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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Of Days to Come
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 The Kentons had just risen from the supper table after a wonderful meal that had featured fresh fruits and vegetables from their own garden. Two days had passed since the adventure in the Great Martian Forest. This was a night of celebration, and Mr. Matthews was present.
 
“Now tell us the surprise you had for us, Father,” Jill begged, as they all sat in the living room together. Mrs. Kenton had left cleaning up until later in order to be in on the exciting talk of the evening.
 
249
“Not until I know for sure,” Dr. Kenton replied. “I’ll get a phone call in a few minutes about it.”
 
“Can’t you even tell us what it’s about?” Jill went on.
 
“I wouldn’t want to build up false hopes for nothing, Jill,” her father said. “You can wait a little while.”
 
“It was a privilege to eat in such celebrated1 company tonight,” Mr. Matthews said, with a wink3 at the children. “You kids will even get your name in the schoolbooks for finding that fabulous4 city.”
 
“It’s the pilot and Mr. Garland who got us to bail5 out that should get the credit,” Ted2 said, with a grin. “If it weren’t for them, we’d never have found the underground city.”
 
“The mural showing the great events in the lives of the ancient Martians was the most important thing of all,” Dr. Kenton remarked. “I was beginning to believe that the greatest riddle6 of Mars was never going to be solved.” Dr. Kenton had gone to the underground city as soon as he met the young explorers and had heard about their outstanding discovery.
 
250
Ted, Jill, and Randy knew the answer now, as did every other colonist7 on the red planet. The paintings on the wall of the shrine8 had revealed the baffling riddle. It was simply and clearly portrayed9 in pictures, just as though the Martians had expected someone someday to know their story. The revelation was that hundreds of years ago all Martians had left their world in large space ships because of Mars’s disappearing oxygen. Apparently10 there still existed somewhere the remains11 of a supercivilization which had built these space craft.
 
“Do you think the animals on Mars will finally die out, Dad?” Ted asked, “as the rest of the oxygen combines with the rocks?”
 
“Eventually, I would think,” Dr. Kenton replied.
 
“Where do you suppose the Martians went to find a new home?” Mr. Matthews asked.
 
“They may still be looking,” the scientist replied. “It’s a long way to the stars, remember, and we’re sure they didn’t land any place in our solar system.”
 
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Just then, Yank came bounding into the room. He too had been permitted inside for the celebration. He had been eating his supper in the kitchen. Ted was amazed to see the color bear run up to his father and stand beside him while the scientist scratched his head.
 
“You and Yank are friends!” Ted exclaimed.
 
“We sure are,” Dr. Kenton said. “After you kids left, poor Yank was so lonely he even turned to me. I guess he decided12 to bury the hatchet13 when he found out I meant him no harm.”
 
“I wonder why he was so long making friends,” Jill remarked.
 
Dr. Kenton took one of Yank’s forepaws and rubbed back the fur, revealing a scar. “Yank is the fellow I hurt accidentally a few years ago,” the scientist said. “I just thought of checking his paw the day you kids left on your trip.”
 
“He never forgot, did he?” Jill asked.
 
“Not until I’d convinced him I was sorry,” her father replied, rumpling14 the soft hair of the bear’s head. “His injury was the reason he was alone in the world. He couldn’t keep up with the pace of his friends.”
 
252
“Our family is so safe and cozy15 here,” Mrs. Kenton said, “I hate to think of you going out into that cold wilderness16 again on a new expedition, John.”
 
“Maybe I won’t be going,” Dr. Kenton said, with a mysterious smile.
 
“What do you mean?” his wife asked in surprise.
 
Just then the phone buzzed. Dr. Kenton went into the hall to answer it. In a few moments he was back again, and he was smiling happily.
 
“Kids, how would you like to go back to Earth at the end of the school term?” he asked the children.
 
“Gee, do you mean that?” Ted exclaimed.
 
“Oh, Father!” Jill cried out joyously17.
 
“It’s true enough,” their father said. “That’s what the call was about and the surprise I was hoping to have for you.”
 
“That’s the grandest surprise you could have had,” Mrs. Kenton murmured, unspeakably happy herself.
 
“The Science union has offered this trip to you, Jill, you, Randy, and you, Ted, as a reward for your important discovery,” Dr. Kenton went on. “They also want me to go back and give lectures all over the country on our latest findings about Mars. It may keep me there a long time.”
 
253
 
They grabbed Yank’s paws and began dancing.
 
254
“That’s wonderful!” Mrs. Kenton said. “I was afraid you’d have to stay behind here.”
 
Ted and Jill were so enthusiastic over the proposed trip that they grabbed Yank’s paws and began dancing around with him. Randy stood watching them, not quite sharing their high spirits. When Ted saw him, he grabbed Randy’s hand and made him join in the celebration. A moment later Randy was enjoying himself as much as the rest.
 
Dr. Kenton said to Randy’s father: “They are in need of some space-port engineers back on Earth. If Randy would like to go with Ted and Jill, would you consider a job like that?”
 
“You may not know it, John, but I’ve had my application in for such a job for years,” Mr. Matthews answered, highly pleased. “I’ll say I’ll take it!”
 
255
“If you kids will stop jumping around a minute,” Dr. Kenton said, “I’ve got something else to say.”
 
They stopped and listened intently.
 
“If we go Earthward it may be a long time before we come back to Mars,” he said. “We—or at least you—may never get back.”
 
“That’s all right with me,” Ted said. “I’ve seen enough of Mars to last me a lifetime! It’s interesting here, but it’s nothing compared to good old Earth.”
 
“That’s what I say!” Jill chimed in.
 
“There’s more here that I should like to look into,” the scientist said, with a brooding look on his face. “There are still many unsolved mysteries, such as how these great canals were built, and I’d like to be in on the discovery—if and when it’s ever made.”
 
“We can take Yank home with us to Virginia, can’t we?” Jill asked anxiously.
 
“I don’t see why not,” Dr. Kenton answered. “He seemed to adapt himself to our breathing mixture all right.”
 
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Jill hugged the little Martian animal and got a grateful lick in return. Then the Kenton children took Randy aside and began telling him of the wonders of Earth that he would soon be able to see for himself.
 
“Wait until you enjoy the fun of a swim on a hot day!” Ted said.
 
“—And the cold air turning your nose red in the winter and the crunch18 of snow under your feet!” Jill put in.
 
“It sounds great,” Randy said, his eyes sparkling with anticipation19. “I think I’m going to like Earth.”
 
“I know you will,” Ted said earnestly. “There’s nothing as wonderful as Earth in all the universe!”
 
It looked as though Ted’s trip to Mars would turn out to be nothing more than a long visit. A few weeks from now he would be a traveler returning home to his beloved land. What wondrous20 stories he’d tell the kids back there of adventure on the mysterious red planet which hung in the deeps of everlasting21 night!

THE END

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 celebrated iwLzpz     
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的
参考例句:
  • He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
  • The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。
2 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。
3 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。
4 fabulous ch6zI     
adj.极好的;极为巨大的;寓言中的,传说中的
参考例句:
  • We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
  • This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。
5 bail Aupz4     
v.舀(水),保释;n.保证金,保释,保释人
参考例句:
  • One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
  • She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。
6 riddle WCfzw     
n.谜,谜语,粗筛;vt.解谜,给…出谜,筛,检查,鉴定,非难,充满于;vi.出谜
参考例句:
  • The riddle couldn't be solved by the child.这个谜语孩子猜不出来。
  • Her disappearance is a complete riddle.她的失踪完全是一个谜。
7 colonist TqQzK     
n.殖民者,移民
参考例句:
  • The indians often attacked the settlements of the colonist.印地安人经常袭击殖民者的定居点。
  • In the seventeenth century, the colonist here thatched their roofs with reeds and straw,just as they did in england.在17世纪,殖民者在这里用茅草盖屋,就像他们在英国做的一样。
8 shrine 0yfw7     
n.圣地,神龛,庙;v.将...置于神龛内,把...奉为神圣
参考例句:
  • The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
  • They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。
9 portrayed a75f5b1487928c9f7f165b2773c13036     
v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 );描述;描绘;描画
参考例句:
  • Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中,他始终把自己说成是受害者。
  • The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
10 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
参考例句:
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
11 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
12 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
13 hatchet Dd0zr     
n.短柄小斧;v.扼杀
参考例句:
  • I shall have to take a hatchet to that stump.我得用一把短柄斧来劈这树桩。
  • Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet.别用斧头拍打朋友额头上的苍蝇。
14 rumpling 1444bedba386aa87ba8b75dcd4c8c2d8     
v.弄皱,使凌乱( rumple的现在分词 )
参考例句:
15 cozy ozdx0     
adj.亲如手足的,密切的,暖和舒服的
参考例句:
  • I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯,因为他们是舒适的。
  • We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。
16 wilderness SgrwS     
n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等,荒漠
参考例句:
  • She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
  • Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。
17 joyously 1p4zu0     
ad.快乐地, 高兴地
参考例句:
  • She opened the door for me and threw herself in my arms, screaming joyously and demanding that we decorate the tree immediately. 她打开门,直扑我的怀抱,欣喜地喊叫着要马上装饰圣诞树。
  • They came running, crying out joyously in trilling girlish voices. 她们边跑边喊,那少女的颤音好不欢快。 来自名作英译部分
18 crunch uOgzM     
n.关键时刻;艰难局面;v.发出碎裂声
参考例句:
  • If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
  • People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。
19 anticipation iMTyh     
n.预期,预料,期望
参考例句:
  • We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着,期待她的到来。
  • The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安,像是感到了地震即将发生。
20 wondrous pfIyt     
adj.令人惊奇的,奇妙的;adv.惊人地;异乎寻常地;令人惊叹地
参考例句:
  • The internal structure of the Department is wondrous to behold.看一下国务院的内部结构是很有意思的。
  • We were driven across this wondrous vast land of lakes and forests.我们乘车穿越这片有着湖泊及森林的广袤而神奇的土地。
21 everlasting Insx7     
adj.永恒的,持久的,无止境的
参考例句:
  • These tyres are advertised as being everlasting.广告上说轮胎持久耐用。
  • He believes in everlasting life after death.他相信死后有不朽的生命。


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