CONNIE and Jane were very frightened. Huddling1 behind Grandfather Gordon, they didn’t say a word.
“Speak up, or I’ll put a bullet through you!” commanded the gruff voice again.
“Is that you, John Jeffert?” called Grandfather Gordon, recovering his power of speech. “Don’t shoot!”
For an instant, Connie and Jane were blinded as a flashbeam played directly in their eyes. Then it was turned off, and a tall, heavy-set man with snow-white beard, stepped out in front of them.
“Henry Gordon!” he exclaimed. “I couldn’t see who it was. Hope I didn’t give you a bad scare.”
“Well, you did,” admitted Grandfather Gordon. “Not to mention these youngsters I have in tow.”
“I sure am sorry,” Mr. Jeffert apologized again. “In the dark, I couldn’t tell who was coming through the woods.”
92 “So you thought you’d shoot on general principles?” Grandfather Gordon was a trifle annoyed to think that the girls might have been injured through Mr. Jeffert’s carelessness.
The other man had put aside his shotgun. “I wouldn’t have fired,” he said. “That was only bluff2.”
“Then why are you carrying a gun?”
“It’s like this,” explained Mr. Jeffert. “Lately, a number of my best evergreens3 have been stolen—cut down at night. The same thing happened last year, and the year before that.”
“You never reported it to the sheriff?” asked Grandfather Gordon, for this was the first he had heard of the matter.
“No, because I have no idea who is taking the trees. Not many have been stolen, but enough so I lose most of my profit. I’m tired of it.”
“Can’t say I wouldn’t feel the same,” admitted Grandfather Gordon.
“This year, I’m keeping watch,” Mr. Jeffert continued. “Always before, my trees have been chopped down just before Christmas. If I can catch the thief, I’ll turn him over to the sheriff.”
The man moved nearer, peering curiously4 at Jane and Connie. Now that they no longer were afraid of him, he looked quite friendly and nice. He was93 inclined to be fat and wore an odd red woolen5 cap. The long, white whiskers fell nearly to his middle.
“Why, you look like Santa Claus!” gasped6 Connie.
“I may look like the kindly7 old fellow, but I haven’t his benevolent8 disposition,” he chuckled9. “At any rate, I don’t propose to give away any more of my evergreens to sneak10 thieves!”
Mr. Jeffert thanked Grandfather Gordon for bringing the groceries. It was unnecessary for the Brownies to help carry the sacks on to the house.
“I’ll take ’em when I go,” Mr. Jeffert said. “Right now I want to remain here and keep watch.”
He walked with Grandfather Gordon and the two girls to the rail fence.
“Come and see me again,” he called as they bade him good-bye and waded11 off down the snowy lane.
Safely back in the bobsled with the other Brownies, Connie and Jane related their adventure with Santa Claus Jeffert.
“He’s really quite nice and he does look like Santa Claus!” Connie declared. “I should like to meet him again.”
The frosty air had made everyone hungry. Thinking of the warm meal awaiting them, the Brownies were glad when the team presently turned in at the Gordon farm.
94 Against a back-drop of tall trees, they beheld12 the twinkling lights of the big white shingle13 house.
Mrs. Gordon, in blue-checked apron14, came running to the door. She was a tiny woman for sixty-eight years, with snow-white hair.
One by one, she gave the Brownies and Veve a welcoming hug.
“You must be starved after that long train ride,” she declared, showing the girls where to hang their coats. “As soon as you’re washed up, we’ll have supper.”
From the kitchen came the most tantalizing15 odors of baked chicken, pumpkin16 pie and hot chocolate.
Mrs. Gordon bustled17 about, showing the girls to their rooms and making certain that they had towels and soap.
Connie, Veve, Sunny and Eileen shared one room with two beds. In the one adjoining, Rosemary and Jane were to sleep.
Neither of the rooms had running water, only a pitcher18 and a bowl. However, the water had been heated in the kitchen, so the girls were able to scrub themselves thoroughly19.
In a twinkling they were downstairs again, exploring the living room and the big kitchen where Fluff, the cat, had curled up by the wood stove.
95 A fragrant20 pine knot blazed on the hearth21 of the dining room fireplace. It made the room very cozy22 and friendly.
When all the Brownies were downstairs, Grandmother Gordon called them to the dining room table. She had decorated it prettily23 with pink chrysanthemums24, but the girls saw only the food.
A huge blue platter was piled high with crusty brown chicken. Beside it was a dish of cranberry25 sauce and another of whipped potatoes with a deep lake of melted butter.
For vegetables, the Brownies had their choice of carrots, spinach26 or string beans. Dessert was the best of all-pumpkin pie with whipped cream. However, by that time, the girls were so filled, they could not eat it all.
When finally the meal was ended, they said good night to Grandfather and Grandmother Gordon and stumbled off to their beds.
Next morning, Connie was the first Brownie to dress and come down to the warm kitchen. She asked Mrs. Gordon if she might help.
“Yes, dear, you may carry in the plates,” Mrs. Gordon smiled. “Breakfast soon will be ready.”
Eileen and Jane arrived next, and they helped put on the water glasses and arrange the chairs.96 There were only six of the regular straight-back ones, but two of the Brownies used the piano bench. Miss Gordon brought in a kitchen chair for herself.
The Brownies hadn’t dreamed they could be so hungry. Mrs. Gordon had fried tiny sausages and made a giant stack of wheatcakes.
Connie ate three of the cakes, and after that lost count. She never had tasted such wonderful food.
When breakfast was over, Jane and Sunny elected to help with the dishes. Connie, Veve and Eileen volunteered to make all the beds. Rosemary cleared the table, and afterwards gave Fluff her saucer of milk.
“All work and no play will make Brownies very bored people,” Grandmother Gordon declared. “I suggest you take advantage of the snow while it lasts.”
“Let’s go skiing,” cried Connie, who wished to try out her birthday present.
“And coasting,” added Jane. “But what will we use for sleds?”
“You’ll find several in the barn,” suggested Miss Gordon. “While they’re not new, I imagine they’ll serve.”
Eagerly the Brownies donned mittens27, snowsuits97 and galoshes. A path had been shoveled28 from the house to the barn.
“Where will we coast?” Connie asked.
Miss Gordon, who looked very young in her black and scarlet29 ski suit, pointed30 to Hammer Hill.
“A trail has been broken by the other children,” she said. “So the coasting should be good despite the heavy snow.”
“Do other children live near here?” Sunny asked in surprise.
“Oh, yes, indeed. The Stones are our nearest neighbors. I believe the family has three or four children. We may meet them on the hill.”
In the barn, the Brownies found three small sleds, the big bobsled Mr. Gordon had made, and Skip.
Skip was a large, friendly shepherd dog, who barked when the Brownies called him by name. He sat up and begged to be taken along to the hill.
“May we?” Connie asked Miss Gordon.
“Yes, Skip loves the snow,” the Brownie leader consented.
The horses, Ginger31 and Maude, were crunching32 corn in their stalls. They barely lifted their heads as the Brownies dragged out the sleds.
At the hill, the girls found at least a dozen other children their own age. The Brownies took turns98 using the small sleds, and riding the big bob which Miss Gordon steered33.
Once at the bottom of the hill, the sled overturned, and everyone was dumped into the snow. The Brownies howled with laughter and did not mind in the least.
After a while, Connie, who had brought along her skis, tried to slide down hill on them. Before she had gone six feet she fell. Both of the skis flew off.
“These skis aren’t much good,” she said in a discouraged voice. She hurled34 them away.
“Why, Connie,” said Miss Gordon, laughing at her. “Have you forgotten the Brownie verse?”
“What verse?” asked Connie, digging snow from her collar.
“‘Now, little Brownie,
Strap35 on your skis;
Crouch36 low, little girl,
And bend your knees,’”
“You mean, I’m supposed to bend my knees?”
“That’s the general idea, Connie, if you hope to stay on your feet.”
“I guess I’ll try it again.” Ashamed that she had given up so easily, Connie recovered the skis and strapped37 them on once more.
99 Following Miss Gordon’s instructions, she bent38 her knees and was able to slide far down the slope before they again sailed out from under her.
This time, however, she only laughed as she picked herself up. She tried twice more to ski down the hill and finally made it without falling. Because the other girls were eager to try their luck, she then turned the runners over to Jane.
Connie noticed that several new children had arrived at the hill. There were two girls only a little younger than herself, and a small boy. The three newcomers were not as warmly dressed as the Brownies and shivered in the wind. They were using large dishpans instead of sleds for coasting.
“How funny!” she exclaimed.
The other Brownies began to take notice too, for it really was amusing to see the children try to slide down hill in dishpans. Sometimes they turned around and the pans ended up in a snowbank.
“Why don’t you get a sled?” Jane called to the youngsters.
“Sh!” warned Miss Gordon. “Those are the Stone children, Bennie, Barbara and Betty.”
“The three B’s!” chuckled Jane, who could not guess why the Brownie leader was signaling her to remain quiet.
100 “The Stone family is very poor,” Miss Gordon explained in an undertone. “Don’t make fun of their dishpans. Their parents can’t afford to buy them sleds.”
“Oh!” murmured Jane, very much ashamed that she had spoken so hastily. “I’m sorry!”
Connie had been watching the Stone children and could see that they were very envious39 of the Brownie troop’s sleds and her shiny new skis. She couldn’t blame them a bit for feeling that way.
An idea came to her.
“Oh, Miss Gordon,” she said earnestly, “can’t we heeley, eeley leedy pie?”
Now the Stone children were climbing the hill with their dishpans. Connie had used the Brownie secret language so that the youngsters, even if they heard, would not know they were being discussed.
All the Brownies understood that Connie really had said: “Can’t we help?” The game was one the troop members frequently played. Each nonsensical word made use of each letter of the word that actually was meant.
Of course, Veve, not being a Brownie, was as deeply mystified as the Stone children. She thought Connie was talking a foreign language.
“Your idea is an excellent one, Connie,” approved101 the Brownie leader. “Come along, all of you, and we’ll meet the Stone children.”
Bennie, Barbara and Betty were rather shy when Miss Gordon introduced so many girls at one time. They could think of nothing to say.
“Won’t you try my skis?” Connie politely invited Barbara. “I think I’ll rest for a while.”
“Oh, Jimminy Crickets!” Barbara’s large dark eyes kindled40 with pleasure. “I’ve always wanted to try out a pair!”
The other Brownies took their cue from Connie. Sunny gave the sled she had been using to Betty, while Eileen and Rosemary took turns pulling six-year-old Benny.
Now the girls could not fail to notice that the little fellow’s mittens were nearly worn out, though they had been mended many times. Barbara, the elder of the three Stones, wore a misfitting coat made from a garment of her father’s. Betty had on a threadbare snowsuit much too small for her.
“I wish I’d get a new sled for Christmas,” remarked Betty wistfully. “But I won’t. Pop said that this year times are harder than ever, and we can’t expect very much.”
“Take another slide on mine,” urged Sunny.
For half an hour the Brownies and the Stone children102 had a great deal of fun on the hill. Then everyone became acutely aware of the cold. Fingers began to tingle41 and toes to ache.
The Stone children said good-bye to their new friends and, with their dishpans, started home.
“I’m freezing too!” announced Eileen, stamping her feet.
“So am I,” declared Rosemary, slapping her mittens together.
“It soon will be lunch time,” declared Miss Gordon, squinting42 up at the sun which had climbed high overhead. “All those in favor of a nice warm fire, vote ‘aye.’”
“Aye!” shouted all of the Brownies.
Dragging the sleds, they took a short cut through a field and across a tiny lake to the Gordon farm.
“Did you hear what Betty said to me about not expecting a sled for Christmas?” Sunny remarked as they turned in at the lane.
“I did,” replied Connie. “And I think it’s a shame!”
“The Stone children never have had many toys,” informed Miss Gordon. “Their father is hard pressed to buy food and clothing for the family.”
“I wish we could help,” said Connie slowly. She was silent a moment as she reflected that her mother103 had given her two dollars to spend as she wished during the visit at Snow Valley. “How much does a sled cost?” she asked.
“That depends upon the type,” Miss Gordon answered. “A fairly good one can be bought for four dollars.”
“I’ll give my two dollars spending money,” offered Connie, suddenly making up her mind. “But that won’t be enough.”
“I have a dollar I’ll contribute,” volunteered Sunny. “I want the Stone children to have a sled for Christmas!”
“So do I,” chimed in Eileen. “But I can only give fifty cents.”
All of the Brownies voted to make a donation, and with a little money Miss Gordon added to the fund, it was more than enough to buy a good sled.
Of the entire group, only Veve could not offer to give anything. She had not brought any spending money along.
“Miss Gordon, will you buy the sled?” Connie asked the teacher.
“I’ll be glad to shop for it.” Miss Gordon noticed Veve’s downcast face and added: “That is, if Veve will help me make the selection. Will you, Veve?”
104 “Oh, I’d love to, Miss Gordon!” Veve perked43 up, thinking that the troop leader needed her help.
Reaching the Gordon farm, the girls swept off their snowsuits and left their galoshes on the porch. Then they stomped44 in to toast themselves by the kitchen stove and the fireplace where a big log crackled.
“Lunch will be ready directly,” announced Mrs. Gordon, bustling45 to and fro. “Hot vegetable soup and all the hamburgers you can eat!”
“Miss Gordon, tell Grandma about our wonderful plan!” Jane urged the teacher.
“To be sure. I’m very proud of my Brownies for wishing to help others.”
Mrs. Gordon began dishing soup from the big blue tureen. “So the Brownies have found themselves a project?” she inquired. “What is it, may I ask?”
“We’ve decided46 to give the Stone children a Christmas present,” declared Connie, before Miss Gordon could answer. “We voted to use our spending money to buy them a new sled.”
Now Grandmother Gordon truly was surprised. The soup ladle clattered47 from her hand against the rim48 of the tureen.
She gazed quickly at Miss Gordon, almost as if she were displeased49.
105 “The Stone children?” she repeated. “But are you certain—that is—”
She did not finish what she had started to say. Instead, with a worried shake of her head, she went on dipping up the hot soup.
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收听单词发音
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1
huddling
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| n. 杂乱一团, 混乱, 拥挤 v. 推挤, 乱堆, 草率了事 | |
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bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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3
evergreens
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| n.常青树，常绿植物，万年青( evergreen的名词复数 ) | |
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4
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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woolen
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| adj.羊毛(制)的；毛纺的 | |
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6
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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7
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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8
benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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9
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10
sneak
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| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
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11
waded
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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13
shingle
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| n.木瓦板；小招牌(尤指医生或律师挂的营业招牌)；v.用木瓦板盖（屋顶）；把（女子头发）剪短 | |
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14
apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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15
tantalizing
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| adj.逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的；煽情的v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的现在分词 ) | |
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16
pumpkin
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| n.南瓜 | |
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17
bustled
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| 闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促 | |
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18
pitcher
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| n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐；(棒球)投手 | |
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19
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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20
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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21
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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22
cozy
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| adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的 | |
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23
prettily
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| adv.优美地；可爱地 | |
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24
chrysanthemums
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| n.菊花( chrysanthemum的名词复数 ) | |
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25
cranberry
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| n.梅果 | |
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26
spinach
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| n.菠菜 | |
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27
mittens
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| 不分指手套 | |
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28
shoveled
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| vt.铲，铲出（shovel的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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29
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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30
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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31
ginger
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| n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气 | |
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32
crunching
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| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的现在分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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33
steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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34
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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35
strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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36
crouch
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| v.蹲伏，蜷缩，低头弯腰；n.蹲伏 | |
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37
strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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38
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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39
envious
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| adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的 | |
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40
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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41
tingle
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| vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动 | |
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42
squinting
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| 斜视( squint的现在分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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43
perked
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| （使）活跃( perk的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）增值； 使更有趣 | |
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44
stomped
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| v.跺脚，践踏，重踏( stomp的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
bustling
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| adj.喧闹的 | |
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46
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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47
clattered
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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48
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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49
displeased
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| a.不快的 | |
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