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首页 » 英文短篇小说 » Frank Merriwell in Maine » CHAPTER XII. FRANK TO THE RESCUE.
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CHAPTER XII. FRANK TO THE RESCUE.
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Elder Jones made a wild grab at the girl just as she leaped over the rail, but he failed to catch hold of her.

“Merciful goodness!”

He gasped1 the words as she struck the water like a professional diver and disappeared from view.

Then he ran frantically2 about, hoarsely3 shouting:

“Stop the boat! Stop the boat!”

Frank Merriwell was astounded4 by this rash act of the handsome girl, but barely had she disappeared beneath the surface of the lake when he began to tear off his outer clothing with a haste that indicated his purpose.

As Frank tugged5 at his shoes he saw the girl come to the surface, and, hampered6 by clothing though she was, strike out toward the little dog, which was trying to swim toward her.

Wildly waving his arms, the ministerial young man shouted:

“Hilda! Hilda! Stop the boat! Hilda, swim this way! She will be drowned!”

Not a word did Frank Merriwell say, but with one bound he shot into the air and plunged7 out over the stern rail of the steamer, his body making a graceful9 curve in the air and plunging10 head downward into the white water.

Merry quickly came to the surface, and started swimming[118] after the girl, who was still paddling toward the little dog, although it was plain that her clothing greatly impeded11 her progress.

She did not look back, but kept straight on toward her imperiled pet, her one determination seeming to be to save him or perish with him. Her handsome and costly12 hat had been torn from her head as she struck the water, and she was swimming with her head bare, her dark hair seeming blacker than ever now that it was wet.

Merry struck out with powerful strokes, hearing a sudden tooting of the steamboat whistle, which told him that the pilot knew what had happened.

He grew to admire the girl more and more as he watched her, for he could see that, were it not for her clothing, she was a very good swimmer.

“She is either foolish or fearless,” he decided13. “I do not think it is the former, and she has a face that indicates fearlessness.”

Behind Frank and the girl the little steamer was slowing down, while men were running about on her, shouting and throwing life preservers overboard.

It was a scene of great excitement, but still the strange girl swam on toward her dog, without once turning to look back.

Nearer and nearer to her Merriwell drew, forging through the water as rapidly as he could, and feeling that his progress was far too slow.

He saw that she would reach the dog before he could reach her, and this was what happened, but he was close[119] to her as she came near enough to touch the whining14 little fellow.

“Good Jack15—dear boy!” she called, encouragingly. “Keep up, Jack! They’ll get us out!”

Then, having reached the little fellow, she turned about and saw Frank Merriwell close at hand. She did not seem in the least alarmed, but a smile of pleasure crossed her face, and then she laughed outright16.

“Dear me?” she exclaimed. “What made you?”

“I am here to assist you, miss,” said Frank; “but you are a wonderfully good swimmer. Your clothes will become heavy soon, and I shall find it a pleasure to help you keep up till the steamer comes to our rescue.”

“But you are a stranger, and——”

“Do you think we really need an introduction now?” smiled Merry.

“No; but I had no right to expect this of you—don’t be frightened, Jack—Elder Jones should have been the one; but it is plain he is a physical coward, no matter what he is morally.”

Her lips curled a bit as she spoke18 of the man who had been her companion on the boat, making it plain she entertained a feeling of loathing19 for him.

“Can I help you now in any way?” asked Frank. “You swam so hard to reach your dog that it must have taken your breath and strength.”

“I don’t need any help just now,” she said: “but if you will aid Jack to keep up, poor little fellow!”

Then Frank took the dog, placed him on his shoulders,[120] and paddled along in that way, with the animal crouching20 on his head and shoulders.

The girl laughed. It was the same bewitching laugh that had so attracted Merriwell on the boat.

“You can’t imagine how funny you look!” she said.

“This is the latest style of headgear for gentlemen,” Frank laughed back. “It is a dog-gone good thing.”

“Oh, what a horrid21 pun!” exclaimed the strange girl. “If you make puns, I shall be sorry you jumped over to help me.”

“But if I do not make puns—what then? Will you know me after the boat is reached?”

“I trust, sir, you do not think me utterly22 devoid23 of any sense of gratitude24? It was so good of you, an entire stranger, to do such a thing.”

“Oh, it was nothing. You are beginning to find it difficult to keep up. Your wet clothing is dragging on you now.”

“I can keep up till they reach us. They have stopped the boat—they are turning.”

But Frank could see that her desperate exertion25 to reach the dog had exhausted26 her more than she thought at first, and her wet skirts were winding27 about her ankles and hampering28 the movements of her lower limbs, making it very difficult for her to swim.

Now that Frank was so close to her and she had been deprived of her hat, which might have added to her attractiveness, he could see that she was fully17 as handsome as he had thought her at first glance, for not even the plunge8 into the water had made her seem otherwise. She[121] had such dark eyes, and they expressed so much! Of course, the water had taken the curl out of her hair, and that, with the loss of her stylish29 hat, was the test that proved her beauty, for she had lost not a bit of her attractiveness.

Her face was oval and finely molded, having just the needed roundness and fullness to relieve it of delicacy30, and not enough to make it seem at all coarse. Her lips were still red, despite her plunge into the lake. Her teeth were milky31 white and regular, and she showed them to advantage when she laughed, without making too much of a display.

It was plain enough to Frank that she was far from an ordinary girl. He had seen other girls like her in Maine, at Rockland, Camden, Belfast and Bar Harbor, but she seemed out of place in the wooded country up around Grand Lake.

She saw him looking at her, and she smiled back at him, still seeming in no way alarmed by what had happened and by their position.

“I know what you are thinking,” she declared.

“Then you must be a mind-reader,” he returned.

“Sometimes I think I am something of a mind-reader—keep still, Jack! You are all right.”

“Of what was I thinking?”

“You were wondering what sort of girl I could be. Confess it! I saw it plain enough in your eyes.”

“Well, I was thinking that you did not seem like an ordinary girl,” acknowledged Frank.

[122]

“Ordinary girl?” Her red lips curled. “What can an ordinary girl do? No; I hope I am not an ordinary girl.”

She was breathing heavily.

“Let me aid you,” he urged. “It will be some time before the steamer reaches us, and——”

“You have enough to hold Jack up. He must be considerable weight on your head. You are very kind.”

“Oh, it’s nothing! I can aid you. You must rest a little to get back your strength. Put your hands on my shoulders. That is it—one on each shoulder. There, now I will simply paddle to keep us afloat, while you rest.”

“How do you dare trust me this way?” she asked. “I may get frightened—seize you around the neck—drown us both.”

“I will take my chances on that. Just keep that dog still, if you can. It’s harder when he is moving around.”

“He can swim a while now,” she said, pushing him off into the water. “It’s too much for you to support us both. It would be selfish of me to expect so much.”

The little dog paddled about them, whining. Merriwell was not attempting to make progress; he was simply keeping afloat without exhausting himself.

“They are taking time enough with the steamer,” he said.

“What if we give out before they can reach us?” she half murmured. “I have no right to drown you!”

“We were strangers, but circumstances have made us acquainted. Rest more upon my shoulders, please. I can keep us up.”

[123]

“If we get out all right, I shall not forget this,” she said, her voice assuming genuine earnestness. “It was a brave and noble thing for you to do; but, do you know, I was sure you would do it.”

“You were?”

“Yes.”

“Why so?”

“I saw it in your face the moment I looked at you. Your face told me you would not hesitate at danger.”

“I saw your friend, Mr. Jones, did not intend to——”

“Don’t mention him! Why, father actually wants me to marry him; but now I never will—never in the world!”

Frank could not blame her. Indeed, he thought that, had not the man declined to leap into the lake to her rescue, he was not the kind of a man to become the husband of such a girl.

“I’m not going to marry at all!” she declared. “Of course, I may be drowned, and that will settle it. But I’m not going to marry, if I am not drowned. Two-thirds of the girls cannot get the one they really want, and so they take the best they can get. If I can’t get the one I want, I won’t have anybody.”

Then she laughed a little.

The steamer had turned about and was coming.

Frank saw something bobbing in the water and slowly paddled toward it. The little dog, whining and trying to climb on the shoulders of his mistress, swam along with them.

What Frank saw proved to be one of the life preservers[124] that had been tossed overboard. He secured it, uttering an exclamation32 of satisfaction.

“Now you are all right!” he cried. “Let this life preserver buoy33 you up. The boat will reach us soon.”

She did as directed.

“But how about you?” she anxiously asked.

“I am all right. I believe there is another!”

In a few moments he had secured two more. On one of these he placed the dog; and the little creature clung to it, scrambling34 onto it again when he partly fell off.

“Hurrah!” cried Merry. “Now we are all right! Why, this is simply a little adventure to relieve the monotony of the trip up the lake.”

Pretty soon the steamer ran down close to them, lines were thrown out, and they were drawn35 on board, the girl first, Frank following, with the dog in his arms.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 gasped e6af294d8a7477229d6749fa9e8f5b80     
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要
参考例句:
  • She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
  • People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
2 frantically ui9xL     
ad.发狂地, 发疯地
参考例句:
  • He dashed frantically across the road. 他疯狂地跑过马路。
  • She bid frantically for the old chair. 她发狂地喊出高价要买那把古老的椅子。
3 hoarsely hoarsely     
adv.嘶哑地
参考例句:
  • "Excuse me," he said hoarsely. “对不起。”他用嘶哑的嗓子说。
  • Jerry hoarsely professed himself at Miss Pross's service. 杰瑞嘶声嘶气地表示愿为普洛丝小姐效劳。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
4 astounded 7541fb163e816944b5753491cad6f61a     
v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词);愕然;愕;惊讶
参考例句:
  • His arrogance astounded her. 他的傲慢使她震惊。
  • How can you say that? I'm absolutely astounded. 你怎么能说出那种话?我感到大为震惊。
5 tugged 8a37eb349f3c6615c56706726966d38e     
v.用力拉,使劲拉,猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
  • A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 hampered 3c5fb339e8465f0b89285ad0a790a834     
妨碍,束缚,限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
  • So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。
7 plunged 06a599a54b33c9d941718dccc7739582     
v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降
参考例句:
  • The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
  • She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳,从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。
8 plunge 228zO     
v.跳入,(使)投入,(使)陷入;猛冲
参考例句:
  • Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
  • That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。
9 graceful deHza     
adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的
参考例句:
  • His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
  • The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。
10 plunging 5fe12477bea00d74cd494313d62da074     
adj.跳进的,突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降
参考例句:
  • War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发,生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 impeded 7dc9974da5523140b369df3407a86996     
阻碍,妨碍,阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Work on the building was impeded by severe weather. 楼房的施工因天气恶劣而停了下来。
  • He was impeded in his work. 他的工作受阻。
12 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
13 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。
14 whining whining     
n. 抱怨,牢骚 v. 哭诉,发牢骚
参考例句:
  • That's the way with you whining, puny, pitiful players. 你们这种又爱哭、又软弱、又可怜的赌棍就是这样。
  • The dog sat outside the door whining (to be let in). 那条狗坐在门外狺狺叫着(要进来)。
15 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
16 outright Qj7yY     
adv.坦率地;彻底地;立即;adj.无疑的;彻底的
参考例句:
  • If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事,你应该直率地对我说。
  • You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。
17 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
参考例句:
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
18 spoke XryyC     
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。
19 loathing loathing     
n.厌恶,憎恨v.憎恨,厌恶( loathe的现在分词);极不喜欢
参考例句:
  • She looked at her attacker with fear and loathing . 她盯着襲擊她的歹徒,既害怕又憎恨。
  • They looked upon the creature with a loathing undisguised. 他们流露出明显的厌恶看那动物。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
20 crouching crouching     
v.屈膝,蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • a hulking figure crouching in the darkness 黑暗中蹲伏着的一个庞大身影
  • A young man was crouching by the table, busily searching for something. 一个年轻人正蹲在桌边翻看什么。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
21 horrid arozZj     
adj.可怕的;令人惊恐的;恐怖的;极讨厌的
参考例句:
  • I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
  • The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃,她咽不下去。
22 utterly ZfpzM1     
adv.完全地,绝对地
参考例句:
  • Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民,把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
  • I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。
23 devoid dZzzx     
adj.全无的,缺乏的
参考例句:
  • He is completely devoid of humour.他十分缺乏幽默。
  • The house is totally devoid of furniture.这所房子里什么家具都没有。
24 gratitude p6wyS     
adj.感激,感谢
参考例句:
  • I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
  • She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。
25 exertion F7Fyi     
n.尽力,努力
参考例句:
  • We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture.我们搬动家具大费气力,累得大汗淋漓。
  • She was hot and breathless from the exertion of cycling uphill.由于用力骑车爬坡,她浑身发热。
26 exhausted 7taz4r     
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的
参考例句:
  • It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
  • Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。
27 winding Ue7z09     
n.绕,缠,绕组,线圈
参考例句:
  • A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
  • The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。
28 hampering 8bacf6f47ad97606aa653cf73b51b2da     
妨碍,束缚,限制( hamper的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • So fraud on cows and development aid is seriously hampering growth. 因此在牛问题上和发展补助上的诈骗严重阻碍了发展。
  • Short-termism, carbon-trading, disputing the science-are hampering the implementation of direct economically-led objectives. 短效主义,出售二氧化碳,进行科学辩论,这些都不利于实现以经济为主导的直接目标。
29 stylish 7tNwG     
adj.流行的,时髦的;漂亮的,气派的
参考例句:
  • He's a stylish dresser.他是个穿着很有格调的人。
  • What stylish women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world.巴黎女性时装往往会引导世界时装潮流。
30 delicacy mxuxS     
n.精致,细微,微妙,精良;美味,佳肴
参考例句:
  • We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
  • He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。
31 milky JD0xg     
adj.牛奶的,多奶的;乳白色的
参考例句:
  • Alexander always has milky coffee at lunchtime.亚历山大总是在午餐时喝掺奶的咖啡。
  • I like a hot milky drink at bedtime.我喜欢睡前喝杯热奶饮料。
32 exclamation onBxZ     
n.感叹号,惊呼,惊叹词
参考例句:
  • He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
  • The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号,以引起读者的注意。
33 buoy gsLz5     
n.浮标;救生圈;v.支持,鼓励
参考例句:
  • The party did little to buoy up her spirits.这次聚会并没有让她振作多少。
  • The buoy floated back and forth in the shallow water.这个浮标在浅水里漂来漂去。
34 scrambling cfea7454c3a8813b07de2178a1025138     
v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞
参考例句:
  • Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发,冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》
35 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。


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