吹小號的天鵝 第41期:小號(3)

Back in Billings, the news spread rapidly.

回頭再說比林斯，這個消息在比林斯迅速傳開了。

This was the first time a swan had broken into amusic store and made off with a trumpet.

一只天鵝闖入一家樂器店偷走一把小號的事可說是前所未有。

A lot of people refused to believe it had happened.

許多人都不信會有這種事情發(fā)生。

The editor of the newspaper sent a reporter to thestore to look around.

報紙的編輯派了一個記者到店里來調(diào)查。

The reporter interviewed the owner and wrote anarticle about the event for the paper.

記者采訪了那個店主，然后就此事在晚報上寫了篇文章。

The article was headed: LARGE BIRD BREAKS INTO MUSIC STORE

文章的標題是這樣的：大鳥闖入樂器店

White Swan Crashes Through Window and Makes Off With Valuable Trumpet

白天鵝破窗而入，竊走貴重的小號

Everybody in Billings bought a copy of the paper and read all about the extraordinary event.

住在比林斯的每個人都買了一份這種報紙，細讀了關(guān)于這個特別事件的報道。

It was talked about all over town.

全城到處都在議論這件事。

Some people believed it; others said it never could have happened.

有些人相信;其他的人說這事絕不可能發(fā)生。

They said the store owner had just invented it to get some publicity for his store.

他們說那個店主不過是杜撰了這個消息想以此來給他的店做廣告而已。

But the clerks in the store agreed that it had really happened.

可是店里的店員們卻說這事的確發(fā)生過。

They pointed to the drops of blood on the floor.

他們都指著地板上的血滴發(fā)誓。

The police came to look over the damage, which was estimated at nine hundred dollars.

警察來看了店里的損壞情況，估計損失大概要值九百美元。

The police promised they would try to find the thief and arrest him,

警察答應(yīng)將設(shè)法找到那個賊并逮捕他，

but the police were sorry to hear that the thief was a bird.

可當警察聽說這個賊只是一只鳥時卻感到很為難。

"Birds are a special problem," they said.

“鳥類犯罪可是個很特別的問題，”他們說，

"Birds are hard to deal with."

“鳥類是相當難對付的。”

Back at the Red Rock Lakes, Louis's mother waited anxiously for her husband to return.

再說紅石湖那邊，路易斯的媽媽正在焦慮地等著她的丈夫回來。

When he showed up in the night sky, she saw that he had a trumpet with him.

他剛一在夜空中出現(xiàn)，她就看到他帶來了一把小號。

It was slung around his neck by its cord.

它是由一根繩子掛在他脖子上的。

"Well," she said, as he glided to a stop in the water, "I see you made it."

“很好，”當他滑到水面停住的時候，她說，“我看你把事情辦成了。”

"I did, my dear," said the cob. "I traveled fast and far, sacrificed my honor, and I have returned.

“是的，我親愛的，”雄天鵝說，“這一次我飛得又快又遠，還犧牲了我的榮譽，可我總算回來了。

Where is Louis? I want to give him his trumpet right away."

路易斯在哪兒?我現(xiàn)在就想把小號給他。”

"He's over there sitting on a muskrat house, dreaming about that empty-headed young femalehe's so crazy about."

“他正在麝鼠窩那邊坐著，發(fā)瘋似的夢想著那位毫無鑒賞力的年輕雌天鵝呢。”