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CHAPTER XXI RUSS HEARS NEWS
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 When Daddy Bunker heard about the plan of Russ and Laddie to make a dog-cart, he at first thought the boys could not do it.
 
"How are you going to harness Zip to the cart?" he asked.
 
"Oh, we can do it," declared Russ. "We can make a harness out of pieces of rope and some straps1 in the barn. And we can get a box and put some wheels on it for a cart. It'll be easy."
 
"But maybe Zip won't let himself be hitched2 up," said Daddy Bunker. He wanted the boys to have fun while at Grandma Bell's, but he did not want them to go to a lot of work making something, and then be disappointed if it did not work.
 
"Oh, I guess Zip won't mind being harnessed," said Grandma Bell. "Once we had a man working for us who had a small boy. This boy—his name was Bobbie—made a little cart and used to drive Zip hitched to it, and the dog pulled Bobbie all around very nicely."
 
"Did he? Hurray! Then he'll pull us!" shouted Laddie.
 
As soon as Russ and Laddie got back to Grandma Bell's house they began to look for things of which to make the dog-cart and the harness. Two wheels were all they could find, but Daddy Bunker thought they would answer very nicely.
 
"I'll help you make the harness," said Tom Hardy3. "I guess there are enough odd straps around the barn to make a harness for two dogs."
 
Russ and Laddie were glad to hear Tom say this. They felt that making the harness would be the hardest part of the work. The cart would be easier; at least so they hoped.
 
From the grocery store, down at the "Four Corners," where Grandma Bell traded, the boys, the next day, got a fine large soap box. It was quite strong, too.
 
"And it's got to be strong if you boys are going to ride around behind that dog Zip!" said the storekeeper. "He's a goer, Zip is! A goer!"
 
Tom helped the boys fasten the old baby carriage wheels to the box, and also helped them make a pair of shafts4, just like those in between which a horse trots5, only, of course, the ones for Zip were smaller. The hired man was as good as his word in the matter of a harness, and soon everything was in readiness for the first ride.
 
"The only thing I'm afraid of," said Mother Bunker, "is that Zip won't let himself be harnessed. He may not like it."
 
But the big dog did not seem to mind in the least. He came when Russ called him, and he wagged his tail when the boys showed him the soap-box cart and the harness.
 
"Now we're going to have some fun when you give us a ride!" said Russ, patting Zip's shaggy head.
 
"Bow-wow!" barked the dog, as much as to say:
 
"That's right! We'll have fun!"
 
Daddy Bunker, as well as his wife and Grandma Bell, came out to see how the first trip would turn out. Tom put the harness on Zip. The dog only sniffed6 at it and wagged his tail. Perhaps he thought of the time when he had been harnessed this way by Bobbie.
 
"Oh, it's nice! I like it!" cried Mun Bun, when he saw the home-made dog-cart with the baby carriage wheels. "I want a ride now."
 
"So do I," added Margy, who never liked to be left, out of anything in which her smaller brother had a share.
 
"You little folks had better not get in until Russ and Laddie try it," said Mr. Bunker "And they had better keep on the soft grass when they start to drive Zip."
 
"Why should we stay on the grass?" asked Laddie.
 
"So if you fall out of the cart you won't get hurt," his father answered with a merry laugh.
 
"Oh, we won't fall out," declared Russ. "The cart is big enough for two of us."
 
And the soap box was large enough for Russ, Laddie and one more little Bunker, though two made a more comfortable load than three. Tom had nailed in a board for a seat, and really the dog-cart, though rather roughly made, was very nice.
 
"Get in now, and let's see how you go," said Daddy Bunker. He was holding Zip by part of the harness that went around the dog's head. To this, which was a sort of muzzle7, there were fastened two pieces of real horse reins8, and by these Zip's head could be pulled to the left or the right, according to which way the little drivers wanted him to go.
 
"He guides just like a real horse or a boat," said Laddie. Of course there was no bit in Zip's mouth, as there is in the mouth of a horse, for dogs have to keep their mouth open so much, to cool off when they are hot, that a bit would be in the way.
 
In the soap box Laddie and Russ took their places. Daddy Bunker handed them the lines and let go of the dog's head.
 
"Gid-dap!" called Russ.
 
"Go fast!" ordered Laddie.
 
"Hold tight and don't get spilled out!" begged Mother Bunker.
 
"We will!" promised Laddie.
 
Russ was driving and he didn't feel much like talking just then. He had to give all his attention to Zip.
 
Away trotted9 the dog, pulling after him the cart with the two boys in it. Over the grass he went, and when Russ saw that the dog seemed to know just what to do, and didn't show any signs of wanting to turn around and upset the cart, Russ turned his steed toward the path.
 
"We can go faster here, where it isn't so soft," he said.
 
And Zip did pull the cart along at good speed. Around and around on the gravel10 paths he pulled the boys, and he seemed to be having as much fun from it as they were.
 
"He goes very nicely," said Daddy Bunker, smiling.
 
"I'd like a ride in the cart myself, if I were small enough," said the children's mother, laughing.
 
"Yes, Zip is a good dog for the six little Bunkers to play with," observed Grandma Bell. "They'll have a good time with that cart."
 
"Give us a ride! Give us a ride!" begged Rose.
 
"Yes, can't you take some of them for a turn now?" asked Mrs. Bunker.
 
"As soon as Laddie and I go around once more," promised Russ.
 
Zip didn't seem a bit tired, though he had run fast part of the time. Laddie got out and this made room for Rose and Violet, for Daddy Bunker said Russ had better stay in and do the driving.
 
"But I'm going to drive after a while? when I learn how," declared Rose, and they said she might.
 
Zip gave Russ, Rose and Vi as nice a ride as he had given the two boys, and the girls clapped their hands in glee and laughed joyously11 as they rattled12 along over the paths.
 
Then came the turn of Margy and Mun Bun, and they liked it more than any one, I guess, and didn't want to get out of the cart.
 
"But Zip is tired now," said Mrs. Bunker. "See how fast he is breathing, and how his tongue hangs out of his mouth," for the dog had been pulling the cart for over an hour. "Get out, Mun and Margy, and you may have another ride after Zip rests."
 
The little children loved the dog, and wanted to be kind to him; so, when their mother told them this, they got out of the cart, and Zip was unharnessed and given some cold water to drink and a nice bone on which to gnaw13.
 
"If he was a horse he could have oats," said Russ. "But I guess he likes a bone better."
 
"I guess so, too," said Grandma Bell, and she smiled.
 
With the dog-cart, taking rowing trips on the lake now and then, going fishing, hunting for berries and walking in the woods, the six little Bunkers at Grandma Bell's had a fine time that early summer. There seemed to be something new to do every day, or, if there wasn't, Russ or Laddie made it.
 
"And I've thought up a new riddle14," said the smaller boy one day.
 
"What's it about?" asked Russ.
 
"It's about Zip," Laddie replied. "Why is Zip like a little boy when he's tired? I mean when Zip is tired. Why is he like a little boy then?"
 
"'Cause he wants to sit down and rest," answered Russ.
 
"Nope; that isn't the answer," said Laddie, shaking his head.
 
"Why isn't it?"
 
"'Cause it isn't. I know the answer, and it isn't that. Tom helped me think the riddle up. Maybe it's an old one, but Tom said it was good. Why is Zip, when he's tired, like a little boy?"
 
Russ thought for a while, and then he said:
 
"I don't know. I give up. Why is he, Laddie?"
 
"'Cause his breath comes in short pants. You see when Zip is tired his breath is short—he pants, Tom told me. And a little boy, like you and me, Russ, wears short pants. So that's why Zip is like one."
 
"Oh, I see!" laughed Russ. "That's pretty good. I know a riddle too, Laddie."
 
"What is it?"
 
"This. What makes a miller15 wear a white hat?"
 
Laddie thought over this for a moment or two and then said:
 
"He wears a white hat so the flour dust won't show so plain."
 
"Nope; that isn't it," Russ declared.
 
"Is it because nobody would sell him a black hat?" asked Laddie.
 
"Nope. Shall I tell you the answer?"
 
"No. Let me guess!" begged the smaller boy.
 
He gave several other answers, none of which, Russ said, was right, and at last Laddie murmured:
 
"I give up! Why does a miller wear a white hat?"
 
"To keep his head warm, same as anybody else!" laughed Russ. "Tom told me that riddle, too," he added.
 
"Well," said Laddie slowly, as he took off his own hat to run his fingers through his hair, "that isn't as good a riddle as the one about Zip's breath coming in short pants."
 
"Maybe not. But it's harder to guess," said Russ.
 
Then the two boys, after waiting for Zip's breath to come out of short pants—that is, waiting for him to get rested—went for a ride in the dog-cart.
 
As they were going down the road they saw, coming toward them, a man with bright red hair. He was driving a horse and carriage.
 
"There's Mr. Hurd," said Russ. "He's the one we thought was the tramp lumberman that got daddy's real estate papers."
 
"I see him," said Laddie. "Look! He's waving to us! Let's go over and see what he wants."
 
Mr. Hurd was driving down a cross road, and waited for the boys to come up to him.
 
"Hello, Russ and Laddie!" he called, "I've got some news for you!"
 
"News?" asked Russ.
 
"Yes. Do you remember when you took me for the red-haired lumberman that you thought had your father's papers: Remember that?"
 
"Yes," answered Russ, "I do. But you weren't him. I wish we could find him."
 
"Maybe you can," said Mr. Hurd, and Russ looked at him in a queer way. What did Mr. Hurd mean?

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 straps 1412cf4c15adaea5261be8ae3e7edf8e     
n.带子( strap的名词复数 );挎带;肩带;背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 );用皮带抽打;包扎;给…打绷带
参考例句:
  • the shoulder straps of her dress 她连衣裙上的肩带
  • The straps can be adjusted to suit the wearer. 这些背带可进行调整以适合使用者。
2 hitched fc65ed4d8ef2e272cfe190bf8919d2d2     
(免费)搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 ); 搭便车; 攀上; 跃上
参考例句:
  • They hitched a ride in a truck. 他们搭乘了一辆路过的货车。
  • We hitched a ride in a truck yesterday. 我们昨天顺便搭乘了一辆卡车。
3 hardy EenxM     
adj.勇敢的,果断的,吃苦的;耐寒的
参考例句:
  • The kind of plant is a hardy annual.这种植物是耐寒的一年生植物。
  • He is a hardy person.他是一个能吃苦耐劳的人。
4 shafts 8a8cb796b94a20edda1c592a21399c6b     
n.轴( shaft的名词复数 );(箭、高尔夫球棒等的)杆;通风井;一阵(疼痛、害怕等)
参考例句:
  • He deliberately jerked the shafts to rock him a bit. 他故意的上下颠动车把,摇这个老猴子几下。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
  • Shafts were sunk, with tunnels dug laterally. 竖井已经打下,并且挖有横向矿道。 来自辞典例句
5 trots b4193f3b689ed427c61603fce46ef9b1     
小跑,急走( trot的名词复数 ); 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句:
  • A horse that trots, especially one trained for harness racing. 训练用于快跑特别是套轭具赛跑的马。
  • He always trots out the same old excuses for being late. 他每次迟到总是重复那一套藉口。
6 sniffed ccb6bd83c4e9592715e6230a90f76b72     
v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 );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:
  • When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣,吸了吸鼻子,擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 muzzle i11yN     
n.鼻口部;口套;枪(炮)口;vt.使缄默
参考例句:
  • He placed the muzzle of the pistol between his teeth.他把手枪的枪口放在牙齿中间。
  • The President wanted to muzzle the press.总统企图遏制新闻自由。
8 reins 370afc7786679703b82ccfca58610c98     
感情,激情; 缰( rein的名词复数 ); 控制手段; 掌管; (成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的)保护带
参考例句:
  • She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
  • The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。
9 trotted 6df8e0ef20c10ef975433b4a0456e6e1     
小跑,急走( trot的过去分词 ); 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句:
  • She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。
  • Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。
10 gravel s6hyT     
n.砂跞;砂砾层;结石
参考例句:
  • We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。
  • More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。
11 joyously 1p4zu0     
ad.快乐地, 高兴地
参考例句:
  • She opened the door for me and threw herself in my arms, screaming joyously and demanding that we decorate the tree immediately. 她打开门,直扑我的怀抱,欣喜地喊叫着要马上装饰圣诞树。
  • They came running, crying out joyously in trilling girlish voices. 她们边跑边喊,那少女的颤音好不欢快。 来自名作英译部分
12 rattled b4606e4247aadf3467575ffedf66305b     
慌乱的,恼火的
参考例句:
  • The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
  • Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里,窗户都格格作响。
13 gnaw E6kyH     
v.不断地啃、咬;使苦恼,折磨
参考例句:
  • Dogs like to gnaw on a bone.狗爱啃骨头。
  • A rat can gnaw a hole through wood.老鼠能啃穿木头。
14 riddle WCfzw     
n.谜,谜语,粗筛;vt.解谜,给…出谜,筛,检查,鉴定,非难,充满于;vi.出谜
参考例句:
  • The riddle couldn't be solved by the child.这个谜语孩子猜不出来。
  • Her disappearance is a complete riddle.她的失踪完全是一个谜。
15 miller ZD6xf     
n.磨坊主
参考例句:
  • Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
  • The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。


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