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儿童英语读物 Snowbound Mystery CHAPTER 4 Attic Guests

时间:2017-06-21 06:43来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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The Aldens got up. It was cold and dark. Not much light came in from the window, and the fire in the fireplace was almost gone.

Henry looked up at the ceiling. He listened. “That must be a squirrel,” he said.

“One squirrel?” asked Benny. “It sounds like a dozen!”

“Oh, dear,” said Jessie. “I’ve been told the only way to get rid of squirrels when they get in a house is to kill them.”

“We won’t do that,” said Violet quickly.

“Don’t worry, we won’t do that,” Henry said. “But maybe we can scare them away. Watch, you lie down! Bring me one of those shovels2, Ben.”

Benny was nearest the fireplace. He gave a long-handled shovel1 to his older brother. Henry began to pound on the ceiling with the long handle.

The noise stopped. Not a sound. After a minute it began again. Watch barked and ran around the rooms. Henry pounded again. The noise stopped.

“Now we’re in a fine fix!” Henry said. “We can stop the noise, but I don’t want to stand here all night pounding with a shovel.”

Jessie said, “I guess we’ll have to try to sleep and let the squirrels play.”

But Henry still stood looking up at the ceiling in the boys’ bedroom. It was made of wide boards and was not plastered.

“Ben, come here,” Henry called. “There’s something funny. The bedrooms have wooden ceilings. But the main room hasn’t any ceiling at all. It’s open to the roof—look, you can see the beams.”

Benny looked up. The squirrels were still running around. He said, “I think when the cabin was new the bedrooms didn’t have any ceilings. Someone must have had them put in later to make the bedrooms warmer.”

“That attic3 space over the bedrooms is all closed in,” Henry said. “I can’t see any trapdoor or any way to get up there from this part of the cabin. The squirrels must get in through some hole in the roof.”

“They have a fine little home up there, that’s for sure,” said Benny.

“Tomorrow I’ll go up on the roof and see how it looks,” Henry replied. “Maybe we can scare them out and close the hole. Do you think you can sleep, anybody?”

“I can if Watch doesn’t keep barking,” said Jessie. “We know what it is now, so we’re not scared.”

Watch stood wagging his tail and looked up at Jessie. She said, “It’s all right. You can stop barking.”

It was a strange thing. Watch did stop barking. The squirrels scratched and scratched, but Watch didn’t make a sound. Soon they were all asleep, Watch, squirrels, and all.

In the morning the Aldens dressed, and Henry built up the fire before they ate breakfast.

“We’d better go back to the store today and get some advice about squirrels,” said Jessie. “Mr. Nelson must know there are squirrels up in that attic. If he has been here three times, he must have heard them.”

The Aldens got ready as fast as they could. They took their knapsacks. Henry locked the door and put the key in his pocket.

Benny said, “Farewell, you squirrels! Come again never!”

It was a perfect day. It was even more beautiful than the day before. There was not a cloud in the sky. Jessie said, “I don’t think this weather is going to last very long. Grandfather would call this a weather breeder. It means a storm.”

“It doesn’t look like a storm,” said Benny.

“No, Benny, that is what a weather breeder is. A beautiful day that doesn’t last. Oh, well, never mind! We can get along even if it rains all the rest of the time.”

Halfway4 to the store, Henry stopped suddenly. He grabbed Watch by the collar and pointed5 with his finger. Everyone looked where he was pointing. It was a deer!

The beautiful animal stood perfectly6 still. With soft brown eyes, he looked at the strangers. Then Watch gave a bark, and the deer gave a high jump. There was a pile of rocks in front of him, and he went right over them and disappeared.

“What a jumper!” said Jessie. “He must have jumped ten feet. And it was uphill, too. Oh, look, there goes another! Look at that jump!”

“That was the doe,” said Henry. “Her horns aren’t as big.”

“But she can jump as well as the other one,” said Benny.

At last they reached the store. They told Mr. Nelson all about the squirrels.

“Yes,” he said, “I have heard them. Some people might try to poison them. But that wouldn’t work. More squirrels would come. I think your idea of stopping up the hole in the roof is best. Make sure the squirrels are all out, though, before you stop up the hole.”

Mrs. Nelson said, “Tom could let you take some boards and a hammer and nails, couldn’t you, Tom?”

“Sure,” said Mr. Nelson.

Then Jessie told Mrs. Nelson what they wanted to buy. “We want some hamburger and hot dogs for our Benny here, and we want some peanut butter—”

“I wish I could go too,” said Puggsy. “Can’t I go, Mommy?”

“No, you can’t.” Mrs. Nelson shook her head. But she was turning red again, and well she might. For Puggsy went on, “If you let me go, I won’t hunt for anything.”

Tom Nelson laughed, but he was uneasy. He said, “I must tell you that my grandfather built that cabin years ago. I suppose Puggsy thinks it is his cabin.”

“I’m sure he does,” said Jessie. “It’s all right. Don’t worry about him. He could come with us, but he would have to stay overnight.”

“Do you know where the spring water in the cabin comes from?” Henry asked Mr. Nelson.

“Yes, the water runs downhill from the spring. I know it is close to the cabin. You could look for it. I think there’s an old sign.”

“Well, here we go,” said Jessie. “Got everything, Henry?”

“Yes, some good boards and a hammer and nails.”

“We’ll be down again soon,” said Henry as he went out of the store.

When the store was out of sight, Jessie said, “Isn’t that the strangest thing?”

Benny said, “Something is wrong with those Nelsons! They are nice people, too. What’s wrong with them, Henry?”

“I wish I knew,” answered Henry. “I like Tom Nelson. But he certainly is worried about something.”

“One sure thing,” said Benny, “if they want to hide anything, they’d better not take Puggsy along!”

Everyone laughed.

Jessie exclaimed, “Oh, where’s Watch?”

They all looked around, but the dog was not there.

“Watch!” shouted Henry as loud as he could. They listened. Not a sound. Henry put down the hammer and nails and boards he was carrying.

“He can’t be far away,” said Jessie. “Watch!” she called. Then they all heard a faint whine7. Instantly they ran toward the sound.

“I can hear Watch, but I can’t see him,” Benny called.

Henry ran toward some bushes. “Easy, old boy, I’m coming,” he called when Watch whined8.

Then Henry stopped and pushed the bushes away. Now he saw why Watch had not come.

“It’s a hunter’s trap!” shouted Henry. “Watch has caught his hind9 paw in a trap.”

Watch lay on the ground trying to lick his hind paw. When he saw Jessie he looked up and wagged his short tail.

“Hold his foot, Jessie,” Henry said, “and I’ll force the trap open.” He picked up a heavy stick to push the jaws10 of the trap open.

In less than a minute Watch was free. He held up his back paw and hopped11 on three legs.

But Henry was angry. He said, “Those steel traps are against the law! Somebody is trying to catch a fox, but he’s lost his fox and his trap.”

Henry picked up the trap and took it with him. He did not want to say anything to worry Jessie and Violet, but he did not like the idea of someone setting traps in the woods. He hoped it was not anyone who used the hunters’ cabin. Indeed, he hoped that there were no strangers at all in the woods. But someone had set a trap.

Jessie looked at Watch’s paw, but it was not badly hurt.

They went back to the path, and Benny said, “Henry, I haven’t seen you mad for a long time.”

“Well, I don’t like this,” Henry said. “I wonder if the Nelsons know there is a trapper around here.” He went back to get the nails and hammer and boards.

The family went on without talking. Then when they were almost at the cabin Benny saw something near the path. It looked like an old, broken sign. He saw an arrow and the word “Spring.”

“Look!” said Benny. “Funny thing we didn’t see this sign before. We have been past it three times.”

Henry stopped. “I guess we were always thinking about something else. I’d like to find that spring. We are almost home, and it won’t take long.”

Everyone agreed—all but Watch. He was surprised to see his family go back up the hill. He thought he was going home to lunch. But he turned around, too, and trotted12 along beside Jessie. He did not even hold up his paw now.

There was a path, but it was a poor one. Henry and Benny were both thinking the same thing, but they did not know it. They were wondering if the spring had anything to do with what the Nelsons wanted to find.

“Not many people come to look at the spring, I guess,” said Violet. “It isn’t very easy walking.”

There was something about it that Violet did not like. Maybe it just seemed too lonely.

“I see it,” said Benny. “See that wooden cover? The spring must be under it.”

The cover was about a yard square. Henry and Benny lifted it from the front edge.

“Good,” said Henry. “It stands up by itself.”

The Aldens bent13 over to look inside. The sides of the spring were made of flat stones. The water was clear and about two feet deep.

It was just a spring. There was no mystery about it.

“This never freezes,” said Henry.

“Why not?” asked Benny. “How do you know?”

“Watch it, Ben,” said Henry. “See, the water is running in and out all the time? Probably the water comes from a spring ten feet deep.”

The Aldens turned to go home, and at that moment it suddenly began to rain. They all ran.

“These boards are getting wet already!” Henry called as he ran.

“You can’t fix the roof today,” called Benny.

“I never thought it would rain,” said Violet.

“It’s that old weather breeder,” said Benny. “Hurry up, Henry, and unlock the door. My hair is all wet.”

When the Aldens were safely in the cabin, Henry put more wood on the fire. Soon the place was warm and cozy14. They sat around the fire, cooking hot dogs on sticks.

“Hold my stick,” Benny said to Violet. “I’ll get my radio. Maybe we can hear a weather report.”

The hot dogs were roasted when Benny said, “Listen, here’s the report.”

“Rain tonight and clearing tomorrow,” a voice on the radio said. “Mild weather will continue.”

“We aren’t going to be like Noah in the ark with forty days and forty nights of rain,” said Benny. “One afternoon and night are enough for me.”
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 shovel cELzg     
n.铁锨,铲子,一铲之量;v.铲,铲出
参考例句:
  • He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
  • He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。
2 shovels ff43a4c7395f1d0c2d5931bbb7a97da6     
n.铲子( shovel的名词复数 );锹;推土机、挖土机等的)铲;铲形部份v.铲子( shovel的第三人称单数 );锹;推土机、挖土机等的)铲;铲形部份
参考例句:
  • workmen with picks and shovels 手拿镐铲的工人
  • In the spring, we plunge shovels into the garden plot, turn under the dark compost. 春天,我们用铁锨翻开园子里黑油油的沃土。 来自辞典例句
3 attic Hv4zZ     
n.顶楼,屋顶室
参考例句:
  • Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
  • What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理?
4 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。
5 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。
6 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
7 whine VMNzc     
v.哀号,号哭;n.哀鸣
参考例句:
  • You are getting paid to think,not to whine.支付给你工资是让你思考而不是哀怨的。
  • The bullet hit a rock and rocketed with a sharp whine.子弹打在一块岩石上,一声尖厉的呼啸,跳飞开去。
8 whined cb507de8567f4d63145f632630148984     
v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 );哀诉,诉怨
参考例句:
  • The dog whined at the door, asking to be let out. 狗在门前嚎叫着要出去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • He whined and pouted when he did not get what he wanted. 他要是没得到想要的东西就会发牢骚、撅嘴。 来自辞典例句
9 hind Cyoya     
adj.后面的,后部的
参考例句:
  • The animal is able to stand up on its hind limbs.这种动物能够用后肢站立。
  • Don't hind her in her studies.不要在学业上扯她后腿。
10 jaws cq9zZq     
n.口部;嘴
参考例句:
  • The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
  • The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。
11 hopped 91b136feb9c3ae690a1c2672986faa1c     
跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 ); 单足蹦跳; 齐足(或双足)跳行; 摘葎草花
参考例句:
  • He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
  • He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车,向市区开去。
12 trotted 6df8e0ef20c10ef975433b4a0456e6e1     
小跑,急走( trot的过去分词 ); 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句:
  • She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。
  • Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。
13 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
14 cozy ozdx0     
adj.亲如手足的,密切的,暖和舒服的
参考例句:
  • I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯,因为他们是舒适的。
  • We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。
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