儿童英语读物 小木屋之谜 The Woodshed Mystery Chapter 7 旧书里的线索

CHAPTER 7

Clues 2 from an Old Book



Back at the farmhouse 3 Henry told Aunt Jane the whole story.



“What a story that is!” she said. “But I’m not afraid with Sim and Sam here. Who do you suppose is living in my woodshed?”



“It’s a good housekeeper,” said Jessie. “Everything was as neat as a pin.”



“Why don’t you find out when Mr. Cole is coming?” said Aunt Jane. “He might know something about that woodshed. That is the next thing I’d do.”



Henry went with Jessie to see Grandpa Cole. It was not a long walk.



Grandpa was sitting outdoors, reading.



“Do you know when your brother is coming?” Henry asked.



“Not till July first,” said Grandpa Cole. “When New York gets hot, he comes up here. He hates to travel.”



Jessie said, “We want to see him when he comes. Where will he live?”



“Right here with me,” said the old man. “He’s good company for me. He can remember everything.”



“I hope he can,” said Henry, laughing. “We want to ask him a lot of questions.”



“I am afraid we will bother him,” said Jessie.



“No bother. He’ll like it. I like it too. It’s good to see nice young folks 4 like you. I hope you will come often.”



“I’m sure we will,” said Henry. Then Henry and Jessie walked home.



They found Violet 5 on the back steps reading a big book. She looked up at her brother and sister. They saw at once that she was very much excited.



“Henry!” said Violet. “This is a wonderful book for us! It’s all about the Revolutionary War. And it tells how John Hancock and Sam Adams had to hide!”



The two older Aldens sat down beside Violet. “Tell us about it,” said Jessie.



“Yes,” said Henry. “Go on.”



“I found this book in the parlor,” said Violet. “See, it has lots of pictures. Here is a picture of that old gun!”



“Just exactly like it!” said Henry, looking at it.



“Now you see,” said Violet, “if John Hancock had to hide—”



“There were lots of his men who had to hide, too!” finished Jessie.



“Right!” said Henry. “I know many men were with him, all over the place. You’ve got something, Violet!”



Benny came around the corner. “What’s Violet got?” he asked.



“News,” said Henry. “Sit down, Benny. She’s found news about our mystery from an old, old book.”



He told Benny about it and showed him the pictures.



“This is neat!” cried Benny. “Do you think any of those men hid in our woodshed?”



“Well, no,” said Henry slowly. “Not the same woodshed anyway. But a very old one fell down about a hundred years ago. This one is not old enough.”



“Goodness!” said Benny. “How old was the old one?”



“It must have been built in Colonial 6 days,” said Henry. “What else did you read, Violet?”



“Oh, John Hancock’s men got all the guns they could. They got bullets 7 and gunpowder 8. They hid them in lots of places. One time they hid guns in a load of hay 9. The Redcoats stood and watched the load of hay go by. They never thought of looking in the hay!”



“Violet!” said Henry. “What a girl you are! This is the best news we have heard.”



Benny said, “I wonder what the Redcoats would have done to the man with the hay cart 10 if they had found the guns?”



“They would have shot 11 him dead!” said Violet.



“Violet!” said Henry again.



“Yes, that’s right,” said Violet. “There were many brave men in those days. They were always in danger. But they went on getting guns and ammunition 12 and hiding it. The Redcoats were always trying to find it.”



“Anything else?” asked Jessie.



“One more thing I read,” said Violet. “We lost the battle of Bunker Hill just because we ran out of ammunition.”



“Wait a minute,” said Henry. “Here comes Sim. Let’s ask him something.”



They all went to meet Sim. He had a big can of milk for them, and one of cream. Maggie took the cans and Sim looked at the children.



Henry said, “Sim, do you know where the old, old woodshed used to be? Not this one, but the one that fell down?”



“Yes, I know that. Right in the very same place.”



“Good!” cried Henry. “How do you know?”



Sim scratched 13 his head. “Of course, I wasn’t there.” He—looked at Henry and laughed. “I’m not quite a hundred years old, but my father told me. This woodshed stands right where the old one was. That’s all I know.”



“That’s enough!” cried Jessie. “Do you think anyone hid there from the Redcoats during the war?”



“Maybe. I can’t tell you that,” said Sim, shaking his head. “Why do you want to know?”



“We just want to find out where all the stories about why nobody will live in this house came from,” said Violet softly 14.



“I see,” said Sim. He smiled at Violet. “I’d help you if I could.”



“You have,” said Benny suddenly. Then as Sim went away he said, “I have an idea!”



“What’s your idea?” asked Henry.



“Let’s go back to the woodshed and take a flashlight. We might find a clue 1.”



“Not after two hundred years, Benny!” said Jessie.



“I bet 15 nobody ever looked,” said Benny. “Of course they didn’t find anything if they didn’t even look.”



After lunch Henry found his big flashlight. Benny found his, too.



“Do come with us, Sam!” begged Violet.



“Go ahead, Sam,” said Aunt Jane. “You leave your work whatever it is. This is more important. I don’t want to be afraid all my life.”



So Sam nodded his head and agreed to go along. He knew that Violet and Benny were safe with Henry and Jessie, but Miss Jane had asked him to go.



Sam had been quietly watching to see if anything unusual were going on around the farm. But not a thing seemed out of place and he had seen no one.



As they came up the hill, Watch walked along with Jessie. But as they came near the woodshed, he put his nose to the ground and ran on ahead. When he reached the door, he ran around the woodshed barking.



Henry kicked the door open. He went in with his flashlight.



“What in the world!” he cried. They all went in. There was the little table back in the corner. There was the bench, the bed, the dishes, the cans, the egg.



The children just stood still and looked at each other.