Chapter 2

Chapter 2 The kids followed Thumbs down to a narrow path lined with stones. The path led to three small cabins. Behind the cabins, the sun sparkled off the pond. Dink noticed other cabins farther along the path. "Who's in those?" he asked. "They're all empty 'cept one," Thumbs grumbled. He stopped in front of the middle cabin. "This here's yours. There's a lady in that one," Thumbs said, nodding at the cabin to their right.

孩子们跟着大拇指来到一条铺满石头的狭窄小路上。 这条小路通向三间小木屋。 小屋后面，阳光在池塘上闪闪发光。 丁克注意到小路边上还有其他小屋。 “谁在里面?”他问。 “除了一个，都是空的。”拇指抱怨道。 他在中间的小屋前停了下来。 “这是你的。“那边有一位女士。”拇指说着，朝他们右边的小屋点了点头。

"Some New York feller in the other. Married couple got one of those across the pond." They were log cabins with chimneys and narrow front porches. There were windows on the sides and in front, where they framed the door. "Ma Wheat'll give you extra blankets if it turns cold," Thumbs said, clumping up the steps with the backpacks. "You'll find towels in the bathroom." He nodded at the kids, then clumped off the porch and headed back along the path. "That guy creeps me out," Josh said. "What do you think happened to his thumb?" "Maybe a bear bit it off," Dink said, winking at Ruth Rose. "Could've been a mountain lion," Ruth Rose added, trying not to laugh. Josh snorted. "Don't try to scare me," he said. "There's nothing out here but chickens and ducks." The kids carried their packs into the cabin. A set of bunk beds stood against the far wall, and a single bed was opposite the bunks. A stone fireplace nestled between the bunk beds and a small bathroom. The only other furnishings

“另一边是一个纽约人。 一对已婚夫妇在大洋彼岸买了一个。” 它们是有烟囱和狭窄前廊的小木屋。 两边和前面都有窗户，门框在那里。 “如果天冷了，麦妈会给你额外的毯子的。”大拇指说着，拿着背包爬上台阶。 “你会在浴室里找到毛巾。” 他朝孩子们点了点头，然后蹑手蹑脚地离开门廊，沿着小路往回走。 “那家伙吓到我了，”乔希说。 “你觉得他的拇指怎么了?”“也许是熊把它咬掉了，”丁克对露丝·罗斯眨了眨眼睛说。 “可能是一只美洲狮，”露丝·罗斯补充道，强忍着不笑出来。 Josh哼了一声。“别吓唬我，”他说。 “这里除了鸡和鸭什么都没有。” 孩子们把书包背进了小木屋。 一张双层床靠在远处的墙上，一张单人床对着双层床。 双层床和一间小浴室之间坐落着一座石制壁炉。 唯一的其他家具

were a braided rug, a few chairs, and a table. "I want to live here forever!" Ruth Rose said. She tossed her backpack on the single bed and looked out her window at the barn. "I've got upper," Josh said, slinging his pack onto the top bunk. Dink set his pack on the bunk beneath it as a loud clanging came from the main house. "Food at last!" Josh said. They ran out of the cabin, nearly colliding with a skinny, bearded man. "Whoa," the man said, smiling. "No need to rush. There's plenty of food. You must be the newcomers." "We just got here," Dink said. "I'm Ed Getz," the man said. "I came in yesterday from New York." He wiggled his fingers at the kids. "I'm a magician. I'm trying to be an actor, but there's not much work." Ed Getz had long arms, tapered hands, and thin fingers. "Cool!" Josh said. "Can you do tricks?" Ed nodded. "I'll show you some later." They walked to the main house, then into the dining room. A moose head hung over a wide

有一条编织地毯，几把椅子和一张桌子。 “我想永远住在这里!”露丝·罗斯说。 她把背包扔在单人床上，望着窗外的谷仓。 “我上了床。”乔希说着，把背包扔到上铺上。 丁克把背包放在下面的铺位上，这时从主楼传来了一声巨响。 “终于有吃的了!”杰克说。 他们跑出船舱，差点撞上一个瘦骨嶙峋、留着胡子的男人。 “哇，”那人笑着说。 “没必要着急。有很多食物。 你们一定是新来的。” “我们刚到这里，”丁克说。 “我是埃德·盖兹，”那人说。 “我昨天从纽约来的。” 他对着孩子们扭动手指。 “我是个魔术师。我想成为一名演员，但工作不多。” 埃德·盖兹的胳膊很长，手很细，手指很细。 “酷!”杰克说。“你会变魔术吗?”Ed点点头。 “我一会儿给你看一些。” 他们走到主屋，然后走进餐厅。 驼鹿的头悬在一个宽阔的

fireplace. Lassos, spurs, saddle blankets, and bridles decorated the walls. In front of the fireplace stood a long table and benches. Jud, Thumbs, and three others were already seated. Lulu was placing food on the table. Ma and Pa Wheat came out of the kitchen. Ma said, "Hi, kids, take a seat." Pa tapped a spoon against a glass. "Say howdy to Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose from Connecticut," he said. A woman wearing a western shirt and jeans said, "Hello, I'm Fiona Nippit." "And we're Seth and Bonnie Clyde," said a man sitting next to a pretty woman with long blond hair. Lulu bustled out of the kitchen carrying a heavy tray of food. "Eat while it's hot!" she said. "What you don't eat now is leftovers tomorrow!" Everyone began passing platters of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and steaming vegetables. With twelve people at the table, it got pretty noisy. The kids learned that Fiona was a nurse from Chicago. The Clydes had just gotten married

壁炉。套索、马刺、鞍毯和缰绳装饰着墙壁。 壁炉前放着一张长桌和几条长凳。 朱迪、大拇指和另外三个人已经坐了下来。 露露正在把食物放在桌子上。 麦妈妈和麦爸爸从厨房出来了。 妈妈说:“嗨，孩子们，请坐。” 爸爸用勺子轻敲玻璃杯。 “向来自康涅狄格的丁克、乔希和露丝·罗斯问好，”他说。 一位身穿西式衬衫和牛仔裤的女士说:“你好，我是菲奥娜·尼皮特。” “我们是赛斯和邦妮·克莱德，”一个坐在金发美女旁边的男人说。 露露端着一盘沉重的食物匆匆走出厨房。 “趁热吃!”她说。 “你现在不吃的就是明天的剩饭!”每个人都开始传递一盘盘的炸鸡、土豆泥和热气腾腾的蔬菜。 一桌12个人，闹得很厉害。 孩子们知道菲奥娜是芝加哥的一名护士。 克莱德夫妇刚刚结婚

in Florida and decided to spend their honeymoon at a dude ranch. Only Thumbs didn't join in the dinner table chatter. While everyone else talked, he just ate. For dessert, Lulu served apple pie with ice cream on top. By the end of the meal, they were all rubbing their stomachs. Pa stood up. "It's almost dark. Jud'll build us a bonfire out back. And unless I miss my guess, Thumbs will tell you about the grizzly bear that roams these parts." Josh shot a look at Thumbs. "Are there really grizzlies here?" he asked. For an answer, Thumbs winked and held up his hand with the missing thumb. Everyone helped carry stuff into the kitchen. When the table was cleared off, the kids went outside and walked down the path. They found

他们决定在一个度假牧场度蜜月。 只有大拇指没有加入餐桌上的闲聊。 别人说话的时候，他只顾吃东西。 至于甜点，露露上了苹果派，上面放着冰淇淋。 吃完饭，他们都在揉肚子。 爸爸站了起来。“天快黑了。 朱迪会在后面给我们生个篝火。 除非我猜错了，大拇指会告诉你在这一带游荡的灰熊。” 乔希看了拇指一眼。 “这里真的有灰熊吗?”他问道。 大拇指眨了眨眼睛，举起他那只缺拇指的手。 大家都帮忙把东西搬进厨房。 桌子清理干净后，孩子们走到外面，沿着小路走去。 他们发现

Jud and Thumbs arranging firewood inside a circle of tree stumps. It had grown almost completely dark. Dink saw a few fireflies in the bushes near the pond. "Have a seat," Jud told the kids, motioning toward the stumps. They were joined by Fiona, Ed, and the Clydes. Thumbs struck a match on his belt buckle. He knelt and lit some dry pine needles under the branches, and soon the wood caught. The flames cast each face around the fire into shadow. "Is this great or what?" Josh said. "Man, I wish I could stay here longer than a week." "Me too," Dink said. Then Ma, Pa, and Lulu came outside. "Got something to tell us, Thumbs?" Pa asked. Everyone looked at Thumbs. The reflection from the flames made his eyes appear red under his hat brim. He began to speak in a hoarse whisper. I'll never forget that night," Thumbs said. "It was a dry summer. There was a lightning storm, and one of the strikes caused a fire. The woods in the hills began to burn. We was sittin' here, just

朱迪和拇指在一圈树桩内安排柴火。 天几乎完全黑了。 丁克看到池塘附近的灌木丛里有几只萤火虫。 “请坐。”裘德指着树桩对孩子们说。 菲奥娜、埃德和克莱德一家也加入了他们。 大拇指在他的皮带扣上划了根火柴。 他跪下来，在树枝下点燃了一些干松针，很快，木头就卡住了。 火焰把火堆周围的每一张脸都投进了阴影。 “这很棒吗?”杰克说。 “天啊，我真希望我能在这里多待一个星期。” “我也是，”丁克说。然后妈妈、爸爸和露露走了出来。 “有什么要告诉我们的吗，大拇指?”爸爸问。 每个人都看着拇指。 火焰的反射使他的眼睛在帽檐下显得通红。 他开始用嘶哑的声音低声说话。 我永远不会忘记那个晚上。”拇指说。 “那是一个干燥的夏天。当时有一场雷雨，其中一次闪电引起了火灾。 山上的树林开始燃烧起来。 我们坐在这里，只是