Chapter 3

Chapter 3 The kids waded back into the river. A few minutes later, they were squishing their way up River Road to Ron's Bait Shop. Ron Pinkowski lived in an old house next to the river. On the ground floor, he sold bait, boating supplies, and groceries. He also repaired and painted boats and fixed boat motors. The kids trudged down a dusty driveway to the house. Several small boats were lined up in Mr. Pinkowski's big yard along the riverbank. A striped cat slept on the back step. Out the back

孩子们涉水回到河里。 几分钟后，他们沿着河路往罗恩的鱼饵店走去。 罗恩·平科夫斯基住在河边的一所老房子里。 在一楼，他卖鱼饵、划船用品和杂货。 他还修理和粉刷船只，修理船只发动机。 孩子们艰难地沿着尘土飞扬的车道向房子走去。 几艘小船在平科夫斯基先生沿着河岸的大院子里排着队。 一只条纹猫睡在后台阶上。 在后面

door trailed a long orange extension cord. The kids followed the cord around the side of the house. They spotted Mr. Pinkowski under a shady tree, sanding a boat bottom. "Hi, Mr. P," Dink said. Ron Pinkowski switched off the electric sander. He was tall and sandy-haired, and sported a curly beard and droopy mustache. "Well, hi, kids. What're you up to today?" he asked, smiling. Ruth Rose pulled the hundred-dollar bill out of her pocket. "I just found this on Squaw Island," she said. "Goodness," Ron said. "Aren't you a lucky gal!" "We saw some marks in the sand from a boat," Dink said. "And some footprints, too," Josh added. "Really big ones!" "We think whoever was out there might have lost the money," Ruth Rose said. "Hmm, wonder who it coulda been." Ron leaned against the boat and tugged on his beard. "Not many folks go out there. The poison ivy grows somethin' fierce in all that sand."

门后面拖着一根长长的橙色延长线。 孩子们顺着绳子绕着房子走。 他们发现平科夫斯基在一棵树荫下打磨船底。 “嗨，P先生，”丁克说。罗恩·平科夫斯基关掉了电动磨砂机。 他个子很高，头发灰白，留着卷曲的胡须和下垂的小胡子。 “嗨，孩子们。你今天有什么安排?”他微笑着问。 露丝·罗斯从口袋里掏出那张百元钞票。 “我刚刚在斯阔岛发现了这个，”她说。 “天哪。”罗恩说。“你真是个幸运的女孩!”丁克说:“我们在沙滩上看到了一些船留下的痕迹。” “还有一些脚印。”乔希补充道。 “真的很大!”“我们认为可能是外面的人丢了钱，”露丝·罗斯说。 “嗯，不知道会是谁。” 罗恩靠在小船上，扯了扯胡子。 “没有多少人去那里。 毒葛在那片沙子里长出了凶猛的东西。”

"Yeah, and I think I walked right through some!" Josh said, scratching his leg. Ron smiled. "All I have to do is look at the stuff and I swell up like a balloon," he said. "Could we leave a note here about the money?" Ruth Rose asked. "Good idea, Ruth Rose. I'll stick it up near my bait tanks." The kids followed Ron into his bait shop, where he handed Ruth Rose a pencil and pad. She thought for a minute, then wrote: If you lost money on Squaw Island, call 555-9916. "Shouldn't you say how much you found?" Josh asked. Ruth Rose shook her head. "If I write the amount, anyone could call and claim it, even if they didn't lose it." Ron tacked Ruth Rose's note to a small bulletin board. "Lots of people will see it here,"

“是的，我想我正好穿过了一些!”乔希挠着腿说。 罗恩笑了。“我所要做的就是看着这些东西，然后我就像气球一样膨胀起来，”他说。 “我们能在这儿留张关于钱的便条吗?”露丝·罗斯问。 “好主意，露丝·罗斯。我要把它挂在我的鱼饵箱附近。” 孩子们跟着罗恩走进他的鱼饵店，他递给露丝·罗斯一支铅笔和一本便笺簿。 她想了一会儿，然后写道:如果你在斯阔岛丢了钱，请拨打555-9916。 “你不该说你找到了多少钱吗?”杰克问。 露丝·罗斯摇了摇头。“如果我写了这么多钱，任何人都可以打电话来认领，即使他们没有丢钱。” 罗恩把露丝·罗斯的便条钉在一块小布告栏上。 “很多人会在这里看到它。”

he said. "Thanks, Mr. P," Ruth Rose said. "I hope whoever lost the money sees the note." Ron grinned. "Wish it was me!" The kids laughed. They said goodbye and headed for Duck Walk Way. "So what're you gonna do with the money?" Josh asked Ruth Rose. "I'll be glad to hold on to it for you!" Ruth Rose shook her head. "Nope. I'm giving it to Officer Fallon. It'll be safe at the police station." Josh scratched his arm. "Let's stop at Ellie's on the way. Maybe an ice cream cone will help me forget about this lousy poison ivy!" The kids crossed the elementary school's wide lawn and hiked down Main Street. As they opened the door to Ellie's Diner, cool air washed over them. After they ordered cones, Ruth Rose asked Ellie if she knew anyone who had lost money on Squaw Island. "Someone with really huge feet!" Dink added. Ellie shook her head. "Hon, I don't even know anyone who goes out there. I hear it's covered with poison ivy!"

他说。“谢谢，P先生，”露丝·罗斯说。 “我希望丢钱的人能看到这张纸条。” 罗恩笑了。“真希望是我!”孩子们笑了。 他们道了别，朝鸭子步道走去。 “那你打算怎么处理这笔钱?”乔希问露丝·罗斯。 “我很乐意帮你拿着它!”露丝·罗斯摇了摇头。 “不。我把它交给法伦警官。 在警察局会很安全的。” 乔希搔了搔胳膊。“我们在路上去埃莉家吧。 也许一个甜筒冰淇淋能帮我忘记这讨厌的毒常春藤!”孩子们穿过小学宽阔的草坪，沿着主街走去。 当他们打开艾莉餐厅的门时，凉风吹过他们。 他们点完甜筒后，露丝·罗斯问艾莉是否认识在斯阔岛赔钱的人。 “一个脚特别大的人!”丁克补充道。 艾莉摇了摇头。“亲爱的，我甚至不认识在那里的人。 我听说上面爬满了毒常春藤!”

She noticed Josh scratching. "Looks like someone else is covered with the stuff!" The kids thanked Ellie and left. They worked on their cones on the way to the police station. "I can't believe we're gonna just give away a hundred bucks," Josh said. "If I get a reward," Ruth Rose said, "I'll split it with you guys." Josh grinned. "Now you're talking!" They found Officer Fallon sitting at his desk. He was watching his computer screen and sipping a glass of lemonade. "Howdy" he said as the kids trooped in. "What can I do for you?" "Look at this!" Ruth Rose said. She placed the hundred-dollar bill on his desk. Officer Fallon picked up the bill and examined it. "Where'd this come from?" he asked.

她注意到乔希在抓挠。 “看起来别人身上也沾满了这种东西!”孩子们谢过艾莉就走了。 他们在去警察局的路上摆弄着锥体。 “我真不敢相信我们要送出100美元，”乔希说。 “如果我得到奖励，”露丝·罗斯说，“我会和你们分的。” 杰克笑了。“你说对了!”他们发现法伦警官坐在办公桌前。 他看着电脑屏幕，喝着一杯柠檬水。 当孩子们成群结队地进来时，他说:“你好。” “我能为你做什么?”“看这个!”露丝·罗斯说。 她把一百美元的钞票放在他的桌子上。 法伦警官拿起账单仔细检查。 “这是从哪儿来的?”他问。

"Ruth Rose found it on Squaw Island," Josh told him. "We were out there having a picnic, and it was in the sand!" "I'm trying to find out who lost it," Ruth Rose said. "Mr. Pinkowski let me put a note on his bulletin board. I left my phone number." "This bill could've been lost a long time ago," Officer Fallon said. "Not many folks go to Squaw Island." He grinned at Ruth Rose. "If no one claims it, the money is yours to keep." "Really?" Ruth Rose said. "Cool!" Officer Fallon put the bill in an envelope and sealed it. He wrote the date and Ruth Rose's name on the outside. "I'll put this in our safe," he said. "If it's still here in thirty days, I'll let you know." The kids thanked Officer Fallon and left. "Gee, Ruth Rose," Josh said as they waited for the light on Main Street. "Will you split the hundred three ways if you get to keep it?" "I might," she said. "If you're extra nice to me!" "I'm always nice to you!" Dink whispered something in Ruth Rose's ear.

“露丝·罗斯在斯阔岛上发现的，”乔希告诉他。 “我们在那里野餐，它在沙滩上!”“我想找出是谁丢了它，”露丝·罗斯说。 平考斯基先生让我在他的布告栏上留言。 我留下了电话号码。”法伦说，“这个法案可能早就被否决了。” “去斯阔岛的人不多。” 他朝露丝·罗斯咧嘴一笑。“如果没人认领，钱就归你了。” “真的吗?”露丝·罗斯说。“酷!”法伦警官把账单装进信封封好。 他在信封外面写上日期和露丝·罗斯的名字。 “我会把它放在我们的保险箱里，”他说。 “如果三十天后它还在这里，我会告诉你的。” 孩子们谢过法伦警官后离开了。 “嘿，露丝·罗斯，”他们在主街等绿灯时，乔希说。 “如果你能保住它，你愿意把这三百块钱平分吗?”“我可能会，”她说。 “如果你对我特别好!”“我一直对你很好!”丁克在露丝·罗斯耳边低语了几句。