TOM WILDCAT GETS FRIGHTENED

While Tom Wildcat walked round and round Stubby Woodchuck, looking at him and getting more and more scared every minute, Stubby went right on talking. “Yes,” he said very weakly, “Doctor Rabbit gave me the wrong kind of pills. His calomel pills and his strychnine pills all being white, he made a mistake, and gave me strychnine; and he did not find out until it was too late. Oh, dear me! I can’t last long now. The poison is paining me terribly. Do eat me up quick, I beg of you! Eat me up quick! Yes, I can feel the poison working out through my skin; it is all through me and all over me!”

Well, sir, old Tom Wildcat had been[Pg 55] surprised many times in his life, but this was the biggest surprise he had ever had. And he suddenly remembered he had had his mouth on Stubby Woodchuck. All this time Stubby kept one eye open just the smallest bit, so that he could watch the wily Tom.

When Stubby Woodchuck spoke¹ about feeling the poison coming out on his skin, Tom Wildcat’s eyes grew wide with fear, and he began to spit and spit, because he thought that Stubby was poisoned. Tom began to imagine he could taste something bitter in his own mouth. That’s what happens sometimes when people get to imagining things. Tom Wildcat spit ever so many times to make sure to get all the poison out of his mouth.

After a while he said pretty low, and to himself, although sharp-eared Stubby[Pg 56] heard, “My goodness²! I believe I do feel a little queer³ myself! Sakes⁴ alive! I wonder if I am poisoned! Dear me! I wonder what I ought to do if I am! Maybe if I run around real fast, and get warmed up, that will help me. Anyway I’ll try it.”

And away Tom Wildcat ran, round and round in a big circle. But he did not go far off, so Stubby just had to lie quite still.

At last Tom stopped. “Maybe climbing a tree would help me,” he said, and away he went for a tree, then up into the tree; but he was right down again in no time, so Stubby Woodchuck could not move. Tom Wildcat was panting⁵ now, ever so hard. He came up and stood looking down at Stubby. Presently⁶ he said, “Well, I believe I’m feeling a little better, but I guess I’ll wait around here[Pg 57] a while and see if I get to feeling queer again.”

Tom Wildcat then lay down, with his head between his paws⁷, and was quite still for a long time.

After a while he stretched and yawned⁸, and said, “Ho, hum,” and rubbed his eyes. Now the very minute old Tom rubbed his eyes, he didn’t have to imagine something hurt him; he knew it did—and I’ll tell you what it was. You remember that hot salve that Doctor Rabbit put on the foot the dog had bitten? Well, that hot salve keeps its strength for days and days, and when Tom Wildcat, not thinking, rubbed his eyes, he rubbed some of that hot salve right into one of them. It was in only one eye, but my! how that eye did burn! One eye was certainly enough. Tom Wildcat let out a yell⁹ that could be heard[Pg 58] all over the Big Green Woods; and then before he thought, he rubbed his eye again, and of course he rubbed in some more hot salve.

Well, it got to smarting and burning so badly that it nearly set Tom Wildcat crazy. With both eyes shut, and yowling terribly, he began running in every direction. The first thing he ran into was a brush thicket¹⁰; then he backed out of that and started again, and presently butted¹¹ his head against a tree.

By this time he had forgotten all about Stubby and everything else except that smarting and burning in his eye.

1 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。

2 goodness   

n.善良，善行，美德

参考例句：

• Would you have the goodness to turn off the radio?劳驾，请你把收音机关上好不好？
• Thank goodness,we've found a cure for the disease.好了，这病有救了！

3 queer   

adj.奇怪的，异常的，不舒服的，眩晕的

参考例句：

• I heard some queer footsteps.我听到某种可疑的脚步声。
• She has been queer lately.她最近身体不舒服。

4 sakes   

n.缘故( sake的名词复数 )；理由；日本米酒；目的

参考例句：

• Oh, for goodness'sakes, let's walk over and look out the window. 啊，千万千万，我们快到那边去，也好朝窗外看看。 来自飘（部分）
• For goodness'sakes, Lucy Marian, speak up! I can't abide children who mumble. 乖乖！露西？玛丽安，讲大声一点！我最讨厌小孩子说话咕咕哝哝的。 来自辞典例句

5 panting   

(发动机等的)喷气声

参考例句：

• She finished the race panting heavily. 她跑完比赛气喘吁吁的。
• After the long race, the runner was panting for breath. 长跑之后，那个运动员正在喘气。

6 presently   

adv.不久，一会儿；现在，目前

参考例句：

• I'll go to see your uncle presently.我一会儿就去看望你叔叔。
• He is presently living in New York.他目前住在纽约。

7 paws   

n.爪子( paw的名词复数 )；手

参考例句：

• Take your filthy paws off me! 把你的脏手从我身上拿开！
• Take your dirty little paws off me! 别用你的小黑手抓着我。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 yawned   

v.打呵欠( yawn的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，裂开

参考例句：

• She yawned and looked pointedly at her watch. 她打了个哈欠，又刻意地看了看手表。
• John yawned and scratched his chin. 约翰打个哈欠，挠挠下巴。

9 yell   

vi./n.号叫，叫喊

参考例句：

• This gave them a chance to yell.这给了他们大声喊叫的机会。
• When his schoolmate made the last goal,the boy gave out with an untrammeled yell.那个男孩在他的同学踢进最后一球时不禁纵声欢呼。

10 thicket   

n.灌木丛，树林

参考例句：

• A thicket makes good cover for animals to hide in.丛林是动物的良好隐蔽处。
• We were now at the margin of the thicket.我们现在已经来到了丛林的边缘。

11 butted   

对接的

参考例句：

• Two goats butted each other. 两只山羊用角顶架。
• He butted against a tree in the dark. 他黑暗中撞上了一棵树。