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儿童英语读物 The Panther Mystery CHAPTER 6 More Secrets

时间:2017-09-12 08:12来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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By the time the plaster cast was dry, Grandfather decided1 it was time to get out of the midday heat.

They all climbed into their canoes and poled back to the Miccosukee Village.

“Thanks for your help,” Henry said to Irene as they walked up the dock. “We wouldn’t have found that print on our own.”

“Glad I could help,” she said. “Ranger2 Beldon is a good friend. I hope you find him soon.”

Jessie came up just then. “Grandfather says we’re stopping at the information center, since it’s on the way back to the hotel. Thanks, Irene. You were a great guide.”

Irene walked the Aldens to their rental3 car and waved as they drove down Route Forty-one.

“If no one has heard from Andy today, I’m going to speak to the head of the Park Service down here,” Grandfather said, pulling into the parking lot of Shark Valley.

“At least we have one clue,” said Benny. He held the odd-looking plaster print in his lap.

“Maybe,” Violet said. “This heel print might not have anything to do with Andrew’s disappearance4. It could belong to any tourist who stopped to explore, like we did.”

“You could be right,” said Benny. But deep inside he felt the heel cast was part of the mystery.

For once, the information center wasn’t very busy. Melanie Harper was at the front desk, straightening a stack of maps.

Her face showed she recognized the Aldens, but Jessie couldn’t read any expression. She couldn’t tell if Melanie was glad or irritated to see them.

“Before you ask,” Melanie said, “we heard from Andrew. He called in about an hour ago.”

Grandfather sighed with relief. “That’s wonderful! Where is he?”

“He’s sick,” Melanie replied, dusting the counter with a rag. “He won’t be back for a while.”

“Sick?” queried5 Henry. “What’s wrong with him? How long will he be out?”

Melanie shrugged6. “He didn’t say and I didn’t ask. I’ve been doing both Andrew’s and my work for almost a week now. Our supervisor7 has noticed what a good job I’m doing.” She smiled smugly. “I’ll probably get a promotion8!”

“So you’re saying Andrew won’t have a job when he comes back to work?” Jessie asked. She didn’t like Melanie’s tone. The other ranger acted as if she was glad Andrew was sick.

“Oh, he’ll have a job,” Melanie replied. “But not this job.” She picked up the microphone and announced briskly that the film would start in five minutes. It was clear she wasn’t going to talk to the Aldens anymore.

The few tourists wandering around inside headed for the door. The Aldens followed. Outside, it seemed hotter than ever.

In the parking lot, they were amazed to see an enormous alligator9 stretched out. He yawned mightily10, showing several rows of pointed11 teeth.

“Wow!” cried Benny. “Look at that!”

Violet snapped several pictures from a safe distance.

Henry gave a low whistle. “I bet he’s at least nine feet long!”

“Can we go now?” Jessie said nervously12. She didn’t like alligators13 in parking lots. They were scary enough in the water.

Grandfather opened the car door for her. “I’m not crazy about them, either,” he said to her. “Besides, the alligator was taking up two parking spots!”

Giggling14, Jessie hugged him, then climbed into the front seat. Grandfather always knew the right thing to say!

Next they had to find a place for lunch.

“Any suggestions?” Grandfather asked.

“How about that barbecue place near here?” said Violet.

“The barbecue place it is,” said Grandfather.

Minutes later they arrived at the red wooden building. They were the only customers, so service was fast.

Soon they were eating chicken sandwiches, french fries, and corn on the cob, washed down with sweetened iced tea. It had been a long morning. No one said much until the waitress brought another pitcher15 of iced tea.

Refreshed and full, they discussed the mystery.

“If Andrew’s been sick all this time,” began Violet, “why didn’t he tell anybody? Why didn’t he at least call his father?”

“Maybe he was too sick,” said Benny.

Grandfather squeezed lemon into his glass of iced tea. “Benny has a good point. Andrew might have been too ill to pick up the phone and call before today.”

“Then why didn’t his landlady16 say so?” Jessie asked. “We were there and she never told us Andrew was sick. She wouldn’t tell us anything!”

“Except to go away,” Benny said.

“He could be sick someplace besides the rooming house,” Henry put in. “But that doesn’t seem very likely.”

“I think Melanie acted weird,” Violet said. “She seemed happy Andrew was out sick!”

Jessie nodded her agreement. “We need to watch her. I think she might be the key to this mystery.”

“Maybe the mystery is over,” said Grandfather. “I’ll call Andrew when we get back to our hotel. If he’s just been out sick, I’ll call his father and tell him so.”

“And then we’ll go back home?” Benny asked. He wasn’t ready to leave Florida yet. He had gotten his first wish — to see alligators. But now he had a second, even better wish.

“We’ll see.” Grandfather smiled. “Let’s head back to the hotel, okay?”

On the drive back, Jessie was thinking about Melanie. Was it possible that Andrew had called in before and Melanie had taken the call? Maybe Melanie had pretended she hadn’t heard from him, so she could get his job.

At the Flamingo17 Hotel, Mrs. Johnson waved a pink slip at Grandfather.

Everything about the hotel was pink, thought Violet. Even the notepaper.

“Message for you, Mr. Alden. A man called this morning right after you left. It sounded pretty urgent. He’d like you to call him back right away.” Mrs. Johnson left the hall.

Grandfather looked at the paper. “It’s from Tom Beldon. He wants to know what I’ve learned about his son. I don’t want him to be upset, especially since we’ve been out of touch for several days. I’ll call him now, before I check on Andrew.”

He went upstairs.

Jessie looked at Henry. “You know what? While Grandfather is on the phone with Mr. Beldon, we could go to Andrew’s rooming house and see him in person!”

“Great idea, Jessie,” said Violet. “Grandfather doesn’t mind if we walk around the block.”

“Or two blocks.” Henry was already out the door.

The others quickly caught up with him. A cool breeze stirred the royal palms. The sky was dark in the west. A storm was brewing18.

By the time they reached Old Lady Applegate’s boardinghouse, fat drops of rain had begun to fall.

Gus wasn’t sitting on the screened-in porch, but the swing was moving slightly as if he had just gone inside.

Jessie knocked on the front door.

After a moment, the door opened a crack. An eye peered out. “What do you kids want?” The gruff voice undoubtedly19 belonged to the landlady, Old Lady Applegate.

“To see Andrew Beldon,” Henry spoke20 up. “We heard he was sick.”

“Yeah,” added Benny. “We came to cheer him up.”

“He’s not here,” said the landlady.

“That’s impossible,” said Violet. “We just heard that Andrew is sick. Where else would he be?”

The door opened inward so fast, Jessie nearly fell over.

“All right,” said Old Lady Applegate ungraciously. “You don’t believe me — see for yourself. Andrew Beldon’s room is the second door on the left. Don’t touch anything!”

“We won’t,” Henry promised. “We just want to visit him.”

The kids filed down the hall. Andrew’s door was closed. The landlady unlocked it with a ring of keys. She stood behind them to make sure they didn’t go inside.

Benny noticed the panther poster on the wall right away. He’d like to have one like it. Andrew’s room was fairly neat. The bed was made. His books were stacked by size in a bookcase. No shoes or clothes littered the floor.

“Now do you believe me?” Old Lady Applegate demanded. “If Andrew Beldon is sick, he’s obviously staying someplace else. He’s behind in his rent, too. If he doesn’t pay up by the end of the week, I’m renting his room to someone else.”

“What will happen to Andrew’s things?” Violet asked. She had noticed the photographs on Andrew’s desk.

The landlady shrugged. “I’ll box them up and store them. If Andrew doesn’t claim his stuff soon, then I guess it’s mine.”

Henry leaned inside the doorway21 just a little. Along the wall, behind the door, was a dresser. One drawer was pulled out and socks hung untidily over the edge.

“You can see Andrew is not here,” the landlady said, clearly flustered22. She pulled the door shut hastily.

Henry wondered if she had something to hide. Did everyone connected with Andrew Beldon have a secret?

“Yes,” said Violet. “We’ll leave now.”

Outside, the rain shower had passed already. Steam rose from the sidewalk.

Violet asked the others, “Did you guys see all the panther books in Andrew’s bookcase?”

“And that neat poster?” added Benny. “Rrrr!”

“Melanie was right about one thing: Andrew is definitely obsessed23 with the Florida panther,” Jessie stated. She shook her head. “But Andrew’s room looked as if he hadn’t been there in days.”

“I saw something, too,” said Henry. “A moldy24 piece of bread sitting on the table. It takes several days for mold to grow, and I bet if he’d been here he would have thrown it away.”

“Why would he leave all his things?” Violet wondered. “He has some very nice books and pictures.”

“I don’t know,” Jessie answered. “But I think we ought to learn about the Florida panther. If it’s Andrew’s obsession25, it should be ours, too. At least until we find him.”

Henry tapped the side of his head. “Good idea, Jessie. If we want to find Andrew, we have to think like him!”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 ranger RTvxb     
n.国家公园管理员,护林员;骑兵巡逻队员
参考例句:
  • He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
  • He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。
3 rental cBezh     
n.租赁,出租,出租业
参考例句:
  • The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
  • We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。
4 disappearance ouEx5     
n.消失,消散,失踪
参考例句:
  • He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
  • Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。
5 queried 5c2c5662d89da782d75e74125d6f6932     
v.质疑,对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 );询问
参考例句:
  • She queried what he said. 她对他说的话表示怀疑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • \"What does he have to do?\" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事?”琴向觉民问道,她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家(1-26) - 家(1-26)
6 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 supervisor RrZwv     
n.监督人,管理人,检查员,督学,主管,导师
参考例句:
  • Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说,我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
  • He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。
8 promotion eRLxn     
n.提升,晋级;促销,宣传
参考例句:
  • The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
  • The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级,加了薪。
9 alligator XVgza     
n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼)
参考例句:
  • She wandered off to play with her toy alligator.她开始玩鳄鱼玩具。
  • Alligator skin is five times more costlier than leather.鳄鱼皮比通常的皮革要贵5倍。
10 mightily ZoXzT6     
ad.强烈地;非常地
参考例句:
  • He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet. 他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。
  • This seemed mightily to relieve him. 干完这件事后,他似乎轻松了许多。
11 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
12 nervously tn6zFp     
adv.神情激动地,不安地
参考例句:
  • He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇,努力忍着不哭出来。
  • He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。
13 alligators 0e8c11e4696c96583339d73b3f2d8a10     
n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Two alligators rest their snouts on the water's surface. 两只鳄鱼的大嘴栖息在水面上。 来自辞典例句
  • In the movement of logs by water the lumber industry was greatly helped by alligators. 木材工业过去在水上运输木料时所十分倚重的就是鳄鱼。 来自辞典例句
14 giggling 2712674ae81ec7e853724ef7e8c53df1     
v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • We just sat there giggling like naughty schoolchildren. 我们只是坐在那儿像调皮的小学生一样的咯咯地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I can't stand her giggling, she's so silly. 她吃吃地笑,叫我真受不了,那样子傻透了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
15 pitcher S2Gz7     
n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐;(棒球)投手
参考例句:
  • He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
  • Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。
16 landlady t2ZxE     
n.女房东,女地主
参考例句:
  • I heard my landlady creeping stealthily up to my door.我听到我的女房东偷偷地来到我的门前。
  • The landlady came over to serve me.女店主过来接待我。
17 flamingo nsWzxe     
n.红鹳,火烈鸟
参考例句:
  • This is the only species of flamingo in the region,easily recognized by its pink plumage.这是那个地区唯一一种火烈鸟,很容易凭粉红色的羽毛辨认出来。
  • In my family,I am flamingo in the flock of pigeons.在家里,我就像一只被困在鸽笼里的火烈鸟。
18 brewing eaabd83324a59add9a6769131bdf81b5     
n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然,一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
  • She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。
19 undoubtedly Mfjz6l     
adv.确实地,无疑地
参考例句:
  • It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
  • He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。
20 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
21 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。
22 flustered b7071533c424b7fbe8eb745856b8c537     
adj.慌张的;激动不安的v.使慌乱,使不安( fluster的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • The honking of horns flustered the boy. 汽车喇叭的叫声使男孩感到慌乱。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • She was so flustered that she forgot her reply. 她太紧张了,都忘记了该如何作答。 来自辞典例句
23 obsessed 66a4be1417f7cf074208a6d81c8f3384     
adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的
参考例句:
  • He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
  • The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。
24 moldy Q1gya     
adj.发霉的
参考例句:
  • She chucked the moldy potatoes in the dustbin.她把发霉的土豆扔进垃圾箱。
  • Oranges can be kept for a long time without going moldy.橙子可以存放很长时间而不腐烂。
25 obsession eIdxt     
n.困扰,无法摆脱的思想(或情感)
参考例句:
  • I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
  • She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。
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