“And you have no idea how much fun we have had together. Even work is fun when we all work together. Last year, we were all down on Jane’s big farm in Kentucky when the harvest had just begun. It happened that there was an excursion for the negroes scheduled for the same day and all the hands, house servants, yard boys, stable boys, even down to the smallest pickaninnies on the place, just took temporary French leave. Mr. Pellew was terribly upset. You see, he had engaged the machines and everything. Anyway, Ellen and Mabel got busy in the kitchen and cooked for simply rafts of people, the rest of us went out in the fields with Jack1 and Mr. Pellew and he said that we worked just as well as the men and that we were lots more conscientious3.” Frances said this with a rather defiant4 air, because she had often found that the young men of her acquaintance were inclined to doubt female prowess in any line other than fancy sewing.
“You sound like a dandy bunch of girls. No one could realize that fact more keenly than I. But don’t you think it is rather unusual for girls to be as capable as that? And don’t you suppose the novelty of the affair had a great deal to do with the girl’s conscientiousness6?” Seeing Frances’ indignant expression, Tim hastened to add, “I am not stating this as facts. Like Will Irwin’s Japanese school boy, ‘I ask to know’.”
“All right, then,” said Frances, relenting at his meek7 tones, “if you come to the discussion with an humble8 open mind, I’ll continue to be pro5, and after I have finished I’ll listen to your con2.”
“Like a lamb to the slaughter,” announced Tim, folding his brown arms over his chest. “I’m ready. The battle may begin.”
“Heavens! you have me all confused now. How am I to know whether you are going to listen like a meek lamb or whether you have entered the ranks, arrayed in glittering armor, ready to fight to the death. Don’t be so contradictory9 in your statements.”
“I crave10 your indulgence for my mixed metaphors11. In the crude parlance12 of these modern times, ‘shoot’,” said Tim.
“Resolved: that the female of the species can do as much work as the male and do it in almost as many branches as the aforesaid male. Two cousins of mine were with the Vassar College farm unit for twelve weeks, summer before last, and at the end of the twelve weeks, the head of the farmerettes mailed out questionnaires to the different men who had employed the girls as farm hands during the summer. These questionnaires asked the farmers if the girls were equal to the men as to strength, interest, conscientiousness and so on. All of the farmers answered that they were perfectly13 able to do all the work that had been set them to do, and that they had been given the work of the men that were overseas, and that they had accomplished14 it well; and, further, that they showed a quickness in learning that the men did not, and that they were more interested in their work, and far more conscientious than the men they had formerly15 employed. When asked if they would consider employing the Vassar girls at another time, all the men who had employed the girls said that most assuredly they would,” and Frances stopped rather out of breath but smiling triumphantly16 at her adversary17. “We will now hear the other side.”
“Madame, I have the honor to announce that your worthy18 opponent is absolutely convinced and begs your forgiveness for his former unbelief. There will be no rebuttal, ladies and gentlemen,” said Tim with a grin at a make-believe audience.
He looked at Frances in open admiration19, for the vivid pink that the excitement of a chance argument always brought had flushed her cheeks and her gray eyes sparkled with amusement at his defeat.
Just then there was a thud on deck and Mabel’s cheery voice called to find out how the patient was getting along. After making the tender fast to the boat boom, Jack and Ellen and Mabel and Charlie, followed by Mr. Wing, came down into the little saloon to tell Tim that the telegram assuring his family of his safety had been duly sent.
“The girls insisted on our bringing you candy and magazines, but I have a hunch20 that it wasn’t you alone they had in view,” said Jack, unloading himself of many bundles.
“But I knew you would want something to smoke, so I brought along a couple of cartons of Piedmonts. I hope that it is what you use,” said Charlie with the complacency of one who has done well.
“Speaking of unselfish devotion,” Ellen spoke21 up in defense22 of herself and Mabel, “who likes Piedmonts more than our own dear Charlie?”
Frances jumped up, grabbed Ellen’s arm and lifted it high over her head and in her best referee23 manner began, “One, two, three, four, five—”
Tim raised a protesting hand, “I’ll report the match to the authorities, as not one word was said about the ‘gentlemen being members of this club.’”
“What in the world is society coming to, when its younger members of both sexes are so familiar with the expressions of the boxing ring?” Mr. Wing asked.
“Oh, Daddy, Daddy! As if you don’t go to every fight that comes off, not to speak of the wrestling matches! Who was it I heard saying to Breck not long ago that he would ‘lay five to one’ on Dempsey in the Willard-Dempsey fight?” and, withering25 before Mabel’s onslaught, Mr. Wing retreated up the companion.
“Listen to this,” said Jack, who had been running through the magazines while the bout24 was going on, “It’s called ‘Sails’:
“If he had seen
A barkentine
Beating off a blowy head,
Or, all a-sheen,
A brigantine
Running free by trade-wind sped,
How could Fulton have dared to dream
Of steam?”
“That’s rather nice,” Tim said as Jack finished the little verse, “and it’s just the way I feel. Wouldn’t it have been fine if there wasn’t any machinery26 and we could all have gone on living in the woods, in leopard27 skins—I rather fancy myself in a leopard skin—”
“You are just the person to make the most fuss if your train happens to be the least bit late,” Frances broke in on him.
“And sail around all summer in a fast little yacht,” Tim went on, with a grin at Frances.
“Then about the first of October eat enough to last you until spring and crawl into your little cave and sleep till warm weather.”
“What a pretty picture,” laughed Mabel. “Glimpse Tim, draped in leopard’s skin, nimbly going up the shrouds28, with a telescope, development of the modern time, to sit in the crosstree and watch the races in the sound.”
“People always imagine that whatever time they live in is the very worst time, and, as for clothes, what could be more uncomfortable than a leopard’s skin. It would always be getting in the soup or something,” objected Jack.
“You would hardly have to worry about soup in connection with a leopard’s skin. What you would probably do would be skip along the shore and hunt for mussels or hide behind the bushes and jump out on a frightened little pig and sit down on your haunches and devour29 him raw,” decided30 Frances.
“Consider the bristles,” shuddered31 Ellen.
“Dinghy abaft32 our stern, sirs,” announced Mr. Wing to the little group in the saloon.
The dinghy slipped up to the “Boojum” and Jane went down to join her friends in the saloon. Breck, after making fast the dinghy, went forward to the galley33. It had been decided between them that it would be better not to say anything about their plans until after Frederick Gray made his appearance and the subject of Tim’s boat had been settled, then Jane had planned to talk to Mr. Wing about the feasibility of turning Hurricane Island into a summer resort. As to their proposed partnership34, that could wait. In the meantime it was nobody’s business but theirs.
“How ’bout my little boat?” Tim demanded with such a motherly expression that they all laughed.
“Right as rain,” Jane assured him. “And, Oh! Tim, she is a darling, isn’t she? Breck and I snugged35 ship for you and we have got a boy coming over tonight to see you about taking her back to Nantucket for you. ‘Sabrina’ is a lovely name for her too.”
“What sort of boy, Plain Jane?” inquired Mr. Wing.
“A perfect peach of a boy. Breck and I went bats about him. In the first place, he is a dream to look at—”
“Something more substantial than a dream is going to take my ‘Sabrina’ home,” said Tim.
“Beautiful people have sense sometimes, Tim. Anyhow, he is coming over tonight and you can see for yourself. He is plenty big and strong enough to handle her if he is able to get a friend of his to go along with him. He is awfully36 interesting and well read and made me feel awfully ashamed because he didn’t use one drop of slang the entire time we talked to him, and it must have been at least three hours. His father is an inventor. His name is Frederick Gray and I asked him to come to supper. You don’t mind, do you, Skipper?” Jane appealed to Mr. Wing.
“What about the island—you haven’t said a word about it?” asked Jack.
“Heavens, don’t get me started on the island. I don’t ever want to stop talking about it. We, I mean I’ve got the most wonderful plan, but I am not going to talk about it till Fred comes over tonight,” Jane put them off.
“What about my lobsters37?” demanded Mabel.
“We brought you back a whole dinghy full of them. The steward38 is getting them out now. Fred gave them to us.”
“I have changed my mind about Fred, then,” said Tim. “I am that fond of lobsters.”
“Anybody in his right mind would have to like Fred. But wait till you see him. In the meantime, how long before lunch? I am simply starved!” and Jane pounced39 on the candy.
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1
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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2
con
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| n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的 | |
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conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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pro
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| n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者 | |
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conscientiousness
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| 责任心 | |
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7
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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8
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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contradictory
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| adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立 | |
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crave
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| vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求 | |
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metaphors
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| 隐喻( metaphor的名词复数 ) | |
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parlance
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| n.说法；语调 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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20
hunch
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| n.预感，直觉 | |
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spoke
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| 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 | |
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defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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referee
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| n.裁判员．仲裁人，代表人，鉴定人 | |
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bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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withering
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| 使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的 | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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leopard
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| n.豹 | |
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shrouds
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| n.裹尸布( shroud的名词复数 )；寿衣；遮蔽物；覆盖物v.隐瞒( shroud的第三人称单数 )；保密 | |
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29
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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30
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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31
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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32
abaft
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| prep.在…之后；adv.在船尾，向船尾 | |
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33
galley
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| n.（飞机或船上的）厨房单层甲板大帆船；军舰舰长用的大划艇； | |
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partnership
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| n.合作关系，伙伴关系 | |
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snugged
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| v.整洁的( snug的过去式和过去分词 )；温暖而舒适的；非常舒适的；紧身的 | |
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awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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37
lobsters
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| 龙虾( lobster的名词复数 )； 龙虾肉 | |
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38
steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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39
pounced
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| v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
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