Thus, when the Sunday School picnic with its ice cream and cake conflicted with the troops’ hike, Pee-wee saved the day and much of the ice cream by proposing that they hike to the scene of the picnic.
His greatest triumph of maneuvering3, however, was when he “foiled” Father Time by means of the daylight saving law. On that memorable4 occasion he set the hands of the kitchen clock back an hour which enabled him to have supper home at six o’clock and also to reach the scout5 rally at North Bridgeboro at six o’clock, where he partook of a second supper, including a helping6 of plum pudding—and a helping of apple pie. Thus, he solved the problem of being in two places at the same time at meal-time. A scout is resourceful.
Pee-wee never had to pause and consider which thing he preferred, since he preferred all things. The place that he liked best to go was everywhere. The thing that he liked best to do was everything. Broadly speaking, the thing which he liked best to eat was food. And speaking more particularly the food that he liked best was dessert. But it might be said that he ate everything; adventures, hairbreadth escapes, colossal7 enterprises, dark mysteries—he ate them alive.
So it befell that when Pee-wee’s mother offered him the choice of going to Temple Camp or accompanying her into the mountains where she hoped to rest, he announced that he would go to the mountains first and to Temple Camp afterward8. He did not specify9 how long he would remain in the mountains, but he assured his mother that Temple Camp and the mountains would be a moderate mouthful for one summer.
“I’m afraid it is very quiet up there,” said Mrs. Harris warningly.
“Gee10 whiz, I’ll show them how to make a noise,” Pee-wee assured her. “I can multiply my voice three times. Do you want to know how?”
“I’d rather hear you subtract it,” said Pee-wee’s mother.
“Do you want to know how?” he persisted.
“Tell me but don’t show me,” she said.
“You do it with echoes,” Pee-wee said; “it’s a scout stunt11. I bet you couldn’t do it. Gee whiz, you say it’s quiet up there; I bet I can make those mountains talk. If I shout at a mountain that’s facing another mountain they’ll both answer; that makes three voices. Only I have to shout good and loud; I have to yell. See? All I need is a lot of lonely mountains. The quieter it is up there the more noise I can make. See? I might even make four of them shout.”
The vision of Pee-wee acting12 as a sort of orchestral leader to a range of mountains rather appalled13 his mother, but she said with a gentle smile as was her wont14, “I’m afraid the place is very quiet and lonely, and such pleasure as you have you will have to make for yourself. I don’t want you to be restless and disappointed when you get there. It isn’t at all like Temple Camp, you know.”
“Have they got a windmill?” Pee-wee demanded vociferously15.
“I don’t know, I’m sure.”
“Because I know how to put a riot-rattle in a windmill so it will make a lot of noise; it’s a scout trick. I can show them how to churn milk with a vacuum cleaner, too.”
“I don’t believe they have any vacuum cleaners up there, dearie,” Mrs. Harris said, reaching for a letter that lay on her dresser. “Let me read you what the letter says.”
The letter was written on cheap lined stationery16, dignified17 by a rubber stamp heading which read,
The writing was shaky and crude and evidently the result of much laborious19 care. It read as follows:
dear madem your letter of third instant reed and can acomidate you for month of Aug. with sunny room also small room if desired, there is not menny peple here but one young lady aged20 sixteen but plenty of fresh milk and holesome fair and methedist church at Snailsdale Manor about seven miles the nearest station, if you come let me no so can meat you. take Snailsdale branch of Drerie railroad to Snailsdale Manor nearest station, address to Snailsdale Manor P. O.
respectibly
Asa Goodale.
“I’m afraid they haven’t even a rural mail delivery,” said Mrs. Harris. “Your Uncle Charlie, who went up for the hunting several years ago, said that the only living things he saw up there were Mr. and Mrs. Goodale, their son, a team of oxen, several cows, and a woodchuck. And he thinks the woodchuck has since moved away. I suppose they have chickens. I don’t know how old Mr. Goodale’s son is.”
“Sure, I’ll go,” Pee-wee announced conclusively21, “because anyway one thing scouts22 hate and that is civilization. And anyway I bet that woodchuck didn’t move away at all, because woodchucks have back entrances under stone walls and scouts know where to look for them; gee whiz, no woodchuck can fool me. I bet there are skunks23 up there, too, and lots of other peachy things; I can tell by deduction,”
“Well, he doesn’t give any skunk24 as a reference,” smiled Mrs. Harris; “I’m afraid you’ll find it very quiet and dull.”
“If you’re a scout you can make your own noise,” Pee-wee said; “you don’t have to depend on noises, just the same as you can always make the forest yield food. You can eat fungus25 even.”
“Well, I think fresh milk will be better than fungus,” said Mrs. Harris.
“Fungus is all right to eat and so is moss,” Pee-wee said. “That shows how much you know about scouting26. You can even eat ground-worms, if you’re a scout.”
“Gracious heavens!” said Pee-wee’s mother.
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收听单词发音
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1
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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prop
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| vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山 | |
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3
maneuvering
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| v.移动，用策略( maneuver的现在分词 )；操纵 | |
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4
memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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scout
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| n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索 | |
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6
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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7
colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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8
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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9
specify
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| vt.指定，详细说明 | |
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10
gee
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| n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转 | |
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11
stunt
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| n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长 | |
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12
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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13
appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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14
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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15
vociferously
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| adv.喊叫地，吵闹地 | |
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16
stationery
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| n.文具；(配套的)信笺信封 | |
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17
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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18
manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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19
laborious
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| adj.吃力的，努力的，不流畅 | |
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20
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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21
conclusively
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| adv.令人信服地，确凿地 | |
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22
scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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23
skunks
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| n.臭鼬( skunk的名词复数 )；臭鼬毛皮；卑鄙的人；可恶的人 | |
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24
skunk
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| n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥 | |
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25
fungus
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| n.真菌，真菌类植物 | |
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26
scouting
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| 守候活动，童子军的活动 | |
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