Farmer Goodale, somewhat doubtful about the affair, made a trip to the scene of Pee-wee’s triumph and his inspection2 only increased the little scout3’s glory. He said that the reptile4 was a rattlesnake, sure enough, and a very formidable one. Simon Hasbrook, the farm-boy, also made a pilgrimage to the historic field of glory, and reported that the dead snake was the largest he had ever seen.
As for Pee-wee, his exploit was soon relegated5 to the back of his seething6 mind in the interest of more important conquests. For he intended to triumph over Straw-hat Braggen as he had triumphed over the snake. He intended to vanquish7 him, not with a mop and a cudgel, but with a float which would be a vision of splendor8.
His first move was against Mr. Goodale. “If we have a float in the parade,” he said excitedly, “it’ll make lots and lots of people come and board here, because it pays to advertise, and all we have to do is kind of to drop that building down onto the hay wagon10 and then decorate it; see? All we have to do is to saw off the four stilts11 and let it down—kerflop. It’ll come down all right.”
Mr. Goodale agreed that if the four stilts were sawed off the structure would undoubtedly12 descend13 upon the hay wagon.
“On account of the attraction of gravity,” Pee-wee said. “Then when we’re all through with it we can sort of raise it up again, because then we’ll have plenty of money on account of the farm getting to be so popular, so it’s a kind of an investment. So will you do it? If you’ll help me saw it off I’ll do all the rest, and I can even print a great big sign, because I know all about printing, because my uncle is in the printing business. So will you do it?”
“I don’t see how as it’s goin’ ter bring folks here,” drawled Mr. Goodale, good-humoredly, and somewhat captivated in spite of himself, by Pee-wee’s enthusiasm; “because all the folks up ter Snailsdale hev got boardin’ places—”
“Yes, but when they see our float they’ll want to come here; you leave it to me because I took a snapshot of all the fellers eating up at Temple Camp and I made them all smile as if they were getting two or three helpings14, and the trustees put that picture in a circular, so that proves it, because the next summer scouts15 came all the way from Arizona. Gee16 whiz, that’s why nobody comes here, because we don’t advertise. Lots of rich people go to the Snailsdale House.”
“Waal,” smiled Farmer Goodale, by no means convinced, but quite unable to withstand the fire of Pee-wee’s enthusiasm, “we’ll see what can be done—”
“And can Simon go, and drive the oxen?” Pee-wee interrupted, excitedly, anxious to bring Mr. Goodale to the point of unconditional17 surrender. “And can I use the red paint that’s out in the barn?”
“Haow’d you find out ’baout that?”
“I saw it there, and can I use a couple of those boards out in the pigpen?” Evidently Pee-wee had made a preliminary inventory18 of the entire farm.
In plain truth neither Mr. Goodale nor any one else had any faith in the practical character of Pee-wee’s enterprise. But if our hero paused to consider this lack of spirit and cooperation he probably consoled himself with the reflection that all great inventors and promoters are scorned by the world until their triumphs have been won. In Pee-wee’s mammoth19 enterprises he was not unaccustomed to working alone. The well-known case of Christopher Columbus was always in his mind.
Farmer Goodale and his wife had too long prayed and hoped for summer boarders at their sequestered20 homestead to believe that a boy scout could perform the miracle of bringing any trunk and suitcase pilgrims to their door. Three years previously21 they had advertised in the New York Sunday papers and in the vacation book published by the railroad. They had even taken down the partition between the two sitting rooms to make a spacious22 floor for dancing. But no one had ever come, save an occasional old lady, or a weary school teacher. Mrs. Goodale said it was because her husband had an old-fashioned habit of telling the truth about his lonely place.
At all events the kind-hearted old man wished those who did come to be contented23 and happy. So after contemplating24 the old corn-husk house shrewdly from various angles, he piled timbers between it and the hay wagon until the space of a foot or more was filled. Then he sawed through the four supporting stilts and by pulling the timbers out one after another, let the ramshackle old structure down upon the wide, clumsy hay wagon.
“There yer be,” he said, as he proceeded to nail it here and there and to bind25 it with rope to the frame of the wagon; “naow I reckon she’ll do. More like a float fer a insane asylum26, I’d say. Naow you can set ter work and kill time puttin’ on yer gewgaws n’ Simon’ll go ’long with yer when th’ day comes. Anything else?” He stood, saw in hand, looking over the top of his old steel-rimmed specks27, a shrewd, amused smile on his furrowed28, bronzed face. “Naow yer kin9 go to it, as the feller says.”
So Pee-wee went to it. The architectural conception, which was now an accomplished29 fact, was ludicrous in the last degree. The old, slatted corn-husk receptacle standing30 upon the hay wagon looked like nothing either Gothic or Moorish31. Mrs. Stillmore said it was roorish, a name derived32 from rural. The structure, which was of a familiar sort seen on farms, slanted33 out from its base till it reached the point of juncture34 with a roof disproportionately massive and heavy. The sides of the structure had slats instead of siding so that the whole business had not a little the appearance of a rolling circus cage.
It was this fact that put it into Pee-wee’s fertile brain to use a pig or a calf35 as a tenant36 of this traveling cell by way of suggesting the bounteous37 fare at Goodale Manor38 Farm. He deferred39 this matter till later, pending40 the completion of his exterior41 decorations.
After the first curiosity of the household had been satisfied no one visited him in his corner of the barnyard and the work of gala preparation went forward without audience, save for a rooster that made a practice of sitting on the fence and watching the artistic42 labor43. Perhaps he had an artistic bent44. At all events, he sat on the fence hour in and hour out contemplating the work with profoundest interest.
He was Pee-wee’s only companion.
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1
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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2
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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3
scout
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| n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索 | |
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reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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relegated
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| v.使降级( relegate的过去式和过去分词 )；使降职；转移；把…归类 | |
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6
seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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7
vanquish
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| v.征服，战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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8
splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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9
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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10
wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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11
stilts
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| n.（支撑建筑物高出地面或水面的）桩子，支柱( stilt的名词复数 )；高跷 | |
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12
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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13
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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14
helpings
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| n.（食物）的一份( helping的名词复数 )；帮助，支持 | |
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15
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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16
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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17
unconditional
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| adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的 | |
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18
inventory
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| n.详细目录，存货清单 | |
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19
mammoth
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| n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的 | |
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20
sequestered
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| adj.扣押的；隐退的；幽静的；偏僻的v.使隔绝，使隔离( sequester的过去式和过去分词 )；扣押 | |
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21
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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24
contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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25
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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26
asylum
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| n.避难所，庇护所，避难 | |
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27
specks
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| n.眼镜；斑点，微粒，污点( speck的名词复数 ) | |
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28
furrowed
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| v.犁田，开沟( furrow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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30
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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31
moorish
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| adj.沼地的，荒野的，生[住]在沼地的 | |
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32
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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33
slanted
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| 有偏见的； 倾斜的 | |
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34
juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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35
calf
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| n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮 | |
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tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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bounteous
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| adj.丰富的 | |
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38
manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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39
deferred
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| adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从 | |
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40
pending
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| prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的 | |
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41
exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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42
artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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43
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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44
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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