Lesson

8

A Pound of Butter

One winter evening, a country storekeeper in Vermont was going to close up his shop for the night. While he was standing outside in the snow putting up the window shutters, through the glass he could see Seth, a lazy, good-for-nothing fellow, still lounging about inside. As the grocer watched, Seth grabbed a pound of fresh butter from the shelf and concealed it in his hat. No sooner had the storekeeper seen the act than he hit upon exactly the right revenge. He would punish the thief, and at the same time he would satisfy his own appetite for fun to the fullest.

“I say, Seth,” said the storekeeper, coming in and losing the door after him, slapping his hands over his shoulders and stamping the snow off his feet. Seth had his hand on the door, his hat on his head, and the roll of butter in his hat. He was, naturally, anxious to leave as soon as possible.

“I say, Seth, sit down,” said the grocer in a friendly tone. “I reckon, now, on such a cold night as this little something warm to drink would not hurt a fellow.” Seth felt very uncertain. He had the butter and was eager to be off, but the temptation of something warm to drink made him hesitate. The matter was quickly settled when the rightful owner of the butter took Seth by the shoulders and placed him in a seat close to the stove. Now Seth was cornered. He was surrounded by boxes and barrels in such a way that if the grocer kept in front of him, there was no possibility of getting out. And sure enough, it was in that very place that the storekeeper sat down.

“Seth, we’ll have a little warm drink,” the grocer said. “Without it, you’d freeze going home on such a night as this.” As he spoke, he opened the door of the stove and stuffed in as many sticks of wood as he could possibly fit inside.

Seth already could feel the butter settling down closer to his hair. A hot drink no longer sounded so appealing to him. He jumped up, declaring that he must go.

“Not until you have something warm, Seth. Come, I’ve got a story to tell you.” And Seth was pushed back into his seat by his cunning① tormentor②.

“Oh, it’s so hot in here,” said the thief, attempting to rise again.

“Sit down; don’t be in such a hurry,” replied the grocer, pushing him back into the chair once more.

“But I’ve got the cows to feed, and the wood to chop③, and I must be going.” said the unhappy man.

“You mustn’t tear yourself away like this, Seth. Sit down, let the cows take care of themselves, and keep yourself cool. You appear to be a little fidgety④,” said the roguish⑤ grocer with a wicked smile.

So Seth was forced to stay where he was. The next thing he knew, the grocer was bringing out two glasses filled with a steaming hot drink. In Seth’s present situation, hot as he was, he was not able to stand it any longer. The very sight of such a thing would have made his hair stand on end—had it not been well oiled and kept down by the melting butter.

“Seth, I will give you a toast now, and you can butter it yourself,” said the grocer, with such an innocent air that poor Seth could not believe that the theft had even been suspected. “We will drink to a Christmas goose, well roasted, eh? I tell you, it’s the greatest eating in the world. And Seth, don’t you ever use hog’s fat or common cooking butter to baste it with? Come, now, Seth, taste your butter—I mean, taste your drink.”

Poor Seth now began to smoke as well as melt. He could not even open his mouth; it was sealed up as if he had been born dumb. Streak after streak⑥ of the butter came pouring from under his hat, and the handkerchief he wore tied around his neck was already soaked⑦ with the greasy⑧ overflow.

Talking away as if nothing were the matter, the un-loving grocer kept on stuffing wood into the stove while poor Seth sat upright, his back against the counter and his knees almost touching the red-hot furnace.

“Cold night, this,” said the grocer in a causal conversational way. Then, as if surprised, he remarked “Why, Seth, you seem to be perspiring⑨ as if you are warm! Why don’t you take your hat off? Here, let men put your hat away for you.”

“No !” exclaimed poor Seth at last, unable to stand a moment longer. “No, I must go; let me out; I am well; let me go!”

A greasy waterfall of butter was now pouring down the poor man’s face and neck, soaking into his clothes and trickling down his body into his boots. He was bathed in oil from head to toe.

“Well, then, good night, Seth, if you really must go,” said the humorous Vermonter. And just as his unhappy victim darted out the door, he added, “I say, Seth, I reckon the fun I’ve had out of you is worth the money, so I shan’t charge you for that pound of butter in your hat.”

(889 words)

①cunning [ˑkʌnɪŋ] adj. 狡猾的

②tormentor [tɔ:ˑmentə(r)] n. 折磨者

③chop [tʃɒp] v. 剁

④fidgety [ˑfɪdʒɪtɪ] adj. 坐立不安的

⑤roguish [ˑrəʊɡɪʃ] adj. 恶作剧的

⑥streak [stri:k] n. 条层

⑦soak [səʊk] v. 浸

⑧greasy [ˑɡri:sɪ] adj. 多油的

⑨perspire [pəˑspaɪə(r)] vt. 出汗

I. How well did you read?

1. [Note the reason] The storekeeper proposed to tell a story for Seth because he wanted to___________.

A. make Seth have a good time

B. make him stay for a longer time

C. be a nice host to his guest

2. [Evaluate the information] What kind of person is the storekeeper?

A. Clever and wicked. B. Nice and kind. C. Stupid and kind.

3. [Note the reason] Why did the storekeeper add wood to the stove?

A. He wanted to make the room warm so that Seth can be more comfortable.

B. He wanted to make the butter in Seth’s hat melt.

C. He wanted to keep his goods from being frozen.

4. [Note the fact] When did Seth realize he was found out stealing?

A. When he first put the butter into his hat.

B. When he was offered a hot drink.

C. When he rushed out of the store.

5. [Evaluate the information] In paragraph 12, the storekeeper said: “Come, now, Seth, taste your butter—I mean, taste your drink.”

A. He was trying to show his hospitality.

B. He made a mistake in speaking.

C. He was trying to give a hint to Seth.

II. Read for words.

1. Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined words.

(1) Seth grabbed a pound of fresh butter from the shelf and concealed it in his hat.

A. hid B. put on C. pasted

(2) Now Seth was cornered. He was surrounded by boxes and barrels in such a way that if the grocer kept in front of him.

A. 坐在角落 B. 被困住了 C. 被抓住了

(3) And just as his unhappy victim darted out the door.

A. rushed B. shot C. broke

2. Choose one best paraphrase for the underlined expressions.

(1) No sooner had the storekeeper seen the act than he hit upon exactly the right revenge.

A. beat B. got C. had

(2) You mustn’t tear yourself away —like this, Seth.

A. hurt yourself B. exhaust yourself C. cry

(3) The very sight of such a thing would have made his hair stand on end.

A. made him happy B. made him angry C. made him sacred