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首页 » 经典英文小说 » The Story of a Stuffed Elephant » CHAPTER I THE ELEPHANT AND THE MOUSE
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CHAPTER I THE ELEPHANT AND THE MOUSE
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 "Oh, how large he is!"
 
"Isn't he? And such wonderfully strong legs!"
 
"See his trunk, too! Isn't it cute! And he is well stuffed! This is really one of the best toys that ever came into our shop, Geraldine; don't you think so?"
 
"Yes, Angelina. I must call father to come and look at him. He will make a lovely present for some boy or girl—I mean this Stuffed Elephant will make a lovely present, not our father!" and Miss Angelina Mugg smiled at her sister across [Pg 2]the big packing box of Christmas toys they were opening in their father's store.
 
"Oh, no! Of course we wouldn't want father to be given away as a toy!" laughed Geraldine. "But this Stuffed Elephant—oh, I just love him!"
 
Miss Geraldine Mugg caught up the rather large toy animal and hugged it tightly1 in her arms.
 
"Be careful!" called her sister. "You may break him!"
 
"Oh, he's just a Stuffed Elephant!" laughed Geraldine. "I mean he hasn't any works inside him to wind up. He's just full of cotton! But I am beginning to like him more than I care for some of the toys that do wind up. I almost wish I were small again, so I could have this Elephant for myself!"
 
"He is nice," admitted Angelina.
 
"Well, I'm glad they like me," thought the Stuffed Elephant to himself, for just now he was not allowed to speak out loud or move around, as the Make Believe toys [Pg 3]could do at certain times. But these times were when no eyes of boys, girls, men or women were looking.
 
It was mainly at night, after the store was closed for the day, that the toys had their fun—talking to one another, moving about, doing tricks, and the like of that. Now all that the Stuffed Elephant could do was to stand on his four sturdy2 legs, with his tail on one end, and his trunk, almost like a second tail, at the other end of his body.
 
He had two white tusks3 sticking out on either side of his trunk, and at first you might have thought these tusks were toothpicks. But they were not. An elephant's tusks are really teeth, grown extra long so he can dig up the roots of trees and the plants on which he feeds.
 
But a Stuffed Elephant doesn't dig with his tusks, of course. He never has to eat, being already stuffed, you know. And the Elephant in this story was well stuffed with cotton.[Pg 4]
 
"I am sure this Elephant is going to be one of our very nicest Christmas toys," went on Miss Geraldine Mugg, as she lifted more playthings from the big box that had come from the workshop of Santa Claus at the North pole.
 
"Yes, I wish we had more like him," added Miss Angelina.
 
The two ladies helped their father, Mr. Horatio Mugg, in his toy store. It was a delightful4 place for children, and many a boy and girl would have been glad to stay all day in the "Mugg Toy Shop," as the big sign out in front named the place.
 
"Well, here are some more of those China Cats," went on Miss Geraldine, as she lifted some white pussies5 from the box.
 
"Oh, aren't they darling!" exclaimed her sister. "Do you remember the first China Cat we had?"
 
"Indeed I do! It was bought for a little girl named Jennie. And she told me, only the other day, that her China Cat had had ever so many adventures!"[Pg 5]
 
"The dear child! The children, I believe, really think their toys are alive, and can move about!"
 
"Of course we can, only you don't know it, and you never see us!" whispered the Stuffed Elephant to himself.
 
And then he winked6 one eye at a China Cat—an eye that neither Angelina nor Geraldine saw blinking7. Gracious8! how surprised the two ladies would have been to see a Stuffed Elephant winking9 one eye at a China Cat.
 
But stranger things than that are going to happen, I promise you!
 
"Be careful, Geraldine! Be careful!" suddenly cried Angelina, as her sister arose from stooping over the box, and started toward the shelves with an armful of toys.
 
"What's the matter?"
 
"Why, you nearly stepped on the Stuffed Elephant!"
 
"Oh, I'm glad that it didn't really happen! We have only one toy like him, and [Pg 6]it would never do to have him crushed all out of shape before he is sold for Christmas. I forgot that we left him standing10 on the floor. Gracious, but he's a big fellow!" she exclaimed.
 
"I'll lift him up on the shelf," Angelina said.
 
She picked up the Stuffed Elephant. Really he was one of the largest toys that had ever come from the workshop of Santa Claus. And he was a very finely made toy, only the best cotton and cloth having been used.
 
"Does he squeak11?" asked Geraldine, as she saw her sister set the creature with trunk and tusks on a broad shelf.
 
"Squeak? Goodness, of course not! What made you think that?"
 
"Well, some of the toy animals have a squeaker inside them, and make a noise when you press it. I was thinking perhaps the elephant had a squeaker."
 
"No. If he had anything he would have [Pg 7]a sort of trumpet12 in him," said Angelina. "Real elephants make a trumpeting13 noise through their trunks, but of course a stuffed one can't!"
 
"Oh, ho! You just wait until it gets dark and this toy shop is closed!" whispered the Stuffed Elephant to himself. "Then I'll show you whether I can trumpet or not. Though I forgot. I can't show you nor let you hear, it isn't allowed. But after the store is closed we'll have some fun!"
 
Toy after toy was taken from the big packing box. There were Sawdust Dolls, Candy Rabbits, Tin Soldiers, Plush Bears and a Monkey on a Stick—just like other toys of the same name who had had many adventures, and about whom stories like this have been written.
 
As the toys were taken out of the box they were placed on the shelves in Mr. Mugg's store. This was in a back room, for the toys had yet to be sorted and [Pg 8]looked over, to make sure each one was all right, before they were put in the front part of the store to be sold.
 
Mr. Mugg had a larger and finer store than the one before the fire, when the China Cat had so nearly been melted by the great heat. And, having a larger store, Mr. Mugg bought larger Christmas playthings, such as the Stuffed Elephant.
 
Finally all the new toys were taken from the box and placed around on the shelves. While Angelina and Geraldine had been doing this, their father was in the front part of the store, waiting on customers. After a bit, when it grew dark outside, and the lights were lit inside the store, Mr. Mugg locked the front door and came back into the rear14 room.
 
"I think we have worked enough for to-day," the toy man told his daughters. "We will wait until to-morrow before looking over the new things and marking prices on them. I am tired and want to go to bed."[Pg 9]
 
"Good!" thought the Stuffed Elephant. "That is, I'm not glad Mr. Mugg is tired," he went on, in his thoughts; "but I'm glad he is going to bed so I can move about and talk to some of my toy friends. It's been no fun to be shut up in that box ever since I came from the shop of Santa Claus."
 
A little later the store was in darkness, except for a small light burning near the safe, so the passing policeman could look and see that no burglars15 were breaking into it.
 
"Hello, everybody!" suddenly called the Stuffed Elephant, waving his trunk around in the air. "How are you all?"
 
"Who is that speaking?" asked a Nodding Donkey, a toy whose head kept moving all the while, as it was fastened on a pivot16.
 
"A new chap—a Stuffed Elephant," answered a Jumping Jack17, who wore a blue and yellow cap.
 
"A Stuffed Elephant! Let me see him! I never heard of such a creature!" brayed18 [Pg 10]the Nodding Donkey, and he slid along the shelf to get a better view.
 
For it was the mystic hour when the Make Believe toys could pretend to be alive—when they could move about and talk.
 
"Here I am, right over here!" trumpeted19 the Stuffed Elephant, and if Miss Geraldine and Miss Angelina, or even Mr. Mugg, could have heard him they would have been very much surprised.
 
"Oh, you have two tails!" cried the Nodding Donkey.
 
"No, only one," said the Stuffed Elephant. "The other is my trunk. It really is a long nose, but it is called a trunk."
 
"Is there anything inside it?" asked a Calico Clown.
 
"Nothing but air—I breathe through my trunk," the Stuffed Elephant answered. "But I, myself, am filled with the very best cotton, lots and lots of it! Have you cotton inside you?" he asked the Donkey.[Pg 11]
 
"No, I'm wood clear through," was the reply. "But as long as you are a new toy, let me welcome you among us. We are glad to see you. What is the latest news from the land of Santa Claus?"
 
"Well, let me see. So many things happen up there that I hardly know where to start to tell you about them," replied the Stuffed Elephant. "In the first place——"
 
"I'm stuffed, too!" suddenly interrupted a high, squeaky voice. "Only I'm stuffed with sawdust. Here I am, over here!"
 
"Yes, Miss Sawdust Doll, we see you," brayed the Nodding Donkey. "But please don't interrupt the Stuffed Elephant. He is going to tell us about Santa Claus, and I want to hear, as it is some time since I came from the North Pole."
 
"Well, I can tell you as well as that Stuffed Elephant can," went on the squeaky Sawdust Doll. "I came from[Pg 12] Santa Claus's shop in the same box with him."
 
"You're not the first Sawdust Doll, though. She was bought by a little girl named Dorothy, I've heard said," remarked a rubber dog.
 
"Yes, that's right," said the Nodding Donkey. "And her brother Dick had a White Rocking Horse. But as long as the Stuffed Elephant kindly20 offered first to tell us the latest news from the North Pole, I think it would be only polite to let him finish."
 
"Oh, of course—yes!" squeaked21 the new Sawdust Doll.
 
"Well," began the creature with the trunk and tusks, "I think I will tell you——"
 
But just then there was a whirring noise at the end of the shelf, and a little voice cried:
 
"Oh, save me, somebody! Please save me! I'm wound up too tight, and my wheels are running away with me! I'll [Pg 13]run to the edge of the shelf and fall off! Save me, somebody, please!"
 
A Rolling Mouse, that could run across the room on wheels when wound up, dashed along the toy shelf. As she had said, she was in danger of falling off. Straight toward the Stuffed Elephant ran the Rolling Mouse, squeaking22 in fright.
 
"I'll save you! I'll save you!" trumpeted the big toy. "Don't be afraid, Miss Mouse! I'll save you!"
 
He uncoiled his long nose of a trunk, and stretched it out toward the Rolling Mouse.[Pg 14]
 

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 tightly ZgbzD7     
adv.紧紧地,坚固地,牢固地
参考例句:
  • My child holds onto my hand tightly while we cross the street.横穿马路时,孩子紧拉着我的手不放。
  • The crowd pressed together so tightly that we could hardly breathe.人群挤在一起,我们几乎喘不过气来。
2 sturdy YF4yF     
adj.强壮的,结实的,坚固的,坚定(强)的
参考例句:
  • We need several sturdy men to push this car.我们需要几个强壮的人来推车。
  • Children need sturdy shoes.孩子们需要结实的鞋子。
3 tusks d5d7831c760a0f8d3440bcb966006e8c     
n.(象等动物的)长牙( tusk的名词复数 );獠牙;尖形物;尖头
参考例句:
  • The elephants are poached for their tusks. 为获取象牙而偷猎大象。
  • Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used in some parts of Africa. 非洲的一些地区则使用象牙、猴尾和盐。 来自英语晨读30分(高一)
4 delightful 6xzxT     
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的
参考例句:
  • We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
  • Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。
5 pussies 9c98ba30644d0cf18e1b64aa3bf72b06     
n.(粗俚) 女阴( pussy的名词复数 );(总称)(作为性对象的)女人;(主要北美使用,非正式)软弱的;小猫咪
参考例句:
  • Not one of these pussies has been washed in weeks. 这帮娘儿们几个星期都没洗过澡了。 来自电影对白
  • See there's three kinds of people: dicks pussies and assholes. 哥们,世上有三种人:小弟弟、小妹妹,还有屁股眼。 来自互联网
6 winked af6ada503978fa80fce7e5d109333278     
v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮
参考例句:
  • He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼,她便知道他的想法和她一样。
  • He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
7 blinking AxIzsB     
a.(英俚)该死的,讨厌的;十足的
参考例句:
  • Shut the blinking door! 关上那扇该死的门!
  • Her ring is an odd little concern fitted with blinking diamonds. 她的戒指是装有许多闪光钻石的小玩意儿。
8 gracious qfgxb     
adj.亲切的,客气的,宽厚的,仁慈的
参考例句:
  • She was a very gracious lady.她是一位非常和蔼可亲的女士。
  • She was gracious enough to show us round her home.她彬彬有礼地领我们参观了她的家。
9 winking b599b2f7a74d5974507152324c7b8979     
n.瞬眼,目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮
参考例句:
  • Anyone can do it; it's as easy as winking. 这谁都办得到,简直易如反掌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The stars were winking in the clear sky. 星星在明亮的天空中闪烁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 standing 2hCzgo     
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。
11 squeak 4Gtzo     
n.吱吱声,逃脱;v.(发出)吱吱叫,侥幸通过;(俚)告密
参考例句:
  • I don't want to hear another squeak out of you!我不想再听到你出声!
  • We won the game,but it was a narrow squeak.我们打赢了这场球赛,不过是侥幸取胜。
12 trumpet AUczL     
n.喇叭,喇叭声;v.吹喇叭,吹嘘
参考例句:
  • He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴,我吹喇叭。
  • The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。
13 trumpeting 68cf4dbd1f99442d072d18975013a14d     
大声说出或宣告(trumpet的现在分词形式)
参考例句:
  • She is always trumpeting her son. 她总是吹嘘她儿子。
  • The wind is trumpeting, a bugle calling to charge! 风在掌号。冲锋号! 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
14 rear 3Abz2     
vt.抚养,饲养;n.后部,后面
参考例句:
  • We had to rear it in a nursery and plant it out.我们不得不在苗棚里培育它,然后再把它移植出来。
  • The hall is in the rear of the building.礼堂在大楼的后部。
15 burglars d67fc9a7c31f8ccf3c8b4ca13f01d7ac     
窃贼( burglar的名词复数 ); 破门盗窃者; 破门盗贼; 小偷
参考例句:
  • The house had been ransacked by burglars. 这房子遭到了盗贼的洗劫。
  • The burglars took to their heels when they heard the police arrive. 窃贼听见警察来了,拔腿就跑。
16 pivot E2rz6     
v.在枢轴上转动;装枢轴,枢轴;adj.枢轴的
参考例句:
  • She is the central pivot of creation and represents the feminine aspect in all things.她是创造的中心枢轴,表现出万物的女性面貌。
  • If a spring is present,the hand wheel will pivot on the spring.如果有弹簧,手轮的枢轴会装在弹簧上。
17 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
18 brayed 35244603a1b2c5aecb22adfa79460dd4     
v.发出驴叫似的声音( bray的过去式和过去分词 );发嘟嘟声;粗声粗气地讲话(或大笑);猛击
参考例句:
  • He brayed with laughter. 他刺耳地大笑。
  • His donkey threw up his head and brayed loudly. 他的驴扬起头大声叫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 trumpeted f8fa4d19d667140077bbc04606958a63     
大声说出或宣告(trumpet的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Soldiers trumpeted and bugled. 士兵们吹喇叭鸣号角。
  • The radio trumpeted the presidential campaign across the country. 电台在全国范围大力宣传总统竞选运动。
20 kindly tpUzhQ     
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地
参考例句:
  • Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
  • A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。
21 squeaked edcf2299d227f1137981c7570482c7f7     
v.短促地尖叫( squeak的过去式和过去分词 );吱吱叫;告密;充当告密者
参考例句:
  • The radio squeaked five. 收音机里嘟嘟地发出五点钟报时讯号。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Amy's shoes squeaked on the tiles as she walked down the corridor. 埃米走过走廊时,鞋子踩在地砖上嘎吱作响。 来自辞典例句
22 squeaking 467e7b45c42df668cdd7afec9e998feb     
v.短促地尖叫( squeak的现在分词 );吱吱叫;告密;充当告密者
参考例句:
  • Squeaking floorboards should be screwed down. 踏上去咯咯作响的地板应用螺钉钉住。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Can you hear the mice squeaking? 你听到老鼠吱吱叫吗? 来自《简明英汉词典》


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