Happy Jack Drops a Nut 快乐的杰克掉了一个山核桃

Thornton W. Burgess

——桑頓·W.伯吉斯

本文选自《快乐的松鼠杰克》第一章。作者桑顿·W.伯吉斯（ 1874—1965）是美国国宝级儿童文学大师。本文讲述的是松鼠杰克发现一棵结满果实的大山核桃树，就在他想独吞树上的所有核桃时，被他的表弟红松鼠查特尔发现了……故事告诉我们自私会使我们生出贪婪，只有学会分享才能让我们的心胸开阔、使生活更加快乐。

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！”

在一棵大山核桃树上，快乐的松鼠杰克专门挑了一根最高的树枝坐了上去。他今天起得特别早。事实上，欢乐的、圆圆的红太阳公公还在紫色山丘后呼呼大睡时，他就蹦蹦跳跳地下了床。当太阳公公开始慢慢地爬上蓝蓝的天空时，他已经洗漱完毕，准备干活儿了。

事情是这样的，快乐的松鼠杰克找到那棵大山核桃树的时候，树上结满了成熟的果实，只等着人来采摘。他知道其他人一定没有发现那棵树，他要赶在别人前面把果实都摘下来。于是，天刚一亮，他就赶紧跑到了那棵树上。

“大山核桃树上的山核桃呀，你们都是我的！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.

快乐的松鼠杰克一边哼着小曲，一边坐在树顶上，打量着那一树又大又饱满的山核桃，盘算着自己的储藏室能不能装得下。就在这时，格林森林里传来一阵吵闹声，他马上住了嘴，仔细听起来——好熟悉的声音啊。原来声音来自他的表弟红松鼠查特尔。他皱起了眉头，小声地说：“他可千万别过来。”他一点儿也不喜欢自己的这个表弟，更不愿意与表弟分享这一树的大山核桃！可千万别让表弟看见了。

不得不说，快乐的松鼠杰克有点儿自私。树上的山核桃他一个冬天都吃不完，但他还是一颗都不想分给他的表弟红松鼠查尔特。

红松鼠查特尔脾气不好，动不动就大吵大闹。今天早上，不知谁又惹了他，他一边跑一边骂，直接就来到了快乐的松鼠杰克坐的这棵树下。

快乐的松鼠杰克吓得一动不敢动，连他灰色的大尾巴都不敢摇一下，就这样看着他表弟。红松鼠查特尔会看到这棵长满山核桃的大树吗？应该不会，因为他只顾又嚷又叫，根本没注意周围的一切。

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.

查特爾连头都没抬地从树下跑过，这可把快乐的松鼠杰克乐坏了，乐得蜷成了一团，忘了手里还拿着一颗大山核桃，结果那颗山核桃掉了下去。掉到哪里了呢？唉，万万想不到，正好砸在红松鼠查特尔的脑袋上！

“哎哟！”查特尔大叫一声，再也不跑不骂了。他一边使劲揉着脑袋，一边抬头看是从哪儿掉下来的东西。当然了，他一眼就看见了快乐的松鼠杰克。

“你竟敢故意砸我！”查特尔尖叫一声，又发起火来。

“我不是故意的！”快乐的松鼠杰克回答。

“就是！”

“不是！”

哦，天啊，哦，天啊，这样的场面！两只小松鼠，一只穿灰袄，一只着红衣，叽叽喳喳，又吵又骂！这真是可悲的场面，因为你知道的，他们还是表亲呢。

Vocabulary

load v.承载

ripe adj.成熟的

frown v.皱眉

selfish adj.自私的

rub v.擦;磨;搓

purposely adv.故意地;蓄意地

sight n.景象;情景