儿童英语读物 The Camp-Out Mystery CHAPTER 2 Stocking Up

A grocery store stood near the entrance to the forest preserve.

“There’s no store inside the park,” Mr. Alden said. “We’ll do our shopping here.”

His tail wagging¹, Watch followed them to the door.

“You can’t come in,” Benny told him.

“Sit,” Jessie said.

Watch sat.

Jessie put out her hand. “Stay,” she said.

Watch cocked his head. He seemed to be saying, “I’ll wait, but I don’t like it.”

The woman behind the counter greeted them. “Welcome,” she said.

“Doris?” Grandfather asked.

The woman looked puzzled. “Yes, I’m Doris, but I don’t—”

Mr. Alden put out his hand. “James Henry Alden,” he said.

The woman smiled and shook his hand. “James! How nice to see you.”

“It’s been a long time,” he replied.

“Too long,” she said.

“These are my grandchildren,” he said proudly. “This is Henry James. He’s the oldest. He’s in charge of food for the trip.”

Henry smiled and held up his shopping list. “Grandfather told us we could get everything we needed here.”

“Then there’s Jessie,” Grandfather continued. “She’s twelve and in charge of the map for our camping trip.”

Jessie said “Hello.”

“Violet is our musician,” Grandfather said. “She’s only ten, but you should hear her play the violin.”

Violet smiled shyly.

“It’s always good to have a little music in the woods,” Doris said.

“And I’m Benny,” the littlest Alden said. “I’m six. I help with everything.”

“I’m happy to know such good campers,” Doris said.

“So, Doris, are the campgrounds crowded?” Mr. Alden asked.

“No. Things have been slow lately,” Doris said. “Camping isn’t what it used to be.”

“How’s your sister?” Mr. Alden asked. “Hildy—was that her name?”

“Yes, Hildy,” Doris said. She glanced away. “She’s—uh— fine.”

“I remember the two of you—”

“I’d rather not talk about Hildy,” Doris interrupted.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Mr. Alden said. “I hope she isn’t ill.”

Ignoring that, Doris came around the counter. “Let’s see that shopping list,” she said to Henry. “You probably want to get a move on.”

They piled the groceries on the counter: bread, peanut butter, jam, milk, eggs, pancake mix, syrup², crackers³, cheese, hot dogs, cooked chicken, fresh vegetables, and fruit — all the things they would need for a few days in the woods.

“The marshmallows,” Benny reminded them.

“And the graham crackers and chocolate bars,” Violet added.

“And the ice,” Henry said.

“The ice machine is outside,” Doris said.

Henry ran to get a bag. He brought it and the cooler back into the store.

They unpacked⁴ the cooler and put in the ice and the perishable⁵ items. The remaining groceries, along with the dishes and cooking things, went into two boxes.

Doris followed them to the door. “I hope nothing … spoils the trip for you,” she said.

“I’m sure we’ll have a wonderful time,” Mr. Alden said as he put the boxes into the wagon⁶.

Driving away, they waved to Doris, who was still standing⁷ in the doorway⁸.

“What did she mean she hoped nothing would spoil our trip?” Henry asked.

“And not wanting to talk about her sister— that was strange,” Jessie said.

“She was so friendly at first,” Violet put in. “And then, suddenly …”

Mr. Alden nodded. “She did act strangely. Not at all the way I remember her.”

“What was her sister like?” Violet asked.

“Hildy didn’t like people very much,” Mr. Alden replied. “She liked going off by herself. She lived in a cabin at the edge of the woods. The family owned it. They used it as a vacation hideaway until Hildy grew up. Then, she moved into it full time. Still, Doris and Hildy were always close.” He shook his head. “It sure is a mystery,” he said.

Benny sighed. “I hope not,” he said.

The children laughed. They knew exactly what he meant. They liked mysteries. They were good at solving them. But they were looking forward to a peaceful camping trip with no mystery to think about.

1 wagging   

adj.（左右）摆动，摇摆，摇动v.（使）摇动，摇摆( wag的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The dog ran up, wagging its tail. 那条狗摇着尾巴跑上前去。
• A dog reacts to kindness by wagging its tail. 狗摇尾巴以报答人们的爱护。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 syrup   

n.糖浆，糖水

参考例句：

• I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
• Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。

3 crackers   

adj.精神错乱的，癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 )；薄脆饼干；（认为）十分愉快的事；迷人的姑娘

参考例句：

• That noise is driving me crackers. 那噪声闹得我简直要疯了。
• We served some crackers and cheese as an appetiser. 我们上了些饼干和奶酪作为开胃品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 unpacked   

v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的过去式和过去分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等）

参考例句：

• I unpacked my bags as soon as I arrived. 我一到达就打开行李，整理衣物。
• Our guide unpacked a picnic of ham sandwiches and offered us tea. 我们的导游打开装着火腿三明治的野餐盒，并给我们倒了些茶水。 来自辞典例句

5 perishable   

adj.（尤指食物）易腐的，易坏的

参考例句：

• Many fresh foods are highly perishable.许多新鲜食物都极易腐败。
• Fruits are perishable in transit.水果在运送时容易腐烂。

6 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。