回复：【童书】JG读童书：原版故事

he gave once last look at the muddy place where she’d lost her tooth
and then started walking back along the shore with her
father. She walked along slowly, looking
at her feet so that her father could not see her face, in case it looked almost
like crying.
“Oh! See what I’ve found!” she exclaimed,
stooping t pick up a feather.
“It’s a gull’s feather,” said her father,
pausing for Sal to pick it up.
“Did a gull lose it? Will another feather
grow in where this one dropped out?” asked Sal.
“Yes, Sal that’s right,” answered her
father.
“Maybe sea gulls put dropped-out feathers
under their pillows and wish secret wishes,” Sal suggested.
“Sea gulls don’t use pillows, but I suppose
they can make wishes,” her father said.
“Then I”ll make my wish on this feather,’
Sal decided..
“Perhaps the sea gull has already made a
wish on that feather and the wish is used up,” suggested her father.
“Oh, no,” Sal said definitely, “he didn’t,
you see. I guess because he was too busy flying and not looking back. He didn’t
notice it was loose when he brushed his feathers this morning, so he didn’t
expect it would drop out. He doesn’t even know it’s gone,” she convinced
herself. She closed her eyes tight and wished her secret wish.

When they reached home Sal’s mother and
sister Jane were waiting with a box of empty milk bottles to return to the
store and a list of things to buy.
“I’ ll have a nice clam chowder ready for
your lunch when you get back,” said Sal’s mother, waving good-by.
“I ll take good care of Jane,” Sal
promised. “I’m a big girl and I can watch so she doesn’t tumble into the water.”
Sal and Jane and their father went down to
the shore and got aboard their boat.
Sal and Jane put on their life preservers
while their father prepared to start the outboard motor. He pulled and he
pulled on the rope to start it, but the outboard motor just coughed and
sputtered and wouldn’t start.
So he had to row the boat all the way
across the bay to Buck’s Harbor where the store was.
The harbor was full of boats, and Sal’s
father rowed their boat among them, up to a landing, and tied it so it would
not drift away while they were at the store. They all climbed ashore, and Sal’s
father brought along the milk bottles. He brought the outboard motor too, so
Mr. Condon who ran the garage could fix it.

As they came up the path to the village Mr.
Condon was outside his garage, putting gas into a car.
“I have a tooth out!” Sal greeted. ”And our
outboard motor won’t run.”
“My, such trouble!” Mr. Condon commented,
and after he had admired the empty place where Sal’s tooth was missing they
took the outboard motor into the garage to find why it wouldn’t run. Mr. Condon
pinched a little with his pliers, tunked a bit with his hammer, and then, after
selecting a large wrench, he took out the spark plug.
“Came right out, just like that tooth of
yours, didn’t it, Sal?” He said, holding it up to the light. “Humph!” he
grunted, tossing it on the floor. “Needs a new plug!”
Sal was just about to ask how long it would
take for a new spark plug to grow in when Mr. Condon reached up on the shelf
and picked our a brand-new one, and put it in the motor.
Sal picked up the old spark plug and handed
it to sister Jane. Jane. Jane was so little that she couldn’t even say ice-cream
cone! So Sal wished the secret wish for Jane on the spark plug.
Mr.Condon pulled the rope, and the motor
started right up, just as good as new. Sal’s father thanked him and picked up
the motor and the milk bottles. Jane carried her spark plug, Sal carried her
feather, and they said good-by and walked across the street to where Mr. Condon’s
brother kept store.
“Well, look who’s here!”said the Mr.Condon
who kept store. “I have a tooth out!” Sal shouted, returning Mr. Condon’s
greeting.
She showed the empty place where her tooth
had been, first to Mr. Condon, then to Mr.Ferd Clifford and Mr. Oscar Staples,
who were sitting in the store talking about trapping lobsters and how the fish
were biting.

“Don’t put your tongue in the empty place,”
Mr. Clifford advised, “and a nice shiny gold one like mine will grow in.”
“But I didn’t know soon enough,” said Sal,
looking confused.
“Hawh!: said Mr. Condon, chuckling. “Don’t
you go worryin’ about everything these jokers suggest. I don’t suppose,” he
added, opening up his freezer, “that you could eat an ice-cream con with one of
your tooth out?”
“Oh, yes, I could!” said Sal.”And it’s
supposed to be chocolate!”
“And this little lady?” he questioned,
turning to Jane.
“Here is supposed to be vanilla, so the
drips won’t spot, and you’d better push it together tight, so it won’t drop
off,” Sal dictated, “because she’s still almost a baby and doesn’t even have
all of her first teeth.
After Mr. Condon had put the groceries and
milk in the box, they thanked him once more and waved good-by. They walked down
the path to the harbor and down the runway to the float where their boat was
tied. They all climbed aboard, carrying the outboard motor, the box of milk and
groceries, the feather, the spark plug, and the ice-cream cones.
While their father fastened the outboard
motor to the boat Sal and Jane finished their ice-cream cones.
“I want s’more!” Jane demanded.
“Silly!” exclaimed Sal. “Our wishes are all
used up.” Then she remembered that she was growing up, and just like a grownup
she said, “Besides, Jane, two ice-cream cones would ruin your appetite. Ehen we
get home we are going to have clam chowder for lunch!”

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