章节正文
"There must be water in lemonade," said Trot.
"Yes," answered the Ork, "I suppose so; but there are
other things in it, too, and they spoil the good water."
The day's adventures had made our wanderers tired, so
the Bumpy Man brought them some blankets in which they
rolled themselves and then lay down before the fire,
which their host kept alive with fuel all through the
night. Trot wakened several times and found the Mountain
Ear always alert and listening intently for the slightest
sound. But the little girl could hear no sound at all
except the snores of Cap'n Bill.
Chapter Eight
Button-Bright is Lost and Found Again
"Wake up -- wake up!" called the voice of the Bumpy
Man. "Didn't I tell you winter was coming? I could hear
it coming with my left ear, and the proof is that it is
now snowing hard outside."
"Is it?" said Trot, rubbing her eyes and creeping out
of her blanket. "Where I live, in California, I have
never seen snow, except far away on the tops of high
mountains."
"Well, this is the top of a high mountain," returned
the bumpy one, "and for that reason we get our heaviest
snowfalls right here."
The little girl went to the window and looked out. The
air was filled with falling white flakes, so large in
size and so queer in form that she was puzzled.
"Are you certain this is snow?" she asked.
"To be sure. I must get my snow-shovel and turn out to
shovel a path. Would you like to come with me?"
"Yes," she said, and followed the Bumpy Man out when he
opened the door. Then she exclaimed: "Why, it isn't cold
a bit!"
"Of course not," replied the man. "It was cold last
night, before the snowstorm; but snow, when it falls, is
always crisp and warm."
Trot gathered a handful of it.
"Why, it's popcorn?" she cried.
"Certainly; all snow is popcorn. What did you expect it
to be?"
"Popcorn is not snow in my country."
"Well, it is the only snow we have in the Land of Mo,
so you may as well make the best of it," said he, a
little impatiently. "I'm not responsible for the absurd
things that happen in your country, and when you're in Mo
you must do as the Momen do. Eat some of our snow, and
you will find it is good. The only fault I find with our
snow is that we get too much of it at times."
With this the Bumpy Man set to work shoveling a path
and he was so quick and industrious that he piled up the
popcorn in great banks on either side of the trail that
led to the mountain-top from the plains below. While he
worked, Trot ate popcorn and found it crisp and slightly
warm, as well as nicely salted and buttered. Presently
Cap'n Bill came out of the house and joined her.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Mo snow," said she. "But it isn't real snow, although
it falls from the sky. It's popcorn."
Cap'n Bill tasted it; then he sat down in the path and
began to eat. The Ork came out and pecked away with its
bill as fast as it could. They all liked popcorn and they
all were hungry this morning.
Meantime the flakes of "Mo snow" came down so fast that
the number of them almost darkened the air. The Bumpy Man
was now shoveling quite a distance down the mountain-
side, while the path behind him rapidly filled up with
fresh-fallen popcorn. Suddenly Trot heard him call out:
"Goodness gracious -- mince pie and pancakes! -- here
is some one buried in the snow."
She ran toward him at once and the others followed,
wading through the corn and crunching it underneath their
feet. The Mo snow was pretty deep where the Bumpy Man was
shoveling and from beneath a great bank of it he had
uncovered a pair of feet.
"Dear me! Someone has been lost in the storm," said
Cap'n Bill. "I hope he is still alive. Let's pull him out
and see."
He took hold of one foot and the Bumpy Man took hold of
the other. Then they both pulled and out from the heap of
popcorn came a little boy. He was dressed in a brown
velvet jacket and knickerbockers, with brown stockings,
buckled shoes and a blue shirt-waist that had frills down
its front. When drawn from the heap the boy was chewing a
mouthful of popcorn and both his hands were full of it.
So at first he couldn't speak to his rescuers but lay
quite still and eyed them calmly until he had swallowed
his mouthful. Then he said:
"Get my cap," and stuffed more popcorn into his mouth.
While the Bumpy Man began shoveling into the corn-bank
to find the boy's cap, Trot was laughing joyfully and
Cap'n Bill had a broad grin on his face. The Ork looked
from one to another and asked:
"Who is this stranger?"
"Why, it's Button-Bright, of course," answered Trot.
"If anyone ever finds a lost boy, he can make up his mind
it's Button-Bright. But how he ever came to be lost in
this far-away country is more'n I can make out."
"Where does he belong?" inquired the Ork.
"His home used to be in Philadelphia, I think; but I'm
quite sure Button-Bright doesn't belong anywhere."
"That's right," said the boy, nodding his head as he
swallowed the second mouthful.
"Everyone belongs somewhere," remarked the Ork.
"Not me," insisted Button-Bright. "I'm half way round
the world from Philadelphia, and I've lost my Magic
Umbrella, that used to carry me anywhere. Stands to
reason that if I can't get back I haven't any home. But I
don't care much. This is a pretty good country, Trot.
I've had lots of fun here."
By this time the Mountain Ear had secured the boy's cap
and was listening to the conversation with much interest.
"It seems you know this poor, snow-covered cast-
away," he said.
"Yes, indeed," answered Trot. "We made a journey
together to Sky Island, once, and were good friends."
"Well, then I'm glad I saved his life," said the Bumpy
Man.
"Much obliged, Mr. Knobs," said Button-Bright, sitting
up and staring at him, "but I don't believe you've saved
anything except some popcorn that I might have eaten had
you not disturbed me. It was nice and warm in that bank
of popcorn, and there was plenty to eat. What made you
dig me out? And what makes you so bumpy everywhere?"
"As for the bumps," replied the man, looking at himself
with much pride, "I was born with them and I suspect they
were a gift from the fairies. They make me look rugged
and big, like the mountain I serve."
"All right," said Button-Bright and began eating
popcorn again.
It had stopped snowing, now, and great flocks of birds
were gathering around the mountain-side, eating the
popcorn with much eagerness and scarcely noticing the
people at all. There were birds of every size and color,
most of them having gorgeous feathers and plumes.
"Just look at them!" exclaimed the Ork scornfully.
"Aren't they dreadful creatures, all covered with
feathers?"
"I think they're beautiful," said Trot, and this
made the Ork so indignant that he went back into the
house and sulked.
Button-Bright reached out his hand and caught a big
bird by the leg. At once it rose into the air and it was
so strong that it nearly carried the little boy with it.
He let go the leg in a hurry and the bird flew down again
and began to eat of the popcorn, not being frightened in
the least.
This gave Cap'n Bill an idea. He felt in his pocket and
drew out several pieces of stout string. Moving very
quietly, so as to not alarm the birds, he crept up to
several of the biggest ones and tied cords around their
legs, thus making them prisoners. The birds were so
intent on their eating that they did not notice what had
happened to them, and when about twenty had been captured
in this manner Cap'n Bill tied the ends of all the
strings together and fastened them to a huge stone, so
they could not escape.
The Bumpy Man watched the old sailor's actions
with much curiosity
"The birds will be quiet until they've eaten up all the
snow," he said, "but then they will want to fly away to
their homes. Tell me, sir, what will the poor things do
when they find they can't fly?"
"It may worry 'em a little," replied Cap'n Bill, "but
they're not going to be hurt if they take it easy and
behave themselves."
Our friends had all made a good breakfast of the
delicious popcorn and now they walked toward the house
again. Button-Bright walked beside Trot and held her hand
in his, because they were old friends and he liked the
little girl very much. The boy was not so old as Trot,
and small as she was he was half a head shorter in
height. The most remarkable thing about Button-Bright was
that he was always quiet and composed, whatever happened,
and nothing was ever able to astonish him. Trot liked him
because he was not rude and never tried to plague her.
Cap'n Bill liked him because he had found the boy
cheerful and brave at all times, and willing to do
anything he was asked to do.
When they came to the house Trot sniffed the air and
asked "Don't I smell perfume?"
"I think you do," said the Bumpy Man. "You smell
violets, and that proves there is a breeze springing up
from the south. All our winds and breezes are perfumed
and for that reason we are glad to have them blow in our
direction. The south breeze always has a violet odor; the
north breeze has the fragrance of wild roses; the east
breeze is perfumed with lilies-of-the-valley and the west
wind with lilac blossoms. So we need no weathervane to
tell us which way the wind is blowing. We have only to
smell the perfume and it informs us at once."
Inside the house they found the Ork, and Button-Bright
regarded the strange, birdlike creature with curious
interest. After examining it closely for a time he asked:
"Which way does your tail whirl?"
"Either way," said the Ork.
Button-Bright put out his hand and tried to spin it.
"Don't do that!" exclaimed the Ork.
"Why not? " inquired the boy.
"Because it happens to be my tail, and I reserve the
right to whirl it myself," explained the Ork.
"Let's go out and fly somewhere," proposed Button-
"Yes," answered the Ork, "I suppose so; but there are
other things in it, too, and they spoil the good water."
The day's adventures had made our wanderers tired, so
the Bumpy Man brought them some blankets in which they
rolled themselves and then lay down before the fire,
which their host kept alive with fuel all through the
night. Trot wakened several times and found the Mountain
Ear always alert and listening intently for the slightest
sound. But the little girl could hear no sound at all
except the snores of Cap'n Bill.
Chapter Eight
Button-Bright is Lost and Found Again
"Wake up -- wake up!" called the voice of the Bumpy
Man. "Didn't I tell you winter was coming? I could hear
it coming with my left ear, and the proof is that it is
now snowing hard outside."
"Is it?" said Trot, rubbing her eyes and creeping out
of her blanket. "Where I live, in California, I have
never seen snow, except far away on the tops of high
mountains."
"Well, this is the top of a high mountain," returned
the bumpy one, "and for that reason we get our heaviest
snowfalls right here."
The little girl went to the window and looked out. The
air was filled with falling white flakes, so large in
size and so queer in form that she was puzzled.
"Are you certain this is snow?" she asked.
"To be sure. I must get my snow-shovel and turn out to
shovel a path. Would you like to come with me?"
"Yes," she said, and followed the Bumpy Man out when he
opened the door. Then she exclaimed: "Why, it isn't cold
a bit!"
"Of course not," replied the man. "It was cold last
night, before the snowstorm; but snow, when it falls, is
always crisp and warm."
Trot gathered a handful of it.
"Why, it's popcorn?" she cried.
"Certainly; all snow is popcorn. What did you expect it
to be?"
"Popcorn is not snow in my country."
"Well, it is the only snow we have in the Land of Mo,
so you may as well make the best of it," said he, a
little impatiently. "I'm not responsible for the absurd
things that happen in your country, and when you're in Mo
you must do as the Momen do. Eat some of our snow, and
you will find it is good. The only fault I find with our
snow is that we get too much of it at times."
With this the Bumpy Man set to work shoveling a path
and he was so quick and industrious that he piled up the
popcorn in great banks on either side of the trail that
led to the mountain-top from the plains below. While he
worked, Trot ate popcorn and found it crisp and slightly
warm, as well as nicely salted and buttered. Presently
Cap'n Bill came out of the house and joined her.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Mo snow," said she. "But it isn't real snow, although
it falls from the sky. It's popcorn."
Cap'n Bill tasted it; then he sat down in the path and
began to eat. The Ork came out and pecked away with its
bill as fast as it could. They all liked popcorn and they
all were hungry this morning.
Meantime the flakes of "Mo snow" came down so fast that
the number of them almost darkened the air. The Bumpy Man
was now shoveling quite a distance down the mountain-
side, while the path behind him rapidly filled up with
fresh-fallen popcorn. Suddenly Trot heard him call out:
"Goodness gracious -- mince pie and pancakes! -- here
is some one buried in the snow."
She ran toward him at once and the others followed,
wading through the corn and crunching it underneath their
feet. The Mo snow was pretty deep where the Bumpy Man was
shoveling and from beneath a great bank of it he had
uncovered a pair of feet.
"Dear me! Someone has been lost in the storm," said
Cap'n Bill. "I hope he is still alive. Let's pull him out
and see."
He took hold of one foot and the Bumpy Man took hold of
the other. Then they both pulled and out from the heap of
popcorn came a little boy. He was dressed in a brown
velvet jacket and knickerbockers, with brown stockings,
buckled shoes and a blue shirt-waist that had frills down
its front. When drawn from the heap the boy was chewing a
mouthful of popcorn and both his hands were full of it.
So at first he couldn't speak to his rescuers but lay
quite still and eyed them calmly until he had swallowed
his mouthful. Then he said:
"Get my cap," and stuffed more popcorn into his mouth.
While the Bumpy Man began shoveling into the corn-bank
to find the boy's cap, Trot was laughing joyfully and
Cap'n Bill had a broad grin on his face. The Ork looked
from one to another and asked:
"Who is this stranger?"
"Why, it's Button-Bright, of course," answered Trot.
"If anyone ever finds a lost boy, he can make up his mind
it's Button-Bright. But how he ever came to be lost in
this far-away country is more'n I can make out."
"Where does he belong?" inquired the Ork.
"His home used to be in Philadelphia, I think; but I'm
quite sure Button-Bright doesn't belong anywhere."
"That's right," said the boy, nodding his head as he
swallowed the second mouthful.
"Everyone belongs somewhere," remarked the Ork.
"Not me," insisted Button-Bright. "I'm half way round
the world from Philadelphia, and I've lost my Magic
Umbrella, that used to carry me anywhere. Stands to
reason that if I can't get back I haven't any home. But I
don't care much. This is a pretty good country, Trot.
I've had lots of fun here."
By this time the Mountain Ear had secured the boy's cap
and was listening to the conversation with much interest.
"It seems you know this poor, snow-covered cast-
away," he said.
"Yes, indeed," answered Trot. "We made a journey
together to Sky Island, once, and were good friends."
"Well, then I'm glad I saved his life," said the Bumpy
Man.
"Much obliged, Mr. Knobs," said Button-Bright, sitting
up and staring at him, "but I don't believe you've saved
anything except some popcorn that I might have eaten had
you not disturbed me. It was nice and warm in that bank
of popcorn, and there was plenty to eat. What made you
dig me out? And what makes you so bumpy everywhere?"
"As for the bumps," replied the man, looking at himself
with much pride, "I was born with them and I suspect they
were a gift from the fairies. They make me look rugged
and big, like the mountain I serve."
"All right," said Button-Bright and began eating
popcorn again.
It had stopped snowing, now, and great flocks of birds
were gathering around the mountain-side, eating the
popcorn with much eagerness and scarcely noticing the
people at all. There were birds of every size and color,
most of them having gorgeous feathers and plumes.
"Just look at them!" exclaimed the Ork scornfully.
"Aren't they dreadful creatures, all covered with
feathers?"
"I think they're beautiful," said Trot, and this
made the Ork so indignant that he went back into the
house and sulked.
Button-Bright reached out his hand and caught a big
bird by the leg. At once it rose into the air and it was
so strong that it nearly carried the little boy with it.
He let go the leg in a hurry and the bird flew down again
and began to eat of the popcorn, not being frightened in
the least.
This gave Cap'n Bill an idea. He felt in his pocket and
drew out several pieces of stout string. Moving very
quietly, so as to not alarm the birds, he crept up to
several of the biggest ones and tied cords around their
legs, thus making them prisoners. The birds were so
intent on their eating that they did not notice what had
happened to them, and when about twenty had been captured
in this manner Cap'n Bill tied the ends of all the
strings together and fastened them to a huge stone, so
they could not escape.
The Bumpy Man watched the old sailor's actions
with much curiosity
"The birds will be quiet until they've eaten up all the
snow," he said, "but then they will want to fly away to
their homes. Tell me, sir, what will the poor things do
when they find they can't fly?"
"It may worry 'em a little," replied Cap'n Bill, "but
they're not going to be hurt if they take it easy and
behave themselves."
Our friends had all made a good breakfast of the
delicious popcorn and now they walked toward the house
again. Button-Bright walked beside Trot and held her hand
in his, because they were old friends and he liked the
little girl very much. The boy was not so old as Trot,
and small as she was he was half a head shorter in
height. The most remarkable thing about Button-Bright was
that he was always quiet and composed, whatever happened,
and nothing was ever able to astonish him. Trot liked him
because he was not rude and never tried to plague her.
Cap'n Bill liked him because he had found the boy
cheerful and brave at all times, and willing to do
anything he was asked to do.
When they came to the house Trot sniffed the air and
asked "Don't I smell perfume?"
"I think you do," said the Bumpy Man. "You smell
violets, and that proves there is a breeze springing up
from the south. All our winds and breezes are perfumed
and for that reason we are glad to have them blow in our
direction. The south breeze always has a violet odor; the
north breeze has the fragrance of wild roses; the east
breeze is perfumed with lilies-of-the-valley and the west
wind with lilac blossoms. So we need no weathervane to
tell us which way the wind is blowing. We have only to
smell the perfume and it informs us at once."
Inside the house they found the Ork, and Button-Bright
regarded the strange, birdlike creature with curious
interest. After examining it closely for a time he asked:
"Which way does your tail whirl?"
"Either way," said the Ork.
Button-Bright put out his hand and tried to spin it.
"Don't do that!" exclaimed the Ork.
"Why not? " inquired the boy.
"Because it happens to be my tail, and I reserve the
right to whirl it myself," explained the Ork.
"Let's go out and fly somewhere," proposed Button-
- california [,kæli´fɔ:njə]
n.加利福尼亚 (初中英语单词) - responsible [ri´spɔnsəbəl] a.尽责的；责任重大的 (初中英语单词)
- nicely [naisli] ad.恰好地；谨慎地 (初中英语单词)
- gracious [´greiʃəs] a.和蔼可亲的；任慈的 (初中英语单词)
- underneath [,ʌndə´ni:θ] ad.&prep.在底下 (初中英语单词)
- jacket [´dʒækit] n.茄克衫；外套 (初中英语单词)
- calmly [´kɑ:mli] ad.平静地；无风浪地 (初中英语单词)
- anywhere [´eniweə] ad.无论何处；任何地方 (初中英语单词)
- suspect [´sʌspekt, sə´spekt] v.怀疑；觉得 n.嫌疑犯 (初中英语单词)
- dreadful [´dredful] a.可怕的；讨厌的 (初中英语单词)
- remarkable [ri´mɑ:kəbl] a.值得注意的；显著的 (初中英语单词)
- whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)
- astonish [ə´stɔniʃ] vt.使惊讶；使惊异 (初中英语单词)
- willing [´wiliŋ] a.情愿的，乐意的 (初中英语单词)
- breeze [bri:z] n.微风；不费力的事 (初中英语单词)
- violet [´vaiələt] n.&a.紫罗兰(的)；紫色 (初中英语单词)
- perfume [´pə:fju:m, pə´fju:m] n.香味 vt.使发香 (初中英语单词)
- handful [hændful] n.一把，少数，一小撮 (高中英语单词)
- industrious [in´dʌstriəs] a.勤勉的，刻苦的 (高中英语单词)
- eagerness [´i:gənis] n.渴望；热忱 (高中英语单词)
- gorgeous [´gɔ:dʒəs] a.华丽的；宜人的 (高中英语单词)
- plague [pleig] n.瘟疫 vt.使...染疫 (高中英语单词)
- fragrance [´freigrəns] n.芬芳，芳香 (高中英语单词)
- intently [in´tentli] ad.专心地 (英语四级单词)
- impatiently [im´peiʃəntli] ad.不耐烦地，急躁地 (英语四级单词)
- mouthful [´mauθful] n.一口；少量 (英语四级单词)
- joyfully [´dʒɔifuli] ad.高兴地，快乐地 (英语四级单词)
- gathering [´gæðəriŋ] n.集会，聚集 (英语四级单词)
- indignant [in´dignənt] a.义愤的，愤慨的 (英语四级单词)
- composed [kəm´pəuzd] a.镇静自若的 (英语四级单词)
- snowstorm [´snəustɔ:m] n.暴风雪；雪暴 (英语六级单词)
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章节正文
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