“We can never stop!” came from Amy. “Oh, what shall we do?”
“Keep your seats, girls. Don’t try to jump out,” came crisply from Miss Alling. “Hold tight, all of you!”
The bridge spanning a small river at the foot of the hill had collapsed2, leaving an unprotected embankment and a four-foot drop to the water below. At the rate of speed at which the car was going, it seemed as though nothing short of a miracle could prevent a tragedy.
The girls clutched each other frantically3, and Miss Alling’s fingers tightened4 on the wheel. With swift presence of mind the lady swerved5 the big car from the road, driving it into the woods, crashing recklessly through bushes and undergrowth. They had missed the drop to the river by the narrowest of margins6.
Behind them they heard Darry cry out, heard another car crash through the bushes. Their own car, still commanded resolutely7 by Miss Alling, bumped along for several yards, careening drunkenly over boulders8 and bushes in its path, bringing up finally in about a foot of water and soft oozing9 mud. They had met the stream again where it changed its course and wandered through the forest.
Amy released her tense grip upon Jessie’s arm and straightened up. From the front seat there came a sound between a sob10 and a laugh. The author of the sound was Nell. Miss Alling herself seemed not in the least perturbed11.
“Nasty business,” she said disgustedly, as she eased herself from behind the wheel and felt for a footing in the wet grass. “Might know I would end up in a mud hole like this. Well, I guess there is nothing for it but for us all to get out and push. Give you girls an appetite for lunch,” she added, with a chuckle12.
“Just now I feel as though I would never be able to eat again,” remarked Nell, the usually calm and collected.
They heard the boys calling to them and the next moment Burd, Darry and Fol appeared, looking extremely anxious.
“Why the lengthy13 faces?” cried Amy. “You needn’t look as if we had already shuffled14 off this mortal coil. Cheer up, boys, there is lots of kick in us yet.”
“What shocking slang,” reproved Jessie, with a chuckle. “And just when you should be making a good impression upon Miss Alling, and everything.”
“My dear,” spoke15 up Aunt Emma absently, “if I never had anything worse than slang to worry about, I should be a very lucky woman. This car! Now I ask you! Just look at it! Sunk a foot deep in mud and water!”
“It is a rather sorry-looking spectacle,” agreed Burd, adding with a grin: “But it would be looking a heap worse if it had gone over that embankment.”
“So should we,” replied Jessie, with a forced laugh.
“The appearance of none of us is likely to be improved at once,” Miss Alling informed him, with a merry twinkle in her eyes. “You will probably be liberally spattered with mud—and bad temper—before we get this car on the state highway again. We’ll have to ford16 the river.”
“Ford the river!” repeated Jessie, wonderingly. “Is it shallow enough for that?”
“That remains17 for us to find out,” returned Miss Alling. “I believe there is a comparatively shallow place a little further on through the woods, though.”
“Get a car through this jungle!” groaned18 Darry. “From where I sit it looks as impenetrable as an African forest.”
“Well, would you rather sit here and look at each other—or go back home?” asked Miss Alling, and at this suggestion, which smacked19 of a threat, the Radio Girls were stirred to sudden action.
“I should say we don’t want to go home!” said Jessie, stoutly21. “We are going to ford this river if there is a place where it is less than four feet deep. Tell us what to do, Miss Alling, and we will do it.”
Aunt Emma looked at her approvingly.
“Good!” she said. “That is the kind of talk I like.”
“The first thing to do is to get this car backed out of the mud, I guess,” suggested Nell, thoughtfully, and Aunt Emma nodded briskly.
“Right you are,” she said. “Bring up the roadster, Darry. And you two boys,” turning to Burd and Fol, “can help me get some rope from the car. The rest of you,” she added to the girls, “will have to push!”
Darry brought up the little roadster, puffing22 and snorting, to within a few feet of the big car. By this time Burd and Fol had succeeded in finding a piece of good stout20 rope under the back seat of the touring car. It took them only a short time, working together, to fasten the big car securely to the little one.
“Puts your little bus on its metal, sure enough, Darry,” Burd remarked. “It will have to pull some to get this big jumbo free.”
“Huh!” cried Aunt Emma, hopping23 nimbly into the big car and seizing the wheel with determination, “this big jumbo, as you call it, has a mighty24 fine engine. I reckon the strain won’t come altogether on Darry’s roadster.”
But the undertaking25, simple as it had seemed in the beginning, assumed gigantic proportions as the work progressed. The big car, in reverse, snorted and roared and puffed—and that was all. The wheels could get no purchase in the slimy mud. They slid and skidded26 and accomplished27 nothing.
The little roadster, doing its gallant28 best, was at a disadvantage also, for the ground was wet and slippery, being sodden29 because of a recent storm. Also, the shore sloped sharply down to the edge of the stream, so that the roadster was trying to carry its heavy load up grade.
The girls and boys put their shoulders to the car and pushed with all their might, but still it would not budge30.
“Well, I guess we are doomed31 to spend the rest of our natural lives in this spot,” said Amy, at last, stopping to wipe the perspiration32 from her brow. “In the last ten minutes we have not moved the fraction of an inch. Startling speed.”
“I have an idea,” cried Jessie, suddenly, as the rest stopped for a moment’s breathing spell. “Why can’t we get that big log over there and put it in front of the wheels of the roadster. That would keep the car from slipping backward, anyway.”
“Might try it,” agreed Burd, grudgingly33. “But I don’t suppose it will do much good. What we need is a team of good farm horses,” he added ruefully.
However, Jessie’s idea of the log did work surprisingly well. It not only prevented the roadster from slipping, but gave it something to push against when starting in reverse.
“Now, all together!” cried Jessie, as she once more leaned all her weight against the car. “It will have to come this time. One, two, three—go!”
There was the staccato roar of the engine, and with all their strength Jessie and Amy and Nell and the two boys, leaned against the car.
The roadster, insured against slipping by the log, pulled the rope taut34. Slowly, but steadily35 and surely, the big car crept backward. The mud and slime loosed its hold upon the wheels. A moment more, and the big machine had reached solid ground. The wheels dug savagely36 into it, sending the car backward with such force that Miss Alling was forced to bear down heavily upon the brake to prevent a smash with Darry’s car.
“Hooray, the day is saved!” shouted Burd. Then he added, with a grin, as he looked at Jessie: “And it was Jessie’s log that saved it.”
“Who cares whose log it was—we’re out! That’s the big thing!” returned Jessie.
“Sure thing, we’re out!” cried Amy. “Three cheers, boys and girls! One—two—three——”
The cheers were given, Miss Alling adding her voice to the six more youthful, and more vociferous37, ones.
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收听单词发音
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1
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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4
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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5
swerved
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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margins
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| 边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数 | |
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7
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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8
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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9
oozing
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| v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的现在分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出 | |
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10
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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perturbed
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| adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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13
lengthy
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| adj.漫长的，冗长的 | |
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14
shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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15
spoke
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| 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 | |
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Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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17
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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18
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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19
smacked
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| 拍，打，掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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22
puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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23
hopping
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| n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式 | |
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24
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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26
skidded
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| v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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27
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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28
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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29
sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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30
budge
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| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
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31
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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32
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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grudgingly
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taut
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| adj.拉紧的，绷紧的，紧张的 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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vociferous
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| adj.喧哗的，大叫大嚷的 | |
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