“I think he’s right,” remarked Mr. Rabbit. “It was the queerest tale I ever heard in all my life. You might sit and listen to tales from now until—well—until the first Tuesday before the last Saturday in the year seven hundred thousand, seven hundred and seventy-seven, and you’d never hear another tale like it.”
“I don’t see why,” suggested Mrs. Meadows.
“Well,” replied Mr. Rabbit, chewing his tobacco very slowly, “there are more reasons than I have hairs in my head, but I’ll only give you three. In the first place, this Sparkle Spry doesn’t marry the king’s daughter. In the second place, he doesn’t live happily forever after; and in the third place”—Mr. Rabbit paused and scratched his head—“I declare, I’ve forgotten the third reason.”
“If it’s no better than the other two, it doesn’t amount to much,” said Mrs. Meadows. “There’s no reason why he shouldn’t have married the king’s daughter, if the king had a daughter, and if he didn’t live happily it was his own fault. Stories are not expected to tell everything.”
“Now, I’m glad of that,” exclaimed Mr. Rabbit, “truly glad. I’ve had a story on my mind for many years, and I’ve kept it to myself because I had an idea that in telling a story you had to tell everything.”
“Well, you were very much mistaken,” said Mrs. Meadows with emphasis.
“So it seems—so it seems,” remarked Mr. Rabbit.
“What was the story?” asked Buster John.
“I called it a story,” replied Mr. Rabbit, “but that is too big a name for it. I reckon you have heard of the time when Brother Lion had hair all over him as long and as thick as the mane he now has?”
But the children shook their heads. They had never heard of that, and even Mrs. Meadows said it was news to her.
“Now, that is very queer,” remarked Mr. Rabbit, filling his pipe slowly and deliberately1. “Very queer, indeed. Time and again I’ve had it on the tip of my tongue to mention this matter, but I always came to the conclusion that everybody knew all about it. Of course it doesn’t seem reasonable that Brother Lion went about covered from head to foot, and to the tip of his tail, with long, woolly hair; but, on the other hand, when he was first seen without his long, woolly hair, he was the laughing-stock of the whole district. I know mighty2 well he was the most miserable3 looking creature I ever saw.
“It was curious, too, how it happened,” Mr. Rabbit continued. “We were all living in a much colder climate than that in the country next door. Six months in the year there was ice in the river and snow on the ground, and them that didn’t lay up something to eat when the weather was open had a pretty tough time of it the rest of the year. Brother Lion’s long woolly hair belonged to the climate. But for that, he would have frozen to death, for he was a great hunter, and he had to be out in all sorts of weather.
“One season we had a tremendous spell of cold weather, the coldest I had ever felt. I happened to be out one day, browsing4 around, when I saw blue smoke rising a little distance off, so I says to myself, says I, I’ll go within smelling distance of the fire and thaw5 myself out. I went towards the smoke, and I soon saw that Mr. Man, who lived not far off, had been killing6 hogs7.
“Now, the funny thing about that hog-killing business,” continued Mr. Rabbit, leaning back in his chair and smacking8 his lips together, as old people will do sometimes, “was that, after the hogs were killed, Mr. Man had to get their hair off. I don’t know how people do now, but that was what Mr. Man did then. He had to get the hair off—but how? Well, he piled up wood, and in between the logs he placed rocks and stones. Then he dug a hole in the ground and half buried a hogshead, the open end tilted9 up a little higher than the other end. This hogshead he filled with as much water as it would hold in that position. Then he set fire to the pile of wood. As it burned, of course the rocks would become heated. These Mr. Man would take in a shovel10 and throw in the hogshead of water. The hot rocks would heat the water, and in this way the hogs were scalded so the hair on their hides could be scraped off.
“Well, the day I’m telling you about, Mr. Man had been killing hogs and scalding the hair off. When I got there the pile of wood had burned away, and Mr. Man had just taken his hogs home in his wagon11. The weather was very cold, and as I stood there warming myself I heard Brother Lion roaring a little way off. He had scented12 the fresh meat, and I knew he would head right for the place where the hogs had been killed.
“Now, Brother Lion had been worrying me a good deal. He had hired Brother Wolf to capture me, and Brother Wolf had failed. Then he hired Brother Bear, and Brother Bear got into deep trouble. Finally he hired Brother Fox, and I knew the day wasn’t far off when Mrs. Fox would have to hang crape on her door and go in mourning. All this had happened some time before, and I bore Brother Lion no good will.
“So, when I heard him in the woods singing out that he smelled fresh blood, I grabbed the shovel the man had left, and threw a dozen or so hot rocks in the hogshead, and then threw some fresh dirt on the fire. Presently Brother Lion came trotting13 up, sniffing14 the air, purring like a spinning wheel a-running, and dribbling15 at the mouth.
“I passed the time of day with him as he came up, but kept further away from him than he could jump. He seemed very much surprised to see me, and said it was pretty bad weather for such little chaps to be out; but I told him I had on pretty thick underwear, and besides that I had just taken a hot bath in the hogshead.
“‘I’m both cold and dirty,’ says he, smelling around the hogshead, ‘and I need a bath. I’ve been asleep in the woods yonder, and I’m right stiff with cold. But that water is bubbling around in there mightily16.’
“‘I’ve just flung some rocks in,’ says I.
“‘How do you get in?’ says he.
“‘Back in,’ says I.
“Brother Lion walked around the hogshead once or twice, as if to satisfy himself that there was no trap, and then he squatted17 and began to crawl into the hogshead backwards18. By the time his hind19 leg touched the water, he pulled it out with a howl, and tried to jump away, but, somehow, his foot slipped off the rim20 of the hogshead, and he soused into the water—kerchug!—up to his shoulders.”
“Well, you never heard such howling since you were born. Brother Lion scrambled22 out quicker than a cat can wink23 her left eye, and rolled on the ground, and scratched around, and tore up the earth considerably24. I thought at first he was putting on and pretending; but the water must have been mighty hot, for while Brother Lion was scuffling around, all the wool on his body came off up to his shoulders, and if you were to see him to-day you’d find him just that way.
“And more than that—before he soused himself in that hogshead of hot water, Brother Lion used to strut25 around considerably. Being the king of all the animals, he felt very proud, and he used to go with his tail curled over his back. But since that time, he sneaks26 around as if he was afraid somebody would see him.
“There’s another thing. His hide hurt him so bad for a week that every time a fly lit on him he’d wiggle his tail. Some of the other animals, seeing him do this, thought it was a new fashion, and so they began to wiggle their tails. Watch your old house cat when you go home, and you will see her wiggle her tail forty times a day without any reason or provocation27. Why? Simply because the other animals, when they saw Brother Lion wiggling his tail, thought it was the fashion; and so they all began it, and now it has become a habit with the most of them. It is curious how such things go.
“But the queerest thing of all,” continued Mr. Rabbit, leaning back in his chair, and looking at Mrs. Meadows and the children through half-closed eyes, “was this—that the only wool left on Brother Lion’s body, with the exception of his mane, was a little tuft right on the end of his tail.”
“How was that?” inquired Mrs. Meadows.
“I don’t see anything to laugh at,” said Mrs. Meadows with some emphasis. “A civil question deserves a civil answer, I’ve always heard.”
“Well, you know what you said a while ago,” remarked Mr. Rabbit.
“I don’t know as I remember,” replied Mrs. Meadows.
“Why, you said pointedly29 that it was not necessary to tell everything in a story.” Mr. Rabbit made this remark with great dignity. “And I judged by the way you said it that it was bad taste to tell everything.”
“Oh, I remember now,” said Mrs. Meadows, laughing. “It was only one of my jokes.”
“But this is no joke,” protested Mr. Rabbit, winking30 at the children, but keeping the serious side of his face toward Mrs. Meadows. “I took you at your solemn word. Now there is a tuft of wool on Brother Lion’s tail, and you ask me how it happened to be there. I answer you as you answered me—’You don’t have to tell everything in a story.’ Am I right, or am I wrong?”
“I’ll not dispute with you,” remarked Mrs. Meadows, taking up her knitting.
“I don’t mind telling you,” remarked Mr. Rabbit, turning to the children with a confidential31 air. “It was as simple as falling off a log. When Brother Lion fell into the hogshead of hot water, the end of his tail slipped through the bunghole.”
This explanation was such an unexpected one that the children laughed, and so did Mrs. Meadows. But Mr. Thimblefinger, who had put in an appearance, shook his head and remarked that he was afraid that Mr. Rabbit got worse as he grew older, instead of better.
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收听单词发音
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1
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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4
browsing
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| v.吃草( browse的现在分词 )；随意翻阅；（在商店里）随便看看；（在计算机上）浏览信息 | |
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5
thaw
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| v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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7
hogs
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| n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人 | |
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8
smacking
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| 活泼的，发出响声的，精力充沛的 | |
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9
tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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10
shovel
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| n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出 | |
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11
wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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12
scented
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| adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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13
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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14
sniffing
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| 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 | |
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15
dribbling
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| n.（燃料或油从系统内）漏泄v.流口水( dribble的现在分词 )；（使液体）滴下或作细流；运球，带球 | |
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16
mightily
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| ad.强烈地；非常地 | |
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17
squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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18
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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21
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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23
wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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24
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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25
strut
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| v.肿胀，鼓起；大摇大摆地走；炫耀；支撑；撑开；n.高视阔步；支柱，撑杆 | |
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26
sneaks
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| abbr.sneakers (tennis shoes) 胶底运动鞋（网球鞋）v.潜行( sneak的第三人称单数 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状 | |
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27
provocation
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| n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因 | |
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28
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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29
pointedly
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| adv.尖地，明显地 | |
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30
winking
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| n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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31
confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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