Chapter 1

The Runaway Racehorse

逃跑的赛马

CHAPTER 1 Josh picked up a French fry, dipped it in ketchup, and drew his initials on his plate. When he ate the French fry, a glob of ketchup plopped onto his shirt. "Rats, this is my favorite T-shirt!" Josh said. Dink put down his book and grinned at his freckle-faced, redheaded friend. "Was your favorite shirt," he said. Josh, Dink, and Ruth Rose were taking a train to Larchmont, New York, to visit their friend Forest Evans. Forest and Dink's uncle Warren had bought a racehorse together. The kids were invited to watch the horse, Whirlaway, run in a race in Saratoga Springs. Josh picked up a napkin and wiped at the red stain. He only made it worse. "Josh is finger-painting," Ruth Rose said to Dink.

第一章乔希拿起一根炸薯条，蘸上番茄酱，在盘子上画了自己名字的首字母。 当他吃薯条的时候，一团番茄酱落在了他的衬衫上。 “老鼠们，这是我最喜欢的t恤!”杰克说。 丁克放下书，朝他那满脸雀斑、红头发的朋友咧嘴一笑。 “那是你最喜欢的衬衫，”他说。 约什、丁克和露丝·罗斯正乘火车去纽约的拉奇蒙特，去拜访他们的朋友福里斯特·埃文斯。 福里斯特和丁克的叔叔沃伦一起买了一匹赛马。 孩子们被邀请去观看一匹叫Whirlaway的马在萨拉托加斯普林斯的比赛。 乔希拿起一张餐巾纸，擦去红色的污渍。 他只会让事情变得更糟。“乔希在手指画，”露丝·罗斯对丁克说。

"Someday I'll be a famous ketchup artist," Josh said. He gazed out the window. "When do we get there?" "In a few minutes," Ruth Rose said, checking her train schedule. "I can't wait to see Whirlaway," Dink said. "I've never met a real racehorse before. All I can think about is horses! That's why I'm reading this." He held up his book. It was The Black Stallion by Walter Farley. The cover showed a beautiful black horse with wild eyes and a flowing mane. Dink Duncan's real first name was Donald, and his middle name was David. But when he first started to talk and tried to say "Donald David Duncan," it came out as "Dink." Dink had been his nickname ever since. "Look what I brought," Ruth Rose said, pulling a book from her backpack. The cover showed a girl on a horse. The book's title was Learning to Ride.

“总有一天我会成为一名著名的番茄酱艺术家，”乔希说。 他凝视着窗外。“我们什么时候到那儿?”“几分钟后，”露丝·罗斯边说边查看她的火车时刻表。 丁克说:“我迫不及待地想看《旋风》。” “我以前从未见过一匹真正的赛马。 我满脑子想的都是马!这就是我读这篇文章的原因。” 他举起他的书。是沃尔特·法利的《黑种马》。 封面上是一匹美丽的黑马，有着狂野的眼睛和飘逸的鬃毛。 丁克·邓肯的真名是唐纳德，中间名是大卫。 但当他第一次开口说话并试着说“唐纳德·大卫·邓肯”时，他却说成了“丁克”。 从那以后，丁克就成了他的昵称。 “看我带来了什么，”露丝·罗斯说着，从背包里拿出一本书。 封面是一个骑在马上的女孩。 这本书的书名是《学习骑马》。

"Josh, did you bring a horse book?" Dink asked. Josh grinned. "Nope. I figured you guys will tell me anything I need to know." He dropped a few sugar cubes into his backpack. "Still hungry?" Dink teased. "They're for Whirlaway," Josh said. Just then the conductor walked through the dining car. "Larchmont is next," he told the kids. "Oh, wait!" Ruth Rose said, digging in her backpack. She brought out her new camera. Ruth Rose liked to dress all in one color. Today everything was white, from her headband down to her sneakers. Even her camera was white! "Would you please take our picture?" she asked the conductor. "My pleasure," said the man. He took the camera and focused it on the kids. "Say 'cheese'!" "Cheese!" they all said.

“乔希，你带了一本关于马的书吗?”丁克问道。 杰克笑了。“不。我想你们会告诉我任何我想知道的事情。” 他往背包里丢了几块方糖。 “还饿吗?”丁克嘲笑。 “它们是给旋风的，”乔希说。 就在这时，售票员走过餐车。 “下一个是拉奇蒙特，”他告诉孩子们。 “哦,等等!”露丝·罗斯一边说，一边在背包里翻找。 她拿出了她的新照相机。 露丝·罗斯喜欢穿一种颜色的衣服。 今天一切都是白色的，从她的发带到她的运动鞋。 甚至她的照相机也是白色的!“你能帮我们拍张照吗?”她问售票员。 “我的荣幸，”那人说。 他拿起相机，对准孩子们。 “说‘奶酪’!”“奶酪!”他们都说。

The conductor handed Ruth Rose her camera. "Have a great day," he said. The train slowed, then stopped. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose grabbed their backpacks and walked to the end of the car. The conductor lowered a set of stairs, and the kids climbed down to the platform.

售票员把相机递给露丝·罗斯。 “祝你今天愉快，”他说。 火车慢下来，然后停了下来。 丁克、乔希和露丝·罗斯抓起书包，走到车尾。 售票员放下一段楼梯，孩子们爬下了站台。

Dink heard someone call his name. He saw his uncle Warren and Forest Evans walking toward them. Dink's uncle was short and round and wore glasses. Forest Evans had a trimmed brown beard and wore jeans and a T-shirt. "Why, it's Wink, Gosh, and Tooth Toes!" Forest said. The kids had met Forest when his painting had gotten stolen from Uncle Warren's apartment. "Hi, Mr. Evans!" they all said. "Please call me Forest, okay?" he asked. Dink hugged his uncle. "How was the train ride?" Uncle Warren asked.

丁克听到有人叫他的名字。 他看见他的叔叔沃伦和福里斯特·埃文斯朝他们走来。 丁克的叔叔又矮又圆，戴着眼镜。 福里斯特·埃文斯留着修剪整齐的棕色胡子，穿着牛仔裤和t恤。 “哎呀，是Wink、Gosh和Tooth Toes!”森林说。 孩子们是在弗里斯特的画在沃伦叔叔的公寓里被偷的时候认识他的。 “嗨，埃文斯先生!”他们都说。 “请叫我福雷斯特，好吗?” 丁克拥抱了他的叔叔。“火车之旅怎么样?”沃伦叔叔问。