儿童英语读物 Mountain Top Mystery CHAPTER 14 Time for Celebration

The Aldens had been gone only one day when David came back from Maine with his dog.



It was night when David came, but he was sure of his way through the woods. He and his dog made almost no noise, but David found Lovan at the door of her cottage, waiting and listening.



The old Indian woman was smiling. She liked the way the dog trotted 1 at David’s side.



“This is Mine, Aunt Lovan,” David said. “Let him sniff 2 at you, then speak to him. He won’t bite.”



But Lovan knew what to do better than David. She opened the door wide so that the dog could smell the cooking. It was a delicious pot roast cooking with turnips 3 and carrots and onions and potatoes. The dog trotted happily into the cottage. He turned to Lovan and sat up with his two front paws hanging down.



“He’s smiling,” cried David. “Doesn’t that look like a smile?”



“Good dog,” said Lovan. “Shake hands.”



Now Mine had never learned to shake hands. But when the old lady took his paw in her hand he wagged 4 his tail as well as he could while sitting on it. He seemed to know that Lovan was the one with the supper.



“Your supper is too hot, Miney,” she said. “It’s just right for you, David. Sit right down. Are you about starved?”



“Very near,” said David. “I didn’t want to stop to eat. But now it must be the middle of the night.”



“It’s one o’clock,” said Lovan. She began to cut many thin slices off the meat. Then she piled a soup plate with vegetables. She put corn muffins on another plate and poured a large glass of milk. Mine sat still watching every move.



David said, “We ought not give Miney good meat like this. He eats scraps 5.”



“Well, some other time, David,” said Lovan. “Tonight it is a party.”



“Miney is glad,” said David. “I’ll cut some of my meat for him. It’s cool enough now. He likes everything—bread and vegetables and candy.”



Mine wagged his tail all the time he was eating. He licked 6 up the last bit and went over to Lovan and put both paws on her lap.



“Good dog,” she said, patting his head. “You are mine, too.”



“I’m glad you like him,” said David.



“Did you have any trouble with the other Indians?” asked Lovan.



“No. They didn’t want my dog. They have two or three others. I didn’t even tell them where I was going. They didn’t ask.”



“I see,” said Lovan. “And now let’s all go to bed.”



Things went along well and a month soon went by. Then the Aldens came back. As they drove into the woods they heard a dog barking.



“That’s Miney!” said Benny, laughing.



Just then David and Lovan appeared around the corner of the house. The dog barked.



“Quiet,” said David. He stopped.



The Aldens could hardly believe what they saw. “You must have gained ten pounds, Dave!” shouted Benny.



“I guess so,” said David, laughing. He was delighted to see his good friends.



“What are you working on behind the house?” asked Henry.



“Come and see,” said Lovan with a smile. “We are both outdoor people. So Dave made this place to eat.”



Under the great pine trees was a large wooden table. On each side was a bench.



“The benches are long so we can have company,” said David.



“Company like us!” shouted Benny.



“Let me show you what else we are doing, Mr. Alden,” said David. “Aunt Lovan and I are making an Indian book.”



“Let me see it. That is the best thing I have heard yet,” said Mr. Alden. “We don’t want to lose the best parts of Indian life.”



By this time the Aldens were in the house, looking at the Indian book pages.



“It isn’t half done yet,” said David. “We are writing down the old stories in the Indian language. And we have drawn 7 Indian pictures to go with them. We are trying to make them look like the ones Indians used to draw. Then Aunt Lovan is telling how to make designs. Here is a design for a basket, and here is one for a blanket. We both remember songs, but I have to learn how to write them down.”



Just then Mr. Carter put his head in the door. He said to Lovan, “If you are worrying about feeding this crowd, we brought dinner for everyone.”



“Thanks for telling me,” said Lovan. “Really I haven’t enough food for everyone. But we can cook whatever you have. Look over there. See what David built?”



It was an outdoor fireplace 8 made of stones.



“Just in time!” yelled 9 Benny. “Because we’ve got real steak today. We’re celebrating!”



When they all sat down at last, Mine went under the table and lay down on Henry’s feet. Benny looked under the table. He said, “I do wish you’d choose my feet, Miney. But I suppose Henry makes you think of David. He’s about the same size.”



Everyone was talking. Violet was talking to David. Benny was talking to Lovan. Jessie was talking to Mr. Carter. Henry looked at Grandfather. “What a noise!” he said.



“But a good noise,” said Grandfather. “Listen and you’ll hear all the news.”



Lovan was telling Benny that David had bought her a warm blanket with her new money. David was telling Violet that Lovan had made colors to paint with from things in the woods. Mr. Carter told Jessie that David was going to school in the fall.



“David is going to be even busier,” said Grandfather. “Dr. Osgood tells me that he has tried him out on the mountain, and he’s going to hire him as a helper in the summers.”



“I didn’t know there were such interesting things in the world,” David said.



So here was David Walking-by-Night with a real job, and a new aunt, and a family to help him, and a good hound 10 dog. What more could he want?



When the Aldens packed up to go, Benny said, “No we won’t say it! We’ll say we’ll ‘come again soon.’”



So that was it—come again—no goodbye.



On the way home, Benny said, “Oh, by the way, what will we do next summer, Grandfather?”



“Don’t you wish you knew!” teased 11 Grandfather.



“You mean you know?”



“I didn’t say so, did I?”



“No, but your face looked so.”



“Dear me,” said Grandfather, “I must be more careful about my face!”



Benny teased for quite awhile. Then he stopped for he knew that Grandfather would not tell them until he got ready.



“Well, it’s OK with me,” he said at last. “Anyway whatever we do will be another story, huh, Gramps?”