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儿童英语读物 The Creature in Ogopogo Lake CHAPTER 9 Getting Warmer

时间:2017-11-24 03:21来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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“Abby told me about a family park nearby,” Grandfather said over breakfast the next morning. “They have bumper1 boats and go-karts and miniature golfing. Anybody interested in checking it out?”

“That’d be great!” cried Benny, his eyes shining.

Henry agreed. “That’s a super idea, Grandfather,” he said, every bit as excited as his little brother. “Besides, we could use a break from detective work.” The four Alden children had puzzled and puzzled over the latest riddle2. But by the time they’d gone to bed, they still hadn’t come up with any answers.

“I promised Abby I’d join her for a cup of coffee before we leave,” said Grandfather, taking the blueberry muffins that Violet passed to him. “But it won’t take long.”

After breakfast, the four Alden children cleared the table and washed the dishes while Grandfather had coffee with Abby.

“Let’s take your notebook with us, Jessie,” suggested Violet, who was giving the counters a once-over. “We can try to figure out the riddle on the drive.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Henry agreed. “We really don’t have time to take a break from this mystery.”

“I put the notebook in my backpack,” said Jessie, glancing around the room. “Now … where did I leave the backpack?”

Violet looked around, too. “Maybe it’s outside. The last time I remember seeing it was when we were painting the signs.”

Benny was already halfway3 to the door. “I bet we left it by that big tree.”

The Aldens wasted no time checking it out. Sure enough, Jessie’s denim4 backpack was leaning up against the trunk of the old elm tree.

“It’s right where we left—oh, no!” Benny exclaimed.

“What in the world …?” Violet cried out at the same time.

The four Aldens stared in astonishment5. The words MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS—OR ELSE! had been painted in purple across one of the signboards.

Henry gave a low whistle. “Somebody sure doesn’t want us looking for that treasure.”

Benny’s eyes were huge. “Who do you think …?”

“Could be anybody,” Jessie broke in as she fished through the denim backpack for her notebook.

Henry used a stick to pry6 open the lid on the can of Goldenrod Yellow. “It’ll take more than a message in purple to get us to back off,” he said. Then he grabbed a paint brush and slapped a thick coat of Goldenrod Yellow over the words.

“It’s gone!” Jessie suddenly cried out.

Henry looked up. “What’s gone?”

“Are you talking about your notebook, Jessie?” Violet wanted to know.

Jessie shook her head. “My notebook is here, but … the photograph is gone!”

“Are you positive you left it in your backpack?” Henry wanted to make sure.

“Yes,” said Jessie. “It was right in this zippered7 pocket with the notebook.”

“I don’t understand.” Violet frowned. “It couldn’t just disappear.”

“It could if somebody stole it,” Benny said. “And I bet it was the same person who left that message.”

“Oh, Benny!” Violet exclaimed. “Why would anyone steal an old photograph of cats?”

“Unless,” Jessie remarked, “he—or she— knew the photo held a clue to the treasure.”

“Uh-oh,” said Benny.

Henry looked over at his little brother. “What is it, Benny?”

“Rilla Washburn knew about the clue,” Benny said in a quiet voice. “I gave away top-secret information when we saw her in town. Remember?”

“That’s okay, Benny,” Jessie assured him. “At least the thief didn’t take my notebook.”

The children forgot all about the mystery for a while when they got to the amusement park. They rode the bumper boats and the go-karts and did some wall climbing. Even Grandfather joined them for a game of miniature golf. Everyone had a wonderful time—at least until they were heading back to the resort. When they stopped at a cafe for lunch, Grandfather told them the news.

“It seems Abby’s made up her mind,” he said after the waitress had brought their food. They’d all ordered the special—cold turkey sandwiches, homemade potato chips, and root beer. “She’s decided8 to sell the Ogopogo Resort.”

“What …?” Benny almost choked on a potato chip.

“Oh, no!” Violet cried at the same time.

“I’m afraid it’s true,” said Grandfather. As he took a sip9 of root beer, the ice cubes clinked in the glass. “She told me this morning.”

The four Aldens looked at each other in dismay. They’d been so sure they’d find the treasure in time!

Grandfather swallowed a bite of his sandwich. “She’s planning to put in a call to her real estate agent today.”

“Today?” Henry winced10.

“Abby’s made up her mind,” said Grandfather. “I told her I’d look over the sales contract with her. It’s important to check out the small print.”

Benny frowned. “But we were getting warmer.”

Grandfather smiled at his youngest grandson. “I know you were hoping to save the day, Benny,” he said. “But things don’t always work out the way we plan.”

Violet let out a sigh. “I just wish things weren’t working out the way Rilla planned.”

“Abby hasn’t sold the resort yet, Violet,” Jessie reminded her, before crunching12 into a potato chip.

“That’s true,” said Henry. “And we haven’t given up yet, have we?”

“No!” the other Aldens almost shouted.

True to their word, the moment they got back to the resort, the four children turned their attention once again to the latest riddle.

To refresh their memories, Jessie pulled out her notebook and began to recite, Backwards13 or forwards, / from left or from right, / it’s always the same, / by day or by night.

Nobody said anything. They were deep in thought as they continued to paint signs.

“I still don’t get it,” Benny said, dipping his brush into the can of Lavender Mist. “What’s the same backwards or forwards?”

Violet couldn’t help laughing when she looked over at her little brother. “Oh, Benny!” she said. “You look like you’ve been face-painting.”

The youngest Alden had a smear14 of Goldenrod Yellow on his chin, a drop of Dragonfly Blue on the tip of his nose, and a splattering of Lavender Mist on his forehead.

“Paint likes my face,” said Benny, making them all laugh.

“I think paint likes your clothes, too,” Henry joked, making them laugh even harder.

Just then, they heard the crunch11 of tires on gravel15. They looked over to see Max getting out of his car. Smiling, he came across the grass, carrying a package under his arm.

“Great job!” He looked down at the signs approvingly. “They’ll be real easy to spot now.”

Benny gave him a half-hearted smile. “It won’t really matter.”

“Yeah, I heard the news.” Max stopped smiling. “I kept hoping Abby wouldn’t sell, but …” His words trailed away.

“We were all hoping Abby wouldn’t sell,” put in Jessie.

“Listen,” said Max. He lowered his voice as if about to share a secret. “I could use your opinion on something.” Taking the package from under his arm, he tore away the wrapping. “What do you think?” he asked, holding up a painting in a wood frame.

“That’s a picture of this place,” Benny realized. “And you can even see Ogopogo Lake in the background.”

Max looked puzzled. “Ogopogo Lake?”

“That’s what Benny calls Okanagan Lake,” Jessie explained.

“It’s a beautiful painting,” said Violet, taking a closer look. The watercolor showed a row of cabins nestled amongst the trees, with a lake in the background. “Oh—look at the bottom corner!”

“That’s Patch O’Brien’s signature.” Max was beaming.

Henry gave Max a questioning look. “Abby’s friend painted that?”

Max nodded. “I found it in our cabin—shoved in the back of a closet,” he said. “I got it framed to surprise Abby.”

“She’ll love it,” Jessie said, and the others nodded.

“You think the frame’s okay, then?” Max wanted to know.

Violet said, “That dark wood is perfect for the painting.”

“I thought so, too,” said Max, looking relieved. “At first, I thought a gold frame would be best. But then, on a hunch16, I went with the dark wood.”

The Aldens exchanged glances. A gold frame? That must have been the phone conversation they’d overheard.

“I’ll give it to Abby tonight,” Max went on, “after Rilla Washburn leaves. I’m hoping this little surprise will cheer her up a bit.”

Violet nodded in sudden understanding. That’s what Max had meant about keeping things hush-hush. He had wanted the painting to be a surprise.

“Our lips are sealed,” Henry promised.

“Looks like that’s one suspect we can cross off our list,” Jessie said when Max was out of earshot.

Nodding, Violet smiled a little. She knew Max could never be Rilla’s partner in crime.

“I’m almost finished here,” Henry said, dabbing17 his brush into Dragonfly Blue paint.

“Me, too,” said Jessie.

“Violet and I just have the letters for OGOPOGO left,” Benny put in. “We already did RESORT.”

“How about this, Benny?” said Violet. “Ill paint the letters O—G—O at the beginning, and you paint the letters O—G—O at the end.”

“Sure,” Benny agreed. “And we can both do the letter P in the middle.”

Violet couldn’t help laughing. “Did you notice? OGOPOGO is spelled the same both ways.”

Benny took another look. “Hey, you’re right, Violet!” he said in surprise. “That’s kind of funny, isn’t it?”

“It’s called a palindrome,” said Jessie.

“A palin-what?” Benny asked.

“Palindrome,” Jessie repeated. “That’s a word that’s spelled the same backwards or—”

“Forwards!” finished Henry, snapping his fingers. He sounded excited.

Violet and Benny looked over at their older brother and sister, puzzled.

“Remember the riddle?” Jessie explained, slapping Henry a high-five. “Backwards or forwards, / from left or from right, / it’s always the same, / by day or by night.”

“Wait a minute,” cried Benny. “Ogopogo is the answer to the riddle? Is that what you mean, Jessie?”

Jessie nodded. “That’s exactly what I mean, Benny.”

“Yeah!” shouted the youngest Alden. So did the others.

“But what does Ogopogo have to do with the treasure?” Violet wondered.

Benny’s face lit up. “I bet the treasure’s hidden in one of Ogopogo’s underwater caves!”

“Could be,” said Henry. “But I have a feeling it’s closer than that.”

“Do you think it’s on the property somewhere, Henry?” Violet wanted to know.

Henry didn’t seem to hear the question. He was busy fishing around in the can of purple paint. “That’s weird,” he said. “There’s something floating in here.”

Curious, the other Aldens moved closer. Henry removed a small object from the can. It was dripping with paint.

“What is that?” Benny wanted to know.

“I’m not sure.” Henry reached for a rag to wipe away the paint. “Looks like jewelry18.”

“What’s jewelry doing in a can of purple paint?” Benny asked as Henry held up a long, dangly19 earring20.

“Wait a minute,” said Violet, leaning in closer. “Are those green stones?”

Henry grabbed the rag and gave the earring another once-over. “Yeah, the stones are definitely green.”

Jessie turned to her younger sister. “What are you thinking, Violet?”

“It looks familiar,” Violet said. “I’ve seen that earring somewhere before.”

Just then, another car pulled into the driveway. They watched as Rilla Washburn climbed out and made a beeline for the gift shop.

“Of course!” Violet cried. “Rilla was wearing the same earrings21. When we ran into her in town, I mean.”

“Are you sure about that, Violet?” Henry asked.

Violet nodded her head up and down. “I remember how well the stones matched her dress.”

“But … how did Rilla’s earring get into the paint?” Benny wanted to know.

Henry had an answer. “It probably fell in when she was leaving that message.”

“Right before she stole the picture of Patch’s cats out of Jessie’s backpack,” added Violet.

“You think Rilla is the person who left the message telling us to mind our own business—or else, and stole the picture?” asked Jessie.

“It had to be her,” Henry insisted. “How else can you explain her earring getting into the paint?”

“Shouldn’t we tell Abby?” Benny wondered.

“The problem is,” Jessie told her little brother, “we can’t prove the earring belongs to Rilla.”

“And she’d never admit it was hers,” added Violet. “Otherwise, she’d have to explain how it got into the paint.”

“Maybe she doesn’t even know that’s what happened,” Henry said. “Let’s tell her we found her earring and see what happens.”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 bumper jssz8     
n.(汽车上的)保险杠;adj.特大的,丰盛的
参考例句:
  • The painting represents the scene of a bumper harvest.这幅画描绘了丰收的景象。
  • This year we have a bumper harvest in grain.今年我们谷物丰收。
2 riddle WCfzw     
n.谜,谜语,粗筛;vt.解谜,给…出谜,筛,检查,鉴定,非难,充满于;vi.出谜
参考例句:
  • The riddle couldn't be solved by the child.这个谜语孩子猜不出来。
  • Her disappearance is a complete riddle.她的失踪完全是一个谜。
3 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。
4 denim o9Lya     
n.斜纹棉布;斜纹棉布裤,牛仔裤
参考例句:
  • She wore pale blue denim shorts and a white denim work shirt.她穿着一条淡蓝色的斜纹粗棉布短裤,一件白粗布工作服上衣。
  • Dennis was dressed in denim jeans.丹尼斯穿了一条牛仔裤。
5 astonishment VvjzR     
n.惊奇,惊异
参考例句:
  • They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
  • I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
6 pry yBqyX     
vi.窥(刺)探,打听;vt.撬动(开,起)
参考例句:
  • He's always ready to pry into other people's business.他总爱探听别人的事。
  • We use an iron bar to pry open the box.我们用铁棍撬开箱子。
7 zippered ed46cf997b13826b9dcc208fa3765aea     
v.拉上拉链( zipper的过去式和过去分词 );用拉链扣上
参考例句:
  • Freeze grapes and put them into a zippered plastic bag. 还可以把葡萄冷冻,然后放在有拉链的塑料袋里。 来自互联网
  • Packaging is a VZB( Vinyl Zippered Bag packaging), with a color insert. 包装:有拉链的塑料袋,放一张彩卡。 来自互联网
8 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
9 sip Oxawv     
v.小口地喝,抿,呷;n.一小口的量
参考例句:
  • She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
  • Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。
10 winced 7be9a27cb0995f7f6019956af354c6e4     
赶紧避开,畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He winced as the dog nipped his ankle. 狗咬了他的脚腕子,疼得他龇牙咧嘴。
  • He winced as a sharp pain shot through his left leg. 他左腿一阵剧痛疼得他直龇牙咧嘴。
11 crunch uOgzM     
n.关键时刻;艰难局面;v.发出碎裂声
参考例句:
  • If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
  • People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。
12 crunching crunching     
v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的现在分词 );嘎吱作响;(快速大量地)处理信息;数字捣弄
参考例句:
  • The horses were crunching their straw at their manger. 这些马在嘎吱嘎吱地吃槽里的草。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The dog was crunching a bone. 狗正嘎吱嘎吱地嚼骨头。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 backwards BP9ya     
adv.往回地,向原处,倒,相反,前后倒置地
参考例句:
  • He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
  • All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。
14 smear 6EmyX     
v.涂抹;诽谤,玷污;n.污点;诽谤,污蔑
参考例句:
  • He has been spreading false stories in an attempt to smear us.他一直在散布谎言企图诽谤我们。
  • There's a smear on your shirt.你衬衫上有个污点。
15 gravel s6hyT     
n.砂跞;砂砾层;结石
参考例句:
  • We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。
  • More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。
16 hunch CdVzZ     
n.预感,直觉
参考例句:
  • I have a hunch that he didn't really want to go.我有这么一种感觉,他并不真正想去。
  • I had a hunch that Susan and I would work well together.我有预感和苏珊共事会很融洽。
17 dabbing 0af3ac3dccf99cc3a3e030e7d8b1143a     
石面凿毛,灰泥抛毛
参考例句:
  • She was crying and dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. 她一边哭一边用手绢轻按眼睛。
  • Huei-fang was leaning against a willow, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. 四小姐蕙芳正靠在一棵杨柳树上用手帕揉眼睛。 来自子夜部分
18 jewelry 0auz1     
n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝
参考例句:
  • The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
  • Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。
19 dangly 36ae2df865bad56993a260122bd20d48     
悬摆的,摆晃的
参考例句:
20 earring xrOxK     
n.耳环,耳饰
参考例句:
  • How long have you worn that earring?你戴那个耳环多久了?
  • I have an earring but can't find its companion.我现在只有一只耳环,找不到另一只了。
21 earrings 9ukzSs     
n.耳环( earring的名词复数 );耳坠子
参考例句:
  • a pair of earrings 一对耳环
  • These earrings snap on with special fastener. 这付耳环是用特制的按扣扣上去的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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