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儿童英语读物 Schoolhouse Mystery CHAPTER 5 The Money Man

时间:2017-06-15 05:43来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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When the Aldens drove back to the island they saw Hal and Marie waving to them from the beach. Marie shouted, “Please come over!”

“You go on,” said Grandfather. “You don’t need me.”

The four Aldens ran down to the beach.

Hal said, “Guess who is coming to the island! The Money Man!”

Benny said, “The Money Man? Now who is that?”

Marie said, “Oh, he’s a wonderful man who buys money. Pa had a quarter, and the Money Man gave him ten dollars for it.”

“Whew, that’s a lot of money!” said Benny. “How do you know he is coming again?”

“Somebody saw him in Northport and told Mr. Fenton,” said Hal.

“Does he have blond1 hair?” asked Benny.

“Yes, he does, and white teeth,” said Hal. “He has a big smile. He smiles at everybody.”

“There you are, Jessie,” said Henry with a nod.

Jessie said, “Yes, Mr. Fenton was right. You couldn’t miss that man.”

Marie said, “My pa says we ought to help you clean up the school. After all, it’s for us. The big boys can help carry water, and there are more children to help if you want them.”

“Good!” said Henry. “Let me see. We do need help, but it’s too late to do anything now. Let’s clean the school tomorrow morning and begin school the next day. That’ll be Thursday.”

“Funny day to begin school,” said Benny. “But what do we care? We bought some paints and things in Northport.”

“Let’s meet at eight o’clock tomorrow morning at the school,” said Jessie. “Eight of us can do a lot of work.”

As it turned out, there were more than eight. Several other children were waiting with Hal and Marie when the Aldens arrived the next morning.

Henry unlocked2 the front door, and they all went in and looked around.

“The room is dusty,” said Marie.

It was an old-fashioned3 schoolroom. The desks and seats were fastened to the floor.

“I’d like my children in the front row,” said Benny. “Your big children can sit in the back seats.”

This was really the only way, because the front seats were small and the back seats were large.

Henry set everyone to work. The children took the books off the shelves and washed the shelves. Every book was dusted and set back. The children were delighted with their own work. The biggest boys washed the seats and desks. The teacher’s desk was washed, and a new pink blotter put in the middle.

“Will somebody bring flowers for this desk tomorrow?” asked Jessie.

“Oh, I will!” cried a child named Isabelle. “We have a big vine4 of pink roses all over our roof.”

There was a wood stove in the back of the room and a woodbox. Hal wiped off the stove. Then he said, “How about the woodbox? It looks all right to me.”

Henry agreed. “Just brush off the top. We certainly won’t have a fire. Leave the wood for winter.”

A little later Benny was standing5 still, looking at a big picture on the wall. It hung in the front of the room where the big chimney6 was. He said, “Look at this picture of George Washington. White wig7 and hair ribbon and all! What can we do about that? It looks dark and dirty.”

The painting showed the first President in his old-fashioned costume, standing beside a table.

“You can’t clean that, Benny,” said Violet8. “It would spoil9 it to wash it. And it’s too high, anyway.”

“Just let it alone, huh?” said Benny. “I’m glad we don’t have to wear fancy10 clothes like that with all those buttons down the coat.”

“So am I,” said Jimmy. “I’ve got to go home now, Mr. Benny.”

“Don’t call me Mr. Benny. I’m not really a teacher. Why do you have to go home?”

“I’ve got to find some old bottles out in the fish house,” said Jimmy. “The Money Man wants ’em. I’ve got to have them all ready.”

“Yes,” agreed his sister. “He even wants an old olive11 bottle! I’ve found that already. It says Queen Olives12, 1875, on it. Ma says her ma must have bought it. Isn’t he a funny man? To want an old dusty bottle almost a hundred years old?” Then she added quickly, “But he’s wonderful just the same.”

All the children were listening now. They nodded their heads. An older boy named Jeffrey Frost said, “My pa and ma have been waiting for the Money Man to come. He told them to find all the funny old things they could. He likes ’em! Ma found an old glass pitcher13 and a whale’s tooth with pictures on it.”

Henry said, “Jeffrey, do you know where that whale’s tooth came from?”

“Oh, yes, my great uncle made the pictures when he sailed on an old whaling ship. That tooth is so heavy you wouldn’t believe it!”

Jessie said, “Well, we’ve finished our work here, anyway. We’ll all go home now and start school tomorrow.”

“What time does school begin?” asked Jeffrey.

“Nine o’clock,” said Henry. “You’ll hear the bell.”

“I’m going to ring the bell,” added Benny.

“That’s lots of fun,” said Jimmy.

“Maybe you can be the bell ringer later,” said Benny. “Tell all the other children, won’t you?”

“Tell them?” said Marie, laughing. “Most of the children are here now. The rest will know just as soon as we get home.”

“No school in the afternoon?” asked Jeffrey.

“No, I’m sorry,” said Henry. “You ought to help at home.”

“I suppose so,” said Marie. Then her face lighted up and she said, “I’m going to clean up my room just like this schoolroom. My sister will help me. She sleeps there, too.”

The schoolroom was indeed clean. Henry locked the door, and the children ran off in all directions.

The Aldens found Grandfather waiting for lunch.

When they were sitting down at the table, Henry said, “We are worried, Grandfather, about the Money Man. I’m afraid he is cheating everyone on the island.”

“I’m sure he is,” said Jessie. “You see, he paid ten dollars for an old quarter. That made them all trust him. But who knows? That quarter may be worth a hundred dollars.”

“Or a thousand!” said Benny. “You see, Grandfather, there really is a mystery here. I don’t think the Money Man is as wonderful as he seems.”

Grandfather smiled. “Well, Benny,” he said, “I’m sure you will keep your eyes open. If this man goes too far, we’ll try to stop him. But I agree with you. He isn’t wonderful at all!”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 blond KRpyb     
adj.金发的;n.白肤碧眼金发的人
参考例句:
  • Her long blond hair spilled down over her shoulders.她那淡黄色的长发披垂在双肩。
  • This blond man delivers newspaper every morning.这个白肤金发碧眼的男人每天早晨送报纸。
2 unlocked d821dbe5ef2db3d805cd0f7eea0ec33f     
v.开锁( unlock的过去式和过去分词 );开启;揭开;开着,解开
参考例句:
  • Don't leave your desk unlocked. 请不要忘记锁好办公桌。
  • On no account should you leave the door unlocked. 你无论如何也不应该不锁门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 old-fashioned FmIzps     
adj.旧式的,保守的,挑剔的
参考例句:
  • Why do you still dress in an old-fashioned mode?你为什么还穿款式陈旧的衣服?
  • Here is an old-fashioned pump for drawing water from a well.这里有一个旧式水泵可从井里抽水。
4 vine nhHwo     
n.葡萄树;蔓;藤
参考例句:
  • The vine twines round the tree.这藤盘绕在树干上。
  • There is a vine yard before the hill.山前有一个葡萄园。
5 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。
6 chimney zVoyu     
n.烟囱,烟筒;玻璃罩
参考例句:
  • The chimney blew out a cloud of black smoke.烟囱里喷出一团黑烟。
  • His father is a chimney sweeper.他的父亲是一位扫烟囱的工人。
7 wig 1gRwR     
n.假发
参考例句:
  • The actress wore a black wig over her blond hair.那个女演员戴一顶黑色假发罩住自己的金黄色头发。
  • He disguised himself with a wig and false beard.他用假发和假胡须来乔装。
8 violet 8h3wm     
adj.紫色的;n.紫罗兰
参考例句:
  • She likes to wear violet dresses.他喜欢穿紫色的衣服。
  • Violet is the color of wisdom,peace and strength.紫色是智慧的,和平的和力量的颜色。
9 spoil 4rVyC     
n.战利品,赃物,奖品,掠夺,次品;vt.损坏,破坏,溺爱;vi.腐坏,掠夺
参考例句:
  • Don't bunch the flowers up so tightly,you'll spoil them.别把花束得这么紧,会弄坏的。
  • Overacting will only spoil the effect.表演过火,效果反而不好。
10 fancy Pl2yl     
n.想像力,幻想;喜好,爱;adj.想像的,时髦的,华丽装饰的,奢侈的;技巧的;vt.想象,自认为,喜好
参考例句:
  • He seemed to have taken quite a fancy to her.他似乎相当喜欢她。
  • I have a fancy that it's going to rain.我想大概要下雨。
11 olive yI2x1     
n.橄榄,橄榄树,橄榄色;adj.黄绿色的,黄褐色的,橄榄色的
参考例句:
  • Have you eaten a kind of fruit called olive?你吃过橄榄这种水果吗?
  • She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace.她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。
12 olives db79e16594b0f8d2bf503a67c9f1f97d     
n.橄榄( olive的名词复数 );橄榄树;橄榄色;油橄榄
参考例句:
  • We sat drinking wine and nibbling olives. 我们坐在那儿,喝着葡萄酒嚼着橄榄。
  • He sent her two pieces of olives in letter. 他在信中给她夹了两片橄榄树的叶子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 pitcher S2Gz7     
n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐;(棒球)投手
参考例句:
  • He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
  • Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。
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