儿童英语读物 神秘农场 Mystery Ranch Chapter 2 麦琪的来信

Nobody moved for a minute. At last Henry said, “Listen, Grandfather. We can’t eat a thing if you stay here all alone. Do let us help you. At least tell us who wrote the letter.”

Mr. Alden looked at each of his grandchildren¹. They were all watching him with loving eyes.

“Well,” he said slowly, “have it your way. Maggie wrote the letter. She is the neighbor who stays with Jane. I have sent a nurse three times, but Jane always sends her back. She doesn’t want anyone there, even to help her.”

“Isn’t it terrible to be like that?” asked Benny. “Yes, Benny. It’s a very sad thing,” said Mr. Alden. “Jane was always hard to get along with.” “But what does Maggie say?” asked Henry. Mr. Alden looked at his oldest grandson and pulled a letter out of his pocket. “Well, you may as well know the whole story,” he said. “Here is her letter.” He handed it to Henry.

Benny cried, “Read it out loud! Then we’ll all know what it says!”

Henry looked at his grandfather. Mr. Alden nodded². Henry began to read.

    “Dear Mr. Alden,

    “I am writing to tell you that I cannot stay any longer with your sister. I do not get enough to eat. Jane is very cross to me, and she has many strange ideas. Now she wants to see some of your grandchildren. She is not sick, but she stays in bed all the time. I won’t leave her until you send someone else, but you must do something.”

For a minute nobody said a word. Violet³ was leaning⁴ on the arm of her grandfather’s chair. She looked at him and said, “I think I know a way to help, Grandfather.”

Jessie began to laugh. “Violet! Are you thinking⁵ what I’m thinking?”

“I guess so,” said Violet, smiling at her older sister.

“I guess so, too,” cried Jessie. “Grandfather, Violet and I would like to take care of Aunt Jane.”

Mr. Alden was quiet.

“Please let us go, Grandfather,” Violet begged⁶.

“My dear girl,” said Mr. Alden, “it isn’t that I don’t want you to go. I just wonder if Jane will be polite to you.”

Violet said, “We’re not worried about that. Jessie and I would be company for each other. And I like to take care of sick people.”

“I know that well, my dear,” said Mr. Alden. “Many times you have made me feel better when I was sick.”

“Telephone, Grandfather!” shouted Benny. He could never bear to wait. “Tell Maggie that the girls are coming, and everything will be all right forever⁷ and ever.”

“Jane doesn’t have a telephone,” said Mr. Alden. He smiled at Benny’s surprised face. Benny thought that everyone had a telephone.

“However, I could send a telegram⁸,” said Mr. Alden. “They send telegrams⁹ from the train station in Centerville.”

“Let me look up trains,” said Henry, getting up from the floor. “I wish I could go, too. I have never seen a ranch¹⁰.”

“I wish you could, too, Henry,” said Jessie. “But it is better for just girls, isn’t it, Grandfather? Four strange children would frighten¹¹ Aunt Jane.”

Henry had found a timetable. “There is a train leaving at six o’clock tomorrow that would take you there. You’d have to sleep on the train.”

“We would love that,” said Jessie.

“Well,” said Grandfather slowly, “if you are really going, I should tell you some more. Maggie’s brother, Sam Weeks, lives next door with his wife. They are very kind people, and I am sure you can stay with them, if Jane isn’t nice to you.”

Mr. Alden already had another telegram in his mind, which he would send to Sam as soon as the children had gone to bed.

“There is just one thing you girls must promise me,” said Mr. Alden. “Every day you must send me a telegram.”

“Of course we promise,” said Jessie.

“Come on, let’s eat!” said Benny. “Can’t you smell the ham¹² and eggs, Grandfather? Don’t you feel hungry now?”

“Why, yes, I think I do,” said Mr. Alden, surprised. “I really think you two girls might do Jane more good than anyone else in the world.”

Jessie looked at Violet with a smile, which said, “Won’t we have fun?”

Violet was already thinking of her aunt as her dear Aunt Jane.

But then, Violet had never seen many cross people.

1 grandchildren   

n.孙子；孙（女），外孙（女）( grandchild的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He left a bequest to each of his grandchildren. 他给他的孙辈每人留下一笔遗产。
• His grandchildren afforded him his greatest pleasure in his old age. 他的孙子和孙女们在晚年的时候给了他最大的欢乐。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 nodded   

v.点头( nod的过去式和过去分词 )；打盹；打瞌睡；点头致意

参考例句：

• He nodded absently, his attention absorbed by the screen. 他专心注视着屏幕，只是心不在焉地点了点头。
• She nodded her head in agreement. 她点头表示同意。

3 violet   

adj.紫色的；n.紫罗兰

参考例句：

• She likes to wear violet dresses.他喜欢穿紫色的衣服。
• Violet is the color of wisdom,peace and strength.紫色是智慧的，和平的和力量的颜色。

4 leaning   

n.倾向，爱好，偏爱v.（使）倾斜，屈身( lean的现在分词 )；倚；依赖；使斜靠

参考例句：

• a leaning towards comedy rather than tragedy 偏爱喜剧而不是悲剧
• Jackson is leaning over backwards to persuade his wealthy uncle. 杰克逊想尽种种办法去讨好他那个有钱的叔叔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 thinking   

n.思考，思想；adj.思考的，有理性的；vbl.想，思考

参考例句：

• All thinking men will protest against it.凡是有思想的人都会抗议这件事。
• Thinking is mainly performed with words and other symbols.思想主要是用言语和其他符号来表达的。

6 begged   

v.乞讨( beg的过去式和过去分词 )；乞求；请求；（狗蹲坐在后腿上将前爪抬起）等食物

参考例句：

• They begged him for help. 他们向他求援。
• She raised her stricken face and begged for help. 她仰起苦闷的脸，乞求帮助。

7 forever   

adv.(=for ever)永远；总是

参考例句：

• Teacher is powerful in a child's eyes forever.老师在孩子们的心中永远是强者。
• You can't depend on your parents forever.你不能永远依赖你父母。

8 telegram   

n.电报；vt.用电报发送(打电报)

参考例句：

• Will you hand on this telegram to your friend?你把这份电报转交给你的朋友好吗？
• I've got your telegram.我已经收到了你的电报。

9 telegrams   

n.电报( telegram的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Telegrams expressing sympathy poured in from all parts of the country. 全国各地纷纷打来了慰问电。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• I received two telegrams today. 我今天收到了两封电报。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

11 frighten   

vt.使惊恐，吓唬；vi. 惊恐，害怕

参考例句：

• He tried to frighten me by showing me a knife.他用刀子吓唬我。
• You'll find that I don't frighten easily.你会发现我不是轻易就会害怕的。

12 ham   

n.火腿，大腿，笨拙的演员；adj.过火的，做作的；v.演得过火

参考例句：

• Please give me a can of ham.请给我一罐火腿。
• The ham is very good today.今天的火腿很好。