Chapter 1

The Orange Outlaw

橙色歹徒

CHAPTER 1 Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose stood on Uncle Warren's balcony. Nine floors below, the cars, buses, and taxis of New York City zoomed by. As dusk turned to night, the city's lights began to blink on. People were strolling to restaurants and theaters. Dink's uncle stepped onto the balcony. "That's a pretty sight, isn't it?" he said. "It's great," Dink said. "I feel like an eagle up here." "Thanks for inviting us for the weekend," Josh told him. "You are entirely welcome, my boy," Uncle Warren said. "And thanks for inviting us to your block party," Ruth Rose said. "I've never been to one before."

丁克、乔希和露丝·罗斯站在沃伦叔叔家的阳台上。 九层楼下，纽约的汽车、公共汽车和出租车呼啸而过。 黄昏转为夜晚，城市的灯光开始闪烁。 人们漫步到餐馆和剧院。 丁克的叔叔走上阳台。 “那是一幅美丽的景象，不是吗?”他说。 “太棒了，”丁克说。“我觉得自己就像一只雄鹰。” “谢谢你邀请我们共度周末，”乔希对他说。 “不用谢，我的孩子，”沃伦叔叔说。 “谢谢你邀请我们参加你的街区聚会，”露丝·罗斯说。 “我从来没去过。”

Josh let out a chuckle. "My little brothers have block parties all the time," he said. "They bring their blocks out to the sandbox and throw them at each other." Uncle Warren laughed. "In New York City, we often have parties where everyone on the block is invited," he explained. "Tonight we plan to raise money for the Central Park Zoo." "Why does the zoo need money?" asked Ruth Rose. "Some of the animals need more space," Uncle Warren said. "Can they make all that money from one party?" Josh asked, gazing down at the street. "Tonight is just the beginning," Uncle Warren said. "The zoo will be raising money for at least a year." He looked at his watch. "We'd better get going. But first, I want to show you something." The kids followed Dink's uncle through the living room to a small study at the back of the apartment. The room held a desk, a chair, and tall shelves crammed with books. On the desk lay a painting of a rowboat floating on a pond.

乔希咯咯地笑了起来。他说:“我的小弟弟们一直在举办街区派对。 “他们把积木带到沙盒里，互相扔积木。” 沃伦叔叔笑了。“在纽约，我们经常举办派对，邀请街区里的每个人，”他解释说。 “今晚我们计划为中央公园动物园筹款。” “为什么动物园需要钱?”露丝·罗斯问。 “有些动物需要更多的空间，”沃伦叔叔说。 “他们能从一个政党中赚到那么多钱吗?”乔希凝视着下面的街道问道。 “今晚只是个开始，”沃伦叔叔说。 “动物园至少要筹集一年的资金。” 他看了看表。“我们最好走吧。 但首先，我想给你看点东西。” 孩子们跟着丁克的叔叔穿过客厅，来到公寓后面的一间小书房。 房间里放着一张桌子、一把椅子和几排堆满了书的高书架。 桌子上放着一幅画，画的是一只划艇漂浮在池塘上。

"Do you like it?" Uncle Warren asked. "It's pretty," Ruth Rose said. "I like the flowers on the water." "Those are lily pads," Uncle Warren said. "This was painted a long time ago by a man named Claude Monet. It's very valuable." "Is the painting yours?" Dink asked. "I wish it were, Donny" his uncle said. "My friend Forest Evans just bought it vacationing in France. He shipped it to me for safekeeping. He'll collect this beauty when he returns to New York in a couple of days."

“你喜欢吗?”沃伦叔叔问。 “很漂亮，”露丝·罗斯说。 “我喜欢水面上的花。” “那些是睡莲叶，”沃伦叔叔说。 这幅画是很久以前一个叫克劳德·莫奈的人画的。 它非常有价值。”“这幅画是你的吗?”丁克问道。 “我倒希望是这样，东尼。”叔叔说。 “我的朋友福里斯特·埃文斯在法国度假时买的。 他把它寄给我保管。 过几天他回到纽约，就会把这些漂亮的东西收藏起来。”

Uncle Warren looked at his watch. "It's time to go downstairs," he said. "Help me shut off a few lights." The kids walked around switching off lights. "Leave the one over the kitchen table on!" Dink's uncle called. In the kitchen, a hanging light shone down on a wooden bowl filled with oranges. Dink was tempted to take one but decided to wait till later. They left the apartment and Uncle Warren locked the door. Then they crossed the hall and

沃伦叔叔看了看表。 “该下楼了，”他说。 “帮我关几盏灯。” 孩子们四处走动，关灯。 “让厨房桌子上的那个开着吧!”丁克的叔叔打来电话。 厨房里，一盏吊灯照在一只盛满橘子的木碗上。 丁克很想拿一个，但决定以后再拿。 他们离开了公寓，沃伦叔叔锁上了门。 然后他们穿过大厅

crowded into the small elevator. Dink pushed the button that said LOBBY. "What happens to all the cars when you have a block party?" Josh asked as they rode down. "The police seal off the street," Uncle Warren explained. "You'll see." A minute later, they left the elevator, crossed the lobby, and walked to the front door. "Hello, kids," said Roger, the doorman. He looked like royalty in his crisp uniform and pointy mustache. "The block party sure has drawn a lot of people!" "Are you going?" Ruth Rose asked him. He shook his head. "Afraid not, missy. I have to stay at the door. But I'll be able to see a lot from here. Have fun! I hear there'll be lots of good stuff to eat." "Awesome!" Josh said, rubbing his belly. "Still hungry, Josh?" Uncle Warren asked. "Didn't I feed you enough?" Josh grinned. "That was two hours ago!" "Josh is like a baby wolf," Ruth Rose said. "He needs to eat ten times a day." The kids and Uncle Warren walked outside.

挤进小电梯。 丁克按下了“大厅”的按钮。 “当你举办街区派对时，所有的车怎么办?”他们骑马下来时，乔希问道。 “警察封锁了街道，”沃伦叔叔解释说。 “你会看到的。”一分钟后，他们离开电梯，穿过大厅，走到前门。 “你好，孩子们，”看门人罗杰说。 他穿着整洁的制服，留着尖尖的胡子，看起来像个皇室成员。 “这个街区派对确实吸引了很多人!”“你要去吗?”露丝·罗斯问他。 他摇了摇头。“恐怕不行，小姐。 我得待在门口。 但从这里我能看到很多东西。 玩得开心!我听说会有很多好吃的东西。” “太棒了!”乔希揉着肚子说。 “还饿吗，乔希?”沃伦叔叔问。 “我还没喂饱你吗?”杰克笑了。 “那是两个小时以前的事了!”“乔希就像一只小狼，”露丝·罗斯说。 “他一天需要吃十顿饭。” 孩子们和沃伦叔叔走了出去。