chapter 3

 Shin went out to the tree that Skeeter had indicated, seated himself among the branches, and directed his vision to the kitchen door of his restaurant. So powerful were the lenses that it seemed to him that the door was only ten feet away.

First appeared the Rev¹. Vinegar Atts. Whiffle sat upon the steps and talked to him for some time, much to Shin’s disgust.

“Dat ole fat fool said he warn’t gwine to butt² into my fambly scandal,” Shin grumbled³. “I knowed he couldn’t keep hisse’f out. He sniffs⁴ aroun’ atter yuther people’s sins like a smell-dog!”

Some minutes later he brought his glasses again to bear upon the kitchen, and was disgusted to find Skeeter Butts⁵ on the steps.

“Dat nigger oughter hab sense enough to keep away from dar,” he grumbled. “He oughter watch when he knows I ain’t watchin’.”

Shin’s perch⁶ in the tree became very uncomfortable before Skeeter left. Then his long waiting was rewarded.

A strange man came to the kitchen door, and Whiffle rushed out to meet him with every manifestation⁷ of delight. They sat down together, and Whiffle left no doubt in the mind of her jealous, watchful⁸ husband that she was enamored of this new negro.

For more than an hour Shin hardly took the glasses off the man’s face. For a while he had the idea that he had seen the visitor somewhere before, but this impression gradually vanished.

He decided⁹ that the stranger was a city negro, because of his easy manners. His quick-moving lips showed that he spoke¹⁰ readily, and he carried himself in a way that suggested a soldier. He had typical Ethiopian features, and was what the negroes call “brown-skin.”

“Dat is one of dese perch-mouthed city niggers wid big ideas an’ small judgment,” Shin grumbled as he climbed down from the tree. “I think I’m done watchin’ him to-day. I’ll climb up here an’ hab a little session wid dat nigger to-morrer.”

When he got back to his place of business he found Whiffle just as she had been for several days, bubbling over with excitement and laughter, her nerves atingle with some great secret.

“Whut ails¹¹ you, Whiffle?” he growled¹². “You ack like you done seen about seben angels or had about ’leven drams. I ain’t had nothin’ to perk¹³ me up like you is.”

“I don’t tell eve’ything I knows, Shinny,” she laughed, all unconscious of the clouds of jealousy¹⁴ which had gathered over him like a storm above a mountain peak. “A nigger husbunt hadn’t oughter know too much.”

“Why oughtn’t dey know too much?” Shin snapped.

“Because dey’s apt to lead deir wives a dance,” Whiffle snickered.

“Huh!” Shin grunted¹⁵. “I’s like a jackass—I ain’t got no year fer music an’ no foot fer dancin’!”

Then he went and loaded his pistol and slipped it into the pocket of his coat.

1 rev   

v.发动机旋转，加快速度

参考例句：

• It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
• Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。

2 butt   

n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶

参考例句：

• The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。
• He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。

3 grumbled   

抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
• The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

4 sniffs   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的第三人称单数 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When a dog smells food, he usually sniffs. 狗闻到食物时常吸鼻子。 来自辞典例句
• I-It's a difficult time [ Sniffs ] with my husband. 最近[哭泣]和我丈夫出了点问题。 来自电影对白

5 butts   

笑柄( butt的名词复数 )； （武器或工具的）粗大的一端； 屁股； 烟蒂

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。
• The house butts to a cemetery. 这所房子和墓地相连。

6 perch   

n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于

参考例句：

• The bird took its perch.鸟停歇在栖木上。
• Little birds perch themselves on the branches.小鸟儿栖歇在树枝上。

7 manifestation   

n.表现形式；表明；现象

参考例句：

• Her smile is a manifestation of joy.她的微笑是她快乐的表现。
• What we call mass is only another manifestation of energy.我们称之为质量的东西只是能量的另一种表现形态。

8 watchful   

adj.注意的，警惕的

参考例句：

• The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。
• It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。

9 decided   

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。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 ails   

v.生病( ail的第三人称单数 )；感到不舒服；处境困难；境况不佳

参考例句：

• He will not concede what anything ails his business. 他不允许任何事情来干扰他的工作。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Measles ails the little girl. 麻疹折磨着这个小女孩。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 growled   

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》

13 perk   

n.额外津贴；赏钱；小费；

参考例句：

• His perks include a car provided by the firm.他的额外津贴包括公司提供的一辆汽车。
• And the money is,of course,a perk.当然钱是额外津贴。

14 jealousy   

n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌

参考例句：

• Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
• I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。

15 grunted   

（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。