“Snow! Oh goody, goody, goody! Snow at last!”
It looked as if the whole world had been wrapped in a blanket of the whitest, fleeciest, shiningest wool. Sidewalks, streets, crossings were all leveled to one smoothness. The fences were so muffled1 that they had swelled2 to twice their size. The houses wore trim, pointy caps on their gables. The high bushes in the yard hung to the very ground. The low ones had become mounds4. The trees looked as if they had been packed in cotton-wool and put away for the winter.
“And the lovely part of it is, it’s still snowing,” Maida exclaimed blissfully.
Maida dressed in the greatest excitement. Few children came in to make purchases that morning and the lines pouring into the schoolhouse were very shivery and much shorter than usual. At a quarter to twelve, the one-session bell rang. When the children came out of school at one, the snow was whirling down thicker and faster than in the morning. A high wind came up and piled it in the most unexpected places. Trade stopped entirely6 in the shop. No mother would let her children brave so terrific a storm.
It snowed that night and all the next morning. The second day fewer children went to school than on the first. But at two o’clock when the sun burst through the gray sky, the children swarmed8 the streets. Shovels9 and brooms began to appear, snow-balls to fly, sleigh-bells to tinkle11.
Rosie came dashing into the shop in the midst of this burst of excitement. “I’ve shoveled12 our sidewalk,” she announced triumphantly13. “Is anything wrong with me? Everybody’s staring at me.”
Maida stared too. Rosie’s scarlet14 cape15 was dotted with snow, her scarlet hat was white with it. Great flakes16 had caught in her long black hair, had starred her soft brows—they hung from her very eyelashes. Her cheeks and lips were the color of coral and her eyes like great velvety17 moons.
“You look in the glass and see what they’re staring at,” Maida said slyly. Rosie went to the mirror.
“I don’t see anything the matter.”
“It’s because you look so pretty, goose!” Maida exclaimed.
Rosie always blushed and looked ashamed if anybody alluded19 to her prettiness. Now she leaped to Maida’s side and pretended to beat her.
“Stop that!” a voice called. Startled, the little girls looked up. Billy stood in the doorway20. “I’ve come over to make a snow-house,” he explained.
“Oh, Billy, what things you do think of!” Maida exclaimed. “Wait till I get Arthur and Dicky!”
“Couldn’t get many more in here, could we?” Billy commented when the five had assembled in the “child’s size” yard. “I don’t know that we could stow away another shovel10. Now, first of all, you’re to pile all the snow in the yard into that corner.”
Everybody went to work. But Billy and Arthur moved so quickly with their big shovels that Maida and Rosie and Dicky did nothing but hop7 about them. Almost before they realized it, the snow-pile reached to the top of the fence.
“Pack it down hard,” Billy commanded, “as hard as you can make it.”
Everybody scrambled21 to obey. For a few moments the sound of shovels beating on the snow drowned their talk.
“That will do for that,” Billy commanded suddenly. His little force stopped, breathless and red-cheeked. “Now I’m going to dig out the room. I guess I’ll have to do this. If you’re not careful enough, the roof will cave in. Then it’s all got to be done again.”
Working very slowly, he began to hollow out the structure. After the hole had grown big enough, he crawled into it. But in spite of his own warning, he must have been too energetic in his movements. Suddenly the roof came down on his head.
Billy was on his feet in an instant, shaking the snow off as a dog shakes off water.
“Why, Billy, you look like a snow-man,” Maida laughed.
“I feel like one,” Billy said, wiping the snow from his eyes and from under his collar. “But don’t be discouraged, my hearties24, up with it again. I’ll be more careful the next time.”
They went at it again with increased interest, heaping up a mound3 of snow bigger than before, beating it until it was as hard as a brick, hollowing out inside a chamber25 big enough for three of them to occupy at once. But Billy gave them no time to enjoy their new dwelling26.
“Run into the house,” was his next order, “and bring out all the water you can carry.”
There was a wild scramble22 to see which would get to the sink first but in a few moments, an orderly file emerged from the house, Arthur with a bucket, Dicky with a basin, Rosie with the dish-pan, Maida with a dipper.
“Now I’m going to pour water over the house,” Billy explained. “You see if it freezes now it will last longer.” Very carefully, he sprayed it on the sides and roof, dashing it upwards27 on the inside walls:
“We might as well make it look pretty while we’re about it,” Billy continued. “You children get to work and make a lot of snow-balls the size of an orange and just as round as you can turn them out.”
This was easy work. Before Billy could say, “Jack28 Robinson!” four pairs of eager hands had accumulated snow-balls enough for a sham18 battle. In the meantime, Billy had decorated the doorway with two tall, round pillars. He added a pointed29 roof to the house and trimmed it with snow-balls, all along the edge.
“Now I guess we’d better have a snow-man to live in this mansion30 while we’re about it,” Billy suggested briskly. “Each of you roll up an arm or a leg while I make the body.”
Billy placed the legs in the corner opposite the snow-house. He lifted on to them the big round body which he himself had rolled. Putting the arms on was not so easy. He worked for a long time before he found the angle at which they would stick.
Everybody took a hand at the head. Maida contributed some dulse for the hair, slitting31 it into ribbons, which she stuck on with glue. Rosie found a broken clothes-pin for the nose. The round, smooth coals that Dicky discovered in the coal-hod made a pair of expressive32 black eyes. Arthur cut two sets of teeth from orange peel and inserted them in the gash33 that was the mouth. When the head was set on the shoulders, Billy disappeared into the house for a moment. He came back carrying a suit-case. “Shut your eyes, every manjack of you,” he ordered. “You’re not to see what I do until it’s done. If I catch one of you peeking34, I’ll confine you in the snow-house for five minutes.”
The W.M.N.T.’s shut their eyes tight and held down the lids with resolute35 fingers. But they kept their ears wide open. The mysterious work on which Billy was engaged was accompanied by the most tantalizing36 noises.
“Oh, Billy, can’t I please look,” Maida begged, jiggling up and down. “I can’t stand it much longer.”
“In a minute,” Billy said encouragingly. The mysterious noises kept up. “Now,” Billy said suddenly.
Four pairs of eyes leaped open. Four pairs of lips shrieked37 their delight. Indeed, Maida and Rosie laughed so hard that they finally rolled in the snow.
Billy had put an old coat on the snow-man’s body. He had put a tall hat—Arthur called it a “stove-pipe”—on the snow-man’s head. He had put an old black pipe between the snow-man’s grinning, orange-colored teeth. Gloves hung limply from the snow-man’s arm-stumps and to one of them a cane39 was fastened. Billy had managed to give the snow-man’s head a cock to one side. Altogether he looked so spruce and jovial40 that it was impossible not to like him.
“Mr. Chumpleigh, ladies and gentlemen,” Billy said. “Some members of the W.M.N.T., Mr. Chumpleigh.”
And Mr. Chumpleigh, he was until—until—
Billy stayed that night to dinner. They [Pg 251]had just finished eating when an excited ring of the bell announced Rosie.
“Oh, Granny,” she said, “the boys have made a most wonderful coast down Halliwell Street and Aunt Theresa says I can go coasting until nine o’clock if you’ll let Maida go too. I thought maybe you would, especially if Billy comes along.”
“If Misther Billy goes, ’twill be all roight.”
“Oh, Granny,” Maida said, “you dear, darling, old fairy-dame!” She was so excited that she wriggled41 like a little eel23 all the time Granny was bundling her into her clothes. And when she reached the street, it seemed as if she must explode.
A big moon, floating like a silver balloon in the sky, made the night like day. The neighborhood sizzled with excitement for the street and sidewalks were covered with children dragging sleds.
“It’s like the ‘Pied Piper’, Rosie,” Maida said joyfully42, “children everywhere and all going in the same direction.”
They followed the procession up Warrington Street to where Halliwell Street sloped down the hill.
Billy let out a long whistle of astonishment43. “Great Scott, what a coast!” he said.
In the middle of the street was a ribbon of ice three feet wide and as smooth as glass. At the foot of the hill, a piled-up mound of snow served as a buffer44.
“The boys have been working on the slide all day,” Rosie said. “Did you ever see such a nice one, Maida?”
“I never saw any kind of a one,” Maida confessed. “How did they make it so smooth?”
“Pouring water on it.”
“Have you never coasted before, Maida?” Billy asked.
“Never.”
“Well, here’s your chance then,” said a cheerful voice back of them. They all turned. There stood Arthur Duncan with what Maida soon learned was a “double-runner.”
Billy examined it carefully. “Did you make it, Arthur?”
“Yes.”
“Pretty good piece of work,” Billy commented. “Want to try it, Maida?”
“I’m crazy to!”
“All right. Pile on!”
Arthur took his place in front. Rosie sat next, then Dicky, then Maida, then Billy.
“Hold on to Dicky,” Billy instructed Maida, “and I’ll hold on to you.”
Tingling45 with excitement, Maida did as she was told. But it seemed as if they would never start. But at last, she heard Billy’s voice, “On your marks. Get set! Go!” The double-runner stirred.
It moved slowly for a moment across the level top of the street. Then came the first slope of the hill—they plunged46 forward. She heard Rosie’s hysterical47 shriek38, Dicky’s vociferous48 cheers and Billy’s blood-curdling yells, but she herself was as silent as a little image. They struck the second slope of the hill—then she screamed, too. The houses on either side shot past like pictures in the kinetoscope. She felt a rush of wind that must surely blow her ears off. They reached the third slope of the hill—and now they had left the earth and were sailing through the air. The next instant the double-runner had come to rest on the bank of snow and Rosie and she were hugging each other and saying, “Wasn’t it GREAT?”
They climbed to the top of the hill again. All the way back, Maida watched the sleds whizzing down the coast, boys alone on sleds, girls alone on sleds, pairs of girls, pairs of boys, one seated in front, the other steering49 with a foot that trailed behind on the ice, timid little girls who did not dare the ice but contented50 themselves with sliding on the snow at either side, daring little boys who went down lying flat on their sleds.
At the top they were besieged51 with entreaties52 to go on the double-runner and, as there was room enough for one more, they took a little boy or girl with them each time. Rosie lent her sled to those who had none. At first there were plenty of these, standing53 at the top of the coast, wistfully watching the fun of more fortunate children. But after a while it was discovered that the ice was so smooth that almost anything could be used for coasting. The sledless ones rushed home and reappeared with all kinds of things. One little lad went down on a shovel and his intrepid54 little sister followed on a broom. Boxes and shingles55 and even dish-pans began to appear. Most reckless of all, one big fellow slid down on his two feet, landing in a heap in the snow.
Maida enjoyed every moment of it—even the long walks back up the hill. Once the double-runner struck into a riderless sled that had drifted on to the course, and was overturned immediately. Nobody was hurt. Rosie, Dicky and Arthur were cast safely to one side in the soft snow. But Maida and Billy were thrown, whirling, on to the ice. Billy kept his grip on Maida and they shot down the hill, turning round and round and round. At first Maida was a little frightened. But when she saw that they were perfectly56 safe, that Billy was making her spin about in that ridiculous fashion, she laughed so hard that she was weak when they reached the bottom.
“Oh, do let’s do that again!” she said when she caught her breath.
Never was such a week as followed. The cold weather kept up. Continued storms added to the snow. For the first time in years came four one-session days in a single week. It seemed as if Jack Frost were on the side of the children. He would send violent flurries of snow just before the one-session bell rang but as soon as the children were safely on the street, the sun would come out bright as summer.
Every morning when Maida woke up, she would say to herself, “I wonder how Mr. Chumpleigh is to-day.” Then she would run over to the window to see.
Mr. Chumpleigh had become a great favorite in the neighborhood. He was so tall that his round, happy face with its eternal orange-peel grin could look straight over the fence to the street. The passers-by used to stop, paralyzed by the vision. But after studying the phenomenon, they would go laughing on their way. Occasionally a bad boy would shy a snow-ball at the smiling countenance57 but Mr. Chumpleigh was so hard-headed that nothing seemed to hurt him. In the course of time, the “stove-pipe” became very battered58 and, as the result of continued storms, one eye sank down to the middle of his cheek. But in spite of these injuries, he continued to maintain his genial59 grin.
“Let’s go out and fix Mr. Chumpleigh,” Rosie would say every day. The two little girls would brush the snow off his hat and coat, adjust his nose and teeth, would straighten him up generally.
After a while, Maida threw her bird-crumbs all over Mr. Chumpleigh. Thereafter, the saucy60 little English sparrows ate from Mr. Chumpleigh’s hat-brim, his pipe-bowl, even his pockets.
“Perhaps the snow will last all winter,” Maida said hopefully one day. “If it does, Mr. Chumpleigh’s health will be perfect.”
“Well, perhaps, it’s just as well if he goes,” Rosie said sensibly; “we haven’t done a bit of work since he came.”
On Sunday the weather moderated a little. Mr. Chumpleigh bore a most melancholy61 look all the afternoon as if he feared what was to come. What was worse, he lost his nose.
Monday morning, Maida ran to the window dreading62 what she might see. But instead of the thaw63 she expected, a most beautiful sight spread out before her. The weather had turned cold in the night. Everything that had started to melt had frozen up again. The sidewalks were liked frosted cakes. Long icicles made pretty fringes around the roofs of the houses. The trees and bushes were glazed64 by a sheathing65 of crystal. The sunlight playing through all this turned the world into a heap of diamonds.
Mr. Chumpleigh had perked66 up under the influence of the cold. His manner had gained in solidity although his gaze was a little glassy. Hopefully Maida hunted about until she found his nose.
She replaced his old set with some new orange-peel teeth and stuck his pipe between them. He looked quite himself.
But, alas67, the sun came out and melted the whole world. The sidewalks trickled68 streams. The icicles dripped away in showers of diamonds. The trees lost their crystal sheathing.
In the afternoon, Mr. Chumpleigh began to droop69. By night his head was resting disconsolately70 on his own shoulder. When Maida looked out the next morning, there was nothing in the corner but a mound of snow. An old coat lay to one side. Strewn about were a hat, a pair of gloves, a pipe and a cane.
Mr. Chumpleigh had passed away in the night.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
muffled
|
|
| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
swelled
|
|
| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
mound
|
|
| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
mounds
|
|
| 土堆，土丘( mound的名词复数 )； 一大堆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
blizzard
|
|
| n.暴风雪 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
hop
|
|
| n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
swarmed
|
|
| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
shovels
|
|
| n.铲子( shovel的名词复数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份v.铲子( shovel的第三人称单数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
shovel
|
|
| n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
tinkle
|
|
| vi.叮当作响；n.叮当声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
shoveled
|
|
| vt.铲，铲出（shovel的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
triumphantly
|
|
| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
scarlet
|
|
| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
cape
|
|
| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
flakes
|
|
| 小薄片( flake的名词复数 )； （尤指）碎片； 雪花； 古怪的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
velvety
|
|
| adj. 像天鹅绒的, 轻软光滑的, 柔软的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
sham
|
|
| n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
alluded
|
|
| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
doorway
|
|
| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
scrambled
|
|
| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
scramble
|
|
| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
eel
|
|
| n.鳗鲡 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
hearties
|
|
| 亲切的( hearty的名词复数 )； 热诚的； 健壮的； 精神饱满的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
chamber
|
|
| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
dwelling
|
|
| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
upwards
|
|
| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
jack
|
|
| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
mansion
|
|
| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
slitting
|
|
| n.纵裂（缝）v.切开，撕开( slit的现在分词 )；在…上开狭长口子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
expressive
|
|
| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
gash
|
|
| v.深切，划开；n.(深长的)切(伤)口；裂缝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
peeking
|
|
| v.很快地看( peek的现在分词 )；偷看；窥视；微露出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
resolute
|
|
| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
tantalizing
|
|
| adj.逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的；煽情的v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
shrieked
|
|
| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
shriek
|
|
| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
cane
|
|
| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
jovial
|
|
| adj.快乐的，好交际的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
wriggled
|
|
| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
joyfully
|
|
| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
astonishment
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
buffer
|
|
| n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
tingling
|
|
| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
plunged
|
|
| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
hysterical
|
|
| adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
vociferous
|
|
| adj.喧哗的，大叫大嚷的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
steering
|
|
| n.操舵装置 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
contented
|
|
| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
besieged
|
|
| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
entreaties
|
|
| n.恳求，乞求( entreaty的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
intrepid
|
|
| adj.无畏的，刚毅的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
shingles
|
|
| n.带状疱疹；（布满海边的）小圆石( shingle的名词复数 )；屋顶板；木瓦（板）；墙面板 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
countenance
|
|
| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
battered
|
|
| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
genial
|
|
| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
saucy
|
|
| adj.无礼的；俊俏的；活泼的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
melancholy
|
|
| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
dreading
|
|
| v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
thaw
|
|
| v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
glazed
|
|
| adj.光滑的，像玻璃的；上过釉的；呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式)；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
sheathing
|
|
| n.覆盖物，罩子v.将（刀、剑等）插入鞘( sheathe的现在分词 )；包，覆盖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
perked
|
|
| （使）活跃( perk的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）增值； 使更有趣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
alas
|
|
| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
trickled
|
|
| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
droop
|
|
| v.低垂，下垂；凋萎，萎靡 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
disconsolately
|
|
| adv.悲伤地，愁闷地；哭丧着脸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |