Chapter 32. AN ASTONISHED FARMER.

 

"Wall, I swanny!" was the farmer's exclamation¹, as he stared at the strange-looking outfit² invading his shores. "Who be ye? and where did ye come from?"

 

They began to tell him, and at every sentence his "Wall, I swanny!" was thrown in, to show the astonishment³ with which he listened. At last he seemed to recollect⁴ himself.

 

"Ye mus' be drea'ful tired—nigh about beat out—and cold, too. Come into the haouse and git suthin' to eat. There ain't nobody to hum, but I guess I can find ye suthin'."

 

Something! Why, my dear reader, they found, in the buttery and milk-room and cellar of that little house on the shore, a dinner the like of which, for goodness, they believed never was equalled. They ate and ate, laughing and almost crying by turns over their good fortune, the happiness of feeling safe and warm again taking off their hearts a load, whose weight they had not appreciated until it was removed. Meanwhile the old gentleman gossiped on in a pleasant strain.

 

 

"My wife," he told them, "has gone down to the Port to see da'ter an' her husband, for a day or two. My son, he runs on the Lake Shore Railroad in the winter, and so I'm alone. They wanted me to go down to the Port, too, but I don't think any great things of the feller Samanthy married, and I told mother I 'lowed I'd be more comf'able stayin' home 'long with the cow and the chickens."

 

"What is this Port you speak of, sir?" Aleck asked him.

 

"What? Why, Port Linton, to be sure—don't ye know where that is? Oh, I forgot, ye're lost, ain't ye. He! he! Wall, Port Linton is a town on the railroad, and also on the shore, to the west'ard o' here, or, leastways, to the suthard, 'cause we're out on a pint⁵ here, and the Port is up at the head of the bay, behind the big ma'sh. Ye could see it if 'twan't for them big sycamores. 'S about five mile 'cross the water."

 

"Can you let us stay with you to-night, and to-morrow we'll go on to the Port?"

 

"Oh, yes, ye can stay, an' welcome. If mother was home I'd hitch⁶ up and take ye in, but I ain't got no horse to-day, so I s'pose that's the best thing ye can do. But you'll have to double up some, 'cause I ain't got four beds."

 

Their rich supper and deep sleep and full breakfast made a new crew of them, and next morning they were eager to get on. It seemed as though ages had passed since they had been in civilization, and Tug⁷ began to wonder whether he would recognize a railway car when he saw it. When they were ready to go, Aleck heartily⁸ thanked the kind old farmer for his hospitality, and asked how much he should pay him for their entertainment.

 

 

"'WA'AL, I DECLARE!'"

 

"Oh, I don't want nothin'—nothin' at all," he said. "You're what they might call mariners⁹ in distress¹⁰, and I just helped you as well as I could. I ain't done nothin', an' I don't want no money."

 

"Oh, but we have eaten so much, and made you so much trouble. I shall not feel right unless you let us pay you."

 

"Wall, if you're so earnest about it, I 'low a dollar would be about right. I reckon ye didn't hurt me mor'n about that's worth."

 

Surely this was small enough, but the farmer was entirely¹¹ satisfied, and said he was sorry to say good-bye.

 

They had swung along over the ice in good style after leaving the farmer's cottage, and the buildings and ice-bound shipping¹² of the village, which in summer was a busy port, but in winter was sleepy enough, were now in plain view.

 

There was to be the end of their troubles so far as the present scrape was concerned, but they were not a great deal nearer Cleveland than when they started; and their minds, relieved of present anxieties, began to be crowded with thoughts of the future, and how they were going to accomplish their purpose any better now than before they had started.

 

They were to be aided, in this respect, in a way they had not suspected, however, and the help was now approaching in the shape of a skater who came on towards them with swift, strong strides.

1 exclamation   

n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词

参考例句：

• He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
• The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。

2 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

3 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

4 recollect   

v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得

参考例句：

• He tried to recollect things and drown himself in them.他极力回想过去的事情而沉浸于回忆之中。
• She could not recollect being there.她回想不起曾经到过那儿。

5 pint   

n.品脱

参考例句：

• I'll have a pint of beer and a packet of crisps, please.我要一品脱啤酒和一袋炸马铃薯片。
• In the old days you could get a pint of beer for a shilling.从前，花一先令就可以买到一品脱啤酒。

6 hitch   

v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉

参考例句：

• They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程，最后决定搭便车。
• All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。

7 tug   

v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船

参考例句：

• We need to tug the car round to the front.我们需要把那辆车拉到前面。
• The tug is towing three barges.那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。

8 heartily   

adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很

参考例句：

• He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
• The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

9 mariners   

海员，水手（mariner的复数形式）

参考例句：

• Mariners were also able to fix their latitude by using an instrument called astrolabe. 海员们还可使用星盘这种仪器确定纬度。
• The ancient mariners traversed the sea. 古代的海员漂洋过海。

10 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

11 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

12 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。