John Larrysson Column: Summer Story Chapter 2 Part 6 - Her Father Began to Play his Fiddle and Sing
文章日期:2014年8月6日

 

Yankee Doodle went to town,

He wore his striped trousers,

He swore he couldn't see the town,

There were so many houses.

Laura and Mary forgot all about the mad dog game.

And there he saw some great big guns,

Big as a log of maple,

And every time they turned them around,

It took two sets of oxen.

And every time they fired them off,

It took a lot of gun-powder,

It made a noise like father's gun,

Only very much louder.

Her father was keeping time with his foot tapping on the floor. Laura clapped her hands to the music when he sang,

And I'll sing Yankee Doodle-de-do,

I'll sing Yankee Doodle,

And I'll sing Yankee Doodle-de-do,

I'll sing Yankee Doodle!"

audio 1

Her mother had a rocking chair to rest in. It would move backwards and forwards like a swing. Her mother sat in her rocking chair, sewing clothes by the light of the oil lamp on the table. The lamp was bright and shiny. There was salt in the bottom of its glass bowl with the oil, to keep the oil from exploding. There were bits of red flannel cloth among the salt in the oil to make it look nice. It was very pretty.

Laura loved to look at the lamp, with its glass chimney so clean and sparkling, its yellow fire burning bit by bit and its bowl of clear clean oil coloured red by the bits of flannel. She loved to look at the pretty fire in the fireplace, flickering and changing all the time, burning yellow and red and sometimes green above the burning wood, blue over the golden and red partly burnt wood.

audio 2

They were all alone in the big wild forest, in the snow and the cold. The fire was burning in the fireplace, the cold, the darkness and the wild animals were all outside. The little wooden house was warm, safe and comfortable. Her father, her mother, her sister Mary, her baby sister Carrie were all there with her. Jack, her dog and Black Susan the cat lay blinking at the bright fire in the fireplace. They were comfortable and happy, especially at night.

audio 3

The Little House in the Big Woods

Chapter 1 - Part 1: Introduction

Chapter 1 - Part 2: Wolves in the Night

Chapter 1 - Part 3: Venison

Chapter 1 - Part 4: Smoked Meat

Chapter 1 - Part 5: Food for Winter

Chapter 1 - Part 6: Butchering Time

Chapter 1 - Part 7: After Butchering Time

Chapter 1 - Part 8: Winter

Chapter 1 - Part 9: Winter Night

Chapter 1 - Part 10: About the Author & Where to Find the Book

Chapter 2 - Part 1: Winter Days and Winter Nights

Chapter 2 - Part 2: Jack Frost

Chapter 2 - Part 3: Laura and Mary Helped Mother with the Housework

Chapter 2 - Part 4: Churn on Thursday

Chapter 2 - Part 5: The Best Time of All

Chapter 2 - Part 6: Her Father Began to Play his Fiddle and Sing

Chapter 2 - Part 7: Father Told Stories

Chapter 2 - Part 8 - The Story of Grandfather and the Panther

 

by John Larrysson

[email protected]

A native English speaker who has been teaching practical English in Hong Kong for more than a decade.

(Singing: M.K.Ip)