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儿童英语读物 The Animal Shelter Mystery CHAPTER 4 The Hidden Notebooks

时间:2017-07-07 03:26来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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That day when the Greenfield Library bell rang out at noon, the Aldens could hardly pull themselves away from their work at the shelter. Jessie wanted to finish lining1 the indoor cages with newspapers. Violet was busy making flyers for adopting cats and dogs and more FOUND CAT notices to put up around town. And, for a change, Benny Alden wasn’t chattering2 or hungry.

“Even animal doctors stop for lunch,” Dr. Scott said when she found the three Aldens still hard at work at twelve-fifteen.

Dr. Scott smiled down at Benny. “I’ve never known you to forget about your lunch.”

Everyone was laughing when Dr. Scott put up the CLOSED FOR LUNCH sign on the front door of the shelter. “Have a nice big lunch so you can tackle that old shed when you get back with Henry. Maybe by then I’ll have some information about our mystery founder3. I’m going to spend my lunchtime making phone calls. Now off you go.”

On the short walk to the hardware store, Violet stopped to post one of her FOUND CAT signs on a telephone pole in front of the bank. “Our phone number is on these posters. I hope Grandfather or Mrs. McGregor is home in case anyone calls,” she said.

Benny ran up ahead. He expected to see Henry waiting in front of Seed’s Hardware the way he usually did at lunchtime every day. But Henry was nowhere around.

“Maybe we came too late,” Jessie said. She tried the door and it opened. “That’s strange. Usually Mr. Seed closes up right at noon. He must have a customer.”

In fact, Mr. Seed had three customers.

One man was at the cash register where Henry was carefully counting out money. The Aldens could see two other men in back with Mr. Seed.

“Don’t bother with the change, sonny,” the man told Henry. “It’s not worth counting just a lot of loose coins.”

That didn’t stop Henry. “My grandfather says every dollar starts with a penny, sir. Besides, Mr. Seed wouldn’t like it if his customers didn’t get the change they were due.”

“Whatever you say, sonny, but make it fast.” The man grabbed the change Henry gave him and shoved it into his pocket without even counting it.

Everyone looked up when Mr. Seed came in from the loading dock with the two men following behind. Mr. Seed was talking slowly, but the men didn’t seem to be paying any attention.

“Now, you’ll want to drive slowly and avoid any bumps with that box of dynamite4 in your trunk,” Mr. Seed said. “Your whole car could blow up if you hit a pothole5 too hard, you know.”

“No problem, old man,” one of the men said to Mr. Seed.

Mr. Seed noticed Jessie, Violet, and Benny waiting for Henry, who was busy looking for a receipt book. “Henry, why don’t you leave those receipts so you can have lunch with your brother and sisters? I’ll get them signed.”

One of the men stepped up to the register where Mr. Seed was filling out the receipt book. “No need to sign anything, is there, mister? This is a cash deal. No need for receipts. We’re going to use that dynamite. Don’t worry, we won’t be back to exchange it for one of these flowerpots or maybe a nice pack of marigold seeds.”

The man and his two friends seemed to find this very funny and laughed loudly. The Aldens could see Mr. Seed’s face turn red. He was proud of everything in his store, including the flowerpots.

Jessie couldn’t bear to see Mr. Seed upset. “Excuse me, Mr. Seed. I’d like two starter pots for geraniums,” she said.

“Sure thing, Jessie,” Mr. Seed said in a shaky voice. “And what about you, Violet? Can I get you anything?”

“Just a piece of tape to put up this FOUND CAT sign. We found Miss Newcombe’s animals, but we can’t find her. Maybe one of your customers will see my sign and tell us where she is.”

At this, all three men stared hard at the Aldens. The man who had made fun of the flowerpots stepped up to Jessie. “You kids didn’t happen to follow us here, now, did you?”

“Of course not,” Jessie answered. “We came to meet our brother for lunch. And buy some flower seeds for our grandfather’s garden. May I have two packs of the marigolds, Mr. Seed?”

Mr. Seed didn’t answer right away. He was studying the way the three men were staring at the Aldens. He didn’t like what he saw one bit.

“Of course, of course, Jessie,” he finally answered. “But let’s let these customers out first.” He hurried the men to the front door. “Good day,” he told them, though it was plain from his voice that this hadn’t been a good day at all. The brass6 bell at the top of the door jingled7 when he opened the door, then jingled again when he shut it and turned the big brass lock so the men couldn’t come back in.

Everyone started talking at once. “Who were those men, Mr. Seed?” Jessie asked first. “And why did they talk to you and Henry that way?”

Mr. Seed wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. The Aldens could see he wasn’t his usual cheery self. His hands shook, and his eyes darkened. “I got a call a few days ago from one of them, I’m not sure which one. They’re all demanding and impatient. Said they were from a construction company and then ordered a box of dynamite, which I had to get special from one of my suppliers. When they came to pick it up, I almost changed my mind about selling it to them, but they had a purchase order from a construction company upstate.”

“Have you or Henry ever seen them before?” Jessie asked.

Henry frowned and seemed to be thinking hard. “That’s the odd thing. I kept thinking I’d seen them somewhere, but I can’t figure out where or when.”

Mr. Seed locked up the register. “I don’t even like to take money from people like that. And I didn’t like the once-over they gave all of you when you came into the store. That’s why I wanted them to leave before the four of you went outside.”

“They did look at us kind of funny,” Benny said. “But not really funny. That one guy looked mean when Violet said she wanted to put up the flyer to find Miss Newcombe.”

Violet hugged the sheets of paper close to her. “Why would that bother them, I wonder? Well, I don’t care. I am just going to post these all over town. We have Miss Newcombe’s pets, and now we need to find Miss Newcombe.”

“Well, here’s some tape, Violet,” Mr. Seed said. “When you go back to the animal shelter later, you can tape up a few of your flyers on the outside of my windows. For now, I think it would be a good idea to eat your lunch in here, so that those men are well out of town when you go back to the shelter. Henry and I loaded up the truck already with plenty of shingles9 and nails and whatever else you need to fix that toolshed Dr. Scott wants repaired.”

“Would you like a meat loaf sandwich, Mr. Seed?” Jessie asked when she opened her knapsack. “I’m not too hungry today. You can have mine.”

Mr. Seed shook his head. “I’m afraid those men took my appetite with them. They’re up to no good, and I’m sorry I ever let them in the store. No, I’m not hungry, either. But you should eat. You’ll need all the energy you can muster10 when you work on that old toolshed. Last time I was at the shelter, I noticed there was a lot of water damage on one side. Just taking out the rotted shingles is going to be a big job.”

“We like big jobs,” Benny announced, “so I’d better eat two sandwiches for lunch!”

This made everyone laugh and realize they were hungry after all. Jessie unwrapped all the sandwiches and put a fat pickle11 next to each one. “There’s plenty of ice-cold lemonade, too,” she said as she twisted the cap off a tall red thermos12.

When the library bell rang a half hour later, the Aldens packed all their lunch things in Mr. Seed’s truck along with the materials he was giving to the shelter. Mr. Seed drove on a dirt path in back of the red barn that led to the far end of the property.

“I hope you won’t be doing all this hard work for nothing,” Mr. Seed told the Aldens when he stopped the truck in front of the old toolshed. “I’ve heard the shelter’s closing in a couple of weeks, so Dr. Scott may not need the extra space.”

Jessie looked at Mr. Seed. “The animals need more space now, and I just know we can help Dr. Scott track down the founder of the shelter before the deadline. We have to—we just have to.”

“Of course,” Mr. Seed said gently. “Now you folks give me a call when you need some other supplies from my store. I’ve got plenty of chicken wire, wood boards—lots of things I know you could use in that boxcar you all told me about. All you have to do is ask, okay?”

“Okay!” the Aldens all said at once.

Soon everyone was busy pulling out rotted boards and lining up the new shingles to replace the old ones.

After a few minutes, Violet spoke13 up. “I wonder if Dr. Scott was able to find out anything while we were gone.”

“I found two pups for your boxcar,” everyone heard next as Dr. Scott came out to see how the Aldens were doing. In each arm the animal doctor was carrying a German shepherd puppy they hadn’t seen before. “These pups will be big dogs in no time, and the cages we have here will be much too small for them.”

Benny held one of the squirming dogs in his arms while Jessie held the other. “Did you have any luck finding out about the founder of the shelter, Dr. Scott?” Jessie asked.

Dr. Scott shook her head. “I’m afraid not, Jessie. After you left, I still had so many shots to give and so many other calls to make about getting homes for these strays, I didn’t get a chance to make any other calls. Then there’s Miss Newcombe to check on, too. Everything always happens at the same time. But you’ve all been a big help tending to all these strays. And Henry here has been sent from heaven.”

“We’ll have this old shed fixed14 up by this afternoon since Mr. Seed gave me the rest of the day off,” Henry told Dr. Scott. “Then you won’t have to double up so many animals.”

“That’ll be a great relief,” Dr. Scott said. “These poor animals can start living like dogs and cats and not like sardines15.” She peeked16 into the dusty old shed. “I’ll call for the junk man to remove that old desk and those chairs in there to make more space.”

“Oh, no, we want them!” Jessie cried out.

Dr. Scott winked17 at everyone. “I was teasing! After watching the four of you save every bit of string, every scrap18 of paper, and every bottle and can this summer, I knew you would find some use for these old pieces of furniture. I’ll arrange to have everything sent to your grandfathers, so don’t you worry.”

“We’ll use the desk and chairs for an office in our garage,” Jessie told the doctor. “We want our shelter to be just like the Greenfield Animal Shelter.”

“Judging by the excellent repair job you’re doing on this old shed, I know you’ll turn your boxcar into a safe place for my strays,” Dr. Scott said before heading back to the barn.

“I like tearing down old things, so I can fix them up again,” Jessie said when she held up a new shingle8 for Henry to nail in.

“So do I,” Benny said. He easily pulled off the last few boards from the rotted section of wall. “Hey, look at this!” he called out a few minutes later. “There’s something stuck between these last two boards.”

“Looks like some old black notebooks,” Henry said when he took a close look at what Benny had discovered. “On the cover it says, ‘Property of Jacob Kisco.’ ”

Jessie, who loved old books, took a closer look. “Jacob Kisco must have been a dairy farmer. Look, this page tells how much milk his cows gave and how much food they ate.”

Benny was disappointed. “Just a bunch of old notes about cows. Nothing good.”

“Why, Benny, we can use these to keep track of our animals when we set up our shelter,” Jessie said.

“You and Violet can do that,” Benny said. “I want to feed the animals and play with them.”

Henry, Jessie, and Violet couldn’t help laughing. Benny always liked jobs where he could run and play and not have to stay still for too long.

“Let’s finish up here,” Jessie said. “There’ll be time to look through these old notebooks when we get home.”

Henry put the heavy books in the top drawer of the old desk. He shut the drawer and went back to work measuring and hammering.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 lining kpgzTO     
n.衬里,衬料
参考例句:
  • The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
  • Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。
2 chattering chattering     
n. (机器振动发出的)咔嗒声,(鸟等)鸣,啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的,啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
  • I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。
3 Founder wigxF     
n.创始者,缔造者
参考例句:
  • He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
  • According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说,罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。
4 dynamite rrPxB     
n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破)
参考例句:
  • The workmen detonated the dynamite.工人们把炸药引爆了。
  • The philosopher was still political dynamite.那位哲学家仍旧是政治上的爆炸性人物。
5 pothole hiay1     
n.坑,穴
参考例句:
  • As the car sped over a pothole she lurched forward.车子飞驶过一个坑洼时,她身子猛地向前一倾。
  • The young teacher knows every pothole in the 10-minute ride to school.这位年轻的老师熟悉这条往学校的10分钟路上的每一个坑洞。
6 brass DWbzI     
n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器
参考例句:
  • Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
  • Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
7 jingled 1ab15437500a7437cb07e32cfc02d932     
喝醉的
参考例句:
  • The bells jingled all the way. 一路上铃儿叮当响。
  • Coins in his pocket jingled as he walked. 走路时,他衣袋里的钱币丁当作响。
8 shingle 8yKwr     
n.木瓦板;小招牌(尤指医生或律师挂的营业招牌);v.用木瓦板盖(屋顶);把(女子头发)剪短
参考例句:
  • He scraped away the dirt,and exposed a pine shingle.他刨去泥土,下面露出一块松木瓦块。
  • He hung out his grandfather's shingle.他挂出了祖父的行医招牌。
9 shingles 75dc0873f0e58f74873350b9953ef329     
n.带状疱疹;(布满海边的)小圆石( shingle的名词复数 );屋顶板;木瓦(板);墙面板
参考例句:
  • Shingles are often dipped in creosote. 屋顶板常浸涂木焦油。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The roofs had shingles missing. 一些屋顶板不见了。 来自辞典例句
10 muster i6czT     
v.集合,收集,鼓起,激起;n.集合,检阅,集合人员,点名册
参考例句:
  • Go and muster all the men you can find.去集合所有你能找到的人。
  • I had to muster my courage up to ask him that question.我必须鼓起勇气向他问那个问题。
11 pickle mSszf     
n.腌汁,泡菜;v.腌,泡
参考例句:
  • Mother used to pickle onions.妈妈过去常腌制洋葱。
  • Meat can be preserved in pickle.肉可以保存在卤水里。
12 thermos TqjyE     
n.保湿瓶,热水瓶
参考例句:
  • Can I borrow your thermos?我可以借用你的暖水瓶吗?
  • It's handy to have the thermos here.暖瓶放在这儿好拿。
13 spoke XryyC     
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
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
14 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
15 sardines sardines     
n. 沙丁鱼
参考例句:
  • The young of some kinds of herring are canned as sardines. 有些种类的鲱鱼幼鱼可制成罐头。
  • Sardines can be eaten fresh but are often preserved in tins. 沙丁鱼可以吃新鲜的,但常常是装听的。
16 peeked c7b2fdc08abef3a4f4992d9023ed9bb8     
v.很快地看( peek的过去式和过去分词 );偷看;窥视;微露出
参考例句:
  • She peeked over the top of her menu. 她从菜单上往外偷看。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • On two occasions she had peeked at him through a crack in the wall. 她曾两次透过墙缝窥视他。 来自辞典例句
17 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》
18 scrap JDFzf     
n.碎片;废料;v.废弃,报废
参考例句:
  • A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
  • Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。
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