英文原著英文原著TATTINE(TATTINE(塔廷塔廷) )TATTINE 1 TATTINE by Ruth Ogden Mrs. Charles W. Ide TATTINE 2 CHAPTER I. TROUBLE NO. 1 W hether you happen to be four or five, or six, or seven, or even older than that, no doubt you know by this tim e that a great m any things need to be learned in this world, everything, in fact, and never m ore things than at seven. At least, so thought little Tattine, and what troubled her the m ost was that som e of the things seem ed quite wrong, and yet no one was able to right them . All her little life Tattines M other had been setting things straight for her, drying every tear, and unravelling every tangle, so that Tattine was pretty downhearted the day she discovered that there were som e things that were quite beyond even her M others power to alter. It was on a lovely June m orning that Tattine m ade the first of her unwelcom e discoveries. She was feeling particularly happy too, until she m ade it. She was sitting up in an apple-tree, sketching, and doing it very well. She had taken only a few drawing-lessons but had taken to them im m ensely, and now with one lim b of the tree for a seat and another one for an easel, she was working away at a pretty chim e tower, that stood on a neighbors land. D own on the grass beneath her Betsy and D octor were lying. Betsy was a dear, hom ely red-and-white Laverack setter, and D octor, black-and- white and better looking, was her son. D octors beautiful grandm other Tadjie was lying, alas! under the grass instead of on it, not very far away. It was a sad day for the dog world when Tadjie left it, for although she was very old, she was very beautiful up to the last with a glossy silky coat, a superbly feathered tail, and with brown eyes so soft and entreating, they fairly m ade you love her, whether you were fond of dogs or no. W ell, Tattine was sketching away and was quite absorbed in it, but D octor, who was little m ore than a puppy, thought it very dull. H e lay with his head between his paws, and, without m oving a m uscle, rolled his eyes round and round, now gazing up at Tattine, and then at his m other, trying to be happy though quiet. Finally he stretched him self, got on his feet, cocked up his ears, and cam e and stood in front of Betsy, and although not a sound was heard, he said, so that Betsy perfectly understood him , “I cant stand this any longer. If you have any love for m e do please com e for a run.“ TATTINE 3 Then Betsy took one long stretch and with m otherly self-sacrifice reluctantly got up, prepared to hum or this lively boy of hers. Suddenly D octor craned his head high in the air, and gave a little sniff, and then Betsy craned her head and sniffed. Then they stole as stealthily away as though stepping upon eggs, and Tattine never knew that they had gone. It was no stealthy treading very long, however. No sooner had they crossed the roadway than they m ade sure of the scent they thought they had discovered, and m ade one wild rush down through the sum ach and sweet- fern to the ravine. In a few m om ents it was one wild rush up again right to the foot of Tattines apple-tree, and Tattine looked down to see D octor-oh, could she believe her two blue eyes!-with a dear little rabbit clinched firm ly between his teeth, and his m other (think of it, his m other!) actually standing proudly by and wildly waving her tail from side to side, in the m ost delighted m anner possible. As for Tattine, she sim ply gave one horrified little scream and was down from the tree in a flash, while the scream fortunately brought M aggie hurrying from the house, and as M aggie was D octors confidential friend (owing to certain choice little m orsels, dispensed from the butlers pantry window with great regularity three tim es a day), he at once, at her com m and, relaxed his hold on the little jack-rabbit. The poor little thing was still breathing, breathing indeed with all his m ight and m ain, so that his heart thum ped against his little brown sides with all the regularity of a Rider Engine. Tattines first thought was for the rabbit, and she held it close to her, stroking it with one little brown trem bling hand and saying, “There! there! H ush, you little dear; youre safe now, dont be frightened! Tattine wouldnt hurt you for the world.“ H er next thought was for D octor, and she turned on him with a torrent of abuse, that ought to have m ade the hair of that young M .D . stand on end. “O h, you cruel, CRU EL dog! whatever m ade you do such a thing as this? I never dream t it of you, never.“ At this Betsys tail dropped between her legs, for she was a coward at heart, but D octor held his ground, his tail standing on end, as his hair should have done, and his eyes all the while fairly devouring the little rabbit. “And the worst of it,“ continued Tattine, “is that no m atter how sorry you m ay feel“ (Betsy was the only one who showed any signs of sorrow, and she was m ore scared TATTINE 4 than sorry), “no m atter how sor