"You have been so good today that I am going to give you a little treat. Now, I will let Susie Littletail decide on what would be the nicest to do, have Uncle Wiggily Longears come over and tell you a story about his travels, or go for a walk in the woods and see if the chestnuts2 are ripe? Which shall it be, Susie?"
"If you please," said the little rabbit girl. "I think it would be nice to go in the woods. Uncle Wiggily can tell us a story any time after dark, but we can't see to gather chestnuts at night. Let's go to the woods."
"Very well," said the teacher. "Put away your books, pencils and papers and we will take a walk."
So, in a little while, all the animal children were following the owl teacher out into the[Pg 56] woods, where the leaves were beginning to turn brown and yellow and crimson3, all ready to fall off, so the trees could go to sleep during the long, cold winter. Johnny Bushytail felt so good that he sang this song:
"Oh, it's fine to be in the woody woods,
When you're done with school and books.
With their golden leaves and brown."
"Indeed, it is fine," said the owl teacher. "Now scatter11 about, and see who can find the first nuts. But don't get lost."
Of course Billie and Johnnie Bushytail, the squirrels, at once scrambled12 up the trees, and, naturally, they found the first nuts, but they kindly13 shared them with the others. Then Sammie and Susie Littletail went off one way, and Buddy14 and Brighteyes Pigg in another direction, and Lulu and Alice and Jimmie Wibblewobble, the duck children, in still another. And Peetie and Jackie Bow Wow, the puppy dogs, took a path right through the bramble bushes, looking for butternuts to spread on their bread, I guess.
"Come on," said Jacko to Jumpo, as the two monkey boys walked side by side, "we'll go down by the little brook7. I think there is a hickory nut tree there."
"Are you sure there are no wolves or foxes there?" asked the green monkey.
"I don't believe there are any," said the red monkey. "We'll get a lot of nuts and give the others some."
So away they went through the forest, sometimes hanging by their tails from the low branches, sometimes turning somersaults and sometimes swinging by their feet, for they could hold on by their toes as well as you can by your fingers.
"Oh, there's a nut tree!" suddenly exclaimed Jacko, as they got down by the little brook.
"And see all the nuts!" cried Jumpo, for the ground was just covered with them. Then the monkey boys began filling their pockets.
They had almost as many nuts as they could carry, and they were thinking of going back to join the others, for they could hear the teacher calling to the pupils some distance off in the woods. And then, all of a sudden, Jacko looked toward a big stump15, and he exclaimed in a whisper to Jumpo:
"Look at that big bear!"
"Where?" asked Jumpo, getting close to his red brother.
"There," whispered Jacko again, and he pointed16 toward the stump. Surely enough, there was a bear, wearing a blue cap and a pink coat. And, oh, what a big fellow he was!
"He hasn't seen us," said Jumpo, in a low voice. "Perhaps we can get softly away before he does see us, and then we can tell the others to hurry out of the woods. Move very softly, Jacko."
"I will," whispered the red monkey, and he tried to, but all at once some hickory nuts fell out of his pocket and they made quite a noise as they hit a flat stone.
"Ha! Who's there?" asked the bear quickly, and he looked up, straight at the two monkeys. Then they could see that he had been reading a big book. "Who's there?" cried the bear again, in a sort of savage17 voice.
"If—if you please, we are here," said Jacko. There was no use in saying they weren't there, for the bear could see them perfectly18 plain.
"All right; I am coming over to you," went on the shaggy creature, closing his book.
"Oh, oh, please don't come!" begged Jacko. "We can see you very well from here."
"Oh! If he comes, he'll eat us, and then he'll hear the others shouting, and he'll go over and eat them and our teacher also," whispered Jumpo. "Oh, if we could only send them some word to warn them to run away!"
"Why shouldn't I come over to you?" asked the bear. "Of course, I'm coming. Watch me."
And with that he stood up on his head, and walked on his front paws and in that way he quickly came to where Jacko and Jumpo were standing19.
"I never saw a bear walk that way before," said the red monkey, surprised like.
"Perhaps he is a crazy bear?" suggested Jumpo. "That kind is very savage. Oh, I know he'll eat us. Poor teacher, too!"
By this time the bear was close to the monkeys.
"I am very pleased to see you," he said in a growlery voice, and he turned a somersault, and stood on his left hind20 leg. Then he took off his blue cap in his claws, made a low bow, and began to dance around Jacko and Jumpo, at the same time humming a tune21.
"How's this?" asked the bear, as he stood on the end of his stubby tail, and opened his mouth real wide. "I call that a right clever trick myself, but what do you think of it?"
"It—it is very pretty," said Jumpo. "But when—when are you going to eat us?"
"Eat you! Why, bless my huckleberry pie appetite!" cried the bear kindly. "I never eat anything but popcorn22 balls. You haven't one about you I suppose?" and he stood on one ear and made a funny face, by twisting his tongue like a merry-go-round.
"Not a bit of it!" roared the bear in a laughing voice. "I'm the jolliest trained bear you ever saw. I wouldn't hurt even a trolley24 car," and with that he did another dance, and sang such a funny song that Jacko and Jumpo burst out laughing.
"Eat you!" cried the bear. "I never thought of such a thing. You see I work for a man who makes me do tricks all day long. So I never get any time for studying. But today I ran away and took my book with me. I'm studying up to be a cook, you see, and I want to learn how to make popcorn balls, so I won't[Pg 61] have to buy any," and then he stood on one toenail and cracked a nut in his teeth.
Well, of course, Jacko and Jumpo were glad they weren't going to be eaten up, and when the trained bear heard there were other pupils in the woods he went with the monkeys to where the rest of the animal children were and did for them all his tricks, and some more besides. Then the bear had to go back home, and so did the pupils and the owl teacher, and I guess you have to go to bed.
Now I'm going to tell you next about the Kinkytails playing hide and go seek—that is, if the postage stamp doesn't stick on my spectacles so I can't see the gold fish jumping over the snail's back.
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收听单词发音
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1
owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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2
chestnuts
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| n.栗子( chestnut的名词复数 )；栗色；栗树；栗色马 | |
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3
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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4
rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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5
babbling
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| n.胡说，婴儿发出的咿哑声adj.胡说的v.喋喋不休( babble的现在分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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6
brooks
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| n.小溪( brook的名词复数 ) | |
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7
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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8
spicy
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| adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的 | |
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9
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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10
moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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11
scatter
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| vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散 | |
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12
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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13
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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14
buddy
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| n.（美口）密友，伙伴 | |
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15
stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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16
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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17
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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18
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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19
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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20
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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21
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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22
popcorn
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| n.爆米花 | |
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23
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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24
trolley
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| n.手推车，台车；无轨电车；有轨电车 | |
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