STORY XVII THE KINKYTAILS SPEND MONEY

 "Well, I must say I never thought you two monkey boys would go off and earn money that way," said Mamma Kinkytail, as Jacko and Jumpo came in with the second-hand¹ hand organ, after having gone around and played tunes², as I told you about in the story ahead of this.

 

"Neither did I know what they were up to," said their father, as he sat reading the evening paper, after supper. "Why, when you boys came down to the factory, and asked me to let you take a second-hand hand organ I had no idea that you were going to do what you did."

 

"But you don't mind; do you?" asked Jumpo.

 

"Because we thought it was all right," spoke³ Jacko.

 

"Oh, bless you, no," said their mamma. "It was all right." And then Jacko told her how he and his brother had played the music and done the tricks, and how the little girl had given them ten cents and the other children pennies and five-cent pieces, and how delighted all the children were to see them.

 

"It was clever of you," said Mrs. Kinkytail.

 

"How much money did you make?" asked their papa, laughing behind his paper.

 

"We took in one dollar and seventeen cents," said Jacko, as he counted it, "and we would have had eighteen cents, only I dropped one penny down a crack in the board walk of a house. But maybe we can get it some day."

 

"And now may we go down town and buy our auto⁴?" asked Jumpo eagerly. "It's early yet and the stores will be open for some time. Please may we, mother?"

 

"You can't get an automobile⁵ for a dollar and seventeen cents," said their papa.

 

"Well, we can try, can't we?" asked Jacko.

 

"Oh, let them go," whispered their mamma to Mr. Kinkytail. "It will do no harm, and they will very soon find out their mistake."

 

"I guess so," agreed their papa, as he looked in the paper to see if it was going to be nice weather Sunday.

 

So Jacko and Jumpo having carefully wrapped their money in a piece of paper, started down town. And on their way they met Sammie Littletail, the boy rabbit, who wanted to know where they were going. So they told him.

 

"Ha, ha! Ho, ho!" laughed Sammie. "You can't get an auto for that money. Why an automobile costs as much as three dollars and fifteen cents, and then there's the gasoline to make it go—that costs money, too."

 

"Don't mind him," spoke Jacko, pulling his brother by the sleeve. "We'll get that auto anyhow."

 

So they kept on down town, and pretty soon they could see the lights in the stores, and they hurried faster than ever, for they were very anxious to get their auto.

 

"Have you got the money safe?" asked Jumpo.

 

"Yes," said Jacko, and just then, as they turned around a corner they saw a poor little mousie girl. Oh, she was such a poor little girl, and she had on such a ragged⁶ dress, and her shoes were so full of holes that there was hardly room for her tiny feet in them. And she was crying and shivering with the cold.

 

"Why, what is the matter?" asked Jacko, kindly⁷.

 

"Oh, I'm so cold and miserable⁸ and hungry," said the mousie girl, wiping away her tears.

"Then why don't you go home and get warm and have something to eat," said Jumpo. "That's what we do when we're cold and hungry, don't we, Jacko?"

 

"Yes, but there is no fire in my house," said the poor little mousie girl, "and there is nothing to eat."

 

"Why not?" asked Jacko, surprised like, and he felt in his pockets once more, to see if he had his money safe.

 

"Because we are too poor," answered the mousie girl. "My papa is sick with the epizootic, and my mamma has the rheumatism⁹ so bad that she can't take in washing, and we are so cold and miserable! My little brother sells papers, telling the mouse people about cheese and crackers¹⁰, and how to keep out of traps, but his toes got so cold, because he had no shoes, that he can't sell papers any more.

 

"So I started out to sell matches, but I dropped them in a barrel of water, and no one wants to buy wet matches, you know. Oh, hoo, boo! Boo, hoo! How cold and miserable and hungry I am!" and she cried, oh so sadly.

 

Jacko and Jumpo thought for a minute. Then Jacko pulled his brother to one side.

 

"Look here," said Jacko, blinking¹¹ his eyes,"we've got to do something for that mousie girl."

 

"That's right," said Jumpo, sniffing¹² his nose.

 

"I—I don't care much about an automobile, anyhow, do you?" asked Jacko.

 

"N—no—no—not—much," spoke Jumpo, slowly.

 

"They're always getting stuck, and won't go, and then you have to get out and walk, and besides they use so much gasoline, and—and gasoline smells so—so funny! Say, we don't need an auto. Let's give the mousie girl this money."

 

"All right," said Jumpo, so Jacko handed the poor little girl the $1.17.

 

"There," said Jacko, "take it home and get some coal and something to eat. We don't want an auto, anyway."

 

"Oh, thank you so much!" exclaimed the mousie girl, as she hurried away.

 

"Well, I—I guess we might as well go back home," said Jacko, sadly, after a bit.

 

"Yes," agreed Jumpo, and they started off together. Well, they hadn't gone very far before they heard a bangity-bang noise down the street, and, running up, they saw Uncle Wiggily standing¹³ in front of his auto. It was standing still and smoking and making a terrible racket and a policeman dog was saying:

 

"Come, now, Mr. Wiggily, you'll have to move along."

 

"Move along! I only wish I could," cried the old gentleman rabbit. "I never saw such a pesky automobile! It's always stopping. I've jiggled and joggled and tickled¹⁴ everything from the whoop-de-doodle-do down to the slam-bangity-what-is-it, but it won't go. I'm done with it. Whoever wants it can have it!"

 

"Oh, may we have it?" cried Jacko, as Uncle Wiggily started toward the sidewalk, leaving the auto in the street.

 

"To be sure you may, and I'll buy a gallon of gasoline into the bargain!" cried Uncle Wiggily.

 

"Come on, we'll pull it home, and then we'll fix it so that it will go!" cried Jacko; so he and Jumpo pulled the auto home, and that's how they got one after all, without any money. And the little mousie girl wasn't cold or hungry any more.

 

And in case the ice box doesn't catch cold in the rice pudding and freeze the potato salad so it can't go to moving pictures, I'll tell you next about Jacko and Jumpo in their auto.

 

1 second-hand   

adj.用过的，旧的，二手的

参考例句：

• I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
• They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

2 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

5 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。

6 ragged   

adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的

参考例句：

• A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
• Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

7 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

8 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

9 rheumatism   

n.风湿病

参考例句：

• The damp weather plays the very devil with my rheumatism.潮湿的天气加重了我的风湿病。
• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。

10 crackers   

adj.精神错乱的，癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 )；薄脆饼干；（认为）十分愉快的事；迷人的姑娘

参考例句：

• That noise is driving me crackers. 那噪声闹得我简直要疯了。
• We served some crackers and cheese as an appetiser. 我们上了些饼干和奶酪作为开胃品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 blinking   

a.(英俚)该死的，讨厌的；十足的

参考例句：

• Shut the blinking door! 关上那扇该死的门！
• Her ring is an odd little concern fitted with blinking diamonds. 她的戒指是装有许多闪光钻石的小玩意儿。

12 sniffing   

n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了，一个劲地抽鼻子，打喷嚏。
• They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了，呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 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。

14 tickled   

（使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐

参考例句：

• We were tickled pink to see our friends on television. 在电视中看到我们的一些朋友，我们高兴极了。
• I tickled the baby's feet and made her laugh. 我胳肢孩子的脚，使她发笑。