Happy Jack Drops a Nut 快樂的杰克掉了一個山核桃

Thornton W. Burgess

——桑頓·W.伯吉斯

本文選自《快樂的松鼠杰克》第一章。作者桑頓·W.伯吉斯（ 1874—1965）是美國國寶級兒童文學(xué)大師。本文講述的是松鼠杰克發(fā)現(xiàn)一棵結(jié)滿果實的大山核桃樹，就在他想獨吞樹上的所有核桃時，被他的表弟紅松鼠查特爾發(fā)現(xiàn)了……故事告訴我們自私會使我們生出貪婪，只有學(xué)會分享才能讓我們的心胸開闊、使生活更加快樂。

Happy Jack Squirrel sat on the tip of one of the highest branches of a big hickory tree. Happy Jack was up very early that morning. In fact， jolly， round， red Mr Sun was still in his bed behind the Purple Hills when Happy Jack hopped briskly out of bed. He washed himself thoroughly and was ready for business by the time Mr Sun began his climb up in the blue， blue sky.

You see， Happy Jack had found that big hickory tree just loaded with nuts all ripe and ready to gather. He was quite sure that no one else had found that special tree， and he wanted to get all the nuts before anyone else found out about them. So he was all ready and off he raced to the big tree just as soon as it was light enough to see.

“The nuts that grow in the hickory tree— they're all for me！ They're all for me！”

在一棵大山核桃樹上，快樂的松鼠杰克專門挑了一根最高的樹枝坐了上去。他今天起得特別早。事實上，歡樂的、圓圓的紅太陽公公還在紫色山丘后呼呼大睡時，他就蹦蹦跳跳地下了床。當太陽公公開始慢慢地爬上藍藍的天空時，他已經(jīng)洗漱完畢，準備干活兒了。

事情是這樣的，快樂的松鼠杰克找到那棵大山核桃樹的時候，樹上結(jié)滿了成熟的果實，只等著人來采摘。他知道其他人一定沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)那棵樹，他要趕在別人前面把果實都摘下來。于是，天剛一亮，他就趕緊跑到了那棵樹上。

“大山核桃樹上的山核桃呀，你們都是我的！都是我的！”

Happy Jack was humming that little song as he rested in the top of the tree and wondered if his storehouse would hold all these big， fat nuts. Just then he heard a great scolding a little way over in the Green Forest. Happy Jack stopped humming and listened. He knew that voice. It was his cousins voice—the voice of Chatterer the Red Squirrel. Happy Jack frowned. “I hope he won't come over this way，” muttered Happy Jack. He does not love his cousin Chatterer anyway， and then there was the big tree full of hickory nuts！ He didnt want Chatterer to find that.

I am afraid that Happy Jack was selfish. There were more nuts than he could possibly eat in one winter， and yet he wasnt willing that his cousin， Chatterer the Red Squirrel， should have a single one.

Now Chatterer is short-tempered and a great scold. Some one or something had upset him this morning， and he was scolding as fast as his tongue could go， as he came running right towards the tree in which Happy Jack was sitting.

Happy Jack sat perfectly still and watched. He didn't move so much as the tip of his big gray tail. Would Chatterer go past and not see that big tree full of nuts？ It looked very much as if he would， for he was so busy scolding that he wasn't paying much attention to other things.

快樂的松鼠杰克一邊哼著小曲，一邊坐在樹頂上，打量著那一樹又大又飽滿的山核桃，盤算著自己的儲藏室能不能裝得下。就在這時，格林森林里傳來一陣吵鬧聲，他馬上住了嘴，仔細聽起來——好熟悉的聲音啊。原來聲音來自他的表弟紅松鼠查特爾。他皺起了眉頭，小聲地說：“他可千萬別過來。”他一點兒也不喜歡自己的這個表弟，更不愿意與表弟分享這一樹的大山核桃！可千萬別讓表弟看見了。

不得不說，快樂的松鼠杰克有點兒自私。樹上的山核桃他一個冬天都吃不完，但他還是一顆都不想分給他的表弟紅松鼠查爾特。

紅松鼠查特爾脾氣不好，動不動就大吵大鬧。今天早上，不知誰又惹了他，他一邊跑一邊罵，直接就來到了快樂的松鼠杰克坐的這棵樹下。

快樂的松鼠杰克嚇得一動不敢動，連他灰色的大尾巴都不敢搖一下，就這樣看著他表弟。紅松鼠查特爾會看到這棵長滿山核桃的大樹嗎？應(yīng)該不會，因為他只顧又嚷又叫，根本沒注意周圍的一切。

Happy Jack smiled as Chatterer came running under the tree without once looking up. He was so tickled that he started to hug himself and didnt remember that he was holding a big， fat nut in his hands. Of course he dropped it. Where do you think it went？ Well， Sir， it fell straight down， from the top of that tall tree， and it landed right on the head of Chatterer the Red Squirrel！

“My stars！” cried Chatterer， stopping his scolding and his running together， and rubbing his head where the nut had hit him. Then he looked up to see where it had come from. Of course， he looked straight up at Happy Jack.

“You did that purposely！” screamed Chatterer， his short temper flaring up.

“I didnt！” snapped Happy Jack.

“You did！”

“I didnt！”

Oh， dear， oh， dear， such a sight！ Two little squirrels， one in a gray suit and one in a red suit， contradicting each other and calling names！ It was such a sad， sad sight， for you know they were cousins.

查特爾連頭都沒抬地從樹下跑過，這可把快樂的松鼠杰克樂壞了，樂得蜷成了一團，忘了手里還拿著一顆大山核桃，結(jié)果那顆山核桃掉了下去。掉到哪里了呢？唉，萬萬想不到，正好砸在紅松鼠查特爾的腦袋上！

“哎喲！”查特爾大叫一聲，再也不跑不罵了。他一邊使勁揉著腦袋，一邊抬頭看是從哪兒掉下來的東西。當然了，他一眼就看見了快樂的松鼠杰克。

“你竟敢故意砸我！”查特爾尖叫一聲，又發(fā)起火來。

“我不是故意的！”快樂的松鼠杰克回答。

“就是！”

“不是！”

哦，天啊，哦，天啊，這樣的場面！兩只小松鼠，一只穿灰襖，一只著紅衣，嘰嘰喳喳，又吵又罵！這真是可悲的場面，因為你知道的，他們還是表親呢。

Vocabulary

load v.承載

ripe adj.成熟的

frown v.皺眉

selfish adj.自私的

rub v.擦;磨;搓

purposely adv.故意地;蓄意地

sight n.景象;情景