The Ramblers had been back two days. Bob and his companions were deeply shocked to hear about Howard Fenton, and went immediately to the Resort House, to express their sympathy to his father, but Mr. Fenton had left the village.
The boys found plenty to talk about. Sam Randall and Tommy Clifton listened eagerly to the story of their chums' experiences in the mountains, while Bob and his companions were interested to hear about mysterious Neil Prescott and the strange bonfire which often burned on the heights of Promontory2 Island.
"Nobody knows a thing about him, either," remarked Sam, as they sat around the porch, early one morning. "When Tom and I take our trip to the mountains, you chaps ought to do a bit of detective work."
"Guess he's only some old crank," said Bob, "not worth bothering about."
"He's sharp enough, eh, Tommy?"
Clifton nodded.
"You bet," he said. "Whenever we start to quizzing, he always says, 'Now, youngsters, I'll spin a little yarn3.' He's great at it, too."
"Couldn't beat Hank Merwin," said Dick.
"Huh—you haven't heard Neil Prescott."
"And you haven't heard Hank."
The captain arose, and picked up his gun. "Saw some ducks yesterday," he went on. "Might get a crack at 'em."
Dick Travers accompanied him inside and walked to the drawing-room, while the other went up-stairs for his painting materials.
The "official photographer's" eyes glowed with pride, as his gaze rested upon a pair of moose antlers.
"And to think I brought him down," he muttered, for about the fiftieth time. "Gee6!" and he straightened himself up with a thrill of pride.
"That will do, Tommy. If you practice a bit, maybe you'll bring down something, too. Hello—I hear Tom Sanders' sweet voice outside."
Dave Brandon came down-stairs at this moment, with his paint box, easel, canvas and a huge white umbrella.
"Look at the fat peddler," snickered Clifton, as they walked out on the porch.
Tom Sanders was greatly interested.
"What a rig!" he said, loudly. "Say, are you goin' to make a paintin'?"
"Yep."
"Bartlett's pond is awful purty."
"Then let's make a bee-line for it."
"That your dog, Sanders?" asked Dave, presently.
He pointed10 to a large, scrawny animal which was squatting11 on the ground close by. Its color was a dull yellow; of all the dogs they had seen in Mountain Village this was quite the ugliest.
"Ain't you never seen Tige afore?" asked Sanders, in surprise. "He's a bully12 dorg, he is—say! I'll lay me cap down, an' if any of you fellers kin13 git away with it, it's yours."
This liberal offer was politely declined.
"He ain't afear'd of nuthin'," went on Sanders. "That dorg couldn't be bought fur five dollars. Oncet a feller offered me fifty cents, but I says 'no.'"
As he approached, the animal raised his head slightly, and showed a row of gleaming teeth.
"He's got a disposition15 like 'Surly Joe's,'" said Dick, with a grin.
A few minutes later, the six boys crossed the baseball diamond, and were soon on the road.
Bartlett's pond was about two miles from Rickham House, on the edge of a fringe of woods, charmingly framed in by the distant mountains.
"Ah, this is great," murmured Dave, presently. "Ought to make a dandy sketch."
To the left, a clump16 of trees overhung the pond, while in the foreground an ancient flat-bottomed boat lay partly submerged, with reeds and tall grass growing all around.
A canvas was placed on the easel, and then Dave began to set his palette, surrounded by an interested group.
"Ain't them purty colors fur ye?" said Sanders.
"It's the mixing that would bother me," put in Tom Clifton, confidentially17.
At last Dave was ready.
"What's yer a-puttin' on that awful mug fur?" demanded Sanders. "D'ye feel sick?"
"Sick?" echoed the artist.
"Sure! Mebbe the smell of paint ain't good. There was Phil Levins' dad—started ter paint his barn, an' was took somphin' awful."
Sanders looked mildly astonished when his hearers roared with laughter.
And Dave squinted20 his eyes and sighed, and contracted his brows, as the surface was gradually covered.
"Don't look like nothin' ter me," said Sanders, frankly21, his face within two feet of the canvas. "'Tain't smooth."
"If," said Dave, calmly, "that paint gets on your nose, Sanders, don't blame me."
Half an hour later, Bob Somers observed, "Looks great—doesn't it, boys?"
"Dave, you're a wonder," added Sam.
"Don't look like nothin' ter me," repeated Sanders. "What's the use of doin' it?"
"Thus is genius always unappreciated," smiled Dave. "Some day, Sanders, when you hear a big noise, rolling like distant thunder, you'll know it's my fame reaching Mountain Village."
A low growl22 came from Tige at this moment. A boy and a large dog were approaching. The dog soon led. It was larger than Tige, shaggy, and wore an expression which indicated that timidity was not a part of its nature.
The newcomer wasted no time in preliminaries. The moment he saw Tige he sprang for him.
All but Dave Brandon retreated—he didn't have time.
Bang! The canvas smote25 Dave Brandon on the nose, his stool tilted26, and over he went backward, while his palette dropped squarely on Tige's back. The big umbrella, after gracefully27 sailing through the air, landed a few feet away.
As Dave picked himself up, he was not pleased to find that operations continued with great activity close around him. Each dog let out a series of howls, barks, whines28 and grunts29; each got knocked down, and each knocked the other down, while eight legs waved wildly in all directions.
"Whee!" cried Dave, as one after the other bumped into him. "It's time they had a lesson in manners."
He seized his rest stick, and raised it aloft, aiming toward the spot where the mixture of dog seemed thickest.
About one second later, a howl such as rarely issued from a canine30 throat disturbed the atmosphere, and one dog was seen rapidly backing away. Then the rest stick hit the other dog in the back, and the noise in that immediate1 vicinity was considerably31 augmented32.
"Don't hit my poor dorg ag'in!" screamed Sanders, rushing forward.
But Dave had not intended his blows to land. They served, however, to keep the two howling canines33 from renewing their fights, and by that time the owner of the visiting dog had come running up, hatless, and out of breath.
"W-w-what d-d-do you m-ean?" he stammered, taking a position between Dave's stick and his own pet.
"What does the dog mean?" demanded Dave, facetiously34, again.
"I guess he was just sparring for points," laughed the newcomer, perceiving that Dave was disposed to view the situation in a humorous light.
"Awful sorry, old man," snickered Bob, "but I can't help it. Maybe Tige isn't a beautiful sight, and your face—wow!"
As for the owner of the dog which had caused all the trouble, he now seized the animal by the collar, and bending forward looked at Dave with a scared expression.
"I'm awful sorry," he said. "I——"
"Might have known your old brute39 would raise the mischief40, Ben Henderson," growled41 Sanders, aiming a kick at Tige which sent the sadly bedaubed animal scurrying42 away.
"Honest—it wasn't my fault," pleaded the boy. "I'm awful sorry."
"It's all right, son," put in Dave.
"Nip's kind of out of humor to-day, and——"
"Yes, sir! We have another dog named Tuck, so it's Nip and Tuck."
"Thank goodness Tuck didn't come along," said Dave, as he picked up the easel and set his sketch in place.
"Awful glad your paintin' wasn't spoiled," said the boy. "It's bully. You're a regular artist, ain't you?"
"I draw pictures, too," stammered Ben.
"You do?" said Dave, with interest. "See here, Ben, do you tend sheep?"
"Sure," answered the boy, in surprise. "Why?"
"Well, well," continued Dave, laughingly; "fellows, maybe we've discovered another Giotto."
"Giotto?" echoed Ben. "Who's he?"
"Oh, an Italian artist who lived several hundred years ago," explained Dave. "While tending sheep, he used to draw, and afterward45 he became famous."
"I'll draw you a picture now. Oh, you needn't laugh, Tom Sanders."
Ben seized the sketch-book which Dave held out, and began to work.
"Good boy! You've got the stuff all right," exclaimed the stout boy.
Young Henderson looked pleased.
"Isn't this like my father's house, Sanders?" he asked, holding up the sketch, and Tom admitted that it was.
"Wish Professor Mead48 could see it," murmured Dave. "If you want me to give you a few pointers, come over to Rickham."
Ben was delighted.
"You bet I'll come over," he said, with sparkling eyes.
"Then I must order a pair of spectacles," said Dave, solemnly, "and cultivate a severe frown and deep voice, and if you don't become a second Giotto, it won't be my fault."
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收听单词发音
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1
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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promontory
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| n.海角；岬 | |
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yarn
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| n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事 | |
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jaunt
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| v.短程旅游；n.游览 | |
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sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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6
gee
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| n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转 | |
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7
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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squatting
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；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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bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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13
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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14
tempt
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| vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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confidentially
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| ad.秘密地，悄悄地 | |
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18
charcoal
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| n.炭，木炭，生物炭 | |
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dab
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| v.轻触，轻拍，轻涂；n.(颜料等的)轻涂 | |
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20
squinted
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| 斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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23
brewing
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| n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式 | |
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24
smack
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| vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍 | |
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smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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26
tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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27
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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28
whines
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| n.悲嗥声( whine的名词复数 )；哀鸣者v.哀号( whine的第三人称单数 )；哀诉，诉怨 | |
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29
grunts
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的第三人称单数 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说； 石鲈 | |
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canine
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| adj.犬的，犬科的 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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32
Augmented
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| adj.增音的 动词augment的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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33
canines
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| n.犬齿( canine的名词复数 )；犬牙；犬科动物 | |
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34
facetiously
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| adv.爱开玩笑地；滑稽地，爱开玩笑地 | |
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35
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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36
peals
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| n.（声音大而持续或重复的）洪亮的响声( peal的名词复数 )；隆隆声；洪亮的钟声；钟乐v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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37
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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38
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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39
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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40
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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41
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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42
scurrying
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的现在分词 ) | |
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43
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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45
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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46
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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47
catfish
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| n.鲶鱼 | |
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48
mead
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| n.蜂蜜酒 | |
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