Chapter9 A Fire on the Hearth 壁炉中的火-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《草原小屋Little House on the Prairie》上

Chapter 9 A Fire on the Hearth OUTSIDE the house,close to the log wall opposite the door,Pa cut away the grass and scraped the ground smooth.He was getting ready to build the fireplace. Then he and Ma put the wagon-box on the wheels again,and Pa hitched up Pet and Patty. The rising sun was shortening2 all the shadows.Hundreds of meadow3 larks were rising from the prairie,singing higher and higher in the air.Their songs came down from the great,clear sky like a rain of music,And all over the land,where the grasses waved and murmured under the wind,thousands of little dickie-birds clung with their tiny claws to the blossoming weeds and sang their thousands of little songs. Pet and Patty sniffed the wind and whinnied with joy.They arched their necks and pawed at the ground because they were eager to go.Pa was whistling while he climbed to the wagon-seat and took up the reins. Then he looked down at Laura,who was looking up at him,and he stopped whistling and said:"Want to go along,Laura?You and Mary?" Ma said they could.They climbed up the wheels,clinging to the ·126· q 壁炉中的火 在屋外，对着门口，靠近木墙的地方，爸爸清 除了杂草，把地面修整得平平展展。他正准备砌一 ①scrape/skrerp/.擦 掉 个壁炉。 接着，他和妈妈再一次把车厢放在车轮上，爸 爸套上皮特和帕蒂。 朝阳使所有的影子都变短了，成百上千的草地 ②shorten/∫b:tnlg弄 短 百灵从草原上展翅高飞，在空中欢唱，歌声越唱越 3 meadow /'medau/n. 高。它们的歌声像一串音乐，从辽阔晴朗的天空降 草地 下。遍地的野草在风中摇曳招展，低声细语，成千 ④murmur/'m3:ma/ 低语 上万只小鸟用它们的小爪子紧紧地抓住花朵盛开的 野草，唱着它们的数不尽的小曲。 ⑤blossoming开花 ⑥sniff/sntf/嗅 皮特和帕蒂呼呼地吸着气，兴奋地发出低沉和 缓的嘶叫。它们弯下脖子，用蹄子刨着地面，因为 )eager /i:g3/a.渴望 它们急着要走。爸爸一边吹口哨，一边爬上马车座 的 拿起缰绳。然后他向下看看劳拉，劳拉也正抬头看 他。他停下口哨问道：“也要一同去吗，劳拉？你 和玛丽？” 妈妈说她们可以去。她们把光着的脚趾伸进车 ·127· Little House on the Prairie spokes with their bare toes,and they sat on the high wagon-seat beside Pa.Pet and Patty started with a little jump,and the wagon went jolting2 down the road that Pa's wagon wheels had made. They went down between the bare,reddish-yellow walls of earth, all ridged and wrinkled by forgotten rains.Then they went on,across the rolling land of the creek bottoms.Masses of trees covered some of the low,rounded hills,and some of them were grassy,open spaces. Deer were lying in the shadows of the trees,and deer were grazing 5 in the sunshine on the green grass.They lifted their heads and pricked their ears,and stood chewing and watching the wagon with their soft,large eyes. All along the road the wild larkspur was blossoming pink and blue and white,birds balanced on yellow plumes of goldenrod,and butterflies were fluttering.Starry daisies lighted the shadows under trees,squirrels chattered on branches overhead,white-tailed rabbits hopped along the road,and snakes wriggled quickly across it when they heard the wagon coming. Deep in the lowest valley the creek was running,in the shadow of dirt bluffs.When Laura looked up those bluffs,she couldn't see the prairie grass at all.Trees grew up the bluffs where the earth had crumbled,and where the bare dirt was so steeps that trees couldn't grow on it bushes held on desperately with their roots.Half-naked roots were high above Laura's head. "Where are the Indian camps?"Laura asked Pa.He had seen the Indians'deserted 3 camps,here among the bluffs.But he was too busy to show them to her now.He must get the rocks to build the fireplace. “You girls can play,”he said,“but don't go out of my sight and don't go into the water.And don't play with snakes.Some of the snakes down here are poison . 128 草原小屋【 ①spoke/spauk/n.车 辐，爬上车轮，挨着爸爸坐在高高的马车座位上。 辐 ②jotd3ult/v.颠簸 皮特和帕蒂微微一跳，便上路了。马车沿着爸爸的 而行 马车轮轧出来的路颠簸着。 ③reddish/redj/a.微 他们在光秀秃的黄得发红的土壁之间往下走， 红的 ④ridge/rid3/k变成 土壁由于被遗忘了的雨水的冲刷，全部变成了脊 脊状 状，到处起皱，凹凸不匀。接着，他们继续向前 走，过了河边低地起伏不平的大地。大量的树林覆 ⑤graze /greiz/v.使吃 盖着一些圆形的低矮山丘，有些地方是野草茂密的 草 空旷场地。鹿群躺在树荫下，有些在阳光下吃绿 草。它们拾起头，竖起耳朵，站在那儿一边咀嚼一 边用温柔的大眼晴注视马车。 larkspur /la:ksp3:/n. 一路上，野生的飞燕草盛开着鲜花，有粉红色 燕草属植物 ⑦plume /plu:m/n.羽 的，蓝色的，还有白色的；鸟儿在羽状的黄花上左 毛 摇右摆；蝴蝶在振翼飞舞。灿烂的雏菊在树下投下 butterfly /'bAtoflal/ n蝴螺 影子；松鼠在头顶上面的树枝上吱吱乱叫，白尾兔 ⑨flutter/flAta/g鼓 翼 沿路欢蹦乱跳；蛇听到马车到来时哧溜哧溜穿过马 0 starry /sta:n/a.星 路溜掉了。 光照耀的 ⑩wriggle/rIgl/.蠕 在万丈峡谷深处，河水在陡峭的土壁的阴影下 动 dirt dirt/d:t/n.污 奔流。劳拉抬头向那些峭壁望去，她一点儿也看不 垢 到草原上的野草了。在土质坍塌的峭壁上生长着树 3 bluff/blaf/n.断崖 crumble /'krAmbl/v. 木，而在光秃秃的非常陡峭以至树木无法在上面生 弄碎 steep /sti:p/a,险峻 长的地方，则有灌木在拼命地用它的根系支撑着。 的 半裸的树根高高地盘曲在劳拉的头上方。 “印第安人营地在哪儿？”劳拉问爸爸。他曾在 deserted /d'z3:tid/ 这儿的峭壁中间见到过印第安人丢弃的营地。但现 a废弃的 在他太忙了，不能带她去看。他必须弄到砌壁炉的 sight/sat/n,眼界 石块。 8 poison/p31zn/n.毒 药 “姑娘们，你们自己玩，”他说，“但是不要走 远让我看不见，不要下水。不要玩蛇。这里有些蛇 ·129 Little House on the Prairie So Laura and Mary played by the creek,while Pa dug the rocks he wanted and loaded them into the wagon. They watched long-legged water-bugs skate over the glassy-still pools.They ran along the bank to scare the frogs,and laughed when the green-coated frogs with their white vests plopped into the water.They listened to the wood-pigeons call among the trees,and the brown thrush singing.They saw the little minnows swimming all together in the shallow places where the creek ran sparkling.The minnows were thin gray shadows in the rippling water,only now and again one minnow flashed the sunshine from its silvery belly. There was no wind along the creek.The air was still and drowsy warm.It smelled of damp roots and mud,and it was full of the sound of rustling leaves and of the water running. In the muddy places where deer's tracks were thick and every hoofprint held water,swarms of mosquitoes rose up with a keen, sharp buzzing.Laura and Mary slapped at mosquitoes on their faces and necks and hands and legs,and wished they could go wading.They were so hot and the water looked so cool.Laura was sure that it would do no harm just to dip one foot in,and when Pa's back was turned she almost did it. "Laura,"said Pa,and she snatched the naughty foot back. “If you girls want to go wading,”Pa said,“you can do it in that shallow place.Don't go in over your ankles." Mary waded only a little while.She said the gravel hurt her feet, and she sat on a log and patiently slapped at mosquitoes.But Laura slapped and kept on wading.When she stepped,the gravel hurt her feet. When She stood still,the tiny minnows swarmed about her toes and nibbled them with their tiny mouths.It was a funny,squiggling feeling.Laura tried and tried to catch a minnow,but she only got the 130 草原小屋 有毒。” 于是，劳拉和玛丽在河边玩，爸爸挖出他中意 ①bug /bAg/i.小虫 的石块，然后装上马车。 她们望着长腿水虫滑过平静如镜的河湾水面。 ②vest /vest/n背心 她们沿着河岸奔跑吓唬青蛙，看到身着绿袄白衫的 ③plop /plpp/k,嘆的 一声 青蛙扑通扑通跳入水中时便开怀大笑起来。她们听 ④thrush/0rAf/n画眉 ⑤minnow/'minaw/n. 斑尾林鸽在林中鸣叫，棕色歌鸫在放声歌唱。她们 鲦鱼 看到小河流淌，泛起点点银光，小鱼成群结队地在 浅处游荡。小鱼在涟漪中呈淡淡的灰影，偶尔鱼儿 的银色肚皮上闪现出阳光。 河岸没有风。空气静谧，暖得令人懒洋洋的昏 6drowsy /'drauzl/a. 昏昏欲睡的 昏欲睡。它散发出潮湿的树根味和泥土味，并充满 damp/daemp/a.湘 了树叶的沙沙声和流水的潺潺声。 湿的 鹿的足迹很深，每一个蹄洼都存满了水，成群 hoofprint/hu:fprint/ 的蚊虫在这泥泞的地方飞起，发出尖厉的嗡嗡声。 n.蹄印 劳拉和玛丽拍打着她们脸上，脖子上，手上和腿上 ⑨swam /sw.5:mi蜂 窝 的蚊虫，她俩希望能蹚一蹚水。她们感到很热，而 0keen/ki:n/a.锋利 的 河水看上去很凉爽。劳拉确信只伸进一只脚不会有 什么害处，在爸爸转身面向她们的时候，她几乎把 脚伸进了水。 “劳拉。”爸爸叫她，她缩回了那只淘气的脚。 “如果你们姑娘们要蹚水，”爸爸说，“可以到 那边水浅的地方去蹚。不要到水没脚踝的地方。” 玛丽只蹚了一会儿。她说砂砾伤脚，于是坐在 一根木头上，耐心地拍打蚊虫。但劳拉一边拍打蚊 虫，一边继续蹚水。她迈步向前，脚被砂砾硌疼 I nibble /'nibl/一点 了。她站着不动时，小鱼就团团围住她的脚趾，用 点地咬 2 squiggle /'skwigl/v. 它们的小嘴啄她的脚趾。这给人一种痒酥酥的、有 蜿蜒蠕动 趣的感觉。劳拉三番五次地设法捉一条小鱼，但她 ·131· Little House on the Prairie hem of her dress wet. Then the wagon was loaded.Pa called,"Come along,girls!"and they climbed to the wagon-seat again and rode away from the creek.Up through the woods and hills they rode again,to the High Prairie where the winds were always blowing and the grasses seemed to sing and whisper and laugh. They hadhad a wonderful time in the creek bottoms.But Laura liked the High Prairie best.The prairie was so wide and sweet and clean. That afternoon Ma sat sewing in the shade of the house,and Baby Carrie played on the quilt beside her,while Laura and Mary watched Pa build the fireplace. First he mixed clay and water to a beautiful thick mud,in the mustangs'water bucket He let Laura stir the mud while he laid a row of rocks around three sides of the space he had cleared by the house- wall.Then with a wooden paddle he spread the mud over the rocks.In the mud he laid another row of rocks,and plastered5 them over the top and down on the inside with more mud. ·132· 草原小屋【 ①hem/hem/n.边缘 只落得把自己的裙边弄湿完事。 这时候，马车装满了。爸爸叫道：“来吧，孩 子们！”她们又爬上马车的座位，离开河岸走了。他 们又穿过树林和山丘，来到大草原，这儿，风总在 刮，野草似乎永不疲倦地在唱歌，低语和欢笑。 她们在河边低地玩得很开心，但是劳拉最喜欢 的是大草原。草原是那么开阔，那么甜美，那么洁 净。 那天下午，妈妈在小屋阴凉处缝衣服，小卡里 在她身旁的被子上玩，劳拉和玛丽看着爸爸砌壁 炉。 首先，他在饮马的水桶里和泥，和成标准的稠 ②clay/kler/n粘土 ③bucket/bAkit/n.水 泥浆。他让劳拉搅拌泥浆，自己在屋墙边清理出来 桶 的空地上，沿3个边各摆好一排石块，然后用木板 把泥浆抹在石块上。在泥浆上再码一排石块，并在 ④paddle/'ped/n.桨 5 plaster /'pla:sta/v. 上面和里边抹上更多的泥浆。 涂以灰泥 ⑥mud /mAd/n泥 ·133· Little House on the Prairie He made a box on the ground;three sides of the box were made of rocks and mud,and the other side was the log wall of the house. With rocks and mud and more rocks and more mud,he built the walls as high as Laura's chin.Then on the walls,close against the house,he laid a log.He plastered the log all over with mud. After that,he built up rocks and mud on top of that log.He was making the chimney now,and he made it smaller and smaller. He had to go to the creek for more rocks.Laura and Mary could not go again,because Ma said the damp air might give them a fever2.Mary sat beside Ma and sewed another block3 of her nine-patch quilt,but Laura mixed another bucketful of mud. Next day Pa built the chimney as high as the house-wall.Then he stood and looked at it.He ran his fingers through his hair. “You look like a wild man,Charles,.”Ma said.“You're standing your hair all on end..” “It stands on end,anyway,Caroline,”Pa answered.“When I was ·134· 草原小屋【 他在地上做了一个炉膛，炉膛的三面是用石块 和泥浆砌成的，另一面是小屋的木墙。 他用石块和泥浆以及更多的石块和更多的泥浆 把炉壁砌成劳拉下巴那么高。然后在紧靠小屋的炉 壁上，他搭了一根木头。他把木头抹满了泥浆。 接着，他在那根木头上面用泥浆砌上石块。现 ①chimney/'tjmn/i. 烟囱 在他要砌烟囱了，他把它砌得越往上越小。 他必须到河边弄来更多的石块。劳拉和玛丽不 ②fever /fi:va/n发烧 ③block/blnk/n块 能再去了，因为妈妈说潮湿的空气会使她们患热 ④bucketful n.一桶 病。玛丽坐在妈妈的身边，缝她那9片布的被子的 (满桶)】 另一块，劳拉和出另一桶泥浆。 第二天，爸爸把烟囱砌得屋墙那么高。然后他 站在一旁查看烟囱。他用手梳理了一下头发。 “你像个野人了，查尔斯，”妈妈说，“你的头 发都竖起来了。” “不管怎么梳，它总是竖着，卡罗琳，”爸爸回 ·135·