《神奇树屋》 第四十二册 A Good Night for Ghosts 02 Money Blues

　　The hot, muggy¹ air was filled with noise. Jack² andAnnie heard the clippity-clopof horses' hooves. Theyheard voices calling out "Crawfish pies!""Buttermilk!""Gumbo for sale here!"Jack looked down at his and Annie's clothes. Theywere both wearing white shirts and dark trouserswith suspenders. Jack's backpack had turned into acloth bag. Neither Jack nor Annie was wearing shoes.

"Wow, we're barefoot. That's cool," said Annie.

"And at least I can run in these pants. I like them 1124***lot better than the dress I wore on our last mission.""Yeah." Jack smiled, remembering Annie's long,frilly dress in Vienna and his velvet³ coat and whitewig. "I like being barefoot, too," he said. "But whatyear did we come to? I can't tell from our outfits⁴."Jack and Annie looked out the window. The treehouse had landed in a grove⁵ of palm trees. Not faraway, steamboats churned down a river. Below themwas a bustling⁶ city scene. Rows of stores lined bothsides of a wide street. Vendors⁷ were selling food fromcarts. Women shoppers wore long skirts, and menwore white suits and hats.

Mule⁸ carts and horse-drawn buggies bumpedalongside a few antique-looking cars. Moving downthe middle of the street were red and green train cars.

Each one was attached to an electric line overhead.

"This is definitely a long time ago," said Jack. "Butwhen exactly?"25[Image: Annie and Jack.]

26"I can't tell," said Annie.

"Maybe our research book can help us," said Jack.

"I'll look up Louis Armstrong." Jack looked in theindex of A History of New Orleans Musicand founda chapter on Louis Armstrong. He read:

Born in New Orleans in 1901, Louis Armstronggrew up to be one of the greatest jazz musicians whoever lived.

A photo showed an African American man playinga trumpet⁹. His cheeks were puffed¹⁰ out and his eyeswere closed. Stage lights were shining on him.

Thousands of people were in the audience. Thecaption under the photo read, Louis Armstrong, Kingof Jazz.

"So what is jazzexactly?" asked Annie.

"It's a kind of music," said Jack.

"Well, yeah, but what kind?" said Annie.

Jack looked up jazzin the glossary¹¹ of their book. Heread:

Jazz began in New Orleans in the early 1900s andwas first played by African27Americans. It is a style of music that has a strongbeat and is played with lots of feeling. Jazz melodiesare often made up on the spot.

"Got it," said Annie. "Read more about Louis." Jackflipped back to the pages about Louis Armstrong andread:

As a young teenager, Louis Armstrong oftenperformed with "kid bands" on the streets of the city.

Eventually he played with older musicians in dancehalls and developed his musical talents performing onMississippi riverboats. When he was twenty-one, hemoved to Chicago, where-"Stop. That's all we need," Annie broke in. "It is?"asked Jack.

"Yep, we'll just ask someone what the date is," saidAnnie. "Then we can figure out how old LouisArmstrong is, and we'll know where to look for him:

the streets, a dance hall, or on the Mississippi River."Annie picked up the magic trumpet. She tucked28it under her arm and started down the rope ladder.

"I guessthat's a plan," murmured Jack. "Sort of." Heput the New Orleans book in his bag and followedher.

In their bare feet, Jack and Annie hurried a shortdistance to the wide, busy street. A sign read canalstreet.

The sidewalks on both sides of Canal Street werecrowded with vendors pushing carts and shouting inrich, loud voices.

"Buttermilk! Buttermilk! Fresh from the buttermilkman! Bring out your bucket! Bring out your can!"shouted a man.

"Blackberries! Mighty¹² fine! Three sacks for a dime¹³!"called an old woman.

"Read all the news! Chase away the blues¹⁴!" sang aboy with newspapers.

"Let's buy a paper," said Jack. "It'll tell us the date."Jack and Annie ran over to the boy sellingnewspapers.

29"A paper, please," said Annie.

"A penny, please," said the boy.

Jack and Annie dug into their pockets.

"Uh-oh," said Annie. "No money.""Uh-oh," said the boy. "No paper." He started towalk away.

"Wait, please," said Jack. "Can you just tell us thedate?""October thirty-first, the eve of All Saints' Day,"said the boy. "You didn't know that?""Uh, not really," said Jack.

"And what year is it?" Annie asked.

The newsboy scowled¹⁵. "It's 1915! Don't you twoknow anything? Who are you?"Before Jack could think of an answer, Annie blurtedout, "We're musicians. We came all the way fromFrog Creek¹⁶, Pennsylvania." She held up their trumpet.

"Oh, right. And it's a different year in Frog Creek,Pennsylvania, than here in New Orleans, Louisiana! Iforgot!" The newsboy headed up the30street, laughing at his own joke.

"Well, yeah"said Annie.

Jack laughed. "Okay, Louis Armstrong was born in1901, so if it's 1915...""He's fourteen years old," said Annie. "So thatmeans he's playing with kid bands in the streets.

Excuse me!" she called to the buttermilk man. "Canyou tell us where some kid bands might be playingtoday?""Try Jackson Square in the French Quarter," saidthe man.

"What's the French Quarter?" asked Jack.

"It's the oldest section of the city," said thebuttermilk man. "Catch that streetcar that's stoppingup ahead! It will take you right there.""Thanks!" said Annie. She and Jack ran up thesidewalk.

"So I guess those train cars in the street are calledstreetcars," said Jack. "Makes sense!" said Annie. Jackand Annie ran to a streetcar stop. They31stood in line and then climbed aboard. "Oh, wait,"Jack said to Annie. "We can't! We don't have money!"He started to leave.

"Hey, sonny, are you coming or going?" said theconductor.

"Sorry. We made a mistake," said Jack. "We don'thave any money.""Don't worry, there's no fare today. It's the eve ofAll Saints' Day," said the conductor.

"Oh! Good," said Jack. He and Annie chose awooden seat near the door and sat down.

"Could you tell us when to get out for JacksonSquare in the French Quarter?" Annie asked theconductor.

"Sure thing," the conductor said.

Annie rested their magic trumpet on her lap. "Luckyfor us we came here on the eve of All Saints' Day,"she said to Jack.

"Yeah, but what does that mean?" said Jack. As thestreetcar headed along Canal, he looked up All Saints'

Day in their book. He read aloud:

32November first is celebrated¹⁷ as All Saints' Day inNew Orleans. It is a day to honor those who havepassed away. Sometimes on the eve of All Saints'

Day, people wear costumes and have parties andparades. Considered the spookiest night of the year,the eve of All Saints' Day is a good time for ghostsightings.

"The eve of All Saints' Day sounds like Halloween,"said Annie. "It's the same day, too: October thirty-first.""Yeah," said Jack. "But what do they mean, 'a goodtime for ghost sightings'?" He kept reading:

The city of New Orleans is often called the mosthaunted city in America. According to legend, the oldblacksmith shop on Bourbon Street is haunted by theghost of the famous pirate Jean Lafitte. Some say thatSaint Louis Cathedral is haunted by a Spanish priest,and that a hotel on Chartres Street is haunted byConfederate33soldiers. There have been ghost sightings in manyother places throughout the city as well.

"Ooh, sounds scary," said Annie.

"Huh," said Jack. "Well!" He slammed the book shut.

"Forget ghosts. We didn't come to New Orleans tolook for ghosts. We came here to look for LouisArmstrong, the King of Jazz."

1 muggy   

adj.闷热的；adv.（天气）闷热而潮湿地；n.（天气）闷热而潮湿

参考例句：

• We may expect muggy weather when the rainy season begins.雨季开始时，我们预料有闷热的天气。
• It was muggy and overcast.天气闷热潮湿，而且天色阴沉。

2 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

3 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

4 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句

5 grove   

n.林子，小树林，园林

参考例句：

• On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
• The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。

6 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

7 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

8 mule   

n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人

参考例句：

• A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
• He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。

9 trumpet   

n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘

参考例句：

• He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴，我吹喇叭。
• The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。

10 puffed   

adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He lit a cigarette and puffed at it furiously. 他点燃了一支香烟，狂吸了几口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He felt grown-up, puffed up with self-importance. 他觉得长大了，便自以为了不起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 glossary   

n.注释词表；术语汇编

参考例句：

• The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
• For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便，我们在附录中也提供了术语表。

12 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

13 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。

14 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

15 scowled   

怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He scowled his displeasure. 他满脸嗔色。
• The teacher scowled at his noisy class. 老师对他那喧闹的课堂板着脸。

16 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

17 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。