While the boys are finishing their breakfast it may be well to introduce them to the reader. The four, who were known among their acquaintances as the "inseparables," had been classmates for several terms at School No. I, of Creston, from which they had graduated the previous year and were now students of the Hilltop Academy, where they were preparing for college.
Rand--Randolph in full, surname Peyton--who was slightly the eldest2 of the four, was the nephew of Mr. Scott, president of the Creston National Bank. He was a native of Virginia, having come to Creston after the death of his father some two years before this time, with his mother and sister. He was bright, but inclined to be indolent, except when aroused, when his energy knew no limit. He was slow in speech, having the soft Southern drawl with a tendency to slur3 his r's, and was a natural leader among his companions, both in their sports and their studies.
Donald Graeme, sometimes nicknamed Old Solomon, was the son of the chief engineer of the Creston Paper Mills, and one of a considerable family of boys and girls. He was of Scotch4 descent and inherited many of the characteristics of his ancestry5 as well as many of their superstitions6. Something of the burr clung to his tongue, and he was given to the occasional use of a Scotch word or phrase. He had also the Scotch canniness7 and never committed himself by a positive opinion. Although not as quick as Rand, he was more persistent8 and usually carried out, to the end, anything that he entered upon.
Jack9 Blake was the oldest son of Mr. Blake, editor and publisher of the Crest1, the newspaper of the town. Brought up in the newspaper atmosphere, Jack had early developed a nose for news and was the best reporter, although unofficial, on the paper. He was always on the lookout10 for items and always putting two and two together, sometimes with most surprising results.
Lastly, Pepper Blake, Jack's younger brother, who was of a quicker, more nervous, disposition11 than the others and given to stammering12 when excited. Impetuous and quick-tempered, he was always getting into difficulties, but always finding a way out. Romantic and imaginative, but with a streak13 of hard horse-sense beneath.
"Well," observed Rand, when Jack at last rose from his box with a sigh of satisfaction, "what is the exciting thing you have got to tell us this morning? Whose barn is being painted now?"
"Judge Taylor's office was robbed last night," replied Jack laconically14.
"What's that!" cried Rand.
"Judge Taylor's office was robbed last night," repeated Jack, enjoying the sensation his news had made.
"W-w-what!" stammered15 Pepper. "Who did it?"
"That's what we all want to know," answered Jack.
"What did they get?" asked Donald.
"How did they get in?" went on Pepper.
"One at a time, boys," put in Rand. "Come, Jack, tell us the whole story."
"Well, all I know is, Officer Dugan found a window open this morning and the place all upside down. The judge hadn't come down yet, so they don't know what's missing. From the tracks around it looks as if some boys were mixed up in it."
"That's queer," commented Rand. "I wonder who it could have been, and what they were after?"
"Money, of course," said Pepper.
"I don't think so," returned Jack. "If it was money I think they would have picked out a more likely place. I guess it must have been papers, or something like that."
"Pooh!" criticized Donald, "what would anybody in their senses want to steal papers for?"
"There are more unlikely things than that," replied Jack. "I have read of such things."
"Pshaw!" retorted Donald, "that's nothing. I've read of robbers' caves and all that sort of thing, but I've never seen any."
"Which proves there never were any," retorted Jack sarcastically16.
"Have you got any dues, Sherlock?" asked Rand laughingly.
"Not yet," replied Jack seriously, "but I am looking for them. They sometimes turn up in the most unexpected places."
"Huh!" sniffed17 Donald, "your turnips18 run mostly to tops."
While talking thus, the boys had been putting their supplies and tackle into the boat which they had run out into the river.
"Which way do you want to go?" asked Rand when they were ready to start.
"Up," said Pepper.
"Down," said Jack.
"What do you say, Don?" continued Rand. "Either way," replied Donald. "Let them toss up for it."
Taking the coin he had picked up in the road from his pocket Rand tossed it into the air. "What do you say, Jack?" he asked.
"Heads!" responded Jack.
"Tails it is," announced Rand as he picked it up. "Pepper wins. Up, we go."
"What have you got there, Rand?" asked Jack, who had been eying the coin Rand had tossed; "something new?"
"It's something that I found in the road this morning," replied Rand, handing the coin over to Jack. "Pepper found one, too."
"Found it in the road!" cried Jack, instantly on the alert. "That's serious. Tell me about it."
"There isn't much to tell," replied Rand. "Monkey Rae tried to run us down this morning and we had a near-fight and after he had gone we found them."
"Well?" questioned Jack.
"That's all," replied Rand.
"Now I wonder," mused19 Jack, when the story of the encounter with Monkey Rae and his companions had been gone over in detail for his benefit, "what Monkey Rae has to do with these things," jingling20 the coins in his hand.
"Not as much as you or I have," announced Donald. "I can no see any connection between the two."
"Of course you can't, old wisdom," returned Jack. "You lack imagination, but I think it is there just the same. Whose horse and wagon21 was it?"
"That's another strange part of it," replied Rand. "I never saw them before. I was wondering whose they were, and where he got them."
"That's so," agreed Pepper. "I never thought of that; the truth is, I was so busy with Monkey that I didn't look at them."
"Well," broke in Don, "if you ask my opinion I think it would be more to the purpose if we went on our own business instead of wasting time in speculating on what is no concern of ours."
"All right, Solomon-Donald," said Rand; "it sounds wise."
"Even if it is mostly sound," growled22 Jack.
收听单词发音 |
1
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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2
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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slur
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| v.含糊地说；诋毁；连唱；n.诋毁；含糊的发音 | |
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4
scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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ancestry
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| n.祖先，家世 | |
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superstitions
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| 迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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7
canniness
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| 精明 | |
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persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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stammering
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的现在分词 ) | |
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13
streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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14
laconically
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| adv.简短地，简洁地 | |
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15
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sarcastically
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| adv.挖苦地，讽刺地 | |
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17
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；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 | |
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18
turnips
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| 芜青( turnip的名词复数 )； 芜菁块根； 芜菁甘蓝块根； 怀表 | |
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mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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jingling
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| 叮当声 | |
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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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22
growled
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| 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 | |
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