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儿童英语读物 The Mystery Horse CHAPTER 10 The Mystery’s Over!

时间:2017-07-27 02:49来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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“What’s going on?” Mrs. Morgan looked anxious when the Aldens appeared at the main house. She was standing1 on the front porch with Danny, Sarah, and Ms. Jefferies. “I thought I heard a siren, and Danny said he saw flashing lights over by the pond.”

“It was a patrol car,” Ms. Jefferies insisted. “The police were here, right?”

“Yes, but there’s nothing to worry about,” Mr. Morgan said reassuringly2. Ms. Jefferies edged closer to Henry. “What really happened out there?” she asked. “It was something to do with that horse, wasn’t it?”

Henry hesitated and looked at Mr. Morgan who said quickly, “If you want to hear the whole story, let’s go inside.” Everyone trooped into the kitchen and gathered around the big oak table. Danny heated milk for hot chocolate in an iron kettle and then scooted over to the window bench. He didn’t want to miss a single word!

Ms. Jefferies remained standing, her arms folded across her chest as she looked over the group. “Before you say anything, I have a confession3 to make,” she said.

Jessie and Violet exchanged a puzzled look. A confession? Was Ms. Jefferies involved in the plot to kidnap Wind Dancer after all?

“I came here under false pretenses,” she said. “I’m not really here on vacation. I’m doing research for an article.”

“An article?” Mrs. Morgan said. “Are you a writer?”

“A reporter.” Ms. Jefferies perched on the arm of Jessie’s chair.

“I don’t understand,” Henry said slowly. “What are you writing? And how come you kept it a secret?”

Ms. Jefferies shrugged4. “It started out as an article on farm vacations, but all that changed when I spotted5 Wind Dancer.”

“So you do know about him!” Benny blurted6 out. “That’s why you were taking pictures that night. I was hiding behind a bale of hay outside the stable.”

“Was that you?” Ms. Jefferies said in surprise. “I had the feeling someone was watching me. That’s why I left in a hurry.”

“But how did you get the pictures of Wind Dancer I saw on your dresser? I spotted them when I brought your towels,” Jessie said.

“Oh, I didn’t take those pictures,” Ms. Jefferies said. “Those were file photos that my editor sent me from New York.” She turned to Mr. Morgan. “I thought I recognized Wind Dancer one night when you were taking him out of the stable, but I couldn’t be sure. I wanted to get to the bottom of it, so I asked ASF to send me some close-up shots of him. Once I saw the white star on his forehead, I knew it was the same horse.”

“ASF?” Jessie exclaimed. “Those are the initials on your briefcase7.”

“Associated Feature Service,” Ms. Jefferies said. “That’s who I work for. I went to town to pick up the pictures because I didn’t want anyone to get suspicious.”

“So that’s why you acted so nervous in the post office,” Violet spoke8 up.

Ms. Jefferies nodded. “I didn’t want you to see the return address. I couldn’t let anyone know I was a reporter.”

“Well, that clears up one mystery,” Jessie said.

“But the big story is still Wind Dancer,” Ms. Jefferies persisted. “What’s he doing here? And what happened tonight?”

“Some horse thieves were trying to steal him!” Benny exclaimed. “But we stopped them, didn’t we?” He looked very pleased with himself.

“You sure did,” Mr. Morgan said. “Wind Dancer is safe, thanks to you, and the thieves are in custody9.” He spread his hands on the checkered10 tablecloth11 and looked right at Jed Owens. “But there’s still a lot of the story that I don’t understand. How do you figure in all this?”

“I was hired to protect Wind Dancer,” Jed Owens admitted. “The owners asked me to stay undercover, so I pretended to be a farmhand looking for work.”

“At first, we thought you were one of the thieves!” Violet exclaimed.

“Why did you think that?” Jed asked.

“You lied to us,” Violet explained. “You said you were in your room the night of the cookout, but you had pine needles stuck all over your sweater. So that meant you must have been in the woods with us.”

“Pine needles?” Jed said slowly. “You’d make quite a detective, Violet. I never thought a little thing like that would give me away.”

“Were you really in the woods that night?” Benny asked.

“Did you set that fire in the trash can?” Henry said at the same time.

“Yes, to both questions.” Jed turned to Benny. “I saw you and your sister wandering through the forest, and I was afraid you might run into the horse thieves. I heard some suspicious noises earlier in the evening, and I had the feeling they might be prowling around the woods.”

“We saw some tire tracks,” Benny piped up. “That’s what got us so interested.”

“I know, and I couldn’t take any chances. I had to do something fast to get your attention away from the old pond.”

“So you started a fire back at the farm,” Mrs. Morgan said.

“A small one,” Jed told her. “I made sure it wouldn’t do any real damage, but it would make everyone come running.”

“There’s something I still don’t understand,” Henry said. “What were you doing at the old pond this evening?”

“I knew there might me another attempt to steal Wind Dancer tonight.” His expression was grim. “I wanted to warn you in time,” he said to Mr. Morgan, “but by the time I got there, it was too late.” He paused. “The thieves would have made off with him, if these young people hadn’t stopped them.”

“A plot to kidnap a racehorse. This will make quite a story,” Ms. Jefferies said thoughtfully.

“Wind Dancer’s owners will be here in the morning,” Mr. Morgan said. “So if you kids want to say good-bye to him, you’d best be up bright and early.”

“We will be,” Benny said and immediately yawned.

A bubbling sound made Danny scramble12 off the window seat. “The milk for the hot chocolate!” Danny said, dashing to the stove.

Moments later, Mr. Morgan passed around steaming mugs to everyone. “To the Aldens,” he said, raising his mug in a toast.

“To Wind Dancer,” Henry spoke up.

“The best racehorse in the whole world,” Violet added.

It was barely dawn the next morning when a large silver horse trailer rumbled13 down the road to Sunny Oaks.

Benny and Daisy dashed to the stables, followed by Violet, Henry, and Jessie.

Mr. Morgan had just finished adjusting Wind Dancer’s blanket when the trailer pulled up to the stable door. A man and woman in their late thirties got out and smiled hesitantly at the Aldens. Mr. Morgan led Wind Dancer outside just then, and the stallion whinnied softly when he recognized his owners.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re safe,” the woman said, rubbing Wind Dancer’s nose.

“Mr. and Mrs. Travis, these are the Aldens,” Mr. Morgan said. “And their friend Daisy.”

“You’re the children who saved Wind Dancer,” Mr. Travis said. “Jed Owens called us last night and told us all about it.”

“How can we ever thank you?” Mrs. Travis asked.

“We’re just happy that Wind Dancer is all right,” Jessie said.

Violet patted the prize horse gently on the neck and he nuzzled her hand. “We’re going to miss you,” she said softly.

“Don’t worry, Violet. We’ll still get to see him.” Benny fed Wind Dancer an apple slice he had carefully wrapped in a napkin. “We’ll watch every single race he’s in.”

“And next time he wins, we’ll send you a picture of him at the finish line,” Mrs. Travis promised. “C’mon, boy,” she said, patting Wind Dancer gently on the flank, “it’s time to go home.”

The Aldens waved good-bye as Mr. and Mrs. Travis loaded Wind Dancer into the horse trailer and sped away from Sunny Oaks.

“Don’t look so sad, Violet,” Henry said. “Grandfather will be here in a few minutes to pick us up. Think of how much fun it will be to see him again.”

“We have so much to tell him,” Jessie agreed.

“My parents are here!” Daisy shouted. She pointed14 to a jeep lumbering15 up the main drive to the farmhouse16. She raced over to greet her family and then waved to the Aldens to join them.

“These are my friends,” she said, introducing each of them.

“You forgot someone,” a voice piped up. Daisy turned in surprise to see Danny and Sarah leading Oliver toward them. “Don’t you want to show your parents what you’ve learned?” Danny asked.

Daisy giggled17. “Watch this, Mom and Dad!” She got up on a mounting block and put her left foot in the stirrup. Then she swung herself into the saddle.

“Are you ready?” Sarah asked.

“All set,” Daisy answered. Sarah handed her the reins18 and Daisy rode Oliver in a wide circle around the group.

Her parents looked amazed. “I can’t believe it,” her father said. “We’re so proud of you, honey.”

“I never thought I’d see you riding a horse all by yourself.” Her mother was beaming.

Half an hour later, the Aldens had said good-bye to Daisy and were waiting for Grandfather to arrive. They had already thanked the Morgans, and were sitting on their suitcases outside the main house, in the early morning sunlight.

“I’m going to miss everything about Sunny Oaks,” Violet said. “Especially the animals.”

“I’ll miss Mrs. Morgan’s biscuits,” Benny said.

“Grandfather’s here!” Jessie jumped to her feet as a familiar station wagon19 pulled up in the circular driveway. “And look—Watch has his head out the window!”

“Grandfather, we missed you!” Benny tumbled into Grandfather’s arms as soon as the car door opened. Watch hopped20 out of the backseat and ran in circles around the children barking happily.

“We missed you, too,” Grandfather said.

“We had a lot of adventures,” Henry said. He hugged his grandfather and then began storing the luggage in the car.

“It will take forever to tell you about them.” Violet jumped into the backseat and pulled Watch in with her.

“We even solved a mystery,” Jessie said.

“Let me tell, let me tell!” Benny pleaded.

“All right,” Jessie said with a laugh. “You tell Grandfather what happened.”

“Well,” Benny said, “it all started with this racehorse with a star on his forehead. . . .”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 reassuringly YTqxW     
ad.安心,可靠
参考例句:
  • He patted her knee reassuringly. 他轻拍她的膝盖让她放心。
  • The doctor smiled reassuringly. 医生笑了笑,让人心里很踏实。
3 confession 8Ygye     
n.自白,供认,承认
参考例句:
  • Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
  • The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。
4 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 spotted 7FEyj     
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的
参考例句:
  • The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
  • Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
6 blurted fa8352b3313c0b88e537aab1fcd30988     
v.突然说出,脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She blurted it out before I could stop her. 我还没来得及制止,她已脱口而出。
  • He blurted out the truth, that he committed the crime. 他不慎说出了真相,说是他犯了那个罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 briefcase lxdz6A     
n.手提箱,公事皮包
参考例句:
  • He packed a briefcase with what might be required.他把所有可能需要的东西都装进公文包。
  • He requested the old man to look after the briefcase.他请求那位老人照看这个公事包。
8 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。
9 custody Qntzd     
n.监护,照看,羁押,拘留
参考例句:
  • He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
  • He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后,他立即被押了起来。
10 checkered twbzdA     
adj.有方格图案的
参考例句:
  • The ground under the trees was checkered with sunlight and shade.林地光影交错。
  • He’d had a checkered past in the government.他过去在政界浮沉。
11 tablecloth lqSwh     
n.桌布,台布
参考例句:
  • He sat there ruminating and picking at the tablecloth.他坐在那儿沉思,轻轻地抚弄着桌布。
  • She smoothed down a wrinkled tablecloth.她把起皱的桌布熨平了。
12 scramble JDwzg     
v.爬行,攀爬,杂乱蔓延,碎片,片段,废料
参考例句:
  • He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
  • It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。
13 rumbled e155775f10a34eef1cb1235a085c6253     
发出隆隆声,发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 轰鸣着缓慢行进; 发现…的真相; 看穿(阴谋)
参考例句:
  • The machine rumbled as it started up. 机器轰鸣着发动起来。
  • Things rapidly became calm, though beneath the surface the argument rumbled on. 事情迅速平静下来了,然而,在这种平静的表面背后争论如隆隆雷声,持续不断。
14 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。
15 lumbering FA7xm     
n.采伐林木
参考例句:
  • Lumbering and, later, paper-making were carried out in smaller cities. 木材业和后来的造纸都由较小的城市经营。
  • Lumbering is very important in some underdeveloped countries. 在一些不发达的国家,伐木业十分重要。
16 farmhouse kt1zIk     
n.农场住宅(尤指主要住房)
参考例句:
  • We fell for the farmhouse as soon as we saw it.我们对那所农舍一见倾心。
  • We put up for the night at a farmhouse.我们在一间农舍投宿了一夜。
17 giggled 72ecd6e6dbf913b285d28ec3ba1edb12     
v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
  • The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 reins 370afc7786679703b82ccfca58610c98     
感情,激情; 缰( rein的名词复数 ); 控制手段; 掌管; (成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的)保护带
参考例句:
  • She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
  • The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。
19 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。
20 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。
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