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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Lost Mine CHAPTER 10 Benny’s Surprise

时间:2017-08-22 06:50来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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The Chuck Wagon1 looked especially festive2 that night. Country music played from the jukebox. Orange and yellow streamers looped the counter. A pink and green pi?ata in the shape of a bull hung from the ceiling.

“Wow!” said Benny. “Who did all this?”

Jake came out from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. “I did. How do you like it?”

“It’s different,” Violet remarked.

Jake himself looked different. He had shaved off his scraggly beard. His mustache had been neatly3 trimmed and he wore clean khaki pants and a denim4 shirt.

“Grandfather, can we sit at that large table? The Garcias are eating with us,” Jessie said.

“You bet,” Grandfather replied.

Jake ushered5 the Aldens to the round center table and handed out menus with a flourish.

“Where’s Janine?” asked Violet. She didn’t see the dark-haired waitress at her usual station by the cash register.

“She’ll be along,” Jake said mysteriously. “Meanwhile, I’ll take your drink orders.”

Benny and Violet ordered soft drinks, while Henry, Jessie, and Grandfather opted6 for iced tea with lemon.

The Garcia family came in and joined the Aldens.

“Tomorrow is your last day here,” said Mrs. Garcia. “I hope you have enjoyed your stay in Arizona.”

“And how!” Benny declared.

“I took some great pictures,” said Violet. “We’ll never forget this trip.”

Henry and Luis exchanged addresses so they could write to each other.

Jessie sat back in her chair. It felt good to relax with friends, but there were still many unanswered questions. Why did Mr. Tobias hide in his trailer? And why was Jake working in the restaurant?

The bell jangled and Mr. Tobias came in.

James Alden waved his arm. “Come join us, “ he offered.

Mr. Tobias gave a small smile. I’d be delighted. After a long day at the typewriter, I could use the company.”

“Are you working on another novel?” Grandfather asked.

Henry stared at Grandfather. “Novel? Do you know Mr. Tobias?”

Grandfather laughed. “I know his work. He’s a fine mystery novelist.” He spoke7 to Mr. Tobias. “I recognized you from the jacket photo of your last book. I assumed you were hard at work on a new mystery.”

“You deduced correctly,” Mr. Tobias said, chuckling8. “That’s why I came out here. So I could work in private.”

Benny was surprised. “You write mystery books? Boy, you should write down some of our stories. We solve mysteries all the time.”

“All except this one,” said Jessie dolefully. “We don’t have all the answers.”

Janine breezed into the restaurant. Her normally sour face was lit with a smile. She was actually perky.

“Nice going!” she praised Jake as she took in the decorations. “You really spiffed up the place.”

Jake brought a tray of iced tea to the Garcias and Mr. Tobias. “I found a box of party stuff in the back. Glad you like them.”

“You’ll work out okay,” Janine praised Jake, tying on her apron9.

The Aldens and Luis were completely mystified.

“Will somebody tell us what’s going on?” Henry demanded.

Janine laughed. “Meet my new coworker.”

Jake bowed modestly. “Miss Janine and I are in the dining business together.”

“I hired Jake to take Tom’s place,” Janine explained. She seemed much happier. “Already Jake is a thousand times better than that lazy Tom Parker.”

The Aldens had filled Grandfather in on Tom Parker’s activities.

“I still can’t believe that young man did all those things,” Grandfather said now. “Wrote threatening notes, lied about his background, stole Luis’s maps.” He shook his head in disbelief.

“I had my eye on him,” Jake said, bringing baskets of warm tortilla chips and dishes of salsa. “He always ducked out whenever I came into the store.”

“I noticed that.” Henry dunked a chip into the peppery sauce. “Was that you watching us the night Tom took us on the desert hike?”

Jake nodded. “I knew something was funny about that guy. Then I saw him try to build that fire!” He hooted10.

“He wouldn’t let anyone help,” added Mr. Garcia.

“And he disconnected our electrical cables so he could get into our trailer,” said Mrs. Garcia in disbelief.

Mr. Tobias spoke up. “I heard someone outside my trailer that night. I went to the door and whoever it was ran away. I guess I scared him away.”

“Then why didn’t you tell us?” Jessie said.

The writer smiled sheepishly. “To be honest, I was working on a crucial part of my story. I couldn’t leave my typewriter until I had written that chapter. After that, I just forgot about it.”

Grandfather nodded. “I’ve heard writers can be that way. They just block out the whole world.”

Benny swung his feet idly. The biggest, most important mystery hadn’t been solved. When Jake came back with a tray loaded with enchiladas, tamales, jalape?o cornbread, refried beans, and tacos, Benny saw his chance.

“Jake,” he said loudly, “did you find the Lost Dutchman’s mine?”

A dull flush crept up on Jake’s clean-shaven cheeks.

“Benny,” admonished12 Violet. “That’s Jake’s business, not ours.”

“Well, actually, it’s the state’s business,” Mr. Garcia said. “It’s against the law to dig in the Superstition13 Mountains.”

Jake glanced around the restaurant. Janine was busy in the back. There were no other customers besides Mr. Tobias, the Garcias, and the Aldens.

Putting his finger to his lips, he pulled a paper out of his pocket. He handed the old, yellowed paper to Mrs. Garcia.

She read the document silently, then handed it to her husband, who also read it. Mr. Garcia folded the paper carefully and passed it back to Jake.

“All is in order,” Mr. Garcia said.

Benny was bursting with curiosity. “What did the paper say?”

Mrs. Garcia grinned at him. “It said that Jake staked a claim before the law went into effect. He is excused from that law. Legally, he is permitted to dig.”

“You found the mine?” Benny’s eyes were like saucers.

Jake’s smile was secretive. “Let’s just say I found . . . something.”

Benny stared at the prospector14, awestruck. For once, he was not first to reach for the taco plate.

Dinner conversation drifted away from lost gold mines. The Garcias talked about their work as geologists15. Mr. Tobias spoke about writing mysteries. He could only write at night and sleep during the day, which explained his odd hours.

Grandfather had finished helping16 Gerald McCrae with his cabin. Tomorrow was the Aldens’ last day at RV Haven11.

“What would you like to do?” Grandfather asked.

The Alden children had different ideas.

“Go riding,” Violet suggested. She would like another ride on her horse, Dusty.

“Hang around the pool,” Jessie said.

“Hike into the mountains one last time,” Henry put in.

“All of those ideas sound fine,” Grandfather said approvingly. “No reason why we can’t do them all.” He turned to his youngest grandchild. “What about you, Benny? What would you like to do?”

“I bet I know,” Luis said with a grin. “Go look for the Lost Dutchman’s mine. Am I right, Benny?”

“Well . . . you know what I’d really like to do?” He whispered into Grandfather’s ear. If Jake could have a secret, so could he.

Grandfather nodded. “First thing tomorrow morning. And we’ll all go.”

Benny beamed and claimed the last taco.

The next morning, everyone met at the desert trail. Mr. Garcia led the way. Even Mr. Tobias and Jake came along.

Violet took pictures, which she had been unable to do the night Tom Parker guided them into the desert.

Jessie strolled beside Grandfather, enjoying the cool air.

Henry kept his eyes on the ground. Finding one small gold-colored rock wouldn’t be easy. But that was what Benny wanted to do, and Henry would do almost anything to make his little brother happy.

They reached the campground where Tom had built the sputtering17 campfire a few nights ago.

“This is probably where Benny lost his rock,” Grandfather said. “Let’s search the area thoroughly18.”

The group broke up to scour19 the campsite.

Benny combed the area where he had dozed20 off with his head on Jessie’s shoulder. His rock should be right about—

“Here it is!” Triumphantly21 Jake held up a small rock.

“You found it!” Benny cried.

Jake dropped the stone into Benny’s palm and closed his fingers around it. “Now, don’t lose it again, young man. I’ve got to help Janine at the restaurant. See you folks later.”

On the way back, Benny squeezed his fist so he wouldn’t drop his rock again. When they reached the pavement, he stopped to look at his prize.

“Hey,” he said. “It looks different. It’s got knobs instead of square sides.”

The others examined Benny’s stone.

Luis whistled. “Benny! This isn’t your hunk of fool’s gold!”

“It’s not?”

“It’s the real thing! Jake gave you a genuine gold nugget.”

“Wow!” said Henry. “Now we know Jake has definitely found something!”

“I think he found the mine,” Jessie said firmly.

“So do I,” said Luis.

Violet gazed dreamily into the brown hills. “Jake followed his heart, like the message on the stone said. I think he found good friends here. Now he won’t be lonely anymore.”

Benny stroked the smooth, yellow bumps embedded22 in the rock. Jake’s present was the best souvenir in the whole state of Arizona.

“Remember when we lent Jake money?” Henry said. “And he said he’d pay us back. Well, he did.”

Benny smiled broadly. “With interest!”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 wagon XhUwP     
n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车
参考例句:
  • We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
  • The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。
2 festive mkBx5     
adj.欢宴的,节日的
参考例句:
  • It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节,每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
  • We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。
3 neatly ynZzBp     
adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地
参考例句:
  • Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
  • The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
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 ushered d337b3442ea0cc4312a5950ae8911282     
v.引,领,陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
  • A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 opted 9ec34da056d6601471a0808ebc89b126     
v.选择,挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
  • After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。
7 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。
8 chuckling e8dcb29f754603afc12d2f97771139ab     
轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • I could hear him chuckling to himself as he read his book. 他看书时,我能听见他的轻声发笑。
  • He couldn't help chuckling aloud. 他忍不住的笑了出来。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
9 apron Lvzzo     
n.围裙;工作裙
参考例句:
  • We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
  • She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。
10 hooted 8df924a716d9d67e78a021e69df38ba5     
(使)作汽笛声响,作汽车喇叭声( hoot的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • An owl hooted nearby. 一只猫头鹰在附近啼叫。
  • The crowd hooted and jeered at the speaker. 群众向那演讲人发出轻蔑的叫嚣和嘲笑。
11 haven 8dhzp     
n.安全的地方,避难所,庇护所
参考例句:
  • It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后,这真是一个安乐窝。
  • The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。
12 admonished b089a95ea05b3889a72a1d5e33963966     
v.劝告( admonish的过去式和过去分词 );训诫;(温和地)责备;轻责
参考例句:
  • She was admonished for chewing gum in class. 她在课堂上嚼口香糖,受到了告诫。
  • The teacher admonished the child for coming late to school. 那个孩子迟到,老师批评了他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 superstition VHbzg     
n.迷信,迷信行为
参考例句:
  • It's a common superstition that black cats are unlucky.认为黑猫不吉祥是一种很普遍的迷信。
  • Superstition results from ignorance.迷信产生于无知。
14 prospector JRhxB     
n.探矿者
参考例句:
  • Although he failed as a prospector, he succeeded as a journalist.他作为采矿者遭遇失败,但作为记者大获成功。
  • The prospector staked his claim to the mine he discovered.那个勘探者立桩标出他所发现的矿区地以示归己所有。
15 geologists 1261592151f6aa40819f7687883760a2     
地质学家,地质学者( geologist的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Geologists uncovered the hidden riches. 地质学家发现了地下的宝藏。
  • Geologists study the structure of the rocks. 地质学家研究岩石结构。
16 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
17 sputtering 60baa9a92850944a75456c0cb7ae5c34     
n.反应溅射法;飞溅;阴极真空喷镀;喷射v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的现在分词 );发劈啪声;喷出;飞溅出
参考例句:
  • A wick was sputtering feebly in a dish of oil. 瓦油灯上结了一个大灯花,使微弱的灯光变得更加阴暗。 来自汉英文学 - 家(1-26) - 家(1-26)
  • Jack ran up to the referee, sputtering protest. 贾克跑到裁判跟前,唾沫飞溅地提出抗议。 来自辞典例句
18 thoroughly sgmz0J     
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地
参考例句:
  • The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
  • The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。
19 scour oDvzj     
v.搜索;擦,洗,腹泻,冲刷
参考例句:
  • Mother made me scour the family silver.母亲让我擦洗家里的银器。
  • We scoured the telephone directory for clues.我们仔细查阅电话簿以寻找线索。
20 dozed 30eca1f1e3c038208b79924c30b35bfc     
v.打盹儿,打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He boozed till daylight and dozed into the afternoon. 他喝了个通霄,昏沉沉地一直睡到下午。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • I dozed off during the soporific music. 我听到这催人入睡的音乐,便不知不觉打起盹儿来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
21 triumphantly 9fhzuv     
ad.得意洋洋地;得胜地;成功地
参考例句:
  • The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
  • Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。
22 embedded lt9ztS     
a.扎牢的
参考例句:
  • an operation to remove glass that was embedded in his leg 取出扎入他腿部玻璃的手术
  • He has embedded his name in the minds of millions of people. 他的名字铭刻在数百万人民心中。
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