An astronomer3, seeing these fantastic wobblings and waverings of light and shadow in our firmament4, would straightway send a letter or a cable dispatch to the newspapers, declaring that an unheard-of convulsion was shaking the depths of celestial6 space. And, indeed, it was all very puzzling, even to the children, but Drusilla, who had less imagination than any of the rest, accounted for it all by one bold stroke of common sense.
“Shuh! ’T ain’t nothin’ ’t all!” she exclaimed. “Dey done got froo wid dinner at home, an’ ol’ Aunt ’Cindy done put de buttermilk-jug back in de spring.”
Sweetest Susan caught her breath with a gasp7, and laughed hysterically8. She had been very much alarmed.
“I expect that’s what it is,” said Buster John, but there was some doubt in his tone. He turned to Mr. Thimblefinger, who had followed them. “What time is it, please?”
[Pg 88] Mr. Thimblefinger drew his watch from his pocket with as much dignity as he could assume, and held his head gravely on one side. “It is now—let me see—ahem!—it is now precisely9 thirteen minutes and eleven seconds after one o’clock.”
“Is that the jug in the spring?” asked Sweetest Susan, pointing to the huge black shadow that was now wobbling and wavering more slowly.
Mr. Thimblefinger shaded his eyes with his hand and examined the shadow critically. “Yes, that is the jug—the light hurts my eyes—yes, certainly, that is the jug.”
Presently a volume of white vapor10 shot out from the shadow. It was larger than the largest comet, and almost as brilliant.
“What is that?” asked Sweetest Susan.
Mr. Thimblefinger felt almost as thoughtful as a sure-enough man of science.
“That,” said he, “is an emanation—an exhalation, you might say—that we frequently witness in our atmosphere.”
“A which?” asked Buster John.
“Well,” replied Mr. Thimblefinger, clearing his throat, “it’s—er—an emanation.”
[Pg 89] “Huh!” cried Drusilla, “’t ain’t no kind er nation. It’s des de milk leakin’ out’n dat jug. I done tol’ Aunt ’Cindy ’bout dat leakin’ jug.”
Mr. Rabbit and Mrs. Meadows had come out of the house in time to hear this, and they laughed heartily11. In fact, they all laughed except Mr. Thimblefinger and Drusilla.
“It happens every day,” said Mrs. Meadows. “We never notice it. I suppose if it happened up there where you children live, everybody would make a great to-do? I’m glad I don’t live there where there’s so much fussing and guessing going on. I know how it is. Something happens that doesn’t happen every day, and then somebody’ll guess one way and somebody another way, and the first thing you know there’s a great rumpus over nothing. I’m truly glad I came away from there in time to get out of the worst of it. You children had better take a notion and stay here with us.”
“Oh, no,” cried Sweetest Susan. “Mamma and papa would want to see us.”
“That’s so,” said Mrs. Meadows. “Well, I just came out here to tell you not to get too near the Green Moss12 Swamp beyond the hill yonder. [Pg 90] There’s an old Spring Lizard13 over there that might want to shake hands with you with his tail. Besides it’s not healthy around there; it is too damp.”
“Oh, we are not going anywhere until we start home,” Sweetest Susan remarked.
“How large is the Spring Lizard?” inquired Buster John.
“He’s a heap too big for you to manage,” replied Mrs. Meadows. “I don’t know that he’d hurt you, but he’s slept in the mud over there until he’s so fat he can’t wallow scarcely. He might roll over on you and hurt you some.”
“Are there any lions over there?” inquired Sweetest Susan.
“No, honey, not a living one,” said Mrs. Meadows.
By this time Mr. Rabbit had come out on the piazza14, bringing his walking-cane and his pipe. He presently seated himself on the steps, and leaned his head comfortably against one of the posts.
“Well, well, well,” he exclaimed. “It has been years and years since I’ve heard the name of Brother Lion. Is he still living and doing well?” [Pg 91] Mr. Rabbit turned an inquiring eye on Sweetest Susan.
“She doesn’t know anything about lions,” said Buster John.
“Why, I do!” cried Sweetest Susan. “I saw one once in a cage.”
“In a cage? Brother Lion in a cage?” Mr. Rabbit raised his hands and rolled his eyes in astonishment15. “What is the world coming to? Well, I’ve said many and many a time that Brother Lion was not right up here.” Mr. Rabbit tapped his forehead significantly. “In a cage! Now, that pesters16 me. Why, he used to go roaring and romping17 about the country, scaring them that didn’t know him mighty18 nigh to death. And so Brother Lion is in a cage? But I might have known it. I wonder how the rest of the family are getting on? Not that they are any kin5 to me, for they are not. I called him Brother Lion just to be neighborly. Oh, no! He and his family are no kin to me. They are too heavy in both head and feet for that.”
Mr. Rabbit closed his eyes as if reflecting, and patted the ground softly with his foot.
“Well, well! I remember just as well as if it [Pg 92] were yesterday the day I told Brother Lion that if he wasn’t careful, Mr. Man would catch him and put him in a cage for his children to look at. But he just hooted19 at it—and now, sure enough, there he is! I mind the first time he began his pursuit of Mr. Man. That was the time he got his hand caught in the split of the log.”
“I done hear my daddy tell dat tale,” remarked Drusilla.
“Yes,” said Mr. Rabbit, “it soon became common talk in the neighborhood. Brother Lion had come a long way to hunt Mr. Man, and as soon as he got his hand out of the split in the log he started to go home again. I went part of the way with him, and then it was that I told him he’d find himself in a cage if he wasn’t careful. I made a burdock poultice for his hand the best I could—”
“And then Brother Lion went on home, feeling better, but still very mad. Crippled as he was, he was a quick traveler, and it was not long before he came to his journey’s end.
MR. RABBIT BANDAGING BROTHER LION’S PAW
“Well, when his mother saw him she was very [Pg 93] sorry. But when he told her what the matter was she was vexed21. ‘Aha!’ said she, ‘how often have I told you about meddling22 with somebody else’s business! How often have I told you about sticking your nose into things that don’t concern you! I’m not sorry for you one bit, because if you had obeyed me you wouldn’t be coming home now with your hand mashed24 all to flinders. But, no! daddy-like, you’ve got to go and get yourself into trouble with Mr. Man, and now you see what has come of it. I’m not feeling at all well myself, but now I’ve got to go to work and make a whole parcel of poultices and tie your hand up and nurse you—and I declare somebody ought to be nursing me this very minute.’
“That was what Brother Lion’s mother said,” continued Mr. Rabbit, “but Brother Lion didn’t say anything. He just lay on the sheepskin pallet she made him and studied how he would be revenged on Mr. Man. After a while his hand got well, but still he said very little about the matter. The more he thought about the way he had been treated, the madder he got. He gnashed his teeth together and waved his long [Pg 94] tail about until it looked like a snake. Finally he sent word to all his kin—his uncles and his cousins—to meet him somewhere in the woods and hold a convention to consider how they should catch the great monster, Mr. Man, who had caused a log of wood to mash23 Brother Lion’s hand.
“Well, it wasn’t long before the uncles and cousins began to arrive. They came from far and near, and they seemed to be very ferocious25. They shook their manes and showed their tushes. They went off in the woods and held their convention, and Brother Lion laid his complaint before them. He told them what kind of treatment he had received from Mr. Man, and asked them if they would help to get his revenge. He made quite a speech, and when he sat down, his uncles and cousins were very much excited. They roared and howled. They said they were ready to tear Mr. Man limb from limb. They declared they were ready to go where he was, and gnaw26 him and claw him on account of the scandalous way he had treated their blood-kin.
“But when Brother Lion’s mother heard what they proposed to do she shut her eyes and shook [Pg 95] her head from side to side, and told the uncles and the cousins that they had better go back home, all of them. She said that before they got through with Mr. Man they’d wish they had never been born. But go they would and go they did.
“So they started out soon one morning, and traveled night and day for nearly a week. They were getting very tired and hungry, and some of the younger blood-cousins wanted to stop and rest, and some wanted to turn around and go back home. But one morning while they were going through the woods, feeling a little shaky in head and limb, they suddenly came in sight of Mr. Man. He was cutting down trees and splitting them into timber. He had his coat off, and seemed to be very busy.
“But he was not so busy that he didn’t hear Mr. Lion and his uncles and blood-cousins sneaking27 through the woods over the dry leaves, and he wasn’t so busy that he couldn’t see them moving about among the trees. He was very much astonished. He wondered where so many of the Lion family came from, and what they were doing there, but he didn’t stop to ask any [Pg 96] questions. He dropped his axe28 and climbed a tree.
“Brother Lion and his uncles and his blood-cousins were very much pleased when they saw Mr. Man climb the tree. ‘We have him now,’ said Brother Lion, and the rest licked their jaws29 and smiled. Then they gathered around the tree and sat on their haunches and watched Mr. Man. This didn’t do any good, for Mr. Man sat on a limb and swung his legs, just as contentedly30 as if he was sitting in his rocking-chair at home.
“Then Brother Lion and his uncles and his blood-cousins showed their teeth and growled31. But this didn’t do any good. Mr. Man swung his feet and whistled a dance-tune. Then Brother Lion and his blood-cousins opened their mouths wide and roared as loud as they could. But this didn’t do any good. Mr. Man leaned his head against the trunk of the tree and pretended to be nodding.
“This made Brother Lion and his blood-kin very mad. They ran around the tree and tore the bark with their claws, and waved their tails back and forth32. But this didn’t do any good. [Pg 97] Mr. Man just sat up there and swung his feet and laughed at them.
“Brother Lion and his blood-kin soon found that if they intended to capture Mr. Man they’d have to do something else besides caper33 around the foot of the tree. So they talked it over, and Brother Lion fixed34 up a plan. He said that he would stand at the foot of the tree and rear up against the trunk, and one of his blood-cousins could climb on his back and rear up, and then another cousin or uncle could climb up, and so on until there was a ladder of bloodthirsty Lions high enough to reach Mr. Man.
“Brother Lion, mind you, was to be at the bottom of the Lion ladder,” remarked Mr. Rabbit, with a chuckle35, “and he had a very good reason for it. He had had dealings with Mr. Man, and he wanted to keep as far away from him as possible. But before they made the Lion ladder, Brother Lion looked up at Mr. Man and called out:—
“‘What are you doing up there?’
“‘You’ll find out a great deal too soon for your comfort,’ replied Mr. Man.
“Brother Lion said, ‘Come down from there.’
[Pg 98] “Mr. Man answered, ‘I’ll come down much sooner than you want me to.’
“Then Brother Lion, his uncles, and his blood-cousins began to build their ladder. Brother Lion was the bottom round of this ladder, as you may say,” continued Mr. Rabbit. “He reared up and placed his hands against the tree, and one of his uncles jumped on his shoulders, and put his hands against the tree. Then a cousin, and then another uncle, and so on until the ladder reached a considerable distance up the tree. It was such a high ladder that it began to wobble, and the last uncle had hard work to make his way to the top. He climbed up very carefully and slowly, for he was not used to this sort of business. He was the oldest and the fiercest of the old company, but his knees shook under him as he climbed up and felt the ladder shaking and wobbling.
“Mr. Man saw that by the time this big Lion got to the top of the ladder his teeth and his claws would be too close for comfort, and so he called out in an angry tone:—
THE LADDER OF LIONS
“‘Just hold on! Just stand right still! Wait! I’m not after any of you except that fellow at [Pg 99] the bottom there. I’m not trying to catch any of you but him. He has bothered me before. I let him go once, but I’ll not let him get away this time. Just stand right still and hold him there till I climb down the other side of the tree.’
“With that Mr. Man shook the limbs and leaves and dropped some pieces of bark. This was more than Brother Lion could stand. He was so frightened that he jumped from under the ladder, and his uncles and his blood-cousins came tumbling to the ground, howling, growling36, and fighting.
“They were as sorry-looking a sight as ever you saw when they came to their senses. Those that didn’t have their bones broken by the fall were torn and mangled37. They had acted so foolishly that out of the whole number, Mr. Man didn’t get but three lion-skins that could be called perfect.
“Brother Lion went home to his mother as fast as he could go and remained quiet a long time. And now you tell me he’s in a cage.”
[Pg 100] The children seemed to enjoy the story very much; so much so, indeed, that Mrs. Meadows wanted Mr. Rabbit to tell some of his own queer experiences, but Mr. Rabbit laughed and said that it didn’t seem exactly right to be telling his own stories. He said if he told the stories just as they happened, he’d have to talk about himself a good deal, and people would think he was boastful. He declared he didn’t feel like making his young friends think he was bragging39.
“Oh, we shan’t mind that,” said Sweetest Susan, “shall we, brother?”
“Why, of course not,” replied Buster John.
So the children, aided by Mrs. Meadows, coaxed41 Mr. Rabbit until he finally consented to tell some of his queer adventures.
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收听单词发音
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1
jug
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| n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂 | |
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2
ripples
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| 逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 ) | |
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3
astronomer
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| n.天文学家 | |
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firmament
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| n.苍穹；最高层 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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6
celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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8
hysterically
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| ad. 歇斯底里地 | |
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9
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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10
vapor
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| n.蒸汽，雾气 | |
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11
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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12
moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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13
lizard
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| n.蜥蜴，壁虎 | |
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14
piazza
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| n.广场；走廊 | |
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15
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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16
pesters
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| 使烦恼，纠缠( pester的第三人称单数 ) | |
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17
romping
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| adj.嬉戏喧闹的，乱蹦乱闹的v.嬉笑玩闹( romp的现在分词 )；（尤指在赛跑或竞选等中）轻易获胜 | |
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18
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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19
hooted
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| （使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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bruises
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| n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
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vexed
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| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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22
meddling
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| v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 ) | |
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23
mash
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| n.麦芽浆，糊状物，土豆泥；v.把…捣成糊状，挑逗，调情 | |
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24
mashed
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| a.捣烂的 | |
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25
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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gnaw
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| v.不断地啃、咬；使苦恼，折磨 | |
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sneaking
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| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
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28
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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29
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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30
contentedly
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| adv.心满意足地 | |
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31
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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32
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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33
caper
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| v.雀跃，欢蹦；n.雀跃，跳跃；续随子，刺山柑花蕾；嬉戏 | |
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34
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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35
chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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36
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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37
mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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38
flopped
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| v.（指书、戏剧等）彻底失败( flop的过去式和过去分词 )；（因疲惫而）猛然坐下；（笨拙地、不由自主地或松弛地）移动或落下；砸锅 | |
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39
bragging
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| v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的现在分词 )；大话 | |
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40
brag
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| v./n.吹牛，自夸；adj.第一流的 | |
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41
coaxed
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的过去式和过去分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱 | |
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