and painted on it were the words, "Keep out, everybody." 上面写道：“大家都出去。”

　　"I guess it doesn't mean us," said Jimmy Hopkins. “我想这不是指我们，”吉米·霍普金斯说。

　　"We have always played here, and no one has ever stopped us." 我们一直在这里踢球，从来没有人阻止过我们。”

　　"But it says 'Everybody,'" and Ben Hayes pointed to the sign. “但上面写着‘所有人'，”本·海斯指着牌子说道。

　　"Well, let's try it, anyway," said one of the other boys, and so the game began. 另一个男孩说“不管怎样，我们玩会试试吧”，于是游戏开始了。

　　It had been going on but a little while when  they heard a man's voice say, in a somewhat sharp tone, 他们刚玩一会儿，就听见一个刺耳的声音说道:

　　"Well, boys, I see you didn't read my sign." “孩子们，我想你们没有看到我的标志牌。”

　　A tall old gentleman had stepped through a gap in the hedge and was looking at them out of a pair of keen blue eyes, half hidden by bushy gray brows. 一位高大的老先生穿过树篱的缝隙望着他们，老人有着一双敏锐的蓝眼睛，眼睛的一半被浓密的灰色眉毛给遮住了。

　　"Yes, sir, we read it," said some one, "but we thought it didn't mean us." “是的，先生，我们看到了，”一个人说，“但我们以为那不是指我们。”

　　"Oh! then you don't consider yourselves anybody. Is that it?" “哦！那你就不把自己当成外人了，是吗?”

　　"No, sir; we've always played here, and nobody ever said anything." “不，先生，我们一直在这里打球，没人说过我们。”

　　"But you see, I've bought the place now, “但是你看，我现在已经把这块地买下来了，

　　and I must find a way to make it bring me in some money." 我必须想办法让它给我带来一些钱。”

　　"Are you going to plow it up?" asked Eddie Brooks. “你打算犁地吗?”埃迪·布鲁克斯问。