THE THREE RUNAWAYS

Mr. Dog sat in front of his house, looking very sad; Mr. Tom Cat came along with his head hanging down, very sad, too.

 

“Hello, Tommie!” said Mr. Dog. “You look as sad as I feel. What is the matter?”

 

“Matter enough, Mr. Dog,” said Mr. Tom Cat. “I have just been driven out of the house with a broom¹ by cook, who says I am of no use; that I am too fat and too well fed to catch the mice.

 

“Mr. Dog, I have caught all the mice in that house for years, and just because I slept one night—that was last night—that cook forgets all about all the good work I have done in the past and puts me out, and with a broom, too. Oh, it is too terrible, and I have not had my breakfast, either.”

 

[Pg 178]

 

“Tommie, dear fellow,” said Mr. Dog, “you certainly have a hard time of it, but let me tell you what has happened to me after all my years of service to the master. Last night a fox got into the hen-house, and just because I did not keep awake all night and catch him the master took me up to the hen-house and put my nose right down on the floor where that fox had walked, and then he boxed my ears. Think of it, Thomas, he boxed my ears before all the hens and chickens and said I was getting old and good for nothing, and I have not had a bite to eat this morning. I wonder what this place is coming to when such good fellows as we are get such treatment. That is what I would like to know, Thomas Cat.”

 

Mr. Tom Cat licked² his mouth and stretched himself before he answered: “I think, Mr. Dog, we better give the master and cook a chance to think over what they have done to us and perhaps they may remember all the good things we have done all these years and think that one little mistake was not so bad, after all. I am for running away, I am. What do you say?”

 

“Now I never thought of that, Thomas,” said Mr. Dog, standing³ up and looking very[Pg 179] serious. “I believe that is a good plan, Thomas. I do, indeed; but where shall we run?”

 

“Oh, we can walk; you know we don’t have to run at all, only they call it running away if you go off where people can’t find you,” said Mr. Tom Cat. “I know a place we can go. Come with me.”

 

“I’ll go with you,” said Mr. Dog. “Lead the way, Thomas.”

 

Just as they were passing the barn-yard they saw Mr. Rooster scrooged under the fence⁴.

 

“Hello, Mr. Rooster!” said Mr. Dog. “What has happened to you that you look so unhappy this morning?”

 

“Why wouldn’t I look unhappy?” replied Mr. Rooster. “Here I have been on this farm and looking after all those silly hens these long years, and this morning the master said he wished the fox had got me last night instead of the hen he carried off. I tell you it is hard luck, after all I have done for the master.”

 

“Come with us,” said Mr. Tom Cat. “We are running away; the cook chased⁵ me out this morning because I happened to sleep all night and didn’t catch the mice, and Mr. Dog was blamed because the fox got into your[Pg 180] house last night. We are not appreciated around here, that is plain. Will you come along?”

 

“I had never thought of running away,” said Mr. Rooster, getting out from under the fence and flapping⁶ the dust from his wings, “but I think I like the idea of running away. I will go along with you. Perhaps the master and those foolish hens of mine will begin to think what a fine fellow I am and wish I had not gone. Where are you going?”

 

“Oh, to a place I know where no one will find us,” said Mr. Tom Cat, running ahead.

 

Mr. Dog and Mr. Rooster followed Mr. Tom Cat, and soon they were in the woods where the bushes⁷ grew thick and the trees shut out the sun.

 

“Here we are,” said Mr. Tom Cat; “now no one will find us and we can rest in ease⁸.”

 

“I have not had my breakfast,” said Mr. Rooster, scratching⁹ the ground.

 

“Neither have we,” said Mr. Tom Cat, “but I have heard somewhere that you should not think of your troubles and they will not bother you, so suppose we each tell a story to take up the time and also take our minds off the thought that we have not had our breakfast.[Pg 181] You begin, Mr. Dog, because you are such a good story-teller and have had so many adventures.”

 

Mr. Dog looked very wise and scratched¹⁰ his head as if he was thinking very hard.

 

“Did I ever tell you about how I treed a coon?” he asked.

 

Mr. Rooster and Mr. Tom Cat said they never had heard it, but they should like to hear about it very much indeed.

1 broom   

n.扫帚，灌木；vt.扫

参考例句：

• She is sweeping with a broom.她在用扫帚扫地。
• He stood his broom behind the door.他把扫帚立在门后。

2 licked   

舔( lick的过去式和过去分词 )； 打败； （波浪）轻拍； （火焰）吞卷

参考例句：

• He licked his fingers. 他舔了一下自己的手指。
• The flames of the fire licked the sides of the fireplace. 火焰卷烧着壁炉的边缘。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 fence   

n.围墙，剑术；v.用篱笆围住，练习剑术，防护；[计算机]栅栏

参考例句：

• They put a fence around the garden.他们在园子的周围建起了篱笆。
• The thief jumped himself over a fence and escaped.贼纵身跃过篱笆逃走了。

5 chased   

vt.追捕（chase的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The boy chased his sister in and out among the bushes. 那个男孩在灌木丛里跟着他姐姐追过来追过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy chased the decoys down to the place of ambush. 敌人将诱骗者一直追到伏兵所在地。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 flapping   

（使）上下左右移动( flap的现在分词 )； 轻拍； 焦急，焦虑； 振（翅）

参考例句：

• The flag was flapping around in the light wind. 那面旗子在微风中飘动。
• Do stop flapping around, we'll get the job done in time. 大可不必担心，我们会按时完成这项工作的。

7 bushes   

n.灌木（丛）( bush的名词复数 )；[机械学]（金属）衬套；[电学]（绝缘）套管；类似灌木的东西（尤指浓密的毛发或皮毛）

参考例句：

• There was someone skulking behind the bushes. 有人藏在灌木后面。
• The boy chased his sister in and out among the bushes. 那个男孩在灌木丛里跟着他姐姐追过来追过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 ease   

n. 安乐,安逸,悠闲; v. 使...安乐,使...安心,减轻,放松

参考例句：

• His mind was at ease and he felt confident in the future. 他心情舒畅,对前途很有信心。
• You should ease up on the child and stop scolding her. 你应该对那个孩子宽松些,不要再骂她了。

9 scratching   

刮痕

参考例句：

• It wasn't easy scratching out a living in those hard times. 在那段艰难的日子里，糊口真不容易。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He has this irritating mannerism of constantly scratching his nose. 他老是挠鼻子，这个习惯真让人不舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 scratched   

[体]弃权

参考例句：

• John yawned and scratched his chin. 约翰打个哈欠，挠挠下巴。
• The investigation barely scratched the surface of the city's drug problem. 这次调查只是触及了该城市毒品问题的表面。 来自《简明英汉词典》