CHAPTER IV ABNER BALBERRY'S DISCOVERY

 "Nat!"

 

Abner Balberry uttered the name in a loud, clear voice and waited fully¹ a minute for an answer.

 

"Nat!" he repeated. "I want you to answer me, do you hear? Nat!"

 

Still there was no reply, and now, in some alarm, Abner Balberry turned back into his bedchamber and donned part of his clothing.

 

"If that boy is moving around this house I'm goin' to know it," he murmured to himself, as he felt his way toward Nat's room. Coming to the door, he threw it open and took a step toward the bed.

 

As we already know, it was empty. The discovery was something of a shock to the farmer and for the moment he stood stock-still, gazing at the bed and feeling under the covers to make certain that his nephew was not really there.

 

"Gone!" he muttered at last. "He must be downstairs. More'n likely he went down to git somethin' to eat. Wait till I catch him! I'll tan him well!"

 

Hoping to catch Nat unawares, he tiptoed his way down the stairs and entered the living room. Then he passed to the kitchen and the shed, and came back to peer into the parlor². Not a trace of the lad was to be found anywhere.

 

"I certainly heard him," he reasoned. "I certainly did."

 

"Mr. Balberry!" The call came from the housekeeper³. "Are you up?"

 

"Yes, I am."

 

"Oh, all right."

 

"But it ain't all right! Nat's up too."

 

"Is he down there with you?"

 

"No, I don't know at all where he is. I'm a-lookin' fer him."

 

By this time Mrs. Felton's curiosity was aroused and she lost no time in slipping on her wrapper. When she came down she brought with her a lamp.

 

"Where do you suppose he went?" she asked.

 

"How do I know?" snarled⁴ Abner Balberry.

 

The housekeeper happened to glance into the pantry. She was about to utter an exclamation⁵, but checked herself.

 

"What did you say, Mrs. Felton?"

 

"I—I didn't say anything."

 

"He ain't in there, is he?"

 

"No."

 

"Has he been at the victuals⁶?"

 

"Not—not very much," stammered⁷ the housekeeper.

 

"Humph! I guess he ate as much as he wanted. Jest wait till I catch him—I'll tan him harder than he was ever tanned before!"

 

"Maybe he went to bed again."

 

"No, I jest looked into his room."

 

Abner Balberry unlocked the kitchen door and stepped out into the dooryard. As he did this he caught sight of somebody running swiftly down the road.

 

"Hi! Stop!" he yelled. "Stop, Nat, do you hear?"

 

To this there was no answer, and the fleeing individual merely ran the faster.

 

"Was it Nat?" asked the housekeeper.

 

"To be sure it was. Oh, wait till I lay my hands on him!" And the farmer shook his fist at the figure that was fast disappearing in the gloom.

 

"What's that light in the barn?" demanded Mrs. Felton, an instant later.

 

"Light? Where?"

 

"Up in the haymow."

 

Abner Balberry gave a glance toward the structure.

 

"The barn's afire!" he screamed. "Thet good-fer-nuthin' boy has set the place on fire!"

 

"Oh! oh!" screamed the housekeeper, and began to tremble from head to feet, for to her mind a fire was the most dreadful thing that could happen.

 

"I've got to git thet fire out," said the farmer, and ran toward the barn with all speed.

 

"Be careful, or you'll be burnt up!" screamed Mrs. Felton.

 

"Go on an' git the water pails!" said the farmer. "Fill everything with water. An' bring a rag carpet, an' I'll soak thet too!"

 

He already had an old patch of carpet used at the doorstep in his hand, and this he soused in the watering trough as he passed. Then he ran into the open barn and mounted to the loft⁹.

 

The fire was in a patch of hay at one end of the loft, close to an open window. Regardless of his personal safety, Abner Balberry leaped in and threw part of the hay out of the window. Then he began to beat out the fire with the water-soaked carpet.

 

"Here's some water," came timidly from below, and Mrs. Felton appeared with two pails full to the brim. He took these upstairs and dashed them on the flames.

 

"You look out or you'll be burnt up!" cried the housekeeper. She was trembling to such a degree that she could scarcely stand.

 

"Git some more water," was Abner Balberry's only reply. The thought that his barn might be totally destroyed filled him with dread⁸, for there was no insurance on the structure—he being too miserly to pay the premium¹⁰ demanded by the insurance company.

 

More water was procured¹¹ by Mrs. Felton, and at last it was apparent that the farmer was getting the best of the fire. He worked hard and did not seem to mind the fact that his eyebrows¹² were singed¹³ and his hands slightly blistered¹⁴.

 

"There! now I've got it!" he sighed at last.

 

"Are you sure?" asked the housekeeper in a faint voice.

 

"Yes, but I'm a-goin' to hunt around fer sparks. Git some more water."

 

Additional water was soon at hand, and Abner Balberry began a minute search of the whole loft, on the lookout¹⁵ for stray sparks. A few were found and extinguished, and then the excitement came to an end.

 

"How thankful I am that the barn didn't burn down," said the housekeeper, as the farmer came below and began to bathe his face and hands.

 

"It was hot work."

 

"Are you burnt much?"

 

"More'n I want to be. Jest wait till I catch Nat!"

 

"Do you think——" began the housekeeper.

 

"O' course I do!" snorted Abner Balberry. "Didn't I see him a-runnin' away from the barn?"

 

"I never thought Nat would be wicked enough to set a barn on fire."

 

"He was mad because I wouldn't give him no supper. He's a young rascal¹⁶, he is!"

 

"But to burn a barn!"

 

"Thet boy has got to be taken in hand, Mrs. Felton. I've let him have his own way too much. I'm goin' to lay down the law good an' hard after this."

 

"Maybe he won't come back," suggested the housekeeper.

 

This thought startled the farmer and he lost no time in finishing his washing.

 

"I'm goin' after him," he announced. "If he thinks to run away I'll put a spoke¹⁷ in his wheel putty quick."

 

Taking another look around, to make certain that the fire was really out, Abner Balberry brought out one of his horses and hitched¹⁸ the animal to a buckboard, in the meantime sending the housekeeper back to the house to get his hat and coat.

 

"Where do you suppose you'll find him?" asked Mrs. Felton.

 

"Somewhere along the road most likely."

 

"Maybe he'll hide on you."

 

"He had better not. If he does that, I'll call on the squire¹⁹ about him."

 

"Can you do that?"

 

"O' course I can. Didn't he try to burn down the barn? The squire can make out a warrant for his arrest."

 

"It would be awful to have him arrested."

 

"Well, he brought it on himself," answered Abner Balberry, doggedly²⁰. "He had no right to try to set the barn afire. Next thing you know, Mrs. Felton, he'll be a-trying to burn us up in our beds."

 

"Oh, I don't think Nat would be as bad as that."

 

"You don't know thet boy as well as I do. He's sly an' stubborn, and he'll do 'most anything when he's crossed. But I'll fix him! Jest you wait an' see!"

 

"How far will you follow him?"

 

"As far as it's necessary. If he thinks he can git away from me he'll find out, sooner or later, he is mistaken."

 

"You don't know when you'll be back?"

 

"No. It may be I'll have to wait in town till the squire opens his office—that is, if I can't find Nat."

 

"But you are going to look for him yourself first?"

 

"Yes."

 

With this answer Abner Balberry drove off in the darkness. Mrs. Felton watched him and heaved a long and deep sigh.

 

"Too bad!" she murmured. "If he catches Nat it will surely go hard with that boy. Well, I didn't think he was bad enough to set fire to a barn!"

1 fully   

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。

2 parlor   

n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅

参考例句：

• She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
• Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

3 housekeeper   

n.管理家务的主妇，女管家

参考例句：

• A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
• She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

4 snarled   

v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说

参考例句：

• The dog snarled at us. 狗朝我们低声吼叫。
• As I advanced towards the dog, It'snarled and struck at me. 我朝那条狗走去时，它狂吠着向我扑来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 exclamation   

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。

6 victuals   

n.食物；食品

参考例句：

• A plateful of coarse broken victuals was set before him.一盘粗劣的剩余饭食放到了他的面前。
• There are no more victuals for the pig.猪没有吃的啦。

7 stammered   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

8 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

9 loft   

n.阁楼，顶楼

参考例句：

• We could see up into the loft from bottom of the stairs.我们能从楼梯脚边望到阁楼的内部。
• By converting the loft,they were able to have two extra bedrooms.把阁楼改造一下，他们就可以多出两间卧室。

10 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

11 procured   

v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条

参考例句：

• These cars are to be procured through open tender. 这些汽车要用公开招标的办法购买。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A friend procured a position in the bank for my big brother. 一位朋友为我哥哥谋得了一个银行的职位。 来自《用法词典》

12 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

13 singed   

v.浅表烧焦( singe的过去式和过去分词 )；（毛发）燎，烧焦尖端[边儿]

参考例句：

• He singed his hair as he tried to light his cigarette. 他点烟时把头发给燎了。
• The cook singed the chicken to remove the fine hairs. 厨师把鸡燎一下，以便去掉细毛。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 blistered   

adj.水疮状的，泡状的v.（使）起水泡( blister的过去式和过去分词 )；（使表皮等）涨破，爆裂

参考例句：

• He had a blistered heel. 他的脚后跟起了泡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Their hands blistered, but no one complained. 他们手起了泡，可是没有一个人有怨言。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 lookout   

n.注意，前途，瞭望台

参考例句：

• You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
• It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。

16 rascal   

n.流氓；不诚实的人

参考例句：

• If he had done otherwise,I should have thought him a rascal.如果他不这样做，我就认为他是个恶棍。
• The rascal was frightened into holding his tongue.这坏蛋吓得不敢往下说了。

17 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。

18 hitched   

（免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上

参考例句：

• They hitched a ride in a truck. 他们搭乘了一辆路过的货车。
• We hitched a ride in a truck yesterday. 我们昨天顺便搭乘了一辆卡车。

19 squire   

n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅

参考例句：

• I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。
• The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。

20 doggedly   

adv.顽强地，固执地

参考例句：

• He was still doggedly pursuing his studies.他仍然顽强地进行着自己的研究。
• He trudged doggedly on until he reached the flat.他顽强地、步履艰难地走着，一直走回了公寓。