Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 They pulled into the parking lot at the lake and Mr. Rowan came around to open the tailgate. "Hello, troops," he boomed. With his big belly, bushy beard, and laughing eyes, Mr. Rowan had always reminded Jess of a younger version of Santa Claus. Mrs. Rowan was half his size, and about twice as strict. They all loved her, of course. Mrs. Rowan was Jess's

他们把车开进湖边的停车场，罗文先生过来打开后挡板。 “你们好，士兵们。”他大声说道。 罗文先生的大肚子、浓密的胡子和笑眯眯的眼睛，总是让杰西想起年轻版的圣诞老人。 罗文太太的个头只有他的一半，严厉程度是他的两倍。 当然，他们都爱她。 罗文太太是杰西的

mom's best friend. But today the boys didn't seem too upset that their no-nonsense mom wasn't here to keep them in line. Mrs. Rowan was away for the week. She was taking care of the twins' grandma who lived about fifty miles from Cedar. There were only two other cars in the parking lot today, a beat-up Toyota and a white pickup. There was an older woman standing by the truck. Even from a distance, they could see her long gray braid and bright smile. "Hello!" she called out with a wave. "What a day!" "You said it!" Mr. Rowan exclaimed. It was usually pouring rain around here in late March. But this morning the sky was bright blue and the sun shined down. "And just look at our pretty mountain," Mr. Rowan said, putting an arm around each of the boys and smiling up at St. Helens. The mountain's lower slopes were blanketed with green trees. The top was covered with snow.

妈妈最好的朋友。但今天，孩子们似乎并没有因为他们严肃的妈妈不在这里管教他们而太难过。 罗文太太这周不在家。 她在照顾双胞胎的奶奶，她住在离雪松大约50英里的地方。 今天停车场里只有另外两辆车，一辆破旧的丰田和一辆白色的皮卡。 卡车旁边站着一位年长的妇女。 即使在很远的地方，他们也能看到她长长的灰色辫子和灿烂的笑容。 “你好!”她挥手叫道。 “多糟糕的一天啊!”“你说得对!”罗文先生叫道。 在三月下旬，这一带通常都是倾盆大雨。 但今天早上，天空是明亮的蓝色，阳光灿烂。 “看看我们美丽的山，”罗文先生说着，一只胳膊搂着每个男孩，微笑着抬头看着圣。 海伦斯火山。山的低坡上长满了绿树。 山顶上覆盖着雪。

Its perfect triangle peak sparkled in the sun. Jess always felt a flash of pride when she looked at St. Helens. No, it wasn't as famous as Mount Hood, across the border in Oregon. And it wasn't as tall as Mount Rainier, which loomed over Seattle, about two hundred miles to the north of Cedar. But folks who lived here knew St. Helens was the most beautiful mountain in the Cascade Range. And if most people had never heard of it, who cared? Mr. Rowan gathered his supplies and headed to his fishing cabin. "I'll be organizing my gear," he called. "Don't go far. And, Jess, keep those boys out of trouble." "Will do!" Jess promised. Jess and the twins watched him disappear down the little path that led to the cabin. "This is going to be fun," Sam said, rubbing his hands together. "Fun?" Eddie said.

完美的三角形山峰在阳光下闪闪发光。 当杰西看着圣·琼斯时，她总是感到一阵自豪。 海伦斯火山。不，它不像边境另一边俄勒冈州的胡德山那么有名。 它也没有雷尼尔山那么高，雷尼尔山耸立在西雅图上空，位于锡达北部约200英里处。 但住在这里的人都知道圣。 海伦山是喀斯喀特山脉最美丽的山。 如果大多数人从未听说过它，谁在乎呢? 罗文收拾好用品，朝他的渔房走去。 “我要整理我的装备，”他喊道。 “别走太远。还有，杰西，别让那些孩子惹麻烦。” “会!”杰斯承诺。杰西和双胞胎看着他消失在通往小屋的小路上。 “这将会很有趣，”萨姆搓着双手说。 “有趣?”埃迪说。

"Let's face it," Jess said. "We have nothing better to do." The twins nodded. Cedar wasn't a terrible place, but it sure was dull. Only about four hundred people lived there. The closest grocery store was twenty miles away. Last weekend the big excitement was the elk that wandered onto Main Street and blocked traffic for an hour. But Jess and the twins had their mountain and their forests. And they had each other. Eddie held out his hand, palm up. Jess and Sam laid theirs on top of his. It was a three-way secret handshake they'd made up back in kindergarten. "All for one," Sam said. "And one for all," Jess and Eddie chorused. Dad had taught them that saying a long time ago. It was from The Three Musketeers, which was a book way before it became the name of a

“让我们面对现实吧，”杰西说。 “我们没有更好的事情可做。” 双胞胎点点头。雪松不是一个可怕的地方，但它确实很沉闷。 只有大约400人住在那里。 最近的杂货店也在20英里之外。 上周末，最令人兴奋的是一头麋鹿在主街上闲逛，阻塞了交通一个小时。 但杰西和双胞胎有他们的山和森林。 他们拥有彼此。埃迪伸出手，掌心朝上。 杰西和萨姆把他们的放在他的上面。 那是他们在幼儿园时编的三人秘密握手。 “人人为我，”萨姆说。“人人平等，”杰西和埃迪齐声说道。 爸爸很久以前教过他们这句话。 这句话出自《三个火枪手》，在成为一个

candy bar. The book was about three best friends who'd do anything for each other. Like Jess and the twins. They linked arms and started marching toward the dark woods. "Watch out, Skeleton Woman!" Sam screamed. "We're coming to get you!"

糖果酒吧。这本书讲的是三个最好的朋友，他们愿意为彼此做任何事。 就像杰茜和双胞胎一样。他们手挽着手，开始向黑暗的森林走去。 “当心，骷髅女!”山姆尖叫。 “我们来救你了!”