第 22 节
作者:沸点123      更新:2021-02-27 02:03      字数:9322
  But when she awoke; she found it a joke; For still they all were fleeting。
  Then up she took her little crook; Determin'd for to find them; She
  found them indeed; but it made her heart bleed; For they'd left their tails
  behind them。
  FIVE LITTLE WHITE HEADS'1'
  BY WALTER LEARNED
  '1' From Mother…Song and Child…Song; Charlotte Brewster Jordan。
  Five little white heads peeped out of the mould; When the dew was
  damp and the night was cold; And they crowded their way through the soil
  with pride; 〃Hurrah! We are going to be mushrooms!〃 they cried
  But the sun came up; and the sun shone down; And the little white
  heads were withered and brown; Long were their faces; their pride had a
  fall They were nothing but toadstools; after all。
  BIRD THOUGHTS'2'
  '2' Ibid。
  I lived first in a little house; And lived there very well; I thought the
  world was small and round; And made of pale blue shell。 I lived next in a
  little nest;
  Nor needed any other; I thought the world was made of straw; And
  brooded by my mother。
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  One   day   I   fluttered   from  the   nest   To   see   what   I   could   find。   I   said;
  〃The world is made of leaves; I have been very blind。〃
  At   length   I   flew   beyond   the   tree;   Quite   fit   for   grown…up   labours。   I
  don't know how the world IS made; And neither do my neighbours!
  HOW WE CAME TO HAVE PINK ROSES'1'
  '1' Told me by Miss Elizabeth McCracken。
  Once; ever and ever so long ago; we didn't have any pink roses。 All
  the roses in the world were white。 There weren't any red ones at all; any
  yellow ones; or any pink ones;only white roses。
  And one morning; very early; a little white rosebud woke up; and saw
  the sun looking at her。 He stared so hard that the little white rosebud did
  not   know   what   to   do;   so   she   looked   up   at   him   and   said;   〃Why   are   you
  looking at me so hard?〃
  〃Because   you   are   so   pretty!〃   said   the   big   round   sun。   And   the   little
  white   rosebud blushed!   She   blushed   pink。 And   all   her   children   after   her
  were little pink roses!
  RAGGYLUG'2'
  '2' Adapted from Mr Ernest Thompson Seton's Wild Animals I have
  known。 (David Nutt; 57…59 Long Acre; W。C。 6s。 net。)
  Once  there  was   a  little  furry  rabbit;  who   lived   with   his   mother   deep
  down   in   a   nest   under   the   long   grass。   His   name   was   Raggylug;   and   his
  mother's      name     was   Molly     Cottontail。     Every    morning;     when     Molly
  Cottontail     went    out   to  hunt    for  food;   she   said   to  Raggylug;      〃Now;
  Raggylug; lie still; and make no noise。 No matter what you hear; no matter
  what you see; don't you move。 Remember you are only a baby rabbit; and
  lie low。〃 And Raggylug always said he would。
  One day; after his mother had gone; he was lying very still in the nest;
  looking   up   through   the   feathery   grass。   By   just   cocking   his   eye;   so;   he
  could see what was going on up in the world。 Once a big bluejay perched
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  on a twig above him; and scolded someone very loudly; he kept saying;
  〃Thief! thief!〃 But Raggylug never moved his nose; nor his paws; he lay
  still。 Once a lady…bird took a walk down a blade of grass; over his head;
  she   was   so   top…heavy   that   pretty   soon   she   tumbled   off   and   fell   to   the
  bottom; and had to begin all over again。 But Raggylug never moved his
  nose nor his paws; he lay still。
  The sun was warm; and it was very still。
  Suddenly Raggylug heard a little sound; far off。 It sounded like 〃Swish;
  swish;〃 very soft and far away。 He listened。 It was a queer little sound; low
  down in the grass; 〃rustle   rustlerustle〃; Raggylug was interested。  But
  he never moved his nose or his paws; he lay still。 Then the sound came
  nearer; 〃rustle rustlerustle〃; then grew fainter; then came nearer; in and
  out; nearer and nearer; like something coming; only; when Raggylug heard
  anything   coming   he   always   heard   its   feet;   stepping   ever   so   softly。   What
  could it be that came so smoothly;rustlerustle without any feet?
  He forgot his mother's warning; and sat up on his hind paws; the sound
  stopped then。 〃Pooh;〃 thought Raggylug; 〃I'm not a baby rabbit; I am three
  weeks old; I'll find out what this is。〃 He stuck his head over the top of the
  nest;   and   lookedstraight     into   the  wicked    eyes   of   a  great  big   snake。
  〃Mammy; Mammy!〃 screamed Raggylug。 〃Oh; Mammy; Mam〃 But he
  couldn't scream any more; for the big snake had his ear in his mouth and
  was winding about the soft little body; squeezing Raggylug's life out。 He
  tried to call 〃Mammy!〃 again; but he could not breathe。
  Ah;   but   Mammy   had   heard   the   first   cry。   Straight   over   the   fields   she
  flew; leaping the stones and hummocks; fast as the wind; to save her baby。
  She   wasn't   a   timid   little   cottontail   rabbit   then;   she   was   a   mother   whose
  child was in danger。 And when she came to Raggylug and the big snake;
  she took one look; and then hop! hop! she went over the snake's back; and
  as she jumped she struck at the snake with her strong hind claws so that
  they tore his skin。 He hissed with rage; but he did not let go。
  Hop! hop! she went again; and this time she hurt him so that he twisted
  and turned; but he held on to Raggylug。
  Once more the   mother rabbit hopped; and   once more   she struck   and
  tore the snake's back with her sharp claws。 Zzz! How she hurt! The snake
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  dropped Raggy to strike at her; and Raggy rolled on to his feet and ran。
  〃Run;  Raggylug;  run!〃 said his   mother;  keeping the   snake   busy  with
  her jumps; and you may believe Raggylug ran! Just as soon as he was out
  of the way his mother came too; and showed him where to go。 When she
  ran; there was a little white patch that showed under her tail; that was for
  Raggy to follow; he followed it now。 Far; far away she led him; through
  the long grass; to a place where the big snake could not find him; and there
  she made a new nest。 And this time; when she told Raggylug to lie low
  you'd better believe he minded!
  THE GOLDEN COBWEBS'1'
  A STORY TO TELL BY THE CHRISTMAS TREE
  '1' This story was told me in the mother…tongue of a German friend; at
  the kindly instance of a common friend of both; the narrator had heard it at
  home from the lips of a father of story…loving children for whom ho often
  invented   such   little   tales。   The   present   adaptation   has   passed   by   hearsay
  through   so   many   minds   that   it   is   perhaps   little   like   the   original;   but   I
  venture to hope it has a touch of the original fancy; at least。
  I  am   going    to  tell  you  a  story   about   something     wonderful     that
  happened to a Christmas Tree like this; ever and ever so long ago; when it
  was once upon a time。
  It  was    before   Christmas;     and   the   tree  was    trimmed    with    bright
  spangled threads and many…coloured candles and (name the trimmings of
  the tree before you); and it stood safely out of sight in a room where the
  doors were locked; so that the children should not see it before the proper
  time。 But ever so many other little house…people had seen it。 The big black
  pussy saw it with her great green eyes; the little grey kitty saw it with her
  little blue eyes; the kind house…dog saw it with his steady brown eyes; the
  yellow canary saw it with his wise; bright eyes。 Even the wee; wee mice
  that were so afraid of the cat had peeped one peep when no one was by。
  But there was someone who hadn't seen the Christmas tree。 It was the
  little grey spider!
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  You   see;   the   spiders   lived   in   the   corners;   the   warm   corners   of   the
  sunny      attic  and    the  dark    corners    of   the   nice   cellar。   And    they    were
  expecting to see the Christmas Tree as much as anybody。 But just before
  Christmas   a   great   cleaning…up   began   in   the   house。   The   house…   mother
  came sweeping and dusting and wiping and scrubbing; to make everything
  grand and clean for the Christ…child's birthday。 Her broo