CHAPTER VII AT THE LIGHTHOUSE

 The two boys talked for some time with the old fisherman, and then Blake whispered to Joe:

 

“Why don’t you ask him where the lighthouse is where your father is supposed to be, and the best way of getting to it?”

 

“I will,” replied his chum.

 

“The Rockypoint light?” repeated the fisherman, in response to Joe’s inquiry¹. “Why yes, I know it well. It’s only a few miles from here. You can see her flash on a clear night, but you can’t make out the house itself, even on a clear day, because she’s down behind that spur of coast. From the ocean, though, she’s seen easily enough.”

 

“And how can we get there?” asked Blake.

 

“Well, you can walk right down the beach, though it’s a middlin’ long tramp; or you can go back to town, and hire a rig.”

 

“We’ll walk,” decided² Joe. “Do you happen to 57know of a Mr. Duncan there?” He waited anxiously for the answer.

 

“No, lad, I can’t rightly say I do,” said the fisherman. “I know the keeper, Harry³ Stanton, and, now I come to think of it, I did hear the other day that he had a new assistant.”

 

“That’s him!” cried Joe, eagerly.

 

“Who?”

 

“My father, I hope,” was the reply, and in his joy Joe told something of his story.

 

“Well, you sure have spun⁴ a queer yarn,” said the old fisherman, “and I wish you all sorts of luck. You’ll soon be at the light if you go right down the beach. I’d row you down in my dory, only I’ve just come in from taking up my nets and I’m sort of tired.”

 

“Oh, we wouldn’t think of asking you,” put in Blake. “We can easily walk it.”

 

“Some day I’ll take you out fishing,” promised the man. “And so you’re here to get moving pictures; eh? Well, I don’t know much about ’em, but you couldn’t come to a nicer place than this spot on the coast. And you only have to go a little way to get right where the real surf comes smashing up on the beach. Of course, as I said, we’re so land-locked just here that we don’t see much of it, even in a storm. Moving pictures; eh? I’d like to see some.”

 

58“I guess you can be in them, if you want to,” said Blake. “I heard Mr. Ringold say he had one drama that called for a lot of fishermen.”

 

“Me in moving pictures!” cried the old man. “Ho! Ho! I wonder what my wife’d say to that. I’ve been in lots of queer situations. I’ve been knocked overboard by a whale, I’ve been wrecked⁵, and half drowned, and almost starved, but I’ve never been in a picture, except I once had a tintype taken—-that was when I was married,” and he chuckled⁶ at the remembrance. “These movin’ pictures aren’t like tintypes; are they?”

 

“Not much,” laughed Joe, as he and Blake moved off in the direction of the lighthouse, calling a good-bye to their new friend. They had told Mr. Hadley, in starting out that morning, that they might not be back until late, for Joe had a half notion that he would try to find the lighthouse that day.

 

“I wonder what I shall say to him, when I first see him, Blake?” Joe asked, as they trudged⁷ along.

 

“Why—er—I hardly know,” replied his chum. “I never found a lost father, myself.”

 

“And I never did, either. I guess I’ll just say: ‘Hello, Dad; do you know me?’”

 

“That sounds all right,” said Blake. “He sure will be surprised.”

 

59The walk was longer than they had thought, and when noon came they still had some distance to go. As they were hungry they sought out a fisherman’s cottage, where, for a small sum, they had a fine meal. Starting out again, they turned an intervening point of land about three o’clock, and then came in view of a lighthouse, located on a pile of rocks, not far from the high-water mark.

 

“That’s the place,” said Blake, in a low voice.

 

“Yes,” agreed Joe. “It looks comfortable and homelike, too.”

 

Back of the lighthouse was a small garden, and also a flower bed, and a man could be seen working there. His back was toward the boys.

 

“I—I wonder if that’s him—my father?” said Joe, softly. “He seems to be very old,” for they had a glimpse of a long white beard, and the man seemed to be bent⁸ with the weight of many years.

 

“Go up and ask,” said Blake. “I’ll wait here.”

 

“No, I want you to come with me,” insisted his chum. “You were with me when I first heard the good news, and now I want you along to hear the conclusion of it. Come on, Blake.”

 

“No, I’d rather not,” and nothing Joe could say would induce his chum to accompany him.

 

Their talk had been carried on in low voices, and the aged⁹ man, working in the garden, had 60apparently not heard them. He continued to hoe away among the rows.

 

“Well, here goes!” exclaimed Joe, with a sigh. Now that he felt he was at the end of his quest his sensations were almost as sorrowful as joyful¹⁰. In fact, he did not know exactly how he did feel.

 

Walking up toward the old man, he paused, and then coughed slightly to attract his attention. The lighthouse keeper turned, surveyed the boy and in a pleasant voice asked:

 

“Well?”

 

“If—if you—are you my father?” asked Joe, in trembling voice, holding out his hands.

 

“Your father!” cried the man in unmistakable surprise. “What is your name?”

 

“Joe Duncan.”

 

“Joe Duncan? Did Duncan have a son?”

 

“Yes, and I’m the boy!” went on Joe, eagerly, yet a doubt began creeping into his heart. “But are you Mr. Nathaniel Duncan?”

 

The old man paused a moment, and then said gently:

 

“No, my boy. I’m Harry Stanton, keeper of Rockypoint light.”

 

“But my father!” exclaimed Joe. “I understood he was here! Where is he?”

 

“He was here,” went on Mr. Stanton, as he leaned on his hoe and looked compassionately¹¹ at 61the lad standing¹² before him; “but he went away more than a week ago.”

 

“Gone away!” echoed Joe. “Did he—did he get my letter?”

 

“I don’t know whether it was your letter or not,” said the keeper. “One came for him the day after he left. It’s here yet. It was from Flagstaff, Arizona, I believe.”

 

“That’s my letter!” exclaimed Joe. “And he never got it! Poor Dad, he doesn’t yet know that I’m alive!” and he turned away with tears in his eyes.

该作者的其它作品
 

《Tom Swift and his Airship》
《Tom Swift and the Electronic Hydrolung》
《Tom Swift and his Big Tunnel》

1 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

2 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。

3 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

4 spun   

v.纺，杜撰，急转身

参考例句：

• His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。
• Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。

5 wrecked   

adj.失事的，遇难的

参考例句：

• the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸
• the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞

6 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

7 trudged   

vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He trudged the last two miles to the town. 他步履艰难地走完最后两英里到了城里。
• He trudged wearily along the path. 他沿着小路疲惫地走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

9 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

10 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

11 compassionately   

adv.表示怜悯地，有同情心地

参考例句：

• The man at her feet looked up at Scarlett compassionately. 那个躺在思嘉脚边的人同情地仰望着她。 来自飘（部分）
• Then almost compassionately he said,"You should be greatly rewarded." 接着他几乎带些怜悯似地说：“你是应当得到重重酬报的。” 来自辞典例句

12 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。