VII The Blazing Eyes

 It was some three hours after sunset when Solomon Owl¹ at last reached Farmer Green's place. All was quiet in the chicken house because the hens and roosters and their families had long since gone to roost. And except for a light that shone through a window, the farmhouse² showed not a sign of life.

 

Everything was as Solomon Owl wished it—or so he thought, at least, as he alighted in a tree in the yard to look about him. He wanted no one to interrupt him when he should go nosing around the chicken house, to find an opening.

 

 

To his annoyance³, he had not sat long in the tree when the wood-shed door opened. And Solomon stared in amazement⁴ at the strange sight he saw.

 

A great head appeared, with eyes and mouth—yes! and nose, too—all a glaring flame color. Solomon had never seen such a horrible face on man or bird or beast. But he was sure it was a man, for he heard a laugh that was not to be mistaken for either a beast's or a bird's. And the worst of it was, those blazing eyes were turned squarely toward Farmer Green's chicken house!

 

Solomon Owl was too wary⁵ to go for his fat pullet just then. He decided⁶ that he would wait quietly in the tree for a time, hoping that the man would go away.

 

While Solomon watched him the stranger neither moved nor spoke⁷. And, of course, Solomon Owl was growing hungrier every minute. So at last he felt that he simply must say something.

 

“Who-who-who-are-you?” he called out from his tree.

 

But the strange man did not answer. He did not even turn his head.

 

“He must be some city person,” Solomon Owl said to himself. “He thinks he's too good to speak to a countryman like me.”

 

Then Solomon sat up and listened. He heard a scratching sound. And soon he saw a plump figure crawl right up into his tree-top.

 

It was Fatty Coon!

 

“What are you doing here?” Solomon Owl asked in a low voice, which was not any too pleasant.

 

“I'm out for an airing,” Fatty answered. “Beautiful night—isn't it?”

 

 

But Solomon Owl was not interested in the weather. “I don't suppose you've come down here to get a chicken, have you?” he inquired.

 

Fatty Coon seemed greatly surprised at the question.

 

“Why—no!” he exclaimed. “But now that you speak of it, it reminds me that Farmer Green's saving a pullet for me. He was heard to say not long ago that he would like to catch me taking one of his hens. So he must have one for me. And I don't want to disappoint him.”

 

At first Solomon Owl didn't know what answer to make. But at last he turned his head toward Fatty.

 

“Why don't you go and get your pullet now?” he asked.

 

 

“There's that man down below, with the glaring eyes—” said Fatty Coon. “I've been waiting around here for quite a long time and he hasn't looked away from the chicken house even once.... Do you know him?”

 

“No! And I don't want to!” said Solomon Owl.

 

“S-sh!” Fatty Coon held up a warning hand. “Who's that?” he asked, peering down at a dark object at the foot of their tree.

 

Then both he and Solomon saw that it was Tommy Fox, sitting on his haunches and staring at the big head, with its blazing eyes and nose and mouth.

 

“Not looking for chickens, I suppose?” Solomon Owl called in a low tone, which was hardly more than a whisper.

 

But Tommy Fox's sharp ears heard him easily. And he looked up, licking his chops as if he were very hungry indeed. And all the while the stranger continued to stare straight at the chicken house, as if he did not intend to let anybody go

 

 

prowling about that long, low building to steal any of Farmer Green's poultry⁸.

 

It was no wonder that the three chicken-lovers (two in the tree and one beneath it) hesitated. If the queer man had only spoken they might not have been so timid. But he said never a word.

1 owl   

n.猫头鹰，枭

参考例句：

• Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。
• I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚，经常半夜后才睡觉。

2 farmhouse   

n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房）

参考例句：

• We fell for the farmhouse as soon as we saw it.我们对那所农舍一见倾心。
• We put up for the night at a farmhouse.我们在一间农舍投宿了一夜。

3 annoyance   

n.恼怒，生气，烦恼

参考例句：

• Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气？
• I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。

4 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

5 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 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。

8 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?