One Million Dollars
By Cy Rice
Nicholas Andrea Dandolos was born in Greece.At the age of eighteen he traveled to America.He became an American citizen in Chicago，where he entered the fig business.One of his friends introduced him to a rich young lady who was to change Nick’s life forever.
It was the first time for him to call on the young lady.Nick dressed carefully for this date.Which suit to wear was an easy decision—he had only two suits.He decided to take a cab and gave the taxi driver the address on the Lake Shore Drive.The cab driver examined his customer suspiciously.
“Are you sure of that number，mister ”he asked.
“I’m sure.”
The cab started，the driver probably wondering why a man from a poor neighborhood was going to the wealthiest section of the city.
As the taxi moved past the luxurious homes，Nick looked out of the window curiously.At that time，he wasn’t aware that during his lifetime he would make more money than most of the successful men who lived in those mansions.The cab came to a halt before a huge house that looked like a castle.The driver was still doubtful.
“Are you sure this is the place ”
Nick said that he was.He paid the cab driver and walked up to the front door.A butler opened the door and asked for his card.Seeing no reason to hand him a business card that was probably stained with figs，Nick simply said，“Miss Parkinson is expecting me.”
“Very well，sir，”the servant answered and led him into a gold and silver room with stained glass windows and beautiful tapestries.Nick sat down.
“Mr.Dandolos ”A soft voice interrupted his thoughts.He stood up to face a slim，blonde woman Elizabeth Parkinson.She asked him to sit down in the chair facing hers.
All evening they sat and talked in the gold and silver room.Nick felt awkward and spoke haltingly.Yet，when he rose to leave，he asked Elizabeth if he might see her again.She nodded quietly.Yes.
Nick visited Elizabeth more and more frequently.Despite their different backgrounds，beneath the surface of their daily lives they both lived on the same intellectual level.Nick discussed his feelings，his thoughts，and his plans.Elizabeth absorbed his teachings and came to understand that with philosophy a man could face all the dangers of life calmly.She saw that this was the key to Nick’s personality.Nick，in turn，learned a lot from Elizabeth.She introduced him to English literature and poetry.With his remarkable memory，Nick soon was able to repeat long passages from the classics.
Nick was falling in love.He recognized the signs—the pain，the ecstasy，the hours that passed like minutes.To him，Elizabeth was a princess.It became difficult for him to sleep at night.He couldn’t concentrate on his work and began making many mistakes，mixing up deliveries of figs.Heknew it was impossible to marry her.He was poor，and she was rich.
Nonetheless，Nick and Elizabeth began to talk about marriage.They understood that there were two obstacles in the way—her mother and father.Mr.Parkinson was a powerful man，the head of a large meat⁃packing company employing hundreds of workers，and he did not approve of Nick.
One evening，when Nick was visiting Elizabeth，her parents were at home.Elizabeth decided that this was their right time to discuss marriage with them.Nicholas agreed and within a few minutes，Elizabeth returned with her parents.Before that day，the three had said very little to one another.Mr.and Mrs.Franklin Parkinson sat down and Elizabeth left room.
“Mr.and Mrs.Parkinson，”Nick said in a clear voice，“I would be honored if you would give me permission to marry your daughter，Elizabeth.”
Mr.Parkinson closed his mouth tightly.His eyes narrowed.Turing to his wife，he said，“I’ll take care of this，my dear.”
Without a word，Mrs.Parkinson stood up and left the room，closing the door behind her.Neither Nick nor Mr.Parkinson spoke immediately.The air seemed electrically charged.
“What is your income，my boy ”Mr.Parkinson asked.
“Very little，sir.”
“And your future ”
“What do you mean，sir ”
“What is your purpose in life，Mr.Dandolos ”
“To seek the truth，sir.”
Mr.Parkinson took a deep breath and counted to five，in order to control himself.Before him stood a man who had the audacity to tell him that his purpose in life was to seek truth instead of money.
“That sounds very romantic，very brave.But I don’t think you’re very practical，Mr.Dandolos.”
“You are correct，sir，”Nick agreed.
“You want to marry my daughter and take her away from all of this What will you give her in return ”He indicated the room and the house and all its luxury.
Nick smiled.“My way of life.”
“Your way of life ”Mr.Parkinson made no attempt to conceal his anger.“A few figs sold here and there Raising my grand⁃children in poor surroundings No.Not for my Elizabeth.She deserves much more.”
“How much money would be required to make you
er
I mean，your daughter，happy ”He asked.
Mr.Parkinson allowed a minute to pass without speaking and then gave his answer “One million dollars.One year from today，”Mr.Parkinson said.“One year，and one million dollars，and Elizabeth is yours.”He was delighted.He was sure he had gotten rid of this Greek forever.He nodded to Nick，got up，and left the room.
Nick walked all the way back home.He tried to think of all the ways in which one could makea million dollars within twelve months.He finally decided that he could never make it in commercial business because he did not have enough money to start one.He needed to find another solution.
The next morning，he visited a friend to talk about a different idea—betting on horses.
For hours his friend tried to convince Nick that it was impossible to make a million dollars on horse⁃racing.But Nick’s mind was made up.Finally the friend advised Nick to go to Canada，where he could try his luck at the Canadian race tracks.He did not want to leave Elizabeth，but he saw no other way to raise the money he needed.
After studying horses and gambling for three months，Nick said goodbye to Elizabeth，sold his fig business，and took a train for Montreal，Canada.
At first，Nick bet very little.He was learning from practical experiences and observation.He did not bet on tips or hunches.And he didn’t bet the same way every day.He looked for the horse that no one else had noticed.When he bet，he usually won，and his bankroll grew larger.
Nick began to bet more heavily.Within five months，he had won almost$400，000.People began to talk about him.They call him“Nick the Greek，”a nickname that stayed with him until his death.
Soon Nick became famous.He was adding to his fortune，but he was running out of time.To increase his earnings more rapidly，he bought a horse and named it Philosopher.With his own horse，he needed only one big win to reach his one⁃million⁃dollar goal.
Nick put$50，000 on Philosopher，betting that the horse would place first，second，or third.Nick was calm as he watched the horses leave the starting gate.As the horses neared the finish line，Philosopher was in fifth place.But with a sudden burst of speed，the horse moved into third place and crossed the finish line.Nick had won his million dollars
Nick dashed to the stables and borrowed a laundry bag.Stuffing his winnings，$135，000 in Canadian money，into the bag，he ran to the entrance of the race track and called a taxi.
When he arrived at his hotel，he packed two suitcases.One contained his clothes.The other contained one million dollars in cash.
He was about to leave as someone knocked at the door.Nick opened the door.A bellboy handed him a telegram.Nick tipped the boy five dollars and closed the door.
Whistling，he opened the envelop and read the contents.Nick’s whistle died in his throat.Tears ran down his cheeks and the telegram fell to the floor with the message face up
I REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT OUR BELOVED ELIZABETH DIED LAST NIGHT.
FRANKLIN PARKINSON
爱情与百万美元
【美】赛·赖斯
尼古拉斯·安德鲁·丹多洛斯生在希腊，十八岁时只身一人到了美国。在芝加哥，他加入了美国国籍，搞起了服装业。他的一个朋友把他介绍给了一位年轻富有的女士，而后来，这个女士彻底改变了他的一生。
初次拜访这位年轻的女士，尼克着意地收拾了一番。决定穿哪套西装很容易——他一共也只有两套。他决定坐出租车去，可是，当他把湖滨道的地址交给司机以后，司机却满脸狐疑。
“先生，您能肯定是这个门牌号吗？”
“能。”
出租车上了路，司机心里纳闷这个住在贫民区的乘客到全市最富的富人区去干什么。
出租车渐次经过富人区一家家豪华的府邸，尼克好奇地向外张望。当时的他很难想象，自己以后赚的钱比这些府邸中最成功的人还要多。车在一幢大宅第前停了下来，宅邸如城堡般富丽堂皇，司机还在狐疑。
“您能肯定是在这里吗？”
尼克说能肯定，就付了钱，然后拾级而上到了前门口。一个男管家开了门，向他索要名片，尼克觉得，与其出示一张可能染上衣服颜色的商务名片，还不如不拿的好，于是，他简简单单地说了句：“帕金森小姐在等我。”
“非常好，先生”。管家应了一声，把他领进了一个金碧辉煌的房间，只见窗上的玻璃都是彩色的，墙上还挂着壁毯。尼克坐了下来。
“是丹多洛斯先生吗？”一句柔声细语打断了他的思绪，他站了起来。眼前的这个女人金发碧眼，体态婀娜，正是他要见的伊丽莎白·帕金森。她请他在对面的扶手椅上落座。
整整一个晚上，他们一直在金碧辉煌的房间里说啊说。开始，尼克觉得有些窘迫，说话也不连贯，然而，当他起身告别时，还是问了句能否再见，她默默地点了点头，说好的。
尼克拜访伊丽莎白的次数越来越多了，尽管两人的出身背景不同、生活水平各异，但两人的知识水平相当。尼克谈自己的思想、情感，以及对未来的计划，伊丽莎白全神贯注地听着，接受着他的教诲，渐渐懂得了：一个具有哲学头脑的人，可以平静地面对生活中的一切挑战。她看得出这正是尼克个性的精髓。尼克也从伊丽莎白身上学到了不少东西，她给他介绍英国文学和诗歌，而尼克凭借着出色的记忆力，很快就能大段大段地背诵经典作品了。
尼克陷入爱河，他夜夜辗转反侧，无法专心工作，开始大量出错，服装也送错了地方。
他知道没法儿娶她，他穷，她富。尽管如此，他们还是开始议论婚事了，他们清楚面前有两个障碍：她的爸爸和妈妈。帕金森先生是个很强势的人，管理着一家大型肉制品包装公司，下管员工几百人，而他看不上尼克。
一天晚上，尼克又去看望伊丽莎白时，她的父母也在家里，伊丽莎白认为这是一个求婚的大好时机。几分钟以后，尼克也同意了，于是伊丽莎白带着父母回来了。此前，这三人没说过几句话。富兰克林·帕金森夫妇一坐下，伊丽莎白就出了房间。
尼克一字一顿地，说：“帕金森太太，帕金森先生，假如您能恩准我迎娶令爱伊丽莎白小姐，晚生不胜荣幸。”
帕金森先生的双唇紧闭，眼睛眯成了一条缝，他转过身来对妻子说：“让我来处理这件事，亲爱的。”
帕金森太太二话没说，起身离去，关上了门。尼克和帕金森先生半晌都没说话，空气中好像通了电一般。
“你的收入有多少，小伙子？”帕金森先生问道。
“很少，先生。”
“那你的未来会怎样？”
“您是什么意思，先生？”
“你的生活目标是什么，丹多洛斯先生？”
“追求真理，先生。”
帕金森先生深吸了一口气，不出声地从一数到五，克制着自己不要发作。面前站着一个胆敢对他说生活的目标不是赚钱而是追求真理的人。
“听起来非常浪漫，非常勇敢，可我不觉得非常实际，丹多洛斯先生。”
“您说的对，先生。”尼克表示同意。
“想把我女儿从这样的环境中娶走吗？你用什么来回报她？”他边说，边用手指着房间、房子以及著侈品。
尼克沉着地笑了笑：“用我的生活方式。”
“你的生活方式！”帕金森不想再掩饰自己的愤怒了。“在这里卖点衣服，在那里卖点衣服？在贫民区把我的外孙养大？不！不适合我的伊丽莎白，她值得佣有更多。”
“帕金森先生，多少钱才能使您……哦……我的意思是说，使令爱幸福？”他问道。
帕金森只想了一分钟，随即答道：“一百万美元，从今天开始，以一年为限，一年之内赚一百万，伊丽莎白就是你的了。”他得意扬扬地向尼克微微颔首，起身出了门，心里胸有成竹：这下可以摆脱这个希腊人了。
尼克走着回到了家里，在路上，他把能在12个月里赚100万的方法想了个遍，最后得出结论：做买卖不行，因为连启动基金都没有。他需要再想一个办法。
第二天一早，他跟朋友商讨一个截然不同的方法——赌马。
他的朋友花了数小时的时间试图使他相信靠赌马赚100万不可行，而尼克的主意已定。最终，他的朋友建议尼克去加拿大，他可以在加拿大的赛马场上试试运气。尼克不想离开伊丽莎白，他明白他已没有别的赚钱方法可以赚够所需要的钱。
他开始研究赛马和赌马。三个月以后，他卖掉了手里的服装，向伊丽莎白道了别，踏上了去加拿大蒙特利尔的火车。
开始，尼克只赌一点点，他观察，他实践，他从中学习。他赌的方法一天一个样，既不听信小道消息，也不感情用事。他找没人注意的马来赌，所以常常成为赢家，他的银行资金也随之增加。
接着，尼克开始下大注，五个月里，他就赢了四十万美元，人们开始谈论他，管他叫“希腊人尼克”。从此，这个绰号跟了他一辈子。
尼克很快名声大振。尼克的财富在增加，可是他的时间不够了，为了更快增加收入，他买了一匹马，取名“哲学家”。用自己的马来赌，只要再赢一大笔钱就够百万美元了。
尼克在“哲学家”身上下了五万加元的注，赌它进入前三名。马群从起点的大门开始跑了，尼克神色镇定地看着。马群接近终点了，尼克位居第五，突然，它凭借爆发力冲到了第三位，冲过了终点线，尼克赢了一百万！
尼克向马厩冲去借了个衣袋，把135万加元赌彩塞了进去，然后跑到赛马场的出口，上了一辆出租车。一到旅馆，他就开始整理两个手提箱，一个装衣服，一个装百万美金。他提起皮箱正要起身时，一个男服务员递给他一封电报，尼克给了男服务员5美元小费，关上了门。
他吹着口哨打开了电报袋，读着读着，尼克的口哨声低了下去，泪水从脸上滚落，电报掉到了地板上，电文朝上，内容清晰可见：
我遗憾地告知阁下，我们心爱的伊丽莎白于昨晚香消玉殒。
富兰克林·帕金森