W.H. Hudson—William Henry Hudson (1841–1922), a writer raised in Argentina by American parents whose subjects include South America and England.
“The Purple Land”—The Purple Land That England Lost by W.H. Hudson, a romance set in South America and published in 1885.
Alger—Horatio Alger (1832–1899), U.S. writer of boys’ stories; his books typically deal with rags-to-riches stories of young boys advancing from poverty to wealth and acclaim.
an R.G. Dun report—precursor of Dun & Bradstreet, an agency furnishing subscribers with information as to the financial standing and credit rating of businesses.
boat train—a train scheduled to be at a port in time for the prompt transfer of passengers to or from a ship.
a week’s mail stories—Jake is a foreign correspondent for a North American newspaper. He refers here to his week’s quota of articles to be mailed overseas.
British East Africa—the former name of the country now known as Kenya.
get off some cables—send newspaper stories overseas via telegram.
the Quarter—the Latin Quarter, a section of Paris south of the River Seine where many artists and students live.
carbons—carbon copies of typewritten pages.
by-line—a line identifying the writer of a newspaper or magazine article.
Gare St. Lazare—railroad station located in Paris’s 8th Arrondisement.
Café Napolitain—a Parisian café.
apéritif—an alcoholic drink taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite.
Boulevard—Boulevard St.-Germain, the “main drag” of Paris’s Latin Quarter.
