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儿童英语读物 Mystery in the Sand CHAPTER 5 A Hundred Cats!

时间:2017-06-29 02:25来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

The Aldens found a small restaurant on Main Street. There was a large sign with an apple painted on it.

“The Red Apple,” Benny said. “This place ought to have apple pie, don’t you think?”

The Aldens went in, and the girl showed them to a table for four.

Jessie said, “Let’s have something I can’t cook in the trailer kitchen.”

“Roast lamb and baked potato for me,” Henry said. “You could never roast lamb in our oven1. And I am hungry after all the excitement of last night and this day.”

They all agreed on lamb—all but Benny. “No,” he said, “I’ll stick to my hamburgers and peanut butter sandwiches.”

“Benny,” objected Jessie, “why have the same old thing? You can have a change.”

“I don’t like a change,” answered Benny. “I like peanut butter, and for dessert, apple pie and cheese.”

“Well, sandwiches are cheaper,” said Henry.

The food was delicious, and the waitress pleasant. She laughed at Benny with his peanut butter. She said, “I’ve got a young brother like you. He never gets tired of peanut butter and jelly2.”

“Oh, I forgot the jelly,” Benny replied. “I’d like that, too.”

As the Aldens were eating, the manager came up to their table and asked if everything was all right.

“Oh, yes,” replied Jessie. She noticed that the manager was an older man and that gave her an idea. “We are curious about that Tower House,” she said. “It is so different from anything else in town. Do you know who lives there and who owns it?”

“Well,” answered the manager, “I don’t remember the Lane3 family myself, but I think the house is still owned by the Lanes4. But then I may be wrong. I think all the Lanes are dead. Miss Mary Smith lives there all alone.”

At the mention of the name Lane, Benny looked up quickly. Could the L on the locket stand for Lane? That surely seemed a good guess.

“Do you remember when Miss Smith moved in?” asked Henry.

“Well, yes and no, you might say,” the manager answered.

“I guess you mean you were too young to remember,” said Benny.

The man laughed. “No, I am not too young. I was right here when suddenly, just like that, Miss Mary Smith lived in the Tower House. She came in the night and nobody saw her move in. When morning came, bang5! there she was.”

“You see her around Beachwood?” Jessie asked.

“She comes out once in a while to buy food or to go to the post office. That’s about all. I’d say she just doesn’t like people.”

“That’s funny,” said Benny. “I can’t understand that.”

The manager smiled at Benny and said, “Well, you like everybody. That’s why you can’t understand.”

But Benny did not quite agree. He said, “I think everyone likes people. But some people don’t know that they do.”

“Maybe you are right,” the older man said. “I have an aunt who never smiles, but it is because she is shy.”

“We have a special reason for wanting to talk to Miss Smith,” Henry told the manager. And he explained about the locket with the picture of the Tower House in it.

“And the L must stand for Lane,” Benny added. “You have already helped us.”

“I’m surprised Miss Smith even opened the door,” the man said. “She is a strange person. Now, understand—I don’t know this for a fact—but I think Miss Smith is an artist and paints pictures.”

Benny looked surprised. “Why?” he asked. “Why do you think so?”

“About every month or so, I know that Miss Smith mails a package to New York. I understand it always goes to the same address, which is on one of the avenues where dealers6 buy and sell paintings. Pictures come through in a special kind of box. I used to work in a city post office, and that’s how I know. Miss Smith uses the same kind of box.”

“Miss Smith may be a painter,” Violet7 said thoughtfully8.

“I don’t know what she paints,” the man said. “She hardly ever goes out. She doesn’t look around her or paint the sea or houses.”

Violet said, “A real artist can paint anything and sell it. A door or a window or an old chair.”

Benny said, “Even a design in a carpet.”

The man laughed. “I suppose you’re right. Anyway if she is an artist, that is probably the way she earns money.”

“Wouldn’t you think she would want people to see her work?” asked Violet. “She sounds so odd9.”

The manager went on slowly and his voice was low. “I do hear all sorts of wild stories about Miss Smith. Of course I am not ready to believe them. But I have heard that she keeps a hundred cats in that tower.”

“A hundred cats!” exclaimed10 Jessie. “I can’t believe that many, but maybe one or two.”

“Or no cats at all,” added the manager. “People like to make up stories about anyone they don’t understand.”

Benny said, “I bet11 she does keep cats. When she opened the door, we were standing12 near enough to smell something. It really smelled like the lion house at the zoo. What a smell!”

The manager looked at Benny. “That is the first real proof13 I have ever heard that there might really be cats at the Tower House. People are often a lot like their pets. Miss Smith is like a cat, very quiet.”

“What makes you say that?” asked Benny.

“When she buys stamps and envelopes, she has a little paper she gives to the clerk, saying how many stamps she wants and what kind. Miss Smith doesn’t have to say a word. She pays for them and goes out. She always seems to have money.”

“But I should think she would be interested in a locket that has a picture of her own house,” Benny said. He felt there was a puzzle here he should be able to solve. “Would you like to see the locket?”

“Indeed I would,” said the man. He held the locket and then opened it carefully.

“Well,” he said in surprise. “You didn’t tell me there was a picture of a cat inside. I am sure that this cat must have died long ago. But probably Miss Smith has a young cat a lot like this. Who knows?” He laughed.

Benny put the locket back in his pocket.

Henry said, “I guess we’ll have to think what to do next. You have helped us a lot. Now we have some idea of what Miss Smith does to keep busy.”

Jessie said, “Let’s go back to the beach. We’ve done enough today.”

On the way back to the trailer, Benny said, “I can’t wait to tell Mr. Lee what we have learned14 so far.”

“I wonder if we’ll see anyone walking on the beach at midnight,” said Henry.

Violet said, “I hope not!”

Benny really meant to wake up during the night. He wanted to see if anyone would be on the beach at midnight. But he swam so much that he slept very soundly. Nothing as quiet as footsteps15 in the sand could waken16 him. Henry never stirred17, and neither did Jessie or Violet.

Early in the morning, however, the Aldens were outside, having breakfast as usual. The kettle was boiling, and Mr. Lee’s special chair and cup were ready.

“He’s late,” Benny said.

“Not yet,” replied Henry. “But we ought to see him in the distance.”

Then he came, walking along with Richard and carrying his metal-finder. He did not stop often because he wanted to see the Aldens as much as they wanted to see him. He walked faster and was soon near enough to speak.

“How did you get along in town?” he called.

“Quite well,” said Jessie, pouring the hot tea.

“You are spoiling18 me,” said the old gentleman. “When you go home, I shall miss my extra breakfast. Do tell me what you did.”

One by one, the Aldens told about Miss Smith’s closing the door in their faces, about the Red Apple, the manager’s ideas, and the cats.

Mr. Lee nodded. “The manager is right about the cat in the picture. It can’t be living now. But it was surely a beautiful cat.”

“We’re going to see if we can find out more about Miss Smith,” Benny said. “I still wonder why she didn’t even want to see the locket.”

“Mr. Lee, what did you do while we were gone?” asked Jessie.

“Oh, I was going to tell you,” he said, fishing in his pocket. He took out a very large coin. “I found this buried two feet down, right in front of the biggest cottage. It is a very old coin and I should think valuable.”

The Aldens looked at the old coin. “Think how long this has been lost!” exclaimed Jessie.

“Yes,” said Mr. Lee. “It may have been lost way up under the cottage long before there was a house there. It probably worked its way downhill. I have marked the place. I shall dig deeper there this winter and may find other things. There is no one around to bother me when the weather is cold.”

“Someone at the cottage didn’t lose that coin?” asked Violet.

“No, I’m sure not. They have been here only a week, and the coin was buried deep. It was lost a long time ago. Once I found a 1937 buffalo19 nickel20. That is a very special coin, too. And yesterday I found a Boy Scout21 pin. It belonged to the boy in the house next to mine. That was the best part of my day—to see his face when I gave him his pin.”

The Aldens couldn’t help but notice that the best part of Mr. Lee’s adventure had been finding22 the Boy Scout pin, not the valuable coin.
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 oven iJuxQ     
n.烤炉;烤箱
参考例句:
  • You put food inside an oven to cook it.你把食物放进烤箱里热一下。
  • She baked bread in an oven.她用烤炉烤面包。
2 jelly KaBz4     
n.冻,果子冻,胶状物
参考例句:
  • We had toast and jelly at breakfast.我们早餐吃的是烤面包和果冻。
  • The medicine was a clear jelly.这种药是透明的胶状物。
3 lane i2kxH     
n.(乡间)小路(巷);车(跑,泳)道;航道
参考例句:
  • There is a shop at the end of this lane.这条胡同的顶头有一家商店。
  • The champion is running in lane five.冠军跑在第五跑道上。
4 lanes 36373506bd49f75dcff89d28c2374128     
n.小路( lane的名词复数 );车道;航道;分道
参考例句:
  • A headless rider haunts the country lanes. 一个无头骑士常出没于乡间的小路上。
  • He made a kamikaze run across three lanes of traffic. 他不要命地冲过了三条车道。
5 bang dPmyH     
n.巨响,猛击;vi.砰砰作响;vt.砰地敲,猛击
参考例句:
  • Pack it up, you kids;or I'll bang your heads together!住手,你们这些小孩,再弄就揍你们!
  • She fell and got a nasty bang on the knee.她摔倒了,膝盖猛撞在地上。
6 dealers 95e592fc0f5dffc9b9616efd02201373     
n.商人( dealer的名词复数 );贩毒者;毒品贩子;发牌者
参考例句:
  • There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
  • The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败,与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。
7 violet 8h3wm     
adj.紫色的;n.紫罗兰
参考例句:
  • She likes to wear violet dresses.他喜欢穿紫色的衣服。
  • Violet is the color of wisdom,peace and strength.紫色是智慧的,和平的和力量的颜色。
8 thoughtfully aoiwf     
ad.考虑周到地
参考例句:
  • She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. 她若有所思地抚摩着下巴。
  • The man pulled thoughtfully at his pipe before commenting on our proposal. 那人若有所思地吸了口烟,然后就我们的建议发表自己的见解。
9 odd P5szQ     
adj.奇特的;临时的;奇数的;n.[pl.]机会
参考例句:
  • She looks a bit odd.I wonder what has happened to her.她的神色有些异样,不知出了什么事。
  • He's an odd character and no mistake!他的确是个怪人!
10 exclaimed 68e477dcdab3965d2189fb7276ee5041     
vt.exclaim的过去式v.呼喊,惊叫,大声说( exclaim的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • "We have a good chance of winning," he exclaimed optimistically. “我们很可能获胜。”他乐观地喊道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She exclaimed in delight when she saw the presents. 她见到礼品高兴得叫了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 bet ddZy8     
v.打赌,以(与)...打赌;n.赌注,赌金;打赌
参考例句:
  • I bet you can't do this puzzle.我敢说,你解决不了这个难题。
  • I offered to bet with him.我提出与他打赌。
12 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
13 proof OSUzB     
adj.防...的,耐...的,能防护;n.校样,证据,证明;vt.检验,给...做防护措施
参考例句:
  • He is living proof of the wonders of modern medicine.他是当代医学奇迹的活证明。
  • The proof was fished up from some old papers.校样在旧文件中被找到了。
14 learned m1oxn     
adj.有学问的,博学的;learn的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
  • In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里,他被视为有学问的人。
15 footsteps 6508b080b068283fa9f93b103a1b4406     
n.脚步(声),一步的距离,足迹;脚步(声)( footstep的名词复数 );一步的距离;足迹
参考例句:
  • the sound of footsteps on the stairs 楼梯上的脚步声
  • Their footsteps echoed in the silence. 他们的脚步声在一片寂静中回荡着。
16 waken ahawT     
vi.醒来;vt.弄醒
参考例句:
  • We must waken the people to the dangers facing our country.我们必须使人们认识到我们国家面临的危险。
  • What time are you going to waken him?你准备什么时间叫醒他?
17 stirred 5541e33a1b6fc5b13a368d6c2b41f06a     
v.(使)移动( stir的过去式和过去分词 );搅拌;(使)行动;(使)微动
参考例句:
  • She stirred her tea. 她搅了搅茶。
  • He stirred the coffee until it was a light reddish-brown. 直到咖啡成红褐色,他才停止搅拌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 spoiling 12672a65b92da337fc5556c3ddd2349d     
v.变质( spoil的现在分词 );损坏;毁掉;破坏
参考例句:
  • You are spoiling this man's son. 贼夫人之子。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The murderer attempted to escape from law punishment by spoiling his own face. 那个杀人犯企图自毁容貌以逃脱法律的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 buffalo 1Sby4     
n.(北美)野牛;(亚洲)水牛
参考例句:
  • Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
  • The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。
20 nickel HGyxI     
n.镍,(美国和加拿大的)五分钱
参考例句:
  • Nickel can be used for making coins.镍可做成钱币。
  • May I have a nickel?能给我五分钱吗?
21 scout oDGzi     
n.童子军,侦察员;v.侦察,搜索
参考例句:
  • He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵,受了重伤。
  • The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。
22 finding 5tAzVe     
n.发现,发现物;调查的结果
参考例句:
  • The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
  • That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。
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