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CHAPTER I SOLVING A PROBLEM
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 “Phil, what should you and Ted1 do if you were suddenly called upon to support your sisters and me?” asked Mrs. Porter, as her family were finishing their supper.
“Play ball,” declared Phil.
“Be an aviator,” announced his brother.
“You might have known what their answers would be, Momsy, without asking,” exclaimed Sallie, with disgust. “Ever since Phil was elected captain of his school nine all he can think of is ‘play ball.’”
“Yes, and Ted’s just as absorbed in that old machine he is building—as if he could build anything that would fly,” interposed Margie.
“I tell you it can fly, Miss Smarty. It rose more than a foot from the ground and kept up for its whole length last week,” retorted Ted.
“That wasn’t flying, it was the shock caused by my lending you my week’s allowance,” retaliated3 Margie.
“You said you wouldn’t mention that, and anyway, I didn’t promise to pay it back until next month.”
“I’m sorry, Ted. That slipped out without my thinking. Do you suppose your machine would fly twice its length if I loaned you this week’s money?”
“Goody, sis, will you?”
“Don’t you do it, Marg,” warned her older sister. “Momsy, you ought to forbid Ted’s throwing away all his and Margie’s money on that crazy old airship.”
“I haven’t asked you for any, have I?” demanded Ted, his cheeks flushing.
“Good reason why—you know I wouldn’t lend you any.”
“You can turn up your nose all you like, but you’ll change your tune4 when you see me flying about.”
“I shall be so old my eyesight will be gone when you do.”
“Never you—” began Ted, only to be interrupted by his mother.
“There, there, son, don’t get so excited. It is all right for you to spend your own time and money on your flying machine, if you wish, but you must not borrow from Margie.”
“Now don’t scold Ted, Momsy,” broke in the younger girl. “I really owe him something because he helped me to pass my algebra5 exam.”
“Besides, I said I would pay her back next month—and I will.”
“All right, but I forbid you to ask Margie again. I think, too, it would be just as well if you all saved your allowances from now on—there is no knowing how soon they will stop entirely,” added Mrs. Porter, seriously.
At this statement, the boys looked blankly at their sisters, then at their mother, and as they searched her face, they noticed how unusually wan2 and frail6 she appeared.
“Why, Momsy, how tired you look!” exclaimed Phil.
“I am, son,—and ill. The doctor says I may,” and her voice quavered, “I may be obliged to give up my work and take a long rest.”
In shocked surprise, her sons and daughters heard her words, for, though they loved their mother dearly, with the carelessness of youth, they had failed to note the increasing look of weariness that was furrowing7 her face with lines.
“If Dr. Blair says you ought to take a rest, you shall,” declared Ted.
“Yet I can’t unless you and Phil are able to take my place as breadwinner, and flying and playing ball do not seem to be very reliable occupations.”
“We didn’t mean that; at least, I didn’t,” protested Phil, hastily.
“Nor I,” his brother quickly confirmed.
“Then what would you do?”
An instant Phil looked at his brother, who nodded, then replied:
“We’d take up a free homestead out West and raise wheat.”
So utterly8 different from anything they had expected was this announcement that Mrs. Porter and her daughters simply sat in silence.
Confronted with the necessity of bringing up four young children with only a small life insurance as a basis, the mother had courageously9 set about the task.
Artistic10 by nature, through the aid of friends, she obtained a responsible and remunerative11 position with a large department store which had enabled her to make their home in Weston comfortable and attractive, even, indeed, through the strictest economy, to save a few hundred dollars—but the effort had been at the expense of her strength and health.
“A lot you kids know about farming,” exclaimed Margie, the first to recover from her surprise.
“Or about anything else that’s practical,” retorted Phil. “But we can learn—and there’s a better living to be made from a farm, say out in Washington State, even the first year, than we could provide you in the city in five.”
“You think you would be happy to leave Weston, with your amusements and all your friends?” quietly asked Mrs. Porter.
“We know we should be,” asserted Phil. “Why, Jack12 Howell told us it took all the money he could earn just to buy his clothes and go round—and he receives twenty dollars a week. So how could we take care of you and the girls, too, even if we were able to get that much?”
“Which we wouldn’t be,” promptly13 declared Ted. “If a fellow can get ten dollars a week when he starts in, he is lucky. I know, because I’ve been trying to find a place where I could earn some money to put into my flying machine.”
“Why go way out to Washington?” inquired Sallie. “If you are set on going in for farming, there must be no end of places nearer where you could do as well.”
“If we had the money,” returned Phil. “As we haven’t, the thing for us to do is to take up some of the land that is given away by the government to settlers, and there is none easier to clear than in Washington. Oh, we know,” he added, forestalling14 the exceptions he knew his sister would take to this statement, “because Ted and I have been looking it up.”
“I thought lumber15 was the chief product of Washington,” declared Margie, cocking her head on one side, as though she were obtaining a mental picture of the products of that State as they were printed in her geography.
“So it is, but there are thousands of acres which are particularly adapted to wheat; that is, the climate is, and the soil is fertile,” replied Ted.
“But there are bears out in those forests,” protested Margie. “Just imagine Phil and Ted at work in their fields when up comes Master Bruin behind them and gives them a swat with his paw, knocking the mighty16 captain of the Parker School Base Ball Nine out with the first blow. Why—”
“Be sensible, Marg, if you can,” snapped Phil.
“Very well. Where do Momsy and Sallie and I fit in your plan? Dr. Blair says Momsy must have a rest. But all I can see in your scheme is a lark17 for you and Ted while we stay on here in the East.”
“We’d have Momsy and Sallie come out just as soon as we had filed our entry to the land and put up a cabin,” declared Phil.
“Leaving me to the tender mercies of some orphans’ home here?” bantered18 Margie.
“The bears would get you if you came out there; they like chicken,” grinned Ted.
Margie was on the point of retorting, when her mother interposed.
“This is too serious a matter to be turned into a joke, children. I—”
What Mrs. Porter intended to say, however, was left unsaid, at least for the moment, for before she could proceed, the door opened and in burst several young people.
“Hurry and finish your suppers; we want you to go canoeing,” exclaimed one of the girls. Then, as she noticed that Mrs. Porter seemed about to refuse, she added: “Now you mustn’t say ‘no,’ Momsy Porter. It’s concert night, and we can’t go unless you let Sallie and Margie and the boys go, mother said so.”
“We’re going to sow wheat instead,” asserted Margie.
“That will do, daughter,” rebuked19 her mother. “I—”
“You will let them, won’t you?” begged another girl.
“Yes. Dr. Blair is coming to talk with me, so I shall not be left alone.”
With a swish of skirts the girls swooped20 upon the frail little woman, almost smothering21 her with their hugs and kisses, then rushed away, her “be careful!” ringing in their ears as they trooped off, the boys trailing behind, their arms loaded with cushions.

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1 ted 9gazhs     
vt.翻晒,撒,撒开
参考例句:
  • The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
  • She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。
2 wan np5yT     
(wide area network)广域网
参考例句:
  • The shared connection can be an Ethernet,wireless LAN,or wireless WAN connection.提供共享的网络连接可以是以太网、无线局域网或无线广域网。
3 retaliated 7367300f47643ddd3ace540c89d8cfea     
v.报复,反击( retaliate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • When he once teased her for her inexperience, she retaliated. 有一次,他讥讽她没有经验,她便反唇相讥。 来自辞典例句
  • The terrorists retaliated by killing three policemen. 恐怖分子以杀死三名警察相报复。 来自辞典例句
4 tune NmnwW     
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整
参考例句:
  • He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子,并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
  • The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。
5 algebra MKRyW     
n.代数学
参考例句:
  • He was not good at algebra in middle school.他中学时不擅长代数。
  • The boy can't figure out the algebra problems.这个男孩做不出这道代数题。
6 frail yz3yD     
adj.身体虚弱的;易损坏的
参考例句:
  • Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了,身体虚弱,不便独居。
  • She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上,看上去特别虚弱。
7 furrowing 01ce65e76d8b4355422f0d3a78b32646     
v.犁田,开沟( furrow的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • In spring, farmers are busy furrowing the fields. 春天,农民忙于犁地。 来自辞典例句
  • The gasoline's machine is used for mowing, flooding, furrowing, every kind of machine power supply. 我公司为农机产品开发的动力源,该产品主要是用于收、、、等机械。 来自互联网
8 utterly ZfpzM1     
adv.完全地,绝对地
参考例句:
  • Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民,把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
  • I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。
9 courageously wvzz8b     
ad.勇敢地,无畏地
参考例句:
  • Under the correct leadership of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, the army and civilians in flooded areas fought the floods courageously, reducing the losses to the minimum. 在中共中央、国务院的正确领导下,灾区广大军民奋勇抗洪,把灾害的损失减少到了最低限度。
  • He fought death courageously though his life was draining away. 他虽然生命垂危,但仍然勇敢地与死亡作斗争。
10 artistic IeWyG     
adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的
参考例句:
  • The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
  • These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。
11 remunerative uBJzl     
adj.有报酬的
参考例句:
  • He is prepared to make a living by accepting any remunerative chore.为了生计,他准备接受任何有酬报的杂活。
  • A doctor advised her to seek remunerative employment.一个医生建议她去找有酬劳的工作。
12 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
13 promptly LRMxm     
adv.及时地,敏捷地
参考例句:
  • He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
  • She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。
14 forestalling d45327a760f7199d057caaf0ab24c9d3     
v.先发制人,预先阻止( forestall的现在分词 )
参考例句:
15 lumber a8Jz6     
n.木材,木料;v.以破旧东西堆满;伐木;笨重移动
参考例句:
  • The truck was sent to carry lumber.卡车被派出去运木材。
  • They slapped together a cabin out of old lumber.他们利用旧木料草草地盖起了一间小屋。
16 mighty YDWxl     
adj.强有力的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
17 lark r9Fza     
n.云雀,百灵鸟;n.嬉戏,玩笑;vi.嬉戏
参考例句:
  • He thinks it cruel to confine a lark in a cage.他认为把云雀关在笼子里太残忍了。
  • She lived in the village with her grandparents as cheerful as a lark.她同祖父母一起住在乡间非常快活。
18 bantered 385cd03cd5e1d5eb44a1a058344e9fe9     
v.开玩笑,说笑,逗乐( banter的过去式和过去分词 );(善意地)取笑,逗弄
参考例句:
  • We bantered Nick on the subject of marriage. 我们就婚姻问题取笑尼克。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The rival team members bantered before the game. 双方队员在比赛前互相说笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 rebuked bdac29ff5ae4a503d9868e9cd4d93b12     
责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The company was publicly rebuked for having neglected safety procedures. 公司因忽略了安全规程而受到公开批评。
  • The teacher rebuked the boy for throwing paper on the floor. 老师指责这个男孩将纸丢在地板上。
20 swooped 33b84cab2ba3813062b6e35dccf6ee5b     
俯冲,猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The aircraft swooped down over the buildings. 飞机俯冲到那些建筑物上方。
  • The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it. 鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
21 smothering f8ecc967f0689285cbf243c32f28ae30     
(使)窒息, (使)透不过气( smother的现在分词 ); 覆盖; 忍住; 抑制
参考例句:
  • He laughed triumphantly, and silenced her by manly smothering. 他胜利地微笑着,以男人咄咄逼人的气势使她哑口无言。
  • He wrapped the coat around her head, smothering the flames. 他用上衣包住她的头,熄灭了火。


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