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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Orphan Train CHAPTER 4 A Hidden Message

时间:2017-11-21 03:09来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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“What a beautiful garden,” Jessie said. The other Aldens agreed as they helped Kate gather flowers the next morning.

Kate looked pleased. “Thank you, Jessie. My guests often help out with the weeding. They find it relaxing.” She added some daisies to the basket over her arm. “Of course, my younger guests prefer to swim in the pond or play in the jungle.”

This caught Benny’s attention. “Jungle?”

“Oh—that’s the name my grandmother gave to the woods over there.” Kate twisted around and pointed1. “When she was growing up, she’d pretend it was filled with lions and tigers and elephants. Sally often lived in a world of make-believe. You see, she never had any brothers or sisters.”

Just then a doorbell sounded inside the house. A moment later, the back door flew open and Lindsay called out, “The truck’s pulling into the driveway, Kate.”

“I’ll be right there!” Kate quickly tugged2 off her garden gloves. “Come and see it, kids!” she said, before rushing away.

Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny hurried after Kate. They watched curiously3 as two delivery men carried a dusty old desk into the front room.

“There’s a spot for it right over here,” Kate directed the men. “No, no. A little more to the left … more … more. Yes, that’s it!”

As the delivery men went on their way, Kate clasped her hands. “My great-grandfather’s walnut4 desk! And look, those are the original white china knobs on the drawers!” she added. “I can’t believe the desk is back where it belongs. Of course, I’m still on the lookout5 for the matching chair. But I’ll track it down.”

When Kate paused to catch her breath, Henry said, “What do you mean about tracking it down, Kate?”

“The chair was sold at auction6 years ago, Henry. So was the old desk … a sideboard … some tables and chairs.” Kate threw up her hands. “Oh, the list goes on and on.”

The children looked at one another in surprise. “Why was the furniture sold?” asked Violet.

Kate answered, “I’m afraid my grandfather was a bit reckless when it came to money. Just after he married my grandmother, he lost a small fortune on the stock market. The bills were piling up, so …”

“The furniture was sold,” finished Benny.

Kate nodded, sighing. “It was a sad day for my grandmother. But I’ve managed to track most of the furniture down and buy it back.” She looked over at the Aldens. “Do you know where I found that desk? In a workshop!” she said, answering her own question. “The drawers were filled with garden tools.”

“That would explain why it’s so—” Jessie stopped herself in mid-sentence.

Kate laughed. “You can say it, Jessie—that desk is definitely a mess! I’ll cover it with a sheet until I have time to give it a good waxing.”

“Maybe we could lend a hand,” volunteered Henry.

“Of course,” agreed Jessie. Benny and Violet nodded.

Kate looked surprised—and pleased. “Are you sure? It’s a big job.”

“We like big jobs,” said Benny.

Violet asked, “When can we start?”

“Right now, if you like,” Kate said. “I’ll get the rags and a can of furniture wax.” Then she hurried away.

In no time at all, the four Alden children were hard at work. While they rubbed the wood to a shine, they talked about Sally Crawford’s mysterious secret.

“I don’t get it,” said Benny, scratching his head.

“What don’t you get?” asked Jessie.

Benny looked at them. “Why did Sally want to tell a secret if she’d kept it hidden for so long?”

“You got me!” said Henry, wiping out a grimy drawer.

“Maybe Sally just found out about it herself,” Jessie put in.

“From Ethan Cape,” guessed Violet, still thinking there was a connection between the famous photographer and Sally Crawford’s secret.

“You might be right, Violet,” Jessie told her. “But there’s no way of knowing for sure.”

“We’ll get to the bottom of it,” insisted Benny as he rubbed a china knob. “Right, Henry?”

Henry didn’t answer.

“Henry?” Jessie asked. “Is anything wrong?”

Henry still didn’t answer. He was busy patting all around the inside of a drawer. Finally, he looked up and said, “Speaking of getting to the bottom of things, I think this drawer might have a false bottom.”

“Oh, you mean a secret compartment7?” Violet asked in surprise. “Is that what you’re saying, Henry?”

“I’m not sure,” Henry answered as everyone gathered round. “Let me try something.”

They others held their breath as Henry slipped a finger into a knothole, then pulled up gently on the bottom of the drawer. Lifting it away, he said, “There’s something underneath8!”

“What is it?” Jessie asked in a hushed voice.

Henry reached into the secret compartment and removed a folded piece of paper, yellowed with age. As he silently read the note printed in black ink, his eyes widened and he gasped9.

“What is it, Henry?” Violet wanted to know. “Don’t keep us in suspense10.”

“It’s some kind of message addressed to Sally Crawford,” Henry said.

Everyone was staring at Henry. “Read it, okay?” Benny said.

Henry nodded. Then he read,

Where leopards11 get spotted12

a clue will appear.

Just take a look under

the little dog’s ear.

Benny made a face. “That sure is weird13.”

“I wonder who wrote it?” added Jessie.

“Thane Pace,” Henry answered. “At least, that’s how it’s signed.”

“Who was he, do you think?” wondered Violet.

“Maybe Kate knows,” suggested Benny, already halfway14 to the door, with the others close behind.

It took them a while, but they finally spotted their friend coming up the front steps, letters in one hand, a rolled-up newspaper in the other.

“Oh—have you been trying to find me?” Kate asked.

“Did you know about the secret compartment?” asked Benny, who always got right to the point. “The one in the old desk?”

“Why, no,” she said, sinking down into a porch chair. “This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

Jessie said, “Well, guess what?”

“There’s a false bottom in one of the drawers,” Benny blurted15 out.

Henry added, “We found a note somebody wrote to Sally.”

“Somebody by the name of Thane Pace,” put in Violet.

Kate looked around at them, stunned16. “Did you say … Thane Pace?”

Nodding, Henry handed her the note. As Kate read the strange message, the Aldens pulled the chairs closer and sat down.

“This is an amazing find.” Kate shot the children a grateful glance. “A note from Thane Pace—written to my grandmother when she was just a little girl!” She shook her head in disbelief.

“But … who was Thane Pace?” asked Benny.

“He was the teenage boy who saved my grandmother’s life.”

The children were so surprised by Kate’s words they were speechless.

“My grandmother wasn’t much older than Benny that winter,” Kate said in a quiet voice. “She was skating all alone on the pond out front when it happened.”

Henry gave Kate a questioning look. “When what happened?”

“The ice broke and Sally fell through—into the icy water.”

“Oh, no!” Violet cried, horrified17.

“What happened then?” Benny asked breathlessly.

“To make a long story short,” said Kate, “a teenage boy, who happened to be walking along the road at the time, heard Sally’s cries for help. At great risk to his own life, Thane Pace pulled my grandmother from the icy water.”

Henry let out a low whistle. “What a brave thing to do.”

For a few moments, no one spoke18. Then Jessie asked, “Was he a neighbor? Thane Pace, I mean.”

Kate shook her head. “No, he wasn’t from around here. According to my grandmother, he lived some distance away. He’d left home to search for his sister.”

“His sister?” Henry repeated, not understanding. “Was she lost?”

“I should explain,” said Kate. “The thing is, Thane Pace and his sister came out to Kansas together on the Orphan19 Train. Thane was about ten years old at the time, and his sister was just a baby.”

The Aldens were instantly curious. “What’s an Orphan Train?” asked Benny.

“It was a train that brought orphans20 out west long ago. A group of people called the Children’s Aid Society believed children who had no parents would have a better chance living on farms than on the streets of New York.”

“Oh,” said Violet, catching21 on. “Then Thane and his sister came out to Kansas to find a new family.”

“Exactly,” Kate said, nodding. “But sometimes a family wanted one child, not two.”

“Oh, Kate!” cried Jessie. “You can’t mean that … that …” It was too horrible to think about.

“I’m afraid it’s true, Jessie,” said Kate. “Thane was adopted by one family, and his baby sister by another.”

The four Aldens stared at Kate in disbelief. Finally, Benny said, “We were orphans, too. Only, Grandfather wanted all of us to live with him.”

“Even Watch,” added Henry.

“There’s nothing your grandfather values more than family,” Kate said quietly. “But I guess that was true for Thane, too. He never forgot his baby sister. When he was old enough, he set out to find her.”

“And did he?” Henry wanted to know. “Find her, I mean.”

“Nobody knows, Henry,” answered Kate. “Sally never heard from Thane again after her father—my great-grandfather—chased him away.”

“What …?” Henry could hardly believe his ears. “Why would her father chase him away? Thane saved Sally’s life, didn’t he?”

Kate sighed. “Apparently some money went missing.”

Benny’s eyebrows22 shot up. “Missing?”

“After Thane had been staying here for a few weeks, my great-grandfather accused him of theft.”

Violet shook her head in disbelief. She couldn’t imagine a hero like Thane Pace stooping to petty crime. That did not seem possible. But then, why else would Sally’s father chase him away?

“I guess that’s why this note was kept from Sally” Kate concluded. “If they thought it was from a thief, I mean.”

“Maybe Thane put the note in the desk himself,” offered Henry.

Kate thought about this. “Yes, I guess it’s possible,” she said at last. “If he knew about the secret compartment, that is.”

“Did your great-grandfather have any proof that Thane stole the money?” Jessie wondered.

“I’m not sure, Jessie,” Kate admitted. “It happened so long ago.”

“I bet he didn’t do it,” Benny said.

“Something about it sounds fishy,” agreed Henry.

Kate was bending over the note again. “It doesn’t make any more sense than this rhyme,” she said. “I mean, why would Thane save Sally’s life and then steal from her family?”

Violet had a thought. “Do you think that rhyme holds the truth?”

Kate waved that away. “I doubt it, Violet. This was just a parlor23 game. I remember my grandmother talking about Thane’s rhymes and riddles24, and how much fun she had trying to solve them.”

But the Aldens weren’t convinced it was just a game. They had a feeling there was more to it than that. A lot more.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
2 tugged 8a37eb349f3c6615c56706726966d38e     
v.用力拉,使劲拉,猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
  • A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 curiously 3v0zIc     
adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地
参考例句:
  • He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
  • He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。
4 walnut wpTyQ     
n.胡桃,胡桃木,胡桃色,茶色
参考例句:
  • Walnut is a local specialty here.核桃是此地的土特产。
  • The stool comes in several sizes in walnut or mahogany.凳子有几种尺寸,材质分胡桃木和红木两种。
5 lookout w0sxT     
n.注意,前途,瞭望台
参考例句:
  • You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
  • It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来,公司的前景可就不妙了。
6 auction 3uVzy     
n.拍卖;拍卖会;vt.拍卖
参考例句:
  • They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
  • They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。
7 compartment dOFz6     
n.卧车包房,隔间;分隔的空间
参考例句:
  • We were glad to have the whole compartment to ourselves.真高兴,整个客车隔间由我们独享。
  • The batteries are safely enclosed in a watertight compartment.电池被安全地置于一个防水的隔间里。
8 underneath VKRz2     
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
参考例句:
  • Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
  • She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
9 gasped e6af294d8a7477229d6749fa9e8f5b80     
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要
参考例句:
  • She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
  • People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
10 suspense 9rJw3     
n.(对可能发生的事)紧张感,担心,挂虑
参考例句:
  • The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。
  • The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。
11 leopards 5b82300b95cf3e47ad28dae49f1824d1     
n.豹( leopard的名词复数 );本性难移
参考例句:
  • Lions, tigers and leopards are all cats. 狮、虎和豹都是猫科动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • For example, airlines never ship leopards and canaries on the same flight. 例如,飞机上从来不会同时运送豹和金丝雀。 来自英语晨读30分(初三)
12 spotted 7FEyj     
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的
参考例句:
  • The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
  • Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
13 weird bghw8     
adj.古怪的,离奇的;怪诞的,神秘而可怕的
参考例句:
  • From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来,他好像有点怪。
  • His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。
14 halfway Xrvzdq     
adj.中途的,不彻底的,部分的;adv.半路地,在中途,在半途
参考例句:
  • We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路,天就黑了。
  • In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上,最忌讳的是有始无终。
15 blurted fa8352b3313c0b88e537aab1fcd30988     
v.突然说出,脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She blurted it out before I could stop her. 我还没来得及制止,她已脱口而出。
  • He blurted out the truth, that he committed the crime. 他不慎说出了真相,说是他犯了那个罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 stunned 735ec6d53723be15b1737edd89183ec2     
adj. 震惊的,惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
  • The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。
17 horrified 8rUzZU     
a.(表现出)恐惧的
参考例句:
  • The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
  • We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。
18 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
19 orphan QJExg     
n.孤儿;adj.无父母的
参考例句:
  • He brought up the orphan and passed onto him his knowledge of medicine.他把一个孤儿养大,并且把自己的医术传给了他。
  • The orphan had been reared in a convent by some good sisters.这个孤儿在一所修道院里被几个好心的修女带大。
20 orphans edf841312acedba480123c467e505b2a     
孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
  • Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。
21 catching cwVztY     
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住
参考例句:
  • There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
  • Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。
22 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
23 parlor v4MzU     
n.店铺,营业室;会客室,客厅
参考例句:
  • She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
  • Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店?
24 riddles 77f3ceed32609b0d80430e545f553e31     
n.谜(语)( riddle的名词复数 );猜不透的难题,难解之谜
参考例句:
  • Few riddles collected from oral tradition, however, have all six parts. 但是据收集的情况看,口头流传的谜语很少具有这完整的六部分。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗
  • But first, you'd better see if you can answer riddles. 但是你首先最好想想你会不会猜谜语。 来自辞典例句
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