Chapter15 Fevern’ Ague 疟疾-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《草原小屋Little House on the Prairie》下

Chapter15 Fever'n”Ague① NOW blackberries were ripe, and in the hot afternoons Laura went with Ma to pick them. The big, black, juicy berries hung thick in brier② patches in the creek bottoms. Some were in the shade of trees and some were in the sun, but the sun was so hot that Laura and Ma stayed in the shade. There were plenty of berries. Deer lay in the shady groves③} and watched Ma and Laura. Blue jays^{④ flew at their sunbonnets and scolded because they were taking the berries. Snakes hurriedly crawled away from them, and in the trees the squirrels woke up and chattered at them. Wherever they went among the scratchybriers,mosquitoes^{} rose up in buzzing swarm^{}. Mosquitoes were thick on the big, ripe berries, sucking the sweet juice But they liked to bite Laura and Ma as much as they liked to eat blackberries. Laura's fingers and her mouth were purple-black with berry juice. Her face and her hands and her bare feet were covered with brier scratches^{} and mosquito bites. And they were spattered} with purple stains^{}, too, where she had slapped^{} at the mosquitoes. But every day they brought home pails^{} full of berries, and Ma spread them in the sun todry. 216 15 疤疾 ① fever 'n'ague 寒热 相间的疮疾 黑燕成熟的季节到了,在炎热的下午,劳拉总 跟着妈妈去采摘黑。又大又黑,饱含果汗的黑 ② brier /braio/n. 荆 薛,密密麻麻地挂在河边低地的荆棘地里。有的在 棘 树荫下,有的在阳光下。阳光太强,劳拉和妈妈呆 在树荫下采摘,那里有很多黑燕。 ③ grove /groov/ n. 小 树林 鹿躺在树丛阴凉中,静静地看着妈妈和劳拉。 ④jay/d3ei/n. 鸟,松 鸡 蓝色鸟飞到妈妈和劳拉的宽边太阳帽上,吼矶 scold /skoold/ vi. 责 地抱怨她们采摘浆果。蛇哧溜哧溜地从她们的脚 骂,申斥 scratchy /'skraetfi/ 下爬过,松鼠在树上跳来跳去,冲她们吱吱乱叫。 a.潦草的(拙劣的. 她们穿过择人的荆棘,走到哪儿,哪儿就有一群群 发刮擦声的) mosquito 蚊子嘴地飞起来。 /mos'ki:tou n. 蚊子 ③ swarm /swo:m/ n 蚊子密集在那些成熟的大个浆果上,吸甜蜜 蜂窝 的果汗。但是,它们像喜欢吃黑一样喜欢叮劳拉 ② seratch /skraetf/ n. 抓痕 和妈妈。 0 spatter /spaeta/v 劳拉的手指和嘴上全是紫黑色的浆果汗。 她的 溅,洒,诬蔑 stain /stein/ n. 污 脸蛋儿、双手、脚了上布满了荆棘划的而印和蚊子 染,污点 slap/slaep/ v. 拍击. 叮的包。凡是她们拍死蛟子的地方,都溅上紫色的 梅辱,申斥 血点子。不过,她们每天都能采回满桶的浆果,妈 pail /petl/n. 提桶 217· cittfe 3House on the Prairie Every day they ate all the blackberries they wanted, and next winter they would have dried blackberries to stew^{①. Mary hardly ever went to pick blackberries. She stayed in the house to mind Baby Carrie, because she was older. In the daytime there were only one or two mosquitoes in the house. But at night, if the wind wasn't blowing hard, mosquitoes came in thick swarms. On still nights Pa kept piles of damp grass burning all around the house and the stable. The damp grass made a smudge② of smoke, to keep the mosquitoes away. But a good many mosquitoes came, anyway. Pa could not play his fiddle in the evenings s because so many mosquitoes bit him. Mr. Edwards did not come visiting after supper any more, because the mosquitoes were so thick, in the bottoms. All night Pet and Patty and the colt③ and the calf and the cow were stamping and swishing their tails in the stable. And in the morning Laura's forehead was speckled④with mosquito bites. "This won't last long,"Pa said. "Fall's not far away, and the first cold wind will settle'em!" Laura did not feel very well. One day she felt cold even in the hot sunshine, and she could not get warm by the fire. Ma asked why she and Mary did not go out to play, and Laura said she didn't feel like playing. She was tired and she ached. Ma stopped her work and asked, "Where do you ache?" Laura didn't exactly know. She said."I just ache. My legs ache." "I ache, too,"Mary said. Ma looked at them and said they looked healthy enough. But she said something must be wrong or they wouldn't be so quiet. She pulled up Laura's skirt and petticoats to see where her legs ached, and suddenly Laura shivered* allover. She shivered so that her teeth rattled^} in her mouth. 218 草原小屋 妈把浆果摊在阳光下晒干。他们每天都可以放开肚 ①stew /stiu:/n. 炖汤. 皮吃黑,到了冬天,就炖着吃黑干儿。 烟 玛丽很少去采摘黑荐。她呆在家里照料小卡里 因为她年龄比较大。白天,屋子里只有一两只蚊 子,可是到了晚上,如果风小了,蚊子便成群结队 地涌进来。没有风的夜晚,爸爸常常在房子和马顾 周围堆起潮湿的草,点起来熏。湿草燃烧冒出的浓 ② smudge /smAd3/ n. 污点,渍痕 烟能熏跑蚊子。可是,防不胜防,还是有很多蚊子 飞进来。 爸爸晚上不能拉小提琴了,因为有那么多蚊子 叮他。爱德华兹先生晚饭后也不再来串门,河边低 地的蚊子多得不得了。帕蒂、皮特和小马狗,还有 ③colt /koolt/ n. /小马 牛犊和母牛整夜在马既里“啪啦”地甩动尾巴,扑 打蚊子。早上起来,劳拉的前额上全是蚊子叮的疚 ④speckle /spekl/v 点 。 缀 “这种日子不会太长了,”爸爸说, “秋天就要 来了,一场寒风吹来,它们就完了。” 劳拉感到不舒服。一天,她觉得发冷,即使在 暖洋洋的太阳底下也觉得冷,呆在炉火旁也暖不过 来。 妈妈问她和玛丽,怎么不出去玩呀,劳拉说她 不想玩。她觉得困乏,觉得全身疼。妈妈放下手里 的活问,“你哪儿疼啊?” 劳拉说不清楚究竟哪儿疼。她说; “我就是疼 嘛。我的腿疼。” petticoat /pettksot “我也疼。”玛丽说。 n.裙子 shiver/fivo/v. 颇动 妈妈看看她们说,看上去都挺好的。但她又说, rattle/raetl/v. 使...... 肯定是有什么问题,不然她们不会这么安静。她撩 嘻嘻响 起劳拉的裙子和衬裙看她的腿,看她到底是哪儿 .219· cittfe 3House on the Prairie Ma put her hand against Laura's cheek."You can't be cold," she said."Your face is hot as fire." Laura felt like crying, but of course she didn't. Only litte babies cried. "I'm hot now,"she said."And my back aches." Ma called Pa, and he came in."Charles, do look at the girls," she said."I do believe they are sick." “Well, I don't feel any too well myself,"said Pa."First I'm hot and then I'm cold, and I ache all over. Is that the way you feel, girls?Do your very bones ache?" Mary and Laura said that was the way they felt. Then Ma and Pa looked a long time at each other and Ma said, "The place for you girls is bed." It was so queer^{} to be put to bed in the daytime, and Laura was so hot that everything seemed wavering②. She held on to Ma's neck while Ma was undressing her, and she begged Ma to tell her what was wrong with her. "You will be all right. Don't worry,"Ma said, cheerfully. Laura crawled into bed and Ma tucked{} her in. It felt good to be in bed. Ma smoothed her forehead with her cool, soft hand and said, "There, now. Go to sleep." Laura did not exactly go to sleep, but she didn't really wakeup again for a long, long time. Strange things seemed to keep happening in a haze{④}. She would see Pa crouching}by the fire in the middle of the night, then suddenly sunshine hurt her eyes and Ma fed her broth} from a spoon. Something dwindled^{} slowly, smaller and smaller, till it was tinier than the tiniest thing. Then slowly it swelled{⑧} till it was larger than anything could be. Two voices jabbered^{} faster and faster, then a slow voice drawled more slowly than Laura could bear. There were no words, only voices. 220 草原小屋 疼。不料劳拉浑身发抖,抖得牙齿略咯瞪地响。 妈妈摸摸劳拉的面颊。“你不可能冷,”她说, “你的脸烫得像火一样。” 劳拉想哭,当然她没有哭出来。只有小孩子才 哭。 “我这会儿觉得烧,”她说,“我的背疼。” 妈妈叫爸爸来,他进来了。“查尔斯,快看看 这两个孩子,”她说,“她们肯定是病了。”“有可 能,我也觉得有些不舒服,”爸爸说,“一会儿热, 一会儿冷,浑身疼痛。你们是这种感受吗?姑娘 们,是骨头疼吗?”玛丽和劳拉说,她们和爸爸的 感觉一样。爸爸和妈妈呆呆地对视了半天,妈妈 说:“姑娘们,你们应该上床去。” ①queer /kwlo/a. 奇怪 白天上床觉得挺怪的。劳拉烧得厉害,眼前的 的,可疑的 东西都在摇晃。妈妈给她脱衣服时,她楼住妈妈的 ② wavering a. 摇摆的 脖子,求妈妈告诉她,这究竟是怎么啦。 “你没事,别着急,”妈妈笑眯眯地说。劳拉爬 上床,妈妈给她盖好被单。躺在床上感觉好一些。 ③tuck/tak/ 打播 妈妈用她凉爽而柔软的手抚摸着劳拉的脑门说 卷起,挤进 “好啦,睡吧。” 劳拉好长时间没有完全睡着,但又不是真的醒 着。朦胧中好像出现了许多奇怪的事儿。她仿佛 看到爸爸半夜哈着腰蹲在炉火旁,突然阳光刺痛 ④ haze /hetz/ n. 薄罢 了她的眼,妈妈用一个勺子喂她喝肉汤。有一个 crouching n. 蹲坐 broth/bro:B/ n. 肉汤 东西在慢慢地缩小,越来越小,一直缩得比最小 7 dwindle /'dwind v 的东西还小。然后又慢慢地膨胀,胀得硕大无比。 减少,缩小 ⑧swell/swel/v. 增大 有两个声音在急促而含糊地讲话,喊喊嘈讲得 使.....-膨胀 越来越快,后来,又有一个慢的声音,说得越来 ② jabber/d3aebo/ v. 快 而不清楚地说 越慢,慢得劳拉听不清楚。那些话里,没有词语, 只有声音。 221. cittfe 3House on the Prairie Mary was hot in the bed beside her. Mary threw off the covers, and Laura cried because she was so cold. Then she was burning up, and Pa's hand shook the cup of water. Water spilled down her neck. The tin cup rattled against her teeth till she could hardly drink. Then Ma tucked in the covers and Ma's hand burned against Laura's cheek. She heard Pa say,"Go tobed, Caroline." Ma said, "You're sicker than I am, Charles." Laura opened her eyes and saw bright sunshine. Mary was sobbing{①}, "I want a drink of water! I want a drink of water! I want a drink of water!" Jack went back and forth between the big bed and the little bed. Laura saw Pa lying on the floor by the big bed. Jack pawed at Pa and whined{②}. He took hold of Pa's sleeve with his teeth and shook it. Pa's head lifted up a little, and he said, "I must get up, I must. Caroline and the girls." Then his head fell back and he lay still. Jack lifted up his nose and howled Laura tried to get up, but she was too tired. Then she saw Ma's red face looking over the edge of the big bed. Mary was all the time crying for water. Ma looked at Mary and then she looked at Laura, and she whispered,"Laura, can you?" "Yes, Ma,"Laura said. This time she got out of bed. But when she tried to stand up, the floor rocked and she fell down. Jack's tongue lapped③ and lapped at her face, and he quivered and whined. But he stood still and firm when she took hold of him and sat up against him. She knew she must get water to stop Mary's crying, and she did. She crawled all the way across the floor to the water-bucket. There was only a little water in it. She shook so with cold that she could hardly get hold of the dipper④. But she did get hold of it. She dipped up some water, and she set out to cross that enormous} floor again. Jack stayed beside her all the way. 222 草原小尾 玛丽躺在劳拉旁边,很烫。玛丽掀开被单,而 劳拉却冷得叫起来。后来,她又烧起来,爸爸颤抖 着端来了水杯,水溅在她的脖子上。马口铁杯和她 的牙齿碰得咯略作响,她才勉强喝上水。然后,妈 妈为她盖好被单,妈妈的手摸在劳拉的脸颊上也是 滚烫的。 她听见爸爸说: “卡罗琳,上床吧。” ①sob/spb/v. 哭诉. 妈妈说:“查尔斯,你比我病得重。” 哭泣 劳拉睁开眼睛,看到耀眼的阳光。玛丽鸣呜咽 咽地叫嚷:“我要喝口水!我要喝口水!我要喝口 水!”杰克在大床和小床之间来回走着。劳拉看到 ② whine /(h)wain/ v 爸爸躺在大床旁边的地板上。 哀号,悲 杰克用爪子拉着爸爸鸣鸣地叫。它用牙咬住爸 爸的袖子摇晃。爸爸的头抬了一下说:“我得起 来,必须起来。卡罗琳和孩子们......”他说着头朝 后一仰又躺倒了,一动不动。杰克起鼻子汪汪汪 地哀叫。 劳拉试图起来,但是她太疲乏了。她看到妈妈 满脸通红从大床边上望过来。玛丽不停地哭喊着要 水。妈妈看看玛丽,又看看劳拉,有气无力地问; “劳拉,你能行吗?” ③lap/laep/v. 舔:舔食 “行,妈妈。”劳拉说。这回她从床上起来了。 但在她准备站起来的时候,只觉得天旋地转,她摔 倒在地上了。杰克的舌头在她脸上舔来舔去,它一 边哆嗦一边嚎叫。可是,劳拉抓住它,靠着它坐起 来时,它站立得死死的,一动不动 ④ dipper /dipo/ n. 长 她心里清楚,她必须弄来水才能使玛丽停止哭 柄勺 enormous /t'no:mos/ 叫,她挣扎着去了。她爬着穿过地板,找到水桶。 a.巨大的,庞大的 桶里只有一点水。她冷得直哆嗦,颤得拿不住勺 223· cittfe 3House on the Prairie Mary's eyes didn't open. Her hands held onto the dipper and her mouth swallowed{①} all the water out of it. Then she stopped crying. The dipper fell on the floor, and Laura crawled under the covers. It was a long time before she began to get warm again. Sometimes she heard Jack sobbing. Sometimes he howled and she thought he was a wolf, but she was not afraid. She lay burning up and hearing him howl. She heard the voices jabbering again, and the slow voice drawling, and she opened her eyes and saw a big, black face close above her face. It was coal-black and shiny. Its eyes were black and soft. Its teeth shone white in a thick, big mouth. This face smiled, and a deep voice said, softly,"Drink this, littlegirl." An arm lifted under her shoulders, and a black hand held a cup to her mouth. Laura swallowed a bitter swallow and tried to turn her head away, but the cup followed her mouth. The mellow②, deep voice said again, "Drink it. It will make you well." So Laura swallowed the whole bitter dose③ When she woke up, a fat woman was stirring the fire. Laura looked at her carefully and she was not black. She was tanned{④, like Ma. "I want a drink of water, please," Laura said. The fat woman brought it at once. The good, cold water made Laura feel better. She looked at Mary asleep beside her; she looked at Pa and Ma asleep in the big bed. Jack lay half asleep on the floor. Laura looked again at the fat woman and asked, "Who are you?" "I'm Mrs. Scott," the woman said, smiling. "There now, you feel better,don't you?" "Yes, thank you," Laura said, politely. The fat woman brought her a cup of hot prairie-chicken broth. 224 草原小屋 子,但最终使劲握住了。她了点水,开始在那巨 ① swallow /swplouv 大的地板上往回爬。杰克始终在她身边守护着。 吞下,咽下,忍受 玛丽没睁眼睛,捧住勺子,咕噜咕噜喝完了勺 ② mellow /melaa 成 里的水。这时她不哭了,勺子被她扔在地上。劳拉 熟的,醇的,熟练的 ③dose /daus/ n. 剂量. 爬上床,盖上被单。她好长时间暖不过来。 服用量 有时劳拉听到杰克在鸣咽地哭,有时又听到它 在汪汪叫。劳拉觉得它是一只狼,但她不觉得害 ④ tan /taen/v. 黑 怕。她躺着烧得冒火,听见杰克的嚎叫声。她又一 次听到那种急促含糊的声音,一会儿又听到缓慢的 声音慢腾腾地说着,她睁开眼睛,看到眼前有一张 又大又黑的脸。 那张脸煤黑闪光,眼睛黑而温柔。一张大嘴露 出整齐的白牙齿。微笑着,用低沉的声音轻轻地 说:“喝了这个,孩子。” 一只胳膊伸到劳拉肩膀下把她扶了起来。一只 黑竣的手拿着杯子放到她嘴边。劳拉咽下一口苦 涩的东西,就想扭过头去,可杯子随着转过来,等 在嘴边。圆润低沉的声音又说: “喝了它,会治好 225.