"We're afloat!
We're afloat!
In our trim ice-boat;
And we row—
Yeave ho!
"I guess I won't sing any more," said the Gas Stove. "It's a hard song to sing, that is, particularly when you've never heard it before, and can't think of another rhyme for boat."
"That's easy enough to find," returned Jimmieboy, pulling at the oars1. "Coat rhymes with boat, and so do note and moat and goat and——"
"Very true," assented2 the Stove, "but it wouldn't do to use coat because we take our coats off when we row. Note is good enough but you don't have time to write one when you are singing a sea-song. Moat isn't any good, because[Pg 184] nobody'd know whether you meant the moat of a castle, a sun-moat, or the one in your eye. As for goats, goats don't go well in poetry. So I guess it's just as well to stop singing right here."
"How fast we go!" said Jimmieboy.
"What did you expect?" asked the Stove. "The bottom of this boat is as slippery as can be, and, of course, going up the river against the current we get over the water faster than if we were going the other way because we—er—because we—well because we do."
"Seems to me," said Jimmieboy, "I'd better turn out some of the gas in my coat. I'm melting right through the seat here."
"So am I," returned the Stove, with an anxious glance at the icy craft. "It won't be more than a minute before I melt my end of the boat all to pieces. I'm afraid we'll have to take to our arctics after all. I brought a pair of your father's along, and it's a good thing for us that he has big feet, for you'll have to get in one and I in the other."
Just then the stern of the boat melted away, and the Stove, springing up from his seat and throwing himself into one of the arctics, with his ammunition3 and rubber hose, floated off. Jimmieboy had barely time to get into the other[Pg 185] arctic when his end of the ice-boat also gave way, and a cross-current in the stream catching4 the arctic whirled it about and carried it and its little passenger far away from the Stove who shortly disappeared around a turn in the river, so that Jimmieboy was left entirely5 alone in utter ignorance as to where he really was or what he should do next. Generally Jimmieboy was a very brave little boy, but he found his present circumstances rather trying. To be floating down a strange river in a large overshoe, with absolutely no knowledge of the way home, and a very dim notion only as to how he had managed to get where he was, was terrifying, and when he realized his position, great tears fell from Jimmieboy's eyes, freezing into little pearls of ice before they landed in the bottom of the golosh, where they piled up so rapidly that the strange craft sank further and further into the water and would certainty have sunk with their weight had not the voice Jimmieboy had encountered a little while before come to his rescue.
"Golosh, ahoy!" cried the voice. "Captain! Captain! Lean over the side and cry in the river or you'll sink your boat."
The sound of the voice was a great relief to the little sailor who at once tried to obey the order[Pg 186] he had received but found it unnecessary since his tears immediately dried up.
"Come out here in the boat with me!" cried Jimmieboy. "I'm awful lonesome and I don't know what to do."
[Pg 187]
"Then there is only one thing you can do," said the voice from a point directly over the buckle6 of the arctic. "And that is to sit still and let time show you. It's a great thing, Jimmieboy, when you don't know what to do and can't find any one to tell you, to sit down and do nothing, because if you did something you'd be likely to find out afterwards that it was the wrong thing. When I was young, in the days when I was what I used to be, I once read a poem that has lingered with me ever since. It was called 'Wait and See' and this is the way it went:
"When you are puzzled what to do,
And no one's nigh to help you out;
You'll find it for the best that you
Should wait until Time gives the clew.
And then your business go about—
Of this there is no doubt.
"Just see the cow! She never knows
What's going to happen next, so she
In clover from her head to toes,
From care and trouble ever free—
She simply waits, you see!
"The horse, unlike the cow, in fear
Jumps to and fro at maddest rate,
[Pg 188]Tears down the street, doth snort and rear,
And just because he does not wait,
"D. Crockett, famous in the past,
To words that must forever last,
Wherever haply they be cast:
'Be sure you're right, then go ahead,'
"That's what D. Crockett said.
"Lots in that. If you don't know what to do," continued the voice, "don't do it."
"I won't," said Jimmieboy. "But do you know where we are?"
"Yes," said the voice. "I am here and you are there, and I think if we stay just as we are forever there is not likely to be any change, so why repine? We are happy."
Just then the golosh passed into a huge cavern13, whose sides glistened14 like silver, and from the roof of which hung millions of beautiful and at times fantastically shaped icicles.
"This," said the voice, "is the gateway15 to the Kingdom of Frostland. At the far end you will see a troop of ice soldiers standing16 guard. I doubt very much if you can get by them, unless you have retained a great deal of that heat you had. How is it? Are you still lit?"
[Pg 189]
"I am," said Jimmieboy. "Just put your hand on my chest and see how hot it is."
"Can't do it," returned the voice, "for two reasons. First, I haven't a hand to do it with, and secondly17, if I had, I couldn't see with it. People don't see with their hands any more than they sing with their toes; but say, Jimmieboy, wouldn't it be funny if we could do all those things—eh? What a fine poem this would be if it were only sensible:
"A singular song having greeted my toes,
I stared till I weakened the sight of my nose
To see what it was, and observed a sweet voice
"I cast a cough-drop in the lovely one's eyes,
Who opened her hands in a tone of surprise,
And remarked, in a way that startled my wife,
'I never was treated so ill in my life.'
And the blush on her teeth much heightened her charms.
As, tossing the cough-drop straight back, with a sneeze,
Jimmieboy laughed so long and so loudly at this poetical21 effusion that he attracted the attention of the guards, who immediately loaded their[Pg 190] guns and began to pepper the invaders22 with snow-balls.
"Throw yourself down on your stomach in the toe of the golosh," whispered the voice, "and they'll never know you are there. Keep perfectly23 quiet, and when any questions are asked, even if you are discovered, let me answer them. I can disguise myself so that they won't recognize me, and they'll think I'm your voice. In this way I think I can get you through in safety."
So Jimmieboy threw himself down in the golosh, and the voice began to sing.
"No, no, my dear,
I do not fear
The devastating24 snow-ball;
When it strikes me,
And eat it like a dough-ball."
"Halt!" cried the ice-guards. "Who are you?"
"I am a haunted overshoe," replied the voice. "I am on the foot of a phantom26 which only appears at uncertain hours, and is consequently now invisible to you.
"And, so I say,
Oh, fire away,
I fear ye not, icicles;
Howe'er ye shoot,
[Pg 191]
"Shall we let it through?" asked the Captain of the guards.
"I move we do," said one High Private.
"I move we don't," said another.
"All in favor of doing one thing or the other say aye," cried the Captain.
"Aye!" roared the company.
"Contrary-minded, no," added the Captain.
"No!" roared the company.
[Pg 192]
The overshoe, meanwhile, had floated on down through the gates and was now out of the guards' sight and Jimmieboy sprang to his feet and looked about him once more, and what he saw was so beautiful that he sat speechless with delight. He was now in the heart of Frostland, and before him loomed31 the Palace, a marvelously massive pile of richly carven ice-blocks transparent32 as glass; and within, seated upon a throne of surpassing brilliance33 and beauty, sat King Jack34 surrounded by his courtiers, who were singing songs the like of which Jimmieboy never before had heard.
"Now remember, Jimmieboy," said the voice, as the overshoe with its passengers floated softly up to the huge snow-pier that ran out into the river at this point where they disembarked—"remember I am to do all the talking. Otherwise you might get into trouble."
"All right, Voicy," began Jimmieboy, and then there came a terrific shout from within.
"Who comes here?" cried King Jack, rising from his throne and pointing his finger at Jimmieboy.
"I am a traveling minstrel," Jimmieboy seemed to reply though in reality it was the kind-hearted voice that said it. "And I have come a[Pg 193] thousand and six miles, eight blocks, fourteen feet, six inches to recite to your Majesty35 a poem I have written in honor of your approaching Jubilee36."
"Have I a Jubilee approaching?" roared Jack, turning to his Secretary of State, who was so startled that his right arm melted.
"Y—yes, your Majesty," stammered37 the Secretary, with a low bow. "It is coming along at the rate of sixty seconds a minute."
"Why have I not been informed of this before?" roared Jack, casting a glance at the cowering38 Secretary that withered39 the nose[Pg 194] straight off his face. "Don't you know that Jubilees40 are useful to a man only because other people give him presents in honor of the event? And here you've kept me in ignorance of the fact all this time, and the chances are I won't get a thing;—for I've neglected my relatives dreadfully."
"Sire," pleaded the Secretary, "all that you say is true, but I have attended to all that. I have informed your friends that the Jubilee is coming, and they are all preparing pleasant little surprises for you. We are going to give your Majesty a surprise party, which is the finest kind of a party, because you don't have to go home after it is over, and the guests bring their own fried oysters41, and pay all the bills."
"Ah!" said Jack, melting a little. "You are a good man, after all. I will raise your salary, and send your children a skating-pond on Christmas day; but when is this Jubilee to take place?"
"In eight hundred and forty-seven years," returned the voice, who did not like the Secretary of State, and wanted to get him in trouble. "On the eighty-second day of July."
"What—a—at?" roared the King, glaring at the Secretary.
[Pg 195]
"I didn't say a word, sire," cried the unfortunate Secretary.
"No?" sneered42 Jack. "I suppose it was I that answered my own question, eh? That settles you. The idea of my waiting eight hundred and forty-seven years for a Jubilee that is to take place on an impossible date! Executioner, take the Secretary of State out to the furnace-room, and compel him to sit before the fire until there's only enough of him left to make one snow-ball. Then take that and throw it at the most decrepit43 hack-driver in my domain44. The humiliation45 of this delayer of Jubilees must be complete."
The Secretary of State was then led weeping away, and Jack, turning to the awed46 Jimmieboy, shouted out:
"Now for the minstrel. If the poem pleaseth our Royal Coolness, the singer shall have the position made vacant by that unfortunate snow-drift I have just degraded. Step right up, young fellow, and turn on the poem."
"Step up to the foot of the throne and make a bow, and leave the rest to me," whispered the voice to Jimmieboy. "All you've got to do is to move your lips and wave your arms. I'll do the talking."
Jimmieboy did as he was bade. He took up his[Pg 196] stand before the throne, bowed, and the voice began to declaim as Jimmieboy's lips moved, and his arms began to shoot out, first to the left and then to the right.
"This poem," said the voice, "is in the language of the Snortuguese, and has been prepared at great expense for this occasion, fourteen gallons of ink having been consumed on the first stanza47 alone, which runs as follows:
"Jack Frigidos,
Jack Frigidos,
Oh, what a trope you are!
How you do shine
And ghibeline,
"It begins very well, oh, minstrel!" said Jack, with an approving nod. "The ink was well expended49. Mount thee yon table, and from thence deliver thyself of the remnant of thy rhyme."
"Thanks," returned the voice; "I will."
"Get up on the table, Jimmieboy," the voice added, "and we'll finish 'em off there. Be a little slow about it, for I've got to have time to compose the rest of the poem."
So Jimmieboy clambered up the leg of the table, and in a few moments was ready for the voice to begin, which the voice proceeded to do.
[Pg 197]
"I will repeat the first verse, your Majesty, for the sake of completeness. And here goes:
"Jack Frigidos,
Jack Frigidos,
Oh, what a trope you are!
How you do shine,
And ghibeline,
And conjugate afar!
Is thy back hair;
Thy smile how contraband51!
Would I could ape
Thy shapely shape,
"That nose of thine,
How superfine!
How manifest
The palimpsest
And contour of thy shin!
"How ormolu
Thy revenue!
How dusk thy silhouette54!
How myrtilly
Thy pedigree
"What man is there,
Ay, anywhere,
[Pg 198]What mortal chanticleer,
Can fail to find
Unto his mind
"Ah, Frigidos!
Jack Frigidos,
In parcel or in keg,
Another like
Thee none can strike
From Dan to Winnipeg."
Here the voice paused.
"It is all I have written up to this moment," the voice answered. "Of course there are seventy or eighty more miles of it, because, as your Majesty is well aware, it would take many a league of poetry fitly to commemorate58 your virtues59."
"Your answer is pleasing unto me," replied the monarch60 of Frostland, when the voice had thus spoken. "The office of the Secretary of State is yours. The salary is not large, but the duties are. They are to consist mainly of——"
Here the King was interrupted by a tremendous noise without. Evidently some one was creating a disturbance61, and as Jimmieboy turned to see what it was, he saw the great ice mountain looming62 up over the far-distant horizon melt slowly away and dwindle63 out of sight; and[Pg 199] then messengers, breathless with haste, rushed in and cried out to the King:
"We are attacked! we are attacked! A tribe from a far country, commanded by the Gas Stove, is even now within our boundaries, armed with a devastating hose, breathing forth fire, by which already has been destroyed the whole western frontier."
"What is to be done?" cried Jack, in alarm, and springing to his feet. "Can we not send a regiment64 of cold winds out against them, and freeze them to their very marrows65 and blow out the gas?"
"We cannot, sire," returned the messenger, "for the heat is so deadly that the winds themselves thaw66 into balmy zephyrs67 before they reach the enemy."
[Pg 200]
"Not so!" cried the voice from Jimmieboy's lips. "For I will save you if you will place the matter in my hands."
"Noble creature!" sobbed68 Jack, grasping Jimmieboy by the hand. "Save my kingdom from destruction, and all that you ask of me in the future is yours."
And Jimmieboy, promising69 to help Jack, started out, clad with all the authority of his high office, to meet the Gas Stove.
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收听单词发音
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1
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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3
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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4
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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5
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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6
buckle
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| n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲 | |
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7
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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8
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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9
woes
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| 困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉 | |
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10
sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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11
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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12
wed
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| v.娶，嫁，与…结婚 | |
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13
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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14
glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
gateway
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| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
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16
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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17
secondly
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| adv.第二，其次 | |
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18
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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19
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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20
goggles
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| n.护目镜 | |
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21
poetical
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| adj.似诗人的；诗一般的；韵文的；富有诗意的 | |
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22
invaders
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| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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23
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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24
devastating
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| adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的 | |
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25
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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26
phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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27
hoot
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| n.鸟叫声，汽车的喇叭声； v.使汽车鸣喇叭 | |
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28
tickles
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| （使）发痒( tickle的第三人称单数 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
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29
adjourn
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| v.（使）休会，（使）休庭 | |
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30
luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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31
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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32
transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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33
brilliance
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| n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智 | |
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34
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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35
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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36
jubilee
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| n.周年纪念；欢乐 | |
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37
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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38
cowering
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| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 ) | |
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39
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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40
jubilees
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| n.周年纪念( jubilee的名词复数 ) | |
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41
oysters
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| 牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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42
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
decrepit
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| adj.衰老的，破旧的 | |
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44
domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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45
humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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46
awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47
stanza
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| n.（诗）节，段 | |
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48
conjugate
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| vt.使成对，使结合；adj.共轭的，成对的 | |
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49
expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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50
debonair
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| adj.殷勤的，快乐的 | |
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51
contraband
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| n.违禁品，走私品 | |
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52
arrogate
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| v.冒称具有...权利，霸占 | |
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53
pertinent
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| adj.恰当的；贴切的；中肯的；有关的；相干的 | |
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54
silhouette
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| n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓 | |
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55
amulet
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| n.护身符 | |
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56
buxom
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| adj.（妇女）丰满的，有健康美的 | |
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57
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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58
commemorate
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| vt.纪念，庆祝 | |
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59
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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60
monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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61
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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62
looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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63
dwindle
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| v.逐渐变小（或减少） | |
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64
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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65
marrows
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| n.骨髓（marrow的复数形式） | |
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66
thaw
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| v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和 | |
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67
zephyrs
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| n.和风，微风( zephyr的名词复数 ) | |
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68
sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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69
promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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