XX THE TRACKS IN THE SNOW

 One fine winter's day Fatty Coon came upon the queerest tracks in the snow. They were huge—a great deal bigger, even, than bear-tracks, which Fatty had sometimes seen, for once in a while, before the weather grew too cold, and he fell into his winter's sleep, a bear would come down into the valley from his home on Blue Mountain.

 

But these were six times as big as bear tracks. And Fatty felt a shiver of fear run up and down his back.

 

He followed the trail a little way. But he was very careful. He was always ready to scramble¹ up a tree, in case he should suddenly see the strange animal—or rather, in case the strange animal should see HIM.

 

The great tracks led straight toward Farmer Green's house. And Fatty did not want to go there. So he hurried home to ask his mother what he had found. Mrs. Coon listened to Fatty's story.

 

"I think it must be the monster that almost caught me in the road last summer," said Fatty, meaning the automobile² that had given him a great fright. "Maybe he's come back again to catch Farmer Green and his family … Do you suppose he's eaten them up?"

 

Mrs. Coon was puzzled. And she was somewhat alarmed, too. She wanted to see those strange tracks herself. So she told her other children not to step a foot out of the house until she came back. And then she asked Fatty to run along and show her where he had come upon the monster's trail.

 

Fatty Coon felt very important, as he led the way across the swamp and into the woods. It was not often that he could show his mother anything. And he was so proud that he almost forgot his fright.

 

"I guess you're glad I have sharp eyes," he said, as they hurried along.

 

"If the tracks are as big as you say they are, your eyes wouldn't have to be very sharp to see them," his mother told him. Mrs. Coon never liked to hear her children boast. She knew that boasting is one of the most unpleasant things anyone can do.

 

"Well—maybe you don't think I saw the monster's tracks at all," said

Fatty. "Maybe you don't think I heard him screech³—"

"When did you hear him screech?" Mrs. Coon asked. "This is the first you've said about SCREECHING⁴. When was it?"

 

"Last summer," Fatty answered.

 

Mrs. Coon didn't smile. Perhaps she was too worried for that.

 

"It may not be the same monster," she said. "It may not be a monster at all."

 

But by this time Fatty was sure he was right. He was sure he knew more than his mother.

 

"Why can't we go right over to Farmer Green's and take some of his chickens?" he asked. "The monster has probably eaten him by this time, and all his family, too."

 

But Mrs. Coon would do no such thing.

 

"Show me the tracks," she said firmly. And so they went on into the woods.

 

"There they are!" Fatty cried, a few minutes later. "See, Mother! They're even bigger than I said." He heard a funny noise behind him, then. And when Fatty Coon looked around he saw that his mother was actually holding her sides, she was laughing so hard.

 

"Those are Farmer Green's tracks," she said, as soon as she could stop laughing long enough to speak.

 

"What—as big as that?" Fatty pointed⁵ at the huge prints in the snow.

 

"Snowshoes!" Mrs. Coon said. "He was wearing snowshoes—great frames made of thongs⁶ and sticks, to keep him from sinking into the snow."

 

So that was all there was to Fatty's monster. Somehow, he was disappointed. But he was very glad he had said nothing to Jasper Jay about his strange animal. For if he had, he knew he would never have heard the last of it.

 

And Fatty was glad about another thing, too. He felt very happy that his mother had not let him go after Farmer Green's chickens.

1 scramble   

v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料

参考例句：

• He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
• It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。

2 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

3 screech   

n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音

参考例句：

• He heard a screech of brakes and then fell down. 他听到汽车刹车发出的尖锐的声音,然后就摔倒了。
• The screech of jet planes violated the peace of the afternoon. 喷射机的尖啸声侵犯了下午的平静。

4 screeching   

v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫

参考例句：

• Monkeys were screeching in the trees. 猴子在树上吱吱地叫着。
• the unedifying sight of the two party leaders screeching at each other 两党党魁狺狺对吠的讨厌情景

5 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

6 thongs   

的东西

参考例句：

• Things ain't what they used to be. 现在情况不比从前了。
• Things have been going badly . 事情进展得不顺利。