"Grandpapa," said Phronsie, softly, as she clung to his hand, after they had made the descent to
the lower deck, "I think the littlest one can eat some of the fruit, don't you?" she asked anxiously.
"Never you fear," assented1 old Mr. King, "that child that I saw yesterday can compass anything in
the shape of food. Why, it had its mouth full of teeth, Phronsie; it was impossible not to see them
when it roared."
"I am so glad its teeth are there," said Phronsie, with a sigh of satisfaction, as she regarded her
basket of fruit, "because if it hadn't any, we couldn't give it these nice pears, Grandpapa."
"Well, here we are," said Mr. King, holding her hand tightly. "Bless me--are those your toes,
young man?" this to a big chubby2-faced boy, whose fat legs lay across the space as he sprawled3 on
the deck; "just draw them in a bit, will you?--there. Well, now, Phronsie, this way. Here's the
party, I believe," and he led her over to the other side, where a knot of steerage passengers were
huddled4 together. In the midst sat a woman, chubby faced, and big and square, holding a baby.
She had a big red shawl wrapped around her, in the folds of which snuggled the baby, who was
contentedly5 chewing one end of it, while his mother had her eyes on the rest of her offspring, of
which there seemed a good many. When the baby saw Phronsie, he stopped chewing the old shawl
and grinned, showing all the teeth of which Mr. King had spoken. The other children, tow headed
and also chubby, looked at the basket hanging on Phronsie's arm, and also grinned.
"There is the baby!" exclaimed Phronsie, in delight, pulling Grandpapa's hand gently. "Oh,
Grandpapa, there he is."
"That's very evident," said the old gentleman. "Bless me!" addressing the woman, "how many
children have you, pray tell?"
"Nine," she said. Then she twitched7 the jacket of one of them, and the pinafore of another, to have
them mind their manners, while the baby kicked and crowed and gurgled, seeming to be all teeth.
"I have brought you some fruit," said Phronsie, holding out her basket, whereat all the tow headed
group except the baby crowded each other dreadfully to see all there was in it. "I'm sorry the
flowers are gone, so I couldn't bring any to-day. May the baby have this?" holding out a pear by
the stem.
The baby settled that question by lunging forward and seizing the pear with two fat hands, when
he immediately sank into the depths of the old shawl again, all his teeth quite busy at work.
Phronsie set down her basket on the deck, and the rest of the brood emptied it to their own
satisfaction. Their mother's stolid8 face lighted up with a broad smile that showed all her teeth, and
very white and even they were.
"Grandpapa," said Phronsie, turning to him and clasping her hands, "if I only might hold that baby
just one little bit of a minute," she begged, keenly excited.
"Oh, Phronsie, he's too big," expostulated Mr. King, in dismay.
"I can hold him just as easy, Grandpapa dear," said Phronsie, her lips drooping9 mournfully. "See."
And she sat down on a big coil of rope near by and smoothed out her brown gown. "Please,
Grandpapa dear."
"He'll cry," said Mr. King, quickly. "Oh, no, Phronsie, it wouldn't do to take him away from his
mother. You see it would be dreadful to set that child to roaring--very dreadful indeed." Yet he
hung over her in distress10 at the drooping little face.
"He won't cry." The mother's stolid face lighted up a moment. "And if the little lady wants to hold
him, he'll sit there."
"May I, Grandpapa?" cried Phronsie, her red lips curling into a happy smile. "Oh, please say I
may, Grandpapa dear," clasping her hands.
"The family seems unusually clean," observed Mr. King to himself. "And the doctor says there's
no sickness on board, and it's a very different lot of steerage folks going this way from coming out,
all of which I've settled before coming down here," he reflected. "Well, Phronsie--yes--I see no
reason why you may not hold the baby if you want to." And before the words were hardly out of
his mouth, the chubby- faced woman had set the fat baby in the middle of the brown gown
smoothed out to receive him. He clung to his pear with both hands and ate away with great
satisfaction, regardless of his new resting-place.
"Just come here!" Mrs. Griswold, in immaculately fitting garments, evidently made up freshly for
steamer use, beckoned11 with a hasty hand to her husband. "It's worth getting up to see." He flung
down his novel and tumbled out of his steamer chair. "Look down there!"
"Whew!" whistled Mr. Griswold; "that is a sight!"
"And that is the great Horatio King!" exclaimed Mrs. Griswold under her breath; "down there in
that dirty steerage--and look at that child --Reginald, did you ever see such a sight in your life?"
"On my honour, I never have," declared Mr. Griswold, solemnly, and wanting to whistle again.
"Sh!--don't speak so loud," warned Mrs. Griswold, who was doing most of the talking herself. And
plucking his sleeve, she emphasised every word with fearful distinctness close to his ear. "She's
got a dirty steerage baby in her lap, and Mr. King is laughing. Well, I never! O dear me, here come
the young people!"
Polly and Jasper came on a brisk trot12 up the deck length. "Fifteen times around make a mile, don't
they, Jasper?" she cried.
"I believe they do," said Jasper, "but it isn't like home miles, is it, Polly?"--laughing gaily--"or dear
old Badgertown?"
"I should think not," replied Polly, with a little pang13 at her heart whenever Badgertown was
mentioned. "We used to run around the little brown house, and see how many times we could do it
without stopping."
"And how many did you, Polly?" asked Jasper,--"the largest number, I mean."
"Oh, I don't know," said Polly, with a little laugh; "Joel beat us always, I remember that."
"Yes, Joe would get over the ground, you may be sure," said Jasper, "if anybody could."
Polly's laugh suddenly died away and her face fell. "Jasper, you don't know," she said, "how I do
want to see those boys."
"I know," said Jasper, sympathisingly, "but you'll get a letter, you know, most as soon as we reach
port, for they were going to mail it before we left."
"And I have one every day in my mail-bag," said Polly, "but I want to see them so, Jasper, I don't
know what to do." She went up to the rail at a remove from the Griswolds and leaned over it.
"Polly," said Jasper, taking her hand, "you know your mother will feel dreadfully if she knows you
are worrying about it."
"I know it," said Polly, bravely, raising her head; "and I won't--why Jasper Elyot King!" for then
she saw Grandpapa and Phronsie and the steerage baby.
Jasper gave a halloo, and waved his hand, and Polly danced up and down and called, and waved
her hands too. And Phronsie gave a little crow of delight. "See, Grandpapa, there they are; I want
Polly--and Jasper, too." And old Mr. King whirled around. "O dear me! Come down, both of you,"
which command it did not take them long to obey.
"Well, I never did in all my life," ejaculated Mrs. Griswold, "see anything like that. Now if some
people"--she didn't say "we"--"should do anything like that, 'twould be dreadfully erratic14 and
queer. But those Kings can do anything," she added, with venom15.
"It's pretty much so," assented Mr. Griswold, giving a lazy shake. "Well, I'm going back to my
chair if you've got through with me, Louisa." And he sauntered off.
"Don't go, Reginald," begged his wife; "I haven't got a soul to talk to."
"Oh, well, you can talk to yourself," said her husband, "any woman can." But he paused a
moment.
"Haven't those Pepper children got a good berth16?" exclaimed Mrs. Griswold, unable to keep her
eyes off from the small group below. "And their Mother Pepper, or Fisher, or whatever her name
is--I declare it's just like a novel, the way I heard the story from Mrs. Vanderburgh about it all."
"And I wish you'd let me get back to my book, Louisa," exclaimed Mr. Griswold, tartly17, at the
mention of the word "novel," beginning to look longingly18 at his deserted19 steamer chair, "for it's
precious little time I get to read on shore. Seems as if I might have a little peace at sea."
"Do go back and read, then," said his wife, impatiently; "that's just like a man,--he can't talk of
anything but business, or he must have his nose in a book."
"We men want to talk sense," growled20 her husband, turning off. But Mrs. Griswold was engrossed21
in her survey of Mr. King and the doings of his party, and either didn't hear or didn't care what was
remarked outside of that interest.
Tom Selwyn just then ran up against some one as clumsily as ever. It proved to be the ship's
doctor, who surveyed him coldly and passed on. Tom gave a start and swallowed hard, then
plunged22 after him. "Oh, I say."
"What is it?" asked Dr. Jones, pausing.
"Can I--I'd like--to see my Grandfather, don't you know?"
Dr. Jones scanned him coolly from top to toe. Tom took it without wincing23, but inwardly he felt as
if he must shake to pieces.
"If you can so conduct yourself that your Grandfather will not be excited," at last said the doctor,--
what an age it seemed to Tom,--"I see no reason why you shouldn't see your Grandfather, and go
back to your state-room. But let me tell you, young man, it was a pretty close shave for him the
other day. Had he slipped away, you'd have had that on your conscience that would have lasted
you for many a day." With this, and a parting keen glance, he turned on his heel and strode off.
Tom gave a great gasp24, clenched25 his big hands tightly together, took a long look at the wide
expanse of water, then disappeared within.
In about half an hour, the steerage baby having gone to sleep in Phronsie's arms, the brothers and
sisters, finding, after the closest inspection26, nothing more to eat in the basket, gathered around the
centre of attraction in a small bunch.
"I hope they won't wake up the baby," said Phronsie, in gentle alarm.
"Never you fear," said old Mr. King, quite comfortable now in the camp-chair one of the sailors
had brought in response to a request from Jasper; "that child knows very well by this time, I
should imagine, what noise is."
But after a little, the edge of their curiosity having been worn off, the small group began to get
restive27, and to clamour and pull at their mother for want of something better to do.
"O dear me!" said Phronsie, in distress.
"Dear, dear!" echoed Polly, vainly trying to induce the child next to the baby to get into her lap;
"something must be done. Oh, don't you want to hear about a funny cat, children? I'm going to tell
them about Grandma Bascom's, Jasper," she said, seeing the piteous look in Phronsie's eyes.
"Yes, we do," said one of the boys, as spokesman, and he solemnly bobbed his tow head, whereat
all the children then bobbed theirs.
"Sit down, then," said Polly, socially making way for them, "all of you in a circle, and I'll tell you
of that very funny cat." So the whole bunch of tow-headed children sat down in a ring, and
solemnly folded their hands in their laps. Jasper threw himself down where he could edge himself
in. Old Mr. King leaned back and surveyed them with great satisfaction. So Polly launched out in
her gayest mood, and the big blue eyes in the round faces before her widened, and the mouths flew
open, showing the white teeth; and the stolid mother leaned forward, and her eyes and mouth
looked just like those of her children, only they were bigger; and at last Polly drew a long breath
and wound up with a flourish, "And that's all"
"Tell another," said one of the round-eyed, open-mouthed children, without moving a muscle. All
the rest sat perfectly28 still.
"O dear me," said Polly, with a little laugh, "that was such a good long one, you can't want
another."
"I think you've gotten yourself into business, Polly," said Jasper, with a laugh. "Hadn't we better
go?"
Polly gave a quick glance at Phronsie. "Phronsie dear," she said, "let us go up to our deck now,
dear. Shall we?"
"Oh, no, Polly, please don't go yet," begged Phronsie, in alarm, and patting the baby softly with a
gentle little hand. Polly looked off at Grandpapa. He was placidly29 surveying the water, his eyes
occasionally roving over the novel and interesting sights around. On the other side of the deck a
returning immigrant was bringing out a jew's-harp, and two or three of his fellow-passengers were
preparing to pitch quoits. Old Mr. King was actually smiling at it all. Polly hadn't seen him so
contented6 since they sailed.
"I guess I'll tell another one, Jasper," she said. "Oh, about a dog, you wanted, did you?" nodding at
the biggest boy.
"Yes," said the boy, bobbing his tow head, "I did;" and he unfolded and folded his hands back
again, then waited patiently.
So Polly flew off on a gay little story about a dog that bade fair to rival Grandma Bascom's cat for
cleverness. He belonged to Mr. Atkins who kept store in Badgertown, and the Pepper children
used to see a good deal of him, when they took home the sacks and coats that Mamsie sewed for
the storekeeper. And in the midst of the story, when the stolid steerage children were actually
laughing over the antics of that remarkable30 dog, Jasper glanced up toward the promenade31 deck,
took a long look, and started to his feet. "Why, Polly Pepper, see!" He pointed32 upward. There, on
the curve, were old Mr. Selwyn and Tom walking arm in arm.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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2
chubby
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| adj.丰满的，圆胖的 | |
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3
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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4
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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5
contentedly
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| adv.心满意足地 | |
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6
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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7
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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8
stolid
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| adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的 | |
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9
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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10
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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11
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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13
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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14
erratic
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| adj.古怪的，反复无常的，不稳定的 | |
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15
venom
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| n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨 | |
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16
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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17
tartly
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| adv.辛辣地，刻薄地 | |
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18
longingly
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| adv. 渴望地 热望地 | |
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19
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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20
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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21
engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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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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wincing
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的现在分词 ) | |
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24
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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25
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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restive
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| adj.不安宁的，不安静的 | |
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28
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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placidly
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| adv.平稳地，平静地 | |
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30
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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31
promenade
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| n./v.散步 | |
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32
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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