkins respectfully, and jailed him with regret.
Explanation:
The narrator then says he liked the delivery man (hack driver) because of his humanity and kindness in treating a stranger. Here, one can find that the narrator calls the man using different names. At first, he calls him a delivery man, and secondly, he addresses him as a 'hack driver'. The narrator then says that he might not find Lukins on his own, and he was sure that with the help of the kind hack driver, he could catch Lutkins. As the hack driver worked hard for him, he told him the truth behind his search. He told him that Lutkins was a witness in an important case, but he was not helping them out by giving the details. That information from Lutkins could help them in solving the case quickly. The driver heard all this sincerely and then hit on the narrator's shoulder. The term "hit me on the shoulder" means putting hands over the shoulder in a friendly way and says that they would surprise Brother Lutkins by catching him and fulfilling the narrator's purpose.
The narrator then says, "Let's start, driver." On hearing that, the hack driver says that most people in the town call him Bill or Magnuson. In addition, he says that his business is called 'William Magnuson Fancy Carting and Hacking'. After hearing that, the narrator says, "All right", and asks him to proceed with the mission. The hack driver then says that Lutkins should look anywhere. In addition, he says that Lutkins was fond of playing poker, and he had a talent for tricking people. On hearing that, the narrator felt that the hack driver appeared impressed by Lutkins' capacity to deceive others. The narrator also believed that if the hack driver had been a police officer, he would have arrested Lutkins with respect and imprisoned him out of sorrow.
The narrator then says, "Let's start, driver." On hearing that, the hack driver says that most people in the town call him Bill or Magnuson. In addition, he says that his business is called 'William Magnuson Fancy Carting and Hacking'. After hearing that, the narrator says, "All right", and asks him to proceed with the mission. The hack driver then says that Lutkins should look anywhere. In addition, he says that Lutkins was fond of playing poker, and he had a talent for tricking people. On hearing that, the narrator felt that the hack driver appeared impressed by Lutkins' capacity to deceive others. The narrator also believed that if the hack driver had been a police officer, he would have arrested Lutkins with respect and imprisoned him out of sorrow.
Meanings of the difficult words:
| S.No | Words | Meanings |
1 | Business | A person's regular occupation, profession, or trade |
2 | Proceed | Begin a course of action |
3 | Deceive | Deliberately cause someone to believe something that is not true, especially for personal gain |
4 | Regret | Feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over something that one has done or failed to do |
5 | Dishonesty | Deceitfulness showed in someone's character or behaviour |
6 | Poker | A game played with cards in which people try to win money from each other |
Reference:
National Council of Educational Research and Training (2007). The Hack Driver- Sinclair Lewis (pp. 47-53). Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi.
Register for free to see more content