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A LITTLE COLORED BOY.
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 “YOU can’t help thinking when you listen to that boy,” said Mrs. Warner, “that the Lord must want him in heaven. He has such a heavenly voice.”
 
 
“I think it more likely that God put an angel’s voice in Neddy’s throat to give us a taste of heavenly music,” said grandma, looking up from the apples she was paring.
 
“Bosh! you women folks are so everlastingly1 simple and silly that you encourage the boy in his mischief;” and Farmer Warner set down the milk pail with such a thud that the milk slopped over into the sauce his wife was dishing for supper.
 
“Now, Henry, you have ruined that dish of apple sauce,” expostulated Mrs. Warner; “and they’re the first apples of the season, too.”
 
“Never mind,” said grandma, “we’ll find something else. Just call the boy to supper, Henry.”
 
“Indeed I won’t call him,” he sputtered2. “For the past hour I’ve been calling him to help with the chores, and I’ll call no more.”
 
Just then, in sweet, rich tones, came in the melody—
 
“O, there is rest, O, there is rest,
Yes, there is rest for my soul.”
“And your body, too,” growled3 Mr. Warner. “If you women had the trials I have with Ned, you would not set so much store by him.”
 
“I won’t deny that he’s trying, Henry; but when one is weary and fretted4 with a long, hot day’s work, it is the most soothing5 thing in the world to hear the child singing in the twilight6 about rest for his soul. It rests me way to my toes.”
 
 
“It would rest me a heap more if he did his work. Now, you see when I called him to help he was singing about rest, but supper being ready, he comes along without being called even.”
 
Bare feet came pattering along the porch and a little black face peeped in the window.
 
“Did you call me, Mis’ser Warner?” The farmer grunted7 and drew up to the table.
 
“Henry called you a long time ago, Neddy; why did you not come?”
 
“I camed jes’ as soon as I heerd him, ’deed I did. I only stopped to pick these fur you,” and he placed his hat on the table lined with leaves and filled to the brim with luscious8 blackberries; then he laid a great bunch of wild flowers beside them. Mrs. Warner buried her face in the fragrant9 flowers. How long it was since anyone had brought her flowers! Henry used to keep her supplied; but he was too busy now.
 
“Deary me,” said grandma; “these will just take the place of the apple sauce;” and she began to pick over the berries.
 
Ned sat at a side table and did full justice to an ample supper. When Mr. Warner called for pie his wife gave him half of one, and, notwithstanding his frown, gave the other half to Ned. After supper they both went out, but Ned soon returned and began helping10 clear the table.
 
“Henry may need you, Ned,” said Mrs. Warner.
 
“No’m, he don’t; he tole me to clear out. You put some flowers on your dress an’ go out an’ get some air. I’ll clean up.”
 
It was a great temptation, and Mrs. Warner walked through the fields to a neighbor’s, while Ned warbled over the dishes and her husband finished the chores.
 
A few months before this a lady from the South had brought Ned to sing in the church, and had told how anxious she was to get a home for him with Christian11 people who would educate him. Mrs. Warner’s heart had softened12 at once, and her husband was nothing loath13 to have a little helper and do God service at the same time. But they had not found it an easy task to train Ned up in the way he should go. A sweet-tempered little singing bird was he, as neat as a pin and as quick as a wink14, but having no more idea of responsibilities than the little warblers he imitated in his throat.
 
But his kind thoughtfulness for others gave Mrs. Warner courage to keep on with him, and, as soon as she had, with very gentle teaching, made him to understand that promptness was the one thing required by Mr. Warner, and that the lack of it often caused serious inconvenience, the little fellow began to mend his ways.
 
 
It was hard for him to understand at first. The fact that a thing would give pleasure to some one seemed reason enough for its being done at once. In fact, some of the unpleasant things seemed to him hardly worth the doing.
 
But Mrs. Warner was very patient, and the heart that beat under the dark skin was very loving and sweet.
 
“Yes; I see it now,” he said one day, as he dropped the first sweet harvest apple into grandma’s lap. “It took a good while, but I understand. If you are told to do a thing, you must do it. Then, if there’s any time left, or, if you can crowd the pleasant thing in along with it, all right. But sometimes it’s powerful hard.
 
“There’s the sky. I s’pose he’d like to smile all the time and be bright and jolly. But sometimes God tells him to rain, and he just goes and does it, like a major.
 
“Didn’t use to seem ’s if I was selfish if I kept the cows waiting while I picked some wild flowers for Mrs. Warner. But I really suppose it was.”
 
Dear little Ned! God bless him!

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 everlastingly e11726de37cbaab344011cfed8ecef15     
永久地,持久地
参考例句:
  • Why didn't he hold the Yankees instead of everlastingly retreating? 他为什么不将北军挡住,反而节节败退呢?
  • "I'm tired of everlastingly being unnatural and never doing anything I want to do. "我再也忍受不了这样无休止地的勉强自己,永远不能赁自己高兴做事。
2 sputtered 96f0fd50429fb7be8aafa0ca161be0b6     
v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的过去式和过去分词 );发劈啪声;喷出;飞溅出
参考例句:
  • The candle sputtered out. 蜡烛噼啪爆响着熄灭了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The balky engine sputtered and stopped. 不听使唤的发动机劈啪作响地停了下来。 来自辞典例句
3 growled 65a0c9cac661e85023a63631d6dab8a3     
v.(动物)发狺狺声, (雷)作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 );低声咆哮着说
参考例句:
  • \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道:“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 fretted 82ebd7663e04782d30d15d67e7c45965     
焦躁的,附有弦马的,腐蚀的
参考例句:
  • The wind whistled through the twigs and fretted the occasional, dirty-looking crocuses. 寒风穿过枯枝,有时把发脏的藏红花吹刮跑了。 来自英汉文学
  • The lady's fame for hitting the mark fretted him. 这位太太看问题深刻的名声在折磨着他。
5 soothing soothing     
adj.慰藉的;使人宽心的;镇静的
参考例句:
  • Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
  • His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。
6 twilight gKizf     
n.暮光,黄昏;暮年,晚期,衰落时期
参考例句:
  • Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
  • Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。
7 grunted f18a3a8ced1d857427f2252db2abbeaf     
(猪等)作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 ); (指人)发出类似的哼声; 咕哝着说
参考例句:
  • She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声,继续看书,不屑抬起头来看一眼。
  • She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。
8 luscious 927yw     
adj.美味的;芬芳的;肉感的,引与性欲的
参考例句:
  • The watermelon was very luscious.Everyone wanted another slice.西瓜很可口,每个人都想再来一片。
  • What I like most about Gabby is her luscious lips!我最喜欢的是盖比那性感饱满的双唇!
9 fragrant z6Yym     
adj.芬香的,馥郁的,愉快的
参考例句:
  • The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
  • The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。
10 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
11 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
12 softened 19151c4e3297eb1618bed6a05d92b4fe     
(使)变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 ); 缓解打击; 缓和; 安慰
参考例句:
  • His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
  • The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。
13 loath 9kmyP     
adj.不愿意的;勉强的
参考例句:
  • The little girl was loath to leave her mother.那小女孩不愿离开她的母亲。
  • They react on this one problem very slow and very loath.他们在这一问题上反应很慢,很不情愿。
14 wink 4MGz3     
n.眨眼,使眼色,瞬间;v.眨眼,使眼色,闪烁
参考例句:
  • He tipped me the wink not to buy at that price.他眨眼暗示我按那个价格就不要买。
  • The satellite disappeared in a wink.瞬息之间,那颗卫星就消失了。


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