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儿童英语读物 The Chocolate Sundae Mystery CHAPTER 7 An Evening Walk

时间:2017-08-14 07:34来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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As the Aldens walked home, they saw Mrs. Saunders’ ice cream truck parked two blocks away from their house. Six children were in line for ice cream.

“Yoooo-hoooo,” Mrs. Saunders called when she saw the Aldens. “How was business today?” She handed a raspberry cone1 to a girl with brown pigtails.

“Not very good, I’m afraid,” Henry was forced to admit.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Mrs. Saunders said as she took the girl’s change. The Aldens didn’t think she looked sorry at all.

“You really should make sure your cream stays fresh,” Mrs. Saunders said as she adjusted her flowered headband.

The Aldens looked at one another. “How did you know our cream was spoiled?” Benny couldn’t help asking.

“Oh, some of my customers complained about it,” Mrs. Saunders answered. “Wouldn’t you like to try some of my ice cream today? It’s very fresh.”

“No, thanks, we’re not hungry,” Benny answered for all of them.

“I can’t believe how rude she is,” Jessie said angrily when the Aldens were inside their house. She was so upset she didn’t even stop to pet Watch as he came bounding over to greet her.

“Jessie, what’s the matter?” Grandfather called. He sat in the living room reading the newspaper in his big overstuffed armchair.

Grandfather listened closely while his grandchildren told him all that had happened in the parlor2, including their meeting with Mrs. Saunders. “Grandfather, don’t you think Mrs. Saunders must have something to do with all that trouble in the parlor?” Jessie asked.

Grandfather shook his head. “I don’t know what to think.” Grandfather folded his paper and put it on the table beside him. “But I do know you all have been working very hard. Why don’t we take Watch for a walk in the park and forget all about the parlor this evening.”

“That sounds good to me,” Benny said happily.

“We’d better leave now so as not to be late for dinner,” Grandfather said as he put on a jacket.

As the Aldens walked to the park, they were happy to see that Mrs. Saunders’ truck had pulled away from their street.

“I’m glad we don’t have to talk to her anymore today,” Benny remarked.

When they arrived in the park, Benny unclipped Watch’s leash3. Watch took off at once to chase after some squirrels. An Irish setter followed him.

“Hey, Watch! Watch! Come back!” Benny called.

Grandfather chuckled4. “Oh, let him get his exercise. He’s been in the house all day,” he said.

“Look, all the cherry trees are in bloom,” Violet exclaimed.

“The park does look pretty,” Grandfather said looking at the rows of tulips along the park’s edge. The branches of the cherry trees stirred in the wind. Some petals5 dropped on the ground as the Aldens walked across a great lawn.

“Oh, I see Watch!” Jessie exclaimed. “He’s down by the pond.”

“Why don’t we find a stick for him?” Benny suggested. Henry followed Benny into the woods behind the pond. They had not gone very far when they heard a loud voice behind some trees.

Henry put his fingers to his lips. He was sure he’d heard that voice before. It was the voice of the angry customer who had yelled at Simone the first day.

The man was talking loudly again. “I know I could do a better job than that girl,” he was saying to someone. “I’ve been trained as a waiter. It wasn’t my fault the old man fired me so fast! I’ll show them!”

Benny looked at Henry with big round eyes. He didn’t say a word.

“Take it easy, Joe,” the man’s companion was saying. “You can’t be so mad all the time and expect places to jump at the chance to hire you.”

“But I know I’m better than most people who have those jobs!” Joe exclaimed. “I’m a professional waiter!”

Just then Benny stepped on a twig6.

“What was that?” Joe cried. Benny took a few steps backward and looked helplessly at Henry. Henry shook his head as if to tell Benny not to worry. The boys were hidden from the men by thick oak trees.

“Don’t be so jumpy, Joe! It’s probably just someone walking by. This is a public park, you know.”

“You don’t have to be such a wise guy, Larry,” Joe said irritably7. “I know it’s a public park.” The men’s voices faded away as they continued on their walk.

Benny and Henry waited until the men were safely out of sight before they left the woods.

“Didn’t you find a stick for Watch?” Jessie asked her brothers when she saw them come toward her empty-handed.

“Oh, Jessie, you’ll never guess what we heard!” Benny exclaimed.

“We saw that angry customer in the woods,” Henry said.

“Now boys, catch your breath and tell us exactly what happened,” Mr. Alden said. Jessie nodded and motioned everyone over to a park bench. Watch, who by that time had grown tired of chasing squirrels, came with them. He lay down by Jessie’s feet.

Quickly Henry told his family the whole conversation between Joe and his friend. “But that doesn’t prove Joe is responsible for all the trouble in the parlor,” Henry added.

“No, it doesn’t,” Jessie was forced to agree. “Do you think the Shoppe fired him?”

“If they did, it must have been Mr. Richards who let him go,” Violet suggested. “Because Mr. Brown didn’t even seem to know him.”

“That’s true, and we’ve never seen him either,” Henry said as he rolled down the sleeves of his sweater. “It’s getting colder out here,” he remarked.

“Yes, the sun is going down,” Grandfather said. “We should start home.”

“Besides,” Jessie reminded them all as they got up to leave, “how would he get in to take all the ice cream and those glasses?”

“You know, I don’t think Joe is to blame,” Henry said. “But if the parlor did fire him, that could explain why he’s so rude whenever he comes in.”

When the Aldens crossed Greenfield’s Main Street, they noticed the street cleaners were out. The cleaners carried big hoses and were washing the sidewalk. Watch tried to lick the pavement.

“You’re thirsty, aren’t you Watch,” Grandfather remarked. “We’ll be home very soon,” he assured the dog.

“The parlor looks quiet tonight. No lights are on, and everything is locked up,” Henry observed as they walked by.

“Mr. Brown must have finally gone home,” Violet said as the Aldens crossed the street.

On the way up their driveway, the Aldens decided8 Mrs. Saunders was still the prime suspect. “But how does she get into the parlor to take all the ice cream and glasses?” Violet asked. She unzipped her lavender windbreaker as Grandfather opened the front door.

“That’s what we have to find out,” Henry said as he stepped inside and unclipped Watch’s leash.

“I hope Simone and Brian aren’t helping9 her,” Jessie said. She hung up her navy blue jacket in the hall closet.

“I just can’t believe they would be.” Violet sounded sad.

Henry sighed. “We have to suspect everyone in the parlor, I’m afraid,” he said as he went to wash his hands before dinner.

Before they went to bed that evening, the Aldens met in Benny’s room to think of a plan. They decided Jessie and Violet would report to work at the parlor the next morning. Henry and Benny would ask for the day off to trail Mrs. Saunders’ pink ice cream truck on their bicycles.

“Does that mean we have to eat her ice cream?” Benny asked as he leaned back against his red pillows.

“Well, no,” Henry said thoughtfully. “I don’t think we should draw attention to ourselves. We should just spend a day watching her to see what she does.”

“Are you going to tell Mr. Brown why you want the day off?” Violet wondered.

The others shook their heads. “No, I think for now it’s best not to worry him,” Henry decided.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 cone lYJyi     
n.圆锥体,圆锥形东西,球果
参考例句:
  • Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
  • The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。
2 parlor v4MzU     
n.店铺,营业室;会客室,客厅
参考例句:
  • She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
  • Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店?
3 leash M9rz1     
n.牵狗的皮带,束缚;v.用皮带系住
参考例句:
  • I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳,但被狗挡住了路。
  • The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带,想挣脱开去。
4 chuckled 8ce1383c838073977a08258a1f3e30f8     
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
  • She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情,她就轻轻地暗自发笑。
5 petals f346ae24f5b5778ae3e2317a33cd8d9b     
n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣
  • The petals of many flowers expand in the sunshine. 许多花瓣在阳光下开放。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
6 twig VK1zg     
n.小树枝,嫩枝;v.理解
参考例句:
  • He heard the sharp crack of a twig.他听到树枝清脆的断裂声。
  • The sharp sound of a twig snapping scared the badger away.细枝突然折断的刺耳声把獾惊跑了。
7 irritably e3uxw     
ad.易生气地
参考例句:
  • He lost his temper and snapped irritably at the children. 他发火了,暴躁地斥责孩子们。
  • On this account the silence was irritably broken by a reproof. 为了这件事,他妻子大声斥责,令人恼火地打破了宁静。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
8 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
9 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。
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