LESSON 26

PATTY AND THE SQUIRREL

帕蒂和松鼠

1. Little Patty lives in a log house near a great forest. She has no sisters, and her big brothers are away all day helping their father.

2. But Patty is never lonely; for, though the nearest house is miles away, she has many little friends. Here are two of them that live in the woods.

3. But how did Patty teach them to be so tame? Patty came to the woods often, and was always so quiet and gentle that the squirrels soon found they need not be afraid of her.

4. She brought her bread and milk to eat under the trees, and was sure to leave crumbs for the squirrels.

5. When they came near, she sat very still and watched them. So, little by little, she made them her friends, till, at last, they would sit on her shoulder, and eat from her hand.

6. Squirrels build for themselves summer houses. Those are made of leaves, and sticks, and moss. They are nice and cool for summer, but would never do for the winter cold and snow.

7. So these wise little people find a hollow in an old tree. They make it warm and snug with soft moss and leaves; and here the squirrels live all through the long winter.

【中文阅读】

1．小帕蒂住在大森林附近的小木屋里。她没有姐妹，她的哥哥们整日帮助父亲干活。

2．帕蒂也不是一直孤单。虽然最近的房子也在几英里之外，但她还是有很多小伙伴。其中两个就住在树林里。

3．帕蒂是怎么教它们，让它们变得如此驯服呢？帕蒂经常去树林里，总是非常安静而有礼貌，松鼠们很快就发现它们不用害怕她。

4．她带来面包和牛奶在树下吃，而且会给松鼠们留下一些面包屑。

5．当它们走近时，她会安静地坐着看着它们。渐渐地，她和它们成了朋友。直到最后，它们会坐在她的肩膀上，在她的手里吃东西。

6．松鼠们为自己建造适合夏天住的房子。它们是用叶子、木棍和苔藓建造的，夏天既漂亮又凉爽，但在寒冬和雪天里却很冷。

7．这些聪明的小家伙儿在古树上找到了一个洞。它们用一些柔软的苔藓和树叶把它装扮得既暖和又舒适。在这里，所有松鼠将度过一个漫长的冬季。