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儿童英语读物 Caboose Mystery CHAPTER 10 Curing Sneezes

时间:2017-06-19 08:57来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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It was quiet in the caboose while Jessie laid out Violet’s scissors and threaded a needle. Grandfather sat by his window as he always did, but the others sat around the table with Jessie.

Benny asked, “Are you going to mend my mattress1 way up in the lookout2?”

Jessie laughed. “No, I couldn’t work up there. I think we shall have to take it down.”

“I’ll do it,” said Henry. “Come on, Ben, give me a hand.”

The boys pulled at the mattress. It was heavy and hard to hold. But at last the long mattress slid down from the lookout. The boys laid it on the table.

Jessie sat down right in front of the hole. She looked at the mattress. It was covered with old black leather.

“I wonder if this is the same mattress the circus people used,” she said. “It looks old enough.”

“Remember I told you,” said Grandfather, “that my friend said we could have new covers if we wanted them.”

“I remember,” said Jessie. “But we’re glad we took the caboose just as it was. No new things.” She took a stick and poked3 at the stuffing. She said, “A lot of stuffing is coming out. I think I’ll pull out a little more. That will make it more even.”

She did so. Out came a big bunch of stuffing. She picked it to pieces because it was rather hard. Then she pushed it back with the long stick. Then she began to sew. Everybody watched.

“That’s like a baseball,” said Benny.

“Yes, it’s called baseball stitch,” said Jessie. “The needle goes in one side and then in the other.”

When it was done, Benny said, “That’s fine, Jessie. Would you want to mend the other side, too?”

“Of course! I might as well do it all.”

Jessie went around and sat down on the other side of the mattress. She said, “This side isn’t as bad.”

“I’ll help you pull out the stuffing,” said Benny. “I’m used to it. Every night I sneeze and sneeze.”

He pulled out a lot of stuffing with the stick.

“Let’s take it all out, Jessie,” he said. “Then it really will be smooth. It’s so lumpy.” He dug out some more.

Henry laughed. He said, “You have lots of troubles, Ben. Lumps and sneezes. Why didn’t you say so?”

“I did say so. I asked Jessie a long time ago to mend my mattress, didn’t I? What’s all this?”

“Well, what is it?” asked Henry.

Benny began saying “Hey! Hey! Hey!” He pulled at the stuffing, and out dropped a little package done up in paper!

“Oh, Benny!” said Jessie.

Benny’s hands shook as he tried to untie4 the string.

“Oh, shucks!” he said. “I can’t untie that string. I’ll tear it open.”

He tore the paper and shook it. A long chain fell out that sparkled6 with every color of the rainbow. Benny picked up the chain and hung it on one finger. The light made it shine with blue and yellow and green and flashing red. Everyone said, “O-ooo!”

“Benny!” called Mr. Alden in a loud voice from his chair. “Let me see that!”

Benny gave the shining string to his grandfather.

“Children!” said Grandfather. “This is that diamond necklace! Real diamonds, I’m sure.”

“That big one in the middle is just the color of my red dish,” said Benny.

“I’m sure that is a ruby7. If it is a real ruby, it is worth more than the diamonds.” Grandfather gazed at it.

Henry said, “This is wonderful! Think what it means! This certainly belongs to Cho-Cho. He can sell it for hundreds of dollars.”

“And get back his talking horse,” said Benny.

The Aldens passed the necklace from hand to hand. They all watched it sparkle5 in the light. Violet said, “I can see a beautiful violet color as I turn it.”

“And I can see red,” said Benny, twisting it.

“I’ll tell you what we can do,” said Grandfather. “Al says the next stop is a big city. It will surely have a good jewelry8 store. We can take the necklace there and ask them how much it is worth. They will know if the diamonds are real.”

Jessie added, “Then we’ll have something to tell Cho-Cho.”

Violet said slowly, “I was thinking of the Thin Man. He didn’t hide it here, did he, Grandfather?”

“No, certainly not. I’m sure this was Chi-Chi’s own hiding place. Probably nobody slept in this lookout for years. I’m sure the owner’s wife would not take the upper bunk9. She’d sleep in the lower one.”

“Just let me see that necklace again,” said Jessie. “Isn’t it beautiful!” They passed the necklace around again.

Henry gave the necklace back to Benny. He said, “How in the world did Chi-Chi expect her husband to find it?”

“Maybe she didn’t want Cho-Cho to find it,” said Jessie. “But I can’t think why.”

Benny was staring at nothing. “Listen!” he shouted. “She did want Cho-Cho to find it! Think of that postcard we found behind the books. It said ‘Be on the lookout’—and the necklace was up in the lookout!”

“Benny, I do believe you are right,” exclaimed Mr. Alden. “Cho-Cho read that verse10, but he didn’t understand what his wife meant.”

Henry said, “We didn’t understand, either, at first.” He smiled at Benny.

Jessie settled back. She said, “Now I can hardly wait to get to that big city to see how much the necklace is worth. I was sorry before, because the city means the end of the trip.”

Benny shook his head. He said, “No, Jessie, our trip is just half over. We still have the trip back home. And don’t forget we still have a mystery. Why did the Thin Man run away? And how can we get word to him that we have found the necklace?”

Henry nodded at his brother. “Good for you, Ben. That is a real question. If the police couldn’t find the Thin Man, how can we?”

At last, Jessie picked up her needle. “I’ll have to sew up this mattress or Benny won’t have any bed to sleep in.” She stuffed it carefully and sewed up the corner.

“We’ll put it back, Jessie,” said Henry. Benny took hold of one end. As he climbed up, Benny began to laugh. He called down,

“If you are a Clown,

Be on the lookout

For things in a crown.”

“I’d like to see Cho-Cho’s face when he sees the necklace,” said Jessie.

“And Mr. Shaw’s face, and the Thin Man’s face,” said Benny.

“If we find him,” said Violet.

After the sheets were on the bed again, the family sat down. Henry laughed. He said, “Well, Jessie, I hope this isn’t your idea of a quiet, peaceful change!”

“Well, no,” said Jessie. “But it certainly was a change!”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 mattress Z7wzi     
n.床垫,床褥
参考例句:
  • The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
  • The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。
2 lookout w0sxT     
n.注意,前途,瞭望台
参考例句:
  • You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
  • It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来,公司的前景可就不妙了。
3 poked 87f534f05a838d18eb50660766da4122     
v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 );戳出;拨弄;与(某人)性交
参考例句:
  • She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
  • His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 untie SjJw4     
vt.解开,松开;解放
参考例句:
  • It's just impossible to untie the knot.It's too tight.这个结根本解不开。太紧了。
  • Will you please untie the knot for me?请你替我解开这个结头,好吗?
5 sparkle cTnzL     
vi.闪,焕发;n.闪光,闪烁,活力
参考例句:
  • Dewdrops sparkle in the morning sun.露珠在早晨的阳光下闪着光。
  • There was a sudden sparkle as her diamond ring caught the light.当她的钻石戒指遇到光时,有阵突然的闪耀。
6 sparkled 7169434428068e4cd834f66dafa60e1a     
v.发火花,闪耀( sparkle的过去式和过去分词 );(饮料)发泡;生气勃勃,热情奔放,神采飞扬
参考例句:
  • Her jewellery sparkled in the candlelight. 烛光下,她的首饰光彩熠熠。
  • Her eyes sparkled with excitement. 她的眼睛由于兴奋而发亮。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
7 ruby iXixS     
n.红宝石,红宝石色
参考例句:
  • She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
  • On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。
8 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。
9 bunk zWyzS     
n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位;废话
参考例句:
  • He left his bunk and went up on deck again.他离开自己的铺位再次走到甲板上。
  • Most economists think his theories are sheer bunk.大多数经济学家认为他的理论纯属胡说。
10 verse YLpzl     
n.诗,韵文,诗行
参考例句:
  • He is good at verse.他善于作诗。
  • His book was in parts written in verse.他的书有许多地方是用韵文写的。
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