SIR: I address you from the second crotch in the willow1 tree
by the pool in the pasture. There's a frog croaking2 underneath3,
a locust4 singing overhead and two little `devil downheads'
darting5 up and down the trunk. I've been here for an hour;
it's a very comfortable crotch, especially after being upholstered
with two sofa cushions. I came up with a pen and tablet hoping to
write an immortal6 short story, but I've been having a dreadful time
with my heroine--I CAN'T make her behave as I want her to behave;
so I've abandoned her for the moment, and am writing to you.
(Not much relief though, for I can't make you behave as I want
you to, either.)
If you are in that dreadful New York, I wish I could send you some
of this lovely, breezy, sunshiny outlook. The country is Heaven
after a week of rain.
Speaking of Heaven--do you remember Mr. Kellogg that I told you about
last summer?--the minister of the little white church at the Corners.
Well, the poor old soul is dead--last winter of pneumonia7. I went
half a dozen times to hear him preach and got very well acquainted
with his theology. He believed to the end exactly the same things
he started with. It seems to me that a man who can think straight
along for forty-seven years without changing a single idea ought to
be kept in a cabinet as a curiosity. I hope he is enjoying his harp8
and golden crown; he was so perfectly9 sure of finding them! There's a
new young man, very consequential10, in his place. The congregation
is pretty dubious11, especially the faction12 led by Deacon Cummings.
It looks as though there was going to be an awful split in the church.
We don't care for innovations in religion in this neighbourhood.
During our week of rain I sat up in the attic13 and had an orgy
of reading--Stevenson, mostly. He himself is more entertaining
than any of the characters in his books; I dare say he made himself
into the kind of hero that would look well in print. Don't you
think it was perfect of him to spend all the ten thousand dollars
his father left, for a yacht, and go sailing off to the South Seas?
He lived up to his adventurous14 creed15. If my father had left me ten
thousand dollars, I'd do it, too. The thought of Vailima makes
me wild. I want to see the tropics. I want to see the whole world.
I am going to be a great author, or artist, or actress, or playwright--
or whatever sort of a great person I turn out to be. I have a
terrible wanderthirst; the very sight of a map makes me want to put
on my hat and take an umbrella and start. `I shall see before I die
the palms and temples of the South.'
Thursday evening at twilight16,
sitting on the doorstep.
Very hard to get any news into this letter! Judy is becoming
so philosophical17 of late, that she wishes to discourse18 largely
of the world in general, instead of descending19 to the trivial
details of daily life. But if you MUST have news, here it is:
Our nine young pigs waded20 across the brook21 and ran away last Tuesday,
and only eight came back. We don't want to accuse anyone unjustly,
but we suspect that Widow Dowd has one more than she ought to have.
Mr. Weaver22 has painted his barn and his two silos a bright pumpkin23 yellow--
a very ugly colour, but he says it will wear.
The Brewers have company this week; Mrs. Brewer's sister and two
nieces from Ohio.
One of our Rhode Island Reds only brought off three chicks
out of fifteen eggs. We can't imagine what was the trouble.
Rhode island Reds, in my opinion, are a very inferior breed.
I prefer Buff Orpingtons.
The new clerk in the post office at Bonnyrigg Four Corners drank
every drop of Jamaica ginger24 they had in stock--seven dollars'
worth--before he was discovered.
Old Ira Hatch has rheumatism25 and can't work any more; he never saved
his money when he was earning good wages, so now he has to live
on the town.
There's to be an ice-cream social at the schoolhouse next
Saturday evening. Come and bring your families.
I have a new hat that I bought for twenty-five cents at the post office.
This is my latest portrait, on my way to rake the hay.
It's getting too dark to see; anyway, the news is all used up.
Good night,
Judy
Friday
Good morning! Here is some news! What do you think? You'd never,
never, never guess who's coming to Lock Willow. A letter to Mrs.
Semple from Mr. Pendleton. He's motoring through the Berkshires,
and is tired and wants to rest on a nice quiet farm--if he climbs
out at her doorstep some night will she have a room ready for him?
Maybe he'll stay one week, or maybe two, or maybe three; he'll see
how restful it is when he gets here.
Such a flutter as we are in! The whole house is being cleaned and
all the curtains washed. I am driving to the Corners this morning
to get some new oilcloth for the entry, and two cans of brown floor
paint for the hall and back stairs. Mrs. Dowd is engaged to come
tomorrow to wash the windows (in the exigency26 of the moment, we waive27
our suspicions in regard to the piglet). You might think, from this
account of our activities, that the house was not already immaculate;
but I assure you it was! Whatever Mrs. Semple's limitations,
she is a HOUSEKEEPER28.
But isn't it just like a man, Daddy? He doesn't give the remotest
hint as to whether he will land on the doorstep today, or two weeks
from today. We shall live in a perpetual breathlessness until he comes--
and if he doesn't hurry, the cleaning may all have to be done over again.
There's Amasai waiting below with the buckboard and Grover.
I drive alone--but if you could see old Grove29, you wouldn't be
worried as to my safety.
With my hand on my heart--farewell.
Judy
PS. Isn't that a nice ending? I got it out of Stevenson's
letters.
Saturday Good
morning again! I didn't get this ENVELOPED30 yesterday before
the postman came, so I'll add some more. We have one mail a day
at twelve o'clock. Rural delivery is a blessing31 to the farmers!
Our postman not only delivers letters, but he runs errands for us
in town, at five cents an errand. Yesterday he brought me some
shoe-strings and a jar of cold cream (I sunburned all the skin
off my nose before I got my new hat) and a blue Windsor tie and a
bottle of blacking all for ten cents. That was an unusual bargain,
owing to the largeness of my order.
Also he tells us what is happening in the Great World.
Several people on the route take daily papers, and he reads them as he
jogs along, and repeats the news to the ones who don't subscribe32.
So in case a war breaks out between the United States and Japan,
or the president is assassinated33, or Mr. Rockefeller leaves a million
dollars to the John Grier Home, you needn't bother to write;
I'll hear it anyway.
No sign yet of Master Jervie. But you should see how clean our
house is--and with what anxiety we wipe our feet before we step in!
I hope he'll come soon; I am longing34 for someone to talk to.
Mrs. Semple, to tell you the truth, gets rather monotonous35.
She never lets ideas interrupt the easy flow of her conversation.
It's a funny thing about the people here. Their world is just
this single hilltop. They are not a bit universal, if you know
what I mean. It's exactly the same as at the John Grier Home.
Our ideas there were bounded by the four sides of the iron fence,
only I didn't mind it so much because I was younger, and was so
awfully36 busy. By the time I'd got all my beds made and my babies'
faces washed and had gone to school and come home and had washed their
faces again and darned their stockings and mended Freddie Perkins's
trousers (he tore them every day of his life) and learned my lessons
in between--I was ready to go to bed, and I didn't notice any lack
of social intercourse37. But after two years in a conversational38 college,
I do miss it; and I shall be glad to see somebody who speaks
my language.
I really believe I've finished, Daddy. Nothing else occurs to me
at the moment--I'll try to write a longer letter next time.
Yours always,
Judy
PS. The lettuce39 hasn't done at all well this year. It was so dry
early in the season.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
willow
|
|
| n.柳树 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
croaking
|
|
| v.呱呱地叫( croak的现在分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
underneath
|
|
| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
locust
|
|
| n.蝗虫；洋槐，刺槐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
darting
|
|
| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
immortal
|
|
| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
pneumonia
|
|
| n.肺炎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
harp
|
|
| n.竖琴；天琴座 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
consequential
|
|
| adj.作为结果的，间接的；重要的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
dubious
|
|
| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
faction
|
|
| n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
attic
|
|
| n.顶楼，屋顶室 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
adventurous
|
|
| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
creed
|
|
| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
twilight
|
|
| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
philosophical
|
|
| adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
discourse
|
|
| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
descending
|
|
| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
waded
|
|
| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
brook
|
|
| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
weaver
|
|
| n.织布工；编织者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
pumpkin
|
|
| n.南瓜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
ginger
|
|
| n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
rheumatism
|
|
| n.风湿病 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
exigency
|
|
| n.紧急；迫切需要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
waive
|
|
| vt.放弃，不坚持(规定、要求、权力等) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
housekeeper
|
|
| n.管理家务的主妇，女管家 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
grove
|
|
| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
enveloped
|
|
| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
blessing
|
|
| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
subscribe
|
|
| vi.(to)订阅，订购；同意；vt.捐助，赞助 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
assassinated
|
|
| v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
longing
|
|
| n.（for）渴望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
monotonous
|
|
| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
awfully
|
|
| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
intercourse
|
|
| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
conversational
|
|
| adj.对话的，会话的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
lettuce
|
|
| n.莴苣；生菜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |