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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Secret Message CHAPTER 5 The Phantom in the Town Square

时间:2017-08-25 03:29来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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Brrr!” said Jessie, buttoning her jacket up to her chin. “It sure is cold!”

Winter was definitely in the air at the Farm Meadow Nursery. Swags of greenery were looped along the fence. Tiny white lights twinkled in the evergreen1 trees.

The Aldens had driven to the nursery with their grandfather to pick up decorations for the festival. Today they would begin decorating the square with greenery. The festival was only three days away.

“It’s supposed to be cold,” Benny told Jessie as they walked among the potted spruce and fir trees. “Who ever heard of a hot Winter Festival?”

Jessie held tightly to the strap2 of her tote bag. Even though there were few people around, she wasn’t taking any chances.

Benny saw his sister grip the strap. “Are you sure somebody tried to grab your bag yesterday?” he asked.

“Positive,” she replied. “Whoever it was pulled hard. That person definitely wanted this bag. But the only thing I carry in it is the festival notebook.”

“Why would anyone want your notebook?” Benny asked.

“I don’t know,” Jessie replied. She’d be glad when the festival was over. Being her grandfather’s assistant was a lot of responsibility.

Violet caught up to them. She had been taking pictures. Now she snapped Benny standing3 beside a small fir tree.

“The tree is just your size!” she said, laughing.

The three of them found Henry and Grandfather loading holly4 branches into the trunk of their car.

“Ouch!” Henry cried. “The points on this holly are going right through my gloves.”

“Be careful,” Grandfather warned. “Let’s load the wreaths next.”

The Aldens stacked pine wreaths on the backseat. A bushel of pine cones5 was placed on the floor.

“The town square is going to look so pretty,” Jessie said as they all squeezed into the car.

They drove from the nursery to town. Today Grandfather had special permission to drive up the lane into the square. Once they were in the square, everyone hopped6 out of the car.

“Let’s pile the greens next to the statue,” Grandfather directed, unlocking the trunk. “The rest of my decorating committee should be here soon.”

Benny was staring at the statue. His mouth fell open. “Look!” he cried.

Jessie gasped7.

“Oh, no!” Violet exclaimed.

The Minuteman had been painted a bright, cheery red. Red paint coated the statue, from his bronze toes to the top of his musket8.

“Oh, my,” Grandfather remarked.

Dawn Wellington rushed into the square. “Mr. Alden,” she said breathlessly. “I tried to call you, but your housekeeper9 said you were out. Isn’t it awful?”

“A terrible prank,” Grandfather agreed.

Just then, Mrs. Turner came out of the drugstore. “Mr. Alden! When I got to work this morning, that’s what I saw!”

Violet noticed a red-smeared can in one of the trash cans.

“Here are the paint cans,” she said.

Henry turned to the waitress. “We asked Mr. Kirby if he could store the cans for us until today. He told us to leave them outside and he would put them away.”

“I left early yesterday,” said Mrs. Turner. “I remember seeing your paint things by the door.”

“That’s where we left them.” Henry touched one of the statue’s red-painted boots. “It’s still sticky. It wasn’t painted that long ago.”

“Probably early this morning,” Grandfather said. “Good thing it’s water-based paint. Since it’s not dry yet, it should wash off.”

“I’ll get some soap and water,” Dawn offered, and dashed across the square to her studio. She returned with two buckets filled with hot, soapy water and several scrub brushes.

The Aldens got right to work. With Dawn and Grandfather’s help, the statue soon went from tomato red to its normal bronze color.

“Did you see anyone this morning?” Henry asked Dawn when they were finished. “Anybody who looked suspicious?”

She shook her blond ponytail. “No one. I came in early because I wanted to get started on the souvenir booklet. I planned to take shots of the square in the morning light. What a shock to see this bright red statue!”

“Well, it’s over and done with,” Grand-father said. “Let’s get on with the festival preparations.”

But before anyone could move, Sylvia Pepper flew out from her shop. “Do you see that?” she demanded, pointing to her doorway10 with its address numbers.

Benny realized immediately what was wrong. “The numbers are backward,” he said. “It should be two-one-one, not one-one-two.”

“Exactly!” Sylvia screeched11. “When I got to work this morning, someone had switched the address numbers. Everyone’s addresses are wrong!”

Sure enough, the brass12 numbers over every shop door were out of order. Dawn’s shop, number 209, was now 902. All around the square, the address numbers were mixed up.

“I don’t understand,” said Dawn. “I thought Greenfield was a nice, quiet town. That’s why I moved here.”

“It is a nice place,” Violet said, defending her town. “These things have never happened before.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem very nice now,” said Sylvia. “When my lease is up, I might look for another location for Sylvia’s Blooms.”

James Alden put out a calming hand. “Let’s not panic,” he said. “This is just a practical joke.”

Dawn looked uneasy. “But the person did all this without being seen. It’s like a phantom13.”

“The phantom of Greenfield square,” Henry said. It was strange that no one saw the vandal.

“The culprit is probably miles away,” said Grandfather.

Benny wasn’t so sure. But there was a way to find out.

Red paint was hard to clean off. At home last night, he had to scrub a long time to remove the red paint from under his fingernails. The person who painted the statue must have red fingernails, too.

“Do you want us to look for whoever did it?” he asked his grandfather.

“Thanks, Benny. But I think we should work on the festival. I’ll fix the address numbers right now.”

“We’ll unload the decorations,” Henry offered.

The Aldens walked over to the car. Grandfather fetched a small toolbox and went back to Sylvia’s shop. The children gathered armloads of greenery. They heaped the decorations at the base of Josiah Wade14.

“Something strange is going on,” Jessie remarked as she straightened an evergreen garland. “Who would paint the statue?”

“Or switch the address numbers?” Henry wondered. “Why mess up the square when the festival is just days away?”

Benny carefully placed holly branches on the brick pavement. “Maybe somebody doesn’t want the festival.”

“Who wouldn’t want a fun celebration?” asked Violet. “And for such a good cause, too.”

“I guess everyone doesn’t feel the way we do about our town,” Henry said, glancing at Cooke’s Drugstore. “I’d like to ask Mr. Kirby what he did with our paint cans.”

When the last wreath was stacked neatly15 beside the statue, Grandfather came over.

“Since we’ve been working extra hard today, let’s have lunch in the drugstore,” he suggested.

“I sure could use a piece of Mrs. Turner’s apple pie.” Benny had eaten all the crackers16 Mrs. McGregor packed in his knapsack.

Jessie laughed. “Well, you’ll have to last long enough to eat a sandwich first.”

Inside the drugstore, Henry said to Jessie, “Could you order me a tuna sandwich? I want to talk to Mr. Kirby.”

“I’m coming, too,” Violet said.

Mr. Kirby didn’t look happy to see them. “What can I do for you?” he asked Henry.

“Yesterday we left some paint supplies,” Henry said. “We asked you to keep them for us overnight. You said to leave them outside and you would bring them in.”

“Right,” Mr. Kirby said. “When I locked up last night, I didn’t see any paint cans. I thought you had taken them home after all.”

Returning to their stools, Henry whispered to Violet, “Somebody took the paint cans! Then that person came back after everyone was gone and painted the statue.”

“But who?” asked Violet.

After apple pie with cinnamon sauce, Mrs. Turner’s new creation, the Aldens returned to the square.

“Where are the people who are supposed to help decorate?” Jessie asked Grandfather. She flipped17 through her festival notebook. “Dawn Wellington, Rick Bass18, Sylvia Pepper, Mr. Ames the hardware store owner, and Ms. Reit from the jewelry19 store are on the committee.”

Grandfather checked his watch. “They were supposed to meet here at two-thirty. Maybe they forgot. I have a meeting, but first I’ll pop into the shops and remind everyone.”

“We’ll do that, Grandfather,” Violet said. She was afraid her grandfather was working too hard on this festival.

Henry took off his jacket and left it at the base of the statue. The chilly20 morning had warmed up.

“We’ll leave our things here. We won’t be gone that long,” he said.

Jessie glanced around the empty square. She could look through any shop window and see the statue. Her bag should be safe here for a few minutes.

The children walked around, reminding the members of the decorating committee. Only Rick Bass wasn’t available. He wasn’t in the museum in the basement of the town hall. No one had seen him all day.

When they were on their way back to the statue, Jessie noticed something odd. Her tote bag was lying in a different spot from where she had left it. She ran to check it. Her notebook was still there.

Benny was hunting for his knapsack. “I put it right here.” He finally found it under a pile of holly.

“Someone’s been in our things,” Jessie told Henry.

Henry picked up his jacket. Sure enough, the pockets were turned inside out. “Someone went through my jacket.”

Violet looked around for her camera bag.

“Oh, no,” she moaned. “I left my bag here and it’s gone!”
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 evergreen mtFz78     
n.常青树;adj.四季常青的
参考例句:
  • Some trees are evergreen;they are called evergreen.有的树是常青的,被叫做常青树。
  • There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。
2 strap 5GhzK     
n.皮带,带子;v.用带扣住,束牢;用绷带包扎
参考例句:
  • She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
  • The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。
3 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。
4 holly hrdzTt     
n.[植]冬青属灌木
参考例句:
  • I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
  • People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。
5 cones 1928ec03844308f65ae62221b11e81e3     
n.(人眼)圆锥细胞;圆锥体( cone的名词复数 );球果;圆锥形东西;(盛冰淇淋的)锥形蛋卷筒
参考例句:
  • In the pines squirrels commonly chew off and drop entire cones. 松树上的松鼠通常咬掉和弄落整个球果。 来自辞典例句
  • Many children would rather eat ice cream from cones than from dishes. 许多小孩喜欢吃蛋卷冰淇淋胜过盘装冰淇淋。 来自辞典例句
6 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。
7 gasped e6af294d8a7477229d6749fa9e8f5b80     
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要
参考例句:
  • She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
  • People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
8 musket 46jzO     
n.滑膛枪
参考例句:
  • I hunted with a musket two years ago.两年前我用滑膛枪打猎。
  • So some seconds passed,till suddenly Joyce whipped up his musket and fired.又过了几秒钟,突然,乔伊斯端起枪来开了火。
9 housekeeper 6q2zxl     
n.管理家务的主妇,女管家
参考例句:
  • A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
  • She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家,一家人吃得很省。
10 doorway 2s0xK     
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径
参考例句:
  • They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
  • Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
11 screeched 975e59058e1a37cd28bce7afac3d562c     
v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 );发出粗而刺耳的声音;高叫
参考例句:
  • She screeched her disapproval. 她尖叫着不同意。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The car screeched to a stop. 汽车嚓的一声停住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
12 brass DWbzI     
n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器
参考例句:
  • Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
  • Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
13 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。
14 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。
15 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。
16 crackers nvvz5e     
adj.精神错乱的,癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 );薄脆饼干;(认为)十分愉快的事;迷人的姑娘
参考例句:
  • That noise is driving me crackers. 那噪声闹得我简直要疯了。
  • We served some crackers and cheese as an appetiser. 我们上了些饼干和奶酪作为开胃品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 flipped 5bef9da31993fe26a832c7d4b9630147     
轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 ); 按(开关); 快速翻转; 急挥
参考例句:
  • The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转,撞毁了。
  • The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。
18 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。
19 jewelry 0auz1     
n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝
参考例句:
  • The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
  • Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。
20 chilly pOfzl     
adj.凉快的,寒冷的
参考例句:
  • I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
  • I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后,寒气逼人。
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