There had been company at the brickhouse to the bountiful Thanksgivingdinner which had been provided at oneo'clock,--the Burnham sisters, who lived betweenNorth Riverboro and Shaker Village, and who formore than a quarter of a century had come to passthe holiday with the Sawyers every year. Rebeccasat silent with a book after the dinner dishes werewashed, and when it was nearly five asked if shemight go to the Simpsons'.
"What do you want to run after those Simpsonchildren for on a Thanksgiving Day?" queried1 MissMiranda. "Can't you set still for once and listento the improvin' conversation of your elders? Younever can let well enough alone, but want to be foreveron the move.""The Simpsons have a new lamp, and EmmaJane and I promised to go up and see it lighted,and make it a kind of a party.""What under the canopy2 did they want of alamp, and where did they get the money to pay forit? If Abner was at home, I should think he'd beenswappin' again," said Miss Miranda.
"The children got it as a prize for selling soap,"replied Rebecca; "they've been working for a year,and you know I told you that Emma Jane and Ihelped them the Saturday afternoon you were inPortland.""I didn't take notice, I s'pose, for it's the firsttime I ever heard the lamp mentioned. Well, youcan go for an hour, and no more. Remember it'sas dark at six as it is at midnight Would you liketo take along some Baldwin apples? What haveyou got in the pocket of that new dress that makesit sag3 down so?""It's my nuts and raisins4 from dinner," repliedRebecca, who never succeeded in keeping the mostinnocent action a secret from her aunt Miranda;"they're just what you gave me on my plate.""Why didn't you eat them?""Because I'd had enough dinner, and I thoughtif I saved these, it would make the Simpsons'
party better," stammered5 Rebecca, who hated tobe scolded and examined before company.
"They were your own, Rebecca," interposedaunt Jane, "and if you chose to save them to giveaway, it is all right. We ought never to let this daypass without giving our neighbors something to bethankful for, instead of taking all the time to thinkof our own mercies."The Burnham sisters nodded approvingly asRebecca went out, and remarked that they had neverseen a child grow and improve so fast in so short atime.
"There's plenty of room left for more improvement,as you'd know if she lived in the same housewith you," answered Miranda. "She's into everynamable thing in the neighborhood, an' not onlyinto it, but generally at the head an' front of it,especially when it's mischief6. Of all the foolishnessI ever heard of, that lamp beats everything; it'sjust like those Simpsons, but I didn't suppose thechildren had brains enough to sell anything.""One of them must have," said Miss EllenBurnham, "for the girl that was selling soap at theLadds' in North Riverboro was described by AdamLadd as the most remarkable7 and winning child heever saw.""It must have been Clara Belle8, and I shouldnever call her remarkable," answered Miss Miranda.
"Has Adam been home again?""Yes, he's been staying a few days with his aunt.
There's no limit to the money he's making, theysay; and he always brings presents for all theneighbors. This time it was a full set of furs forMrs. Ladd; and to think we can remember thetime he was a barefoot boy without two shirts to hisback! It is strange he hasn't married, with all hismoney, and him so fond of children that he alwayshas a pack of them at his heels.""There's hope for him still, though," said MissJane smilingly; "for I don't s'pose he's more thanthirty.""He could get a wife in Riverboro if he was ahundred and thirty," remarked Miss Miranda.
"Adam's aunt says he was so taken with the littlegirl that sold the soap (Clara Belle, did you say hername was?), that he declared he was going to bringher a Christmas present," continued Miss Ellen.
"Well, there's no accountin' for tastes," exclaimedMiss Miranda. "Clara Belle's got cross-eyes andred hair, but I'd be the last one to grudge9 her aChristmas present; the more Adam Ladd gives toher the less the town'll have to.""Isn't there another Simpson girl?" asked MissLydia Burnham; "for this one couldn't have beencross-eyed; I remember Mrs. Ladd saying Adamremarked about this child's handsome eyes. He saidit was her eyes that made him buy the three hundredcakes. Mrs. Ladd has it stacked up in the shedchamber.""Three hundred cakes!" ejaculated Miranda.
"Well, there's one crop that never fails in Riverboro!""What's that?" asked Miss Lydia politely.
"The fool crop," responded Miranda tersely10, andchanged the subject, much to Jane's gratitude11, forshe had been nervous and ill at ease for the last fifteenminutes. What child in Riverboro could bedescribed as remarkable and winning, save Rebecca?
What child had wonderful eyes, except the sameRebecca? and finally, was there ever a child in theworld who could make a man buy soap by the hundredcakes, save Rebecca?
Meantime the "remarkable" child had flown upthe road in the deepening dusk, but she had notgone far before she heard the sound of hurryingfootsteps, and saw a well-known figure coming inher direction. In a moment she and Emma Janemet and exchanged a breathless embrace.
"Something awful has happened," panted EmmaJane.
"Don't tell me it's broken," exclaimed Rebecca.
"No! oh, no! not that! It was packed in straw,and every piece came out all right; and I was there,and I never said a single thing about your sellingthe three hundred cakes that got the lamp, so thatwe could be together when you told.""OUR selling the three hundred cakes," correctedRebecca; "you did as much as I.""No, I didn't, Rebecca Randall. I just sat at thegate and held the horse.""Yes, but WHOSE horse was it that took us toNorth Riverboro? And besides, it just happenedto be my turn. If you had gone in and found Mr.
Aladdin you would have had the wonderful lampgiven to you; but what's the trouble?""The Simpsons have no kerosene12 and no wicks.
I guess they thought a banquet lamp was somethingthat lighted itself, and burned without anyhelp. Seesaw13 has gone to the doctor's to try if hecan borrow a wick, and mother let me have a pintof oil, but she says she won't give me any more.
We never thought of the expense of keeping upthe lamp, Rebecca.""No, we didn't, but let's not worry about thattill after the party. I have a handful of nuts andraisins and some apples.""I have peppermints14 and maple15 sugar," saidEmma Jane. "They had a real Thanksgiving dinner;the doctor gave them sweet potatoes and cranberriesand turnips16; father sent a spare-rib, and Mrs.
Cobb a chicken and a jar of mince-meat."At half past five one might have looked in atthe Simpsons' windows, and seen the party at itsheight. Mrs. Simpson had let the kitchen fire dieout, and had brought the baby to grace the festalscene. The lamp seemed to be having the party,and receiving the guests. The children had takenthe one small table in the house, and it was placedin the far corner of the room to serve as a pedestal.
On it stood the sacred, the adored, the long-desiredobject; almost as beautiful, and nearly half as largeas the advertisement. The brass17 glistened18 like gold,and the crimson19 paper shade glowed like a giantruby. In the wide splash of light that it flung uponthe floor sat the Simpsons, in reverent20 and solemnsilence, Emma Jane standing21 behind them, hand inhand with Rebecca. There seemed to be no desirefor conversation; the occasion was too thrilling andserious for that. The lamp, it was tacitly felt byeverybody, was dignifying22 the party, and providingsufficient entertainment simply by its presence;being fully23 as satisfactory in its way as a pianola ora string band.
"I wish father could see it," said Clara Belleloyally.
"If he onth thaw24 it he'd want to thwap it,"murmured Susan sagaciously.
At the appointed hour Rebecca dragged herselfreluctantly away from the enchanting25 scene.
"I'll turn the lamp out the minute I think youand Emma Jane are home," said Clara Belle.
"And, oh! I'm so glad you both live where youcan see it shine from our windows. I wonder howlong it will burn without bein' filled if I only keepit lit one hour every night?""You needn't put it out for want o' karosene,"said Seesaw, coming in from the shed, "for there'sa great kag of it settin' out there. Mr. Tubbsbrought it over from North Riverboro and saidsomebody sent an order by mail for it."Rebecca squeezed Emma Jane's arm, and EmmaJane gave a rapturous return squeeze. "It was Mr.
Aladdin," whispered Rebecca, as they ran downthe path to the gate. Seesaw followed them andhandsomely offered to see them "apiece" downthe road, but Rebecca declined his escort withsuch decision that he did not press the matter, butwent to bed to dream of her instead. In his dreamsflashes of lightning proceeded from both her eyes,and she held a flaming sword in either hand.
Rebecca entered the home dining-room joyously26.
The Burnham sisters had gone and the two auntswere knitting.
"It was a heavenly party," she cried, taking offher hat and cape27.
"Go back and see if you have shut the doortight, and then lock it," said Miss Miranda, in herusual austere28 manner.
"It was a heavenly party," reiterated29 Rebecca,coming in again, much too excited to be easilycrushed, "and oh! aunt Jane, aunt Miranda, ifyou'll only come into the kitchen and look out ofthe sink window, you can see the banquet lampshining all red, just as if the Simpsons' house wason fire.""And probably it will be before long," observedMiranda. "I've got no patience with such foolishgoin's-on."Jane accompanied Rebecca into the kitchen.
Although the feeble glimmer30 which she was ableto see from that distance did not seem to her adazzling exhibition, she tried to be as enthusiasticas possible.
"Rebecca, who was it that sold the threehundred cakes of soap to Mr. Ladd in North Riverboro?""Mr. WHO?" exclaimed Rebecca"Mr. Ladd, in North Riverboro.""Is that his real name?" queried Rebecca inastonishment. "I didn't make a bad guess;" andshe laughed softly to herself.
"I asked you who sold the soap to AdamLadd?" resumed Miss Jane.
"Adam Ladd! then he's A. Ladd, too; what fun!""Answer me, Rebecca.""Oh! excuse me, aunt Jane, I was so busythinking. Emma Jane and I sold the soap to Mr.
Ladd.""Did you tease him, or make him buy it?""Now, aunt Jane, how could I make a biggrown-up man buy anything if he didn't want to?
He needed the soap dreadfully as a present for hisaunt."Miss Jane still looked a little unconvinced,though she only said, "I hope your aunt Mirandawon't mind, but you know how particular she is,Rebecca, and I really wish you wouldn't doanything out of the ordinary without asking her first,for your actions are very queer.""There can't be anything wrong this time,"Rebecca answered confidently. "Emma Jane soldher cakes to her own relations and to uncle JerryCobb, and I went first to those new tenements31 nearthe lumber32 mill, and then to the Ladds'. Mr. Laddbought all we had and made us promise to keepthe secret until the premium33 came, and I've beengoing about ever since as if the banquet lamp wasinside of me all lighted up and burning, for everybodyto see."Rebecca's hair was loosened and falling over herforehead in ruffled34 waves; her eyes were brilliant,her cheeks crimson; there was a hint of everythingin the girl's face,--of sensitiveness and delicacyas well as of ardor35; there was the sweetnessof the mayflower and the strength of the youngoak, but one could easily divine that she was one of"The souls by nature pitched too high,By suffering plunged36 too low.""That's just the way you look, for all the worldas if you did have a lamp burning inside of you,"sighed aunt Jane. "Rebecca! Rebecca! I wishyou could take things easier, child; I am fearfulfor you sometimes."
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queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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sag
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| v.下垂，下跌，消沉；n.下垂，下跌，凹陷，[航海]随风漂流 | |
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raisins
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| n.葡萄干( raisin的名词复数 ) | |
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stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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belle
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| n.靓女 | |
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grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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tersely
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| adv. 简捷地, 简要地 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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kerosene
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| n.(kerosine)煤油，火油 | |
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seesaw
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| n.跷跷板 | |
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peppermints
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| n.薄荷( peppermint的名词复数 )；薄荷糖 | |
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maple
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| n.槭树，枫树，槭木 | |
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turnips
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| 芜青( turnip的名词复数 )； 芜菁块根； 芜菁甘蓝块根； 怀表 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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reverent
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| adj.恭敬的，虔诚的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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dignifying
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| 使显得威严( dignify的现在分词 )； 使高贵； 使显赫； 夸大 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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thaw
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| v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和 | |
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enchanting
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| a.讨人喜欢的 | |
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joyously
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| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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austere
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| adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的 | |
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reiterated
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| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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tenements
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| n.房屋，住户，租房子( tenement的名词复数 ) | |
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lumber
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| n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动 | |
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premium
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| n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的 | |
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ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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