Moses’ teeth chattered2. It was not cold, but wash-day meant to the unhappy boy a dismal3 round of duties.
“Oh Mosey,” cried Betty at the breakfast table, being first on the scene to arrange her flowers, “we’ll hev a spellin’ match to-day I bet.”
“Don’t care a doughnut,” answered Moses defiantly4, “I’d ruther turn the washin’ machine any day than stand like a goose spellin’ words any arss can spell.”
Betty playfully thrust a small forefinger5 into one of the fresh biscuits on the table and bore it, impaled6 on the rosy7 weapon, triumphantly8 to her plate. This was for the amusement of Moses, but instead of laughing as he was expected to do, he eyed his little sister with assumed indifference9.
“You carnt spell so smart anyways,” he ventured. Betty turned her piquant10 nose up at him and suddenly bounced up from the table.
“Oh, poor li’l Nancy wants in!” She raised the window and gently lifted the cat into the room. Running to her place at the table, she poured half of her cup of milk into a saucer and set it in a sunny spot on the floor.
“There Nancy,” she whispered, “is a sunbeam for breakfast dipped in milk.”
The sunbeam somehow got into the internal decorations of Nancy and filtered out through her eyes. Their amber11 depths seemed to have turned into liquid gold.
Jethro, lying on a mat at the door, was contentedly12 gnawing13 a bone. Nancy, having finished her milk, and still enjoying its flavor from her whiskers, as Betty remarked, stealthily approached her canine14 playmate. A slight altercation15 took place concerning the ownership of the bone. It was not long before Jethro walked out of the room, perceptibly toeing in, and probably reflecting that life was too short to wrangle16 over a bare bone anyway.
Mrs. Wopp was too busy to eat breakfast in the orthodox fashion. She could be heard in the kitchen preparing for the trying ordeal17 of wash-day. Out in the yard the head of the house was busy feeding the fowl18.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
“Good-by Dad and Mar and Mosey,” called Betty as she sped down the path toward the school-house.
Moses heaved a sigh, as he entered the kitchen and took his stand at the washing-machine. One hundred and thirty-seven times that diabolical20 barrel had to be turned before the dirt accumulated by the Wopp family during the week could be obliterated21.
The chinking began in earnest. Moses stood, turning till each freckle22 on his ruddy face shone with honest sweat.
“Now Moses,” announced his mother, “Jist for a change an’ rest like, turn this here separator.”
Another sound in a somewhat higher key was heard. Moses had simply modulated23 in his domestic symphony of labor24 from a major task to a minor25 one. As a change and refreshing26 recreation, Moses was allowed to turn the small wheat-mill. Ninety soul-stirring turns it required to empty the hopper once, and he must turn out enough flour for a batch27 of bread. His youthful soul was in revolt at such servitude. He had no sympathy to squander28 on the children of Israel in bondage29 vile30. Making bricks for Pharoah was infantile amusement compared to his labor.
“The Lord loveth a cheerful liver, Moses,” said his mother encouragingly, as she saw the growing acidity31 of the boy’s countenance32. Mrs. Wopp had never forgotten a certain missionary33 service, during which she had studied a text in gold lettering of old English type on the wall. The uncertain light of stained glass falling on the last word had made it difficult to read. But at last realizing that a sound liver and cheerfulness are closely associated, she had seen no incongruity34 in her translation of the text.
“All this turnin’ is good for the liver too you know,” she continued, as her son’s vinegary expression remained unaltered.
“Yeh,” scoffed35 Moses, “this here turnin’ machines every Monday makes me sick. I aint got no liver left to be cheerful.”
Mrs. Wopp was much too energetically engaged to enter into fuller argument. She busied herself preparing the tubs for rinsing36, singing in a high tremolo, “Shall we gather at the river?”
“Now Moses,” she called at the end of the third verse, “git the water for the rinsin’.” The clanking lessened37 and slowly died down to a complaining rumble38. It might have been some monster suffering from indigestion.
Mrs. Wopp’s eagle eye, again rested on the lowering face of her offspring.
“Moses iny boy, yer bile must be riz; this very night you git a dose of physic.” Moses lower lip dropped lower and lower.
“Take care ole boy, you’ll trip on yer lip in another minute.”
Moses, his feelings by this time wrought39 to a state of down-right rebellion, grasped a pail in either hand and sought the peaceful atmosphere of the river.
When Betty returned from school in the afternoon, she beheld40 snowy billowing apparel on the clothes-line. Mrs. Wopp, being very thrifty41 in the matter of using up flour and sugar sacks for underwear, had a motley collection of garments suspended by wooden pegs42. A night-shirt of Mr. Wopp’s bore the inscription43 “Three Roses” dimly outlined in pink, while on the southern portion of a pair of more intimate garments could be discerned, fading into palest blue. “Great Western Mills.” The wind was causing a riotous44 time among the cheerful array of reconstructed sacks, and as Betty ran down the path singing “Twenty froggies went to school,” a sugar sack sleeve of Moses’ shirt embraced a flour sack bosom45 of his father’s undergarment; and “Pure Cane46 Sugar“ saluted47 “Ogiveme’s Mills.” Betty cheerfully performed her task of bringing in the clothes saturated48 with wind and sunshine. She thought the sweetest smell in the world next to morning-glories and nasturtiums was the smell of clean clothes fresh from the line.
“They smell like the sunbeams was sprinklin’ them with scent,” she declared as she and Moses brought the last basketful into the house. Mrs. Wopp’s nightgown of ample proportions was left out a little longer being still somewhat damp.
As she went about her work, Betty’s braids of fair hair tied with wisps of faded red ribbon stood out stiffly from her head. Her eyebrows49 were not quite grown in yet and she presented a comical appearance blinking in the sun as she regarded Moses who was helping50 her.
“Gee! Betty,” laughed the boy, “yer eyes look orful yet, this is the fust good shake my sides hev felt to-day, it’s jist been ’orrible the way Mar was jawred.”
The basket piled high with snowy linen51 and cotton seemed almost to overflow52 the brim. Betty pressed the clothes down with her brown hands, while the complaining boy enlarged on the sordid53 details of that trying wash-day and on the manner in which his mother had teased him. The child’s sense of humor outbalanced even her sympathy and a peal54 of laughter rang out. Her laugh was a long delicious trill, as though a bird had dropped from the clouds singing still with the sunrise tangled55 in its notes. Moses paused long enough for a procession of commas and semicolons to pass by. Then seeing his disappointment in her apparent lack of sympathy, Betty hastened to console him.
“Never mind Mosey, Next Monday I’m goin’ to ask Mar to let me stay home and turn the nasty mouldy machine.”
“Oh no Betty,” Moses tones were of an elder-brotherly authority, “yer li’l han’s aint meant fer sich servitood. I’d not stan’ by an’ see you do that.” With all his teasing at times, Moses adored his little foster-sister. He idealized her, and as Mrs. Wopp had often remarked, whenever Betty left his presence he saw her ascend56 into heaven in a “Whirlwin’ of fire, an’ go-cart of flame.”
As that energetic lady bustled57 about the kitchen the same evening setting the bread, her voice rose in a series of trills and other embellishments as she sang “Where is my wanderin’ boy to-night?”
Balancing her voice on a very high note she popped her head through the dining-room door to speak to her husband. He was seated at the table reading “The Family Herald58.” His straggling grey locks were disordered with his mental effort and formed a frieze59 of irregular design on his shining forehead. Mrs. Wopp’s voice, in a moment, was safe on terra firma.
“Ebenezer, you might bring in my slumber60 robe, bein’s I’m so busy an’ Mose an’ Betty’s gone to bed.”
“All right Lize, I’ll jist make a note of that.”
There was room on the slip of paper for only this last item, so numerous had been the demands, during this busy day, on Mr. Wopp’s memory.
He returned his notes to his pocket with the assurance of one whose unreliable memory has been fortified61 and rendered infallible. Nevertheless the voluminous folds of Eliza Wopp’s cotton nightgown fluttered all night under the starry62 heavens.
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1
mar
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| vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟 | |
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2
chattered
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| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 | |
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3
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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4
defiantly
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| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
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forefinger
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| n.食指 | |
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impaled
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| 钉在尖桩上( impale的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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piquant
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| adj.辛辣的，开胃的，令人兴奋的 | |
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amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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contentedly
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| adv.心满意足地 | |
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13
gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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14
canine
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| adj.犬的，犬科的 | |
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15
altercation
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| n.争吵，争论 | |
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16
wrangle
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| vi.争吵 | |
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17
ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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18
fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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19
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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20
diabolical
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| adj.恶魔似的，凶暴的 | |
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21
obliterated
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| v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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22
freckle
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| n.雀簧；晒斑 | |
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23
modulated
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| 已调整[制]的，被调的 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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25
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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27
batch
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| n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量 | |
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squander
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| v.浪费，挥霍 | |
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bondage
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| n.奴役，束缚 | |
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30
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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acidity
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| n.酸度，酸性 | |
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32
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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33
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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34
incongruity
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| n.不协调，不一致 | |
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35
scoffed
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| 嘲笑，嘲弄( scoff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
rinsing
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| n.清水，残渣v.漂洗( rinse的现在分词 )；冲洗；用清水漂洗掉（肥皂泡等）；（用清水）冲掉 | |
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37
lessened
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| 减少的，减弱的 | |
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38
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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39
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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40
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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41
thrifty
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| adj.节俭的；兴旺的；健壮的 | |
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42
pegs
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| n.衣夹( peg的名词复数 )；挂钉；系帐篷的桩；弦钮v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的第三人称单数 )；使固定在某水平 | |
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43
inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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44
riotous
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| adj.骚乱的；狂欢的 | |
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45
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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46
cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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47
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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48
saturated
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| a.饱和的，充满的 | |
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49
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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50
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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51
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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52
overflow
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| v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出 | |
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53
sordid
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| adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的 | |
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54
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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55
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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56
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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57
bustled
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| 闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促 | |
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58
herald
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| vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎 | |
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59
frieze
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| n.(墙上的)横饰带，雕带 | |
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60
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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61
fortified
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| adj. 加强的 | |
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62
starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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