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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Secret Message CHAPTER 8 A Scrap of Red

时间:2017-08-25 03:31来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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Quick!” Henry said, grabbing Jessie’s wrist, and the two flew across the pavement.

It was getting darker and the town hall cast a long, spooky shadow. At last they reached the bench.

Jessie’s tote bag containing her notebook was leaning against one wrought-iron leg. She snatched it up.

“I wonder if that person was looking for your notebook, too,” Henry said as they hurried toward the parking lot.

“I don’t know,” Jessie said over her shoulder.

Their footsteps fell softly on the worn bricks, but something didn’t sound right. Henry stopped, causing Jessie to stop, too.

Behind them, more footsteps rang out, then died.

“Someone’s back there!” Jessie whispered. “We’re being followed!”

Henry thought so, too. “Let’s get on our bikes and head home,” he said quietly.

Henry opened the back door for Jessie. Grandfather hadn’t returned and Mrs. McGregor was in her room. Benny, Violet, and Watch were waiting in the living room. Watch thumped1 his tail in greeting.

Jessie buried her face in the dog’s thick fur. She was glad to be home.

“Who was that person lurking2 around the statue?” she asked Henry.

“It was definitely a woman,” said Henry. “It looked like Dawn, but why would she run away? She could see it was just us.”

“What about that other person?” Jessie asked. “The one who was following us.”

“You don’t think that was Dawn coming back?” asked Henry.

Jessie shook her head. “The footsteps sounded different. Heavier.”

“If you’re right, then maybe we scared off the phantom3 of Greenfield Square,” Henry said. “But we still don’t know who it is. But one thing is for sure: we should keep an eye on Rick Bass4, Sylvia Pepper, and Dawn Wellington. They’ve all acted strange.”

“Tomorrow we can look for clues. You two can help us, okay?” Jessie suggested to Violet and Benny. “Maybe we’ll find something around the statue.”

“Good idea,” Henry said. “We have to work on the festival anyway.”

The festival was the day after tomorrow. Henry wondered if the event would take place after all.

The next morning the Aldens rode into town with Grandfather.

“We have a lot of work to do today,” James Alden said. “It’s my job to keep everyone on schedule.”

“And it’s my job to keep you on schedule,” said Jessie. The notebook was close by her side. She wasn’t going to let it out of her sight until the festival was over.

“Wow!” Benny exclaimed as they came into the square. “Look at all the people!”

A blue truck was parked next to the statue of Josiah Wade5.

“The construction crew is here,” Henry said.

“Yes, this is the crew Sylvia Pepper hired to build the booths,” Jessie said.

“A lot of the booths are finished,” Grandfather observed. “They must have gotten here early.”

A few workers unloaded lumber6 by the town hall. Hammers rang out. Electric saws zipped through boards.

The statue of Josiah Wade was temporarily blocked from view. The workers had erected7 scaffolding around the statue and covered it with canvas to prevent damage.

A short man with scruffy8 hair carried a stepladder. When he saw the Aldens, he waved.

“That guy reminds me of our dog,” Benny said. “His hair sticks out just like Watch’s does.”

“I’m going to see if the men have everything they need,” said Grandfather.

“And we’ll get to work,” Henry said. The Aldens were on cleanup duty, but they were also going to hunt for clues.

The shop owners were busy, too. Ms. Reit and Sylvia Pepper were putting the finishing touches on their shop windows. Mr. Ames from the hardware store was hanging a large banner that proclaimed, GREENFIELD WINTER FESTIVAL.

“Look up there!” Benny cried. He pointed9 to a figure sitting on top of a lamppost. “It’s Dawn!”

Dawn shinnied down the lamppost. She wore her camera around her neck.

“The things a photographer has to do to take good pictures!” Dawn said, joining the children.

“Weren’t you scared up there?” Violet asked.

“I’m not crazy about heights, but that was the best place to get shots of the rooftops.”

“I don’t think I could climb a lamppost just to get a good picture,” Violet said admiringly.

Dawn turned a small crank on her camera, rewinding the film. “Well, that’s the last of this roll of film. I think I have enough shots for the souvenir booklet.”

Jessie pulled a flier from her notebook. “Grandfather had stacks of these printed. People can order your booklet tomorrow at the festival.”

“I’m taking souvenir pictures, too,” Violet said to Dawn. “People will pay a dollar and I’ll send them the picture later, after I have the film developed.”

“Why don’t you let me develop them for you?” Dawn said. “I can do it much cheaper than the lab the drugstore uses.”

“That would be great!” Violet paused, then added nervously10, “I’ve only taken pictures of the family. This is my first real assignment.”

“You should take a few test shots,” Dawn advised. “Pose a model by the statue today, just to see what the light is like. That way you’ll know exactly where to stand tomorrow.”

“I’ll be your model, Violet,” Benny volunteered.

Dawn patted Violet’s arm. “You’ll do just fine. Now I’d better get into my darkroom and develop this film.”

Violet watched the young woman disappear into her studio. “I can’t believe she’s the phantom of Greenfield Square. She’s just too nice.”

“I know,” Henry agreed. “But if Dawn was in the square last night, why didn’t she say anything about seeing us? We can’t rule out anyone as a suspect.”

“Let’s get started looking for clues,” Jessie said. “Why don’t we each take a corner of the square? We’ll meet at the statue.”

Henry nodded. “Good plan, Jessie. We can always count on you to keep us organized.”

Jessie blushed as she passed out small trash bags. “I’ll take the corner by the town hall. Pick up trash and anything that looks suspicious.”

Benny combed the ground near the parking lot. He found bottle caps and straw wrappers, which he threw into the garbage bag. But nothing else.

Too many people had walked around that morning, he concluded. Any clues the phantom had left behind would have been destroyed.

He had almost reached the statue when he saw something red between two bricks in the pavement.

A scrap11 of red silk.

He pulled it out. It was a ribbon, like the kind Dawn Wellington used around her ponytail.

“It’s lunchtime!” Grandfather’s voice boomed across the square.

Stuffing the ribbon in his pocket, Benny ran to Cooke’s Drugstore.

“I never thought you’d be last to a meal!” Grandfather teased Benny as they all went inside.

They each chose a stool and ordered. Mrs. Turner assured them that apple pie with warm cinnamon sauce was on the menu.

Violet sat next to Benny. She had been taking practice pictures while she searched for clues in the square.

“I saw you pick something up,” she said, putting her camera in her lap. “What did you find?”

Benny pulled the ribbon from his pocket. “This looks like Dawn’s.”

“It does,” Violet agreed with a sinking heart. “But she could have lost it anytime.” She was sure her special friend was not the phantom.

Sylvia Pepper came in while the Aldens were eating. She went over to Grandfather and said, “How do you like the construction crew I hired?”

“They seem to be just fine,” James Alden replied. “Won’t you join us for a bite to eat?”

“No, thanks,” Sylvia replied. “I just wanted to see how things were going.” Then she added, “I hope when the town votes to move the statue, you’ll remember who helped you with this festival.”

“A lot of people have helped,” Grandfather said evenly. “But I do appreciate your efforts, Miss Pepper.”

“The town won’t want to move the statue anyway,” Henry said when Sylvia had left. “I’m positive of that.”

“We won’t know until the votes are tallied,” said Grandfather. “Rick Bass offered to help count the ballots12 tonight.”

The young museum director also wanted the statue moved, thought Henry. He hadn’t seen Rick that day and wondered where he was.

After lunch, they all went back outside. Two workmen were tying a tarpaulin13 over the blue truck bed. The stands and booths were finished. The scaffolding had been removed from the statue, but the canvas remained.

“That’s our booth,” Jessie said, checking a chart in her notebook. “It’s right next to the refreshment14 booth.”

“Yummy!” Benny liked the idea of being next to the cookie booth.

Violet took out her camera. “Benny, why don’t you go over by the statue now? I want to check the light.”

Benny ran over to the statue. As he leaned against the crumbling15 base, he wondered why the statue was still covered.

Lifting one corner, he peered under the cloth.

He couldn’t believe his eyes.

The statue was gone!


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 thumped 0a7f1b69ec9ae1663cb5ed15c0a62795     
v.重击, (指心脏)急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Dave thumped the table in frustration . 戴夫懊恼得捶打桌子。
  • He thumped the table angrily. 他愤怒地用拳捶击桌子。
2 lurking 332fb85b4d0f64d0e0d1ef0d34ebcbe7     
潜在
参考例句:
  • Why are you lurking around outside my house? 你在我房子外面鬼鬼祟祟的,想干什么?
  • There is a suspicious man lurking in the shadows. 有一可疑的人躲在阴暗中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
3 phantom T36zQ     
n.幻影,虚位,幽灵;adj.错觉的,幻影的,幽灵的
参考例句:
  • I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她,好像她是一个幽灵。
  • He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。
4 bass APUyY     
n.男低音(歌手);低音乐器;低音大提琴
参考例句:
  • He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
  • The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。
5 wade nMgzu     
v.跋涉,涉水;n.跋涉
参考例句:
  • We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
  • We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。
6 lumber a8Jz6     
n.木材,木料;v.以破旧东西堆满;伐木;笨重移动
参考例句:
  • The truck was sent to carry lumber.卡车被派出去运木材。
  • They slapped together a cabin out of old lumber.他们利用旧木料草草地盖起了一间小屋。
7 ERECTED ERECTED     
adj. 直立的,竖立的,笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立,建立
参考例句:
  • A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
  • A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。
8 scruffy YsWyG     
adj.肮脏的,不洁的
参考例句:
  • Despite her scruffy clothes,there was an air of sophistication about her.尽管她衣衫褴褛,但神态老练世故。
  • His scruffy appearance does not reflect his character.他邋遢的外表并不反映他的性格。
9 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。
10 nervously tn6zFp     
adv.神情激动地,不安地
参考例句:
  • He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇,努力忍着不哭出来。
  • He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。
11 scrap JDFzf     
n.碎片;废料;v.废弃,报废
参考例句:
  • A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
  • Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。
12 ballots 06ecb554beff6a03babca6234edefde4     
n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 );选举;选票;投票总数v.(使)投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 tarpaulin nIszk     
n.涂油防水布,防水衣,防水帽
参考例句:
  • The pool furniture was folded,stacked,and covered with a tarpaulin.游泳池的设备都已经折叠起来,堆在那里,还盖上了防水布。
  • The pool furniture was folded,stacked,and covered with a tarpaulin.游泳池的设备都已经折叠起来,堆在那里,还盖上了防水布。
14 refreshment RUIxP     
n.恢复,精神爽快,提神之事物;(复数)refreshments:点心,茶点
参考例句:
  • He needs to stop fairly often for refreshment.他须时不时地停下来喘口气。
  • A hot bath is a great refreshment after a day's work.在一天工作之后洗个热水澡真是舒畅。
15 crumbling Pyaxy     
adj.摇摇欲坠的
参考例句:
  • an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子
  • The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。
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