Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2 NINE DAYS EARLIER… JULY 3, 1916 9:00 A.M. THE ELM HILLS DINER The Monday morning breakfast rush at the Elm Hills Diner was finally over. Chet's feet ached. He was covered in syrup, doughnut crumbs, and bacon grease. His curly red hair was damp with sweat. But he was

第二章九天前1916年7月3日上午9点 榆树山餐厅周一早晨，榆树山餐厅的早餐高峰终于结束了。 切特的脚疼。他浑身都是糖浆、甜甜圈碎屑和培根油。 他的红卷发被汗水浸湿了。 但他确实是

surprisingly happy. Uncle Jerry was paying him a fortune to help out at his diner this summer — fifteen cents a day! Chet liked being surrounded by familiar faces and hearing folks calling out his name while he worked. Best of all, he was finally making some friends, his first since he came to live with Uncle Jerry last January. He was staying here for the year, while Mama and Papa were in California on business. Chet was wiping down the counter when the front door banged open. He smiled when he saw Dewey, Sid, and Monty rushing toward him. They came in every morning on their way to work at the tile factory. Chet had seen them at school — the loud boys who were always talking about baseball. But he hadn't gotten to know them until this summer. "Did you hear?" Dewey said, his freckly cheeks red with excitement. "You won't believe it!" said Monty, whose spectacles were fogged up from the humidity. "Let me tell him!" said Sid, pushing his friends aside. He was the shortest of the three, and always in charge. "It was a shark!" And then they all started talking at once.

令人惊讶的是快乐。杰瑞叔叔付了他一大笔钱，让他今年夏天在他的餐馆帮忙——一天十五美分!切特喜欢在工作时被熟悉的面孔包围，听到人们叫他的名字。 最重要的是，他终于交到了一些朋友，这是他去年1月来和杰瑞叔叔住在一起以来的第一个朋友。 他要在这里住一年，而爸爸妈妈去加利福尼亚出差了。 切特正在擦柜台，前门砰地一声开了。 当他看到杜威、希德和蒙蒂向他冲来时，他笑了。 他们每天早上在去瓷砖厂上班的路上来。 切特在学校里见过他们——那些总是谈论棒球的吵闹男孩。 但他直到今年夏天才认识他们。 “你听说了吗?”杜威激动得满脸通红，说道。 “你不会相信的!”蒙蒂说，他的眼镜因为潮湿而蒙上了一层雾气。 “让我告诉他!”希德说着，把他的朋友们推到一边。 他是三个人中最矮的，而且总是负责。 “是鲨鱼!”然后他们立刻开始说话。

"A shark attack!" "It was huge!" "Bit off a man's leg!" "There was blood everywhere!" "The man is dead!" "It happened right in Beach Haven!" said Monty. Beach Haven was about seventy miles south of Elm Hills, right on the Atlantic Ocean. Chet had heard about the fine hotels there, and the people who swam in the ocean in their fancy bathing costumes. But he'd never heard of any shark attacks! Uncle Jerry appeared from the kitchen, his bright blue eyes shining and his thick dark hair neatly combed back. The guys always stood a little straighter when they saw Chet's uncle. He'd been a baseball legend growing up here in Elm Hills. He could have gone pro, but he'd hurt his knee sliding home in a championship game. The team won, and Uncle Jerry could never play again. He still limped a little after a long day of work. "What's this about a shark?" he said as he passed out cinnamon doughnuts to each of the

“鲨鱼袭击!”“太大了!”“咬掉了一个人的腿!”“到处都是血!”“那人死了!”“就发生在海滩港!”蒙蒂说。 比奇港位于榆树山以南约70英里处，就在大西洋上。 切特听说过那里有很好的旅馆，人们穿着漂亮的泳衣在海里游泳。 但他从未听说过鲨鱼袭击!杰瑞叔叔从厨房里出来了，他那双明亮的蓝眼睛闪闪发光，浓密的黑发梳得整整齐齐。 这些人见到切特的叔叔时总是站得更直一些。 他是在榆树山长大的棒球传奇人物。 他本可以成为职业球员，但他在冠军赛中滑回家时伤了膝盖。 球队赢了，杰瑞叔叔再也不能打球了。 工作了一整天之后，他仍然有点跛行。 “鲨鱼是怎么回事?”他边说边把肉桂甜甜圈分发给每个人

boys. "You fellas aren't trying to fool us, are you?" Chet knew the guys loved to pull pranks. On the last day of school, they'd put a frog in Minnie Marston's lunch pail. She was the prettiest girl in school, but she'd been so mad her face turned an ugly shade of purple. "We're not foolin'!" Monty said, pulling a rumpled piece of newsprint from his trouser pocket. "Look at this!" he said. He handed it to Chet. It was from the New Jersey Herald. The hair on the back of Chet's neck stood up as he read the story. Uncle Jerry read it over his shoulder.

男孩。“你们这些家伙不是想愚弄我们吧?”切特知道他们喜欢恶作剧。 在学校的最后一天，他们会在米妮·马斯顿的午餐桶里放一只青蛙。 她是学校里最漂亮的女孩，但她太生气了，脸都变成了难看的紫色。 “我们不是在开玩笑!”蒙提说着，从裤兜里掏出一张皱巴巴的新闻纸。 “看看这个!”他说。他把它递给切特。 这是《新泽西先驱报》的报道。 当切特读到这个故事时，他脖子后面的头发都竖起来了。 杰瑞叔叔隔着肩膀看了看。

KILLER SHARK ATTACKS SWIMMER! JULY 2, 1916 BEACH HAVEN, NEW JERSEY Charles Vansant, 25, was attacked by a large shark Saturday, July 1, while swimming in chest-deep water. He and his family were vacationing at the luxurious Engleside Hotel. Mr. Vansant, known by all as a man of exceptional charm and great promise, was swimming with a dog when the attack occurred. The beach was filled with fashionable ladies and gentlemen enjoying the early evening breezes, when panicked shouts suddenly echoed through the air. A large black fin could be seen swimming toward Mr. Vansant. Onlookers screamed warnings. But it was too late. The shark brutally attacked the young man, who struggled to swim to shore. A lifeguard and two men rushed to his aid and finally managed to free him from the water. But he died a short time later of his injuries. This is the first fatal shark attack on

杀人鲨鱼袭击游泳者!1916年7月2日星期六，25岁的查尔斯·范森特在齐胸深的水中游泳时被一条大鲨鱼袭击。 他和他的家人正在豪华的恩格尔赛德酒店度假。 凡森特先生被大家认为是一个魅力非凡、前途无量的人。袭击发生时，他正在带着一条狗游泳。 海滩上满是时髦的女士们和先生们，享受着傍晚的微风，突然，惊慌失措的喊声在空中回荡。 可以看到一条黑色的大鳍向范森特游来。 旁观者尖叫着警告。 但为时已晚。鲨鱼残忍地袭击了那个挣扎着游向岸边的年轻人。 一名救生员和两名男子冲过去帮助他，最终把他从水里救了出来。 但不久之后，他就因伤势过重去世了。 这是鲨鱼第一次致命袭击