Chapter 7 6.the summer

Early summer on the farm is the happiest and most beautiful time of the year.The lilacs were in bloom, sweetening the air bittersweetly.When the lilac blossoms fail, the apple blossoms show a smiling face.At this time, the bees will come to visit the apple trees in groups.The weather is gradually getting warmer.School was out and the children had more time to play or catch trout in the creek.Avery often comes home with a trout in his pocket to fry for dinner. Now that the holidays are over, Fern has more time to visit the barn.She went there almost every day, sitting quietly on her little stool and observing.The animals already regarded her as one of their own.The sheep lay peacefully at her feet, not at all afraid.

Around the first day of July, Mr. Zuckerman began to hitch the mower around the horses' necks, jump into the seat himself, and drive the horses out into the fields.All morning you could hear the mower rattle back and forth and watch the tall grass gradually form long green rows behind the long strips of knives.The next day, if there was no thunderstorm, all the men would come and help rake the cut grass together and load it into the tall hay wagon to the barn with Fern and Avery on top superior.Then the warm, fragrant hay would be unloaded into the large attic until the whole barn looked like a wonderful bed of tube grass and clover.If you jump on it, you must feel very comfortable, and no one can see if you hide in it.Occasionally, Avery who comes here to play can find a cute little grass snake in the haystack, and put it together with other treasures in his pocket.

Early summer is a carnival for the birds.In the fields, around the house, in the barn, in the woods, in the wetlands -- everywhere there is love, singing, nests and eggs.The white-throated sparrow (flying from Boston) cried at the edge of the woods, "Ah, peel, peel, peel!" Between the branches of the apple tree, Jingyan walked back and forth tremblingly wagging its tail, its beak cried out, "Bobby, Boer-bee!" and the lark, knowing how sweet and short life is, said, "Happy, happy sneak! Happy, happy, happy sneak." If you come to the valley warehouse, you will hear the swallows rushing from their nests to scold. "Shameless, shameless!" they said.

There are plenty of good things kids love to eat, drink, suck, and chew in early summer.The stalks of dandelions are full of milk, the core of alfalfa flowers is full of nectar, and there are so many cold drinks in the refrigerator.There was life everywhere, and even in the little snowballs stuck to the grass stems there would be a little green worm if you poked it open.Under the potato branches and leaves, there are bright orange potato bug eggs. One day in early summer, the goslings were hatched.In a barn cellar, that's a big deal.Fern was sitting on her stool at the time. Except for the mother goose, Charlotte was the first to hear the news of the gosling's birth.The mother goose knows the chicks are coming out the first day - she hears a faint cry from inside the eggshell.She knew that they were not safe inside, so she was anxious to break the eggshell and come out for a walk.So she sat quietly, talking much less than usual.

When the first gosling poked its gray-green head out of its mother's feathers and began to look around, Charlotte was the first to catch a glimpse of him and made a statement. "I am sure," said she, "that each of us will be pleased to learn that after four weeks of tireless work and patient waiting, our friend the goose has finally achieved a remarkable result. The gosling is born. Please Let me extend my heartfelt congratulations here!" "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The mother goose nodded and bowed sheepishly. "Thank you," said the gander.

"Congratulations!" cried Wilbur. "How many goslings are there? I only see one." "There are seven," said the goose. "Great!" said Charlotte. "Seven is a lucky number." "It has nothing to do with luck," said the goose. "It took great planning and hard work." That's when Templeton peeked out from his hiding place under Wilbur's trough.He stole a look at Fern, then slid cautiously against the wall towards the goose.Everyone watched him warily, for he was neither likable nor believed. "Look," he cried shrilly, "you said you had seven goslings. There were eight eggs. What happened to the eighth egg? Didn't you hatch?"

"He's a rascal, I guess," said the goose. "What are you going to do with it?" Templeton went on, staring at the goose with his round little eyeballs. "You can take it with you," answered the goose. "Scroll it to your dirty collection." (Templeman had a habit of collecting at home unwanted items from the farm. He collected everything.) "Sure-yes-yes," said the gander. "You can take the egg. But I have something to tell you, Templeton, if I catch you sticking-stretching-your ugly nose around our goslings, I'll give it to you A blow that a mouse has never received before." Saying this, the gander opened his strong wings and beat the air with them vigorously, so that the mouse could see how powerful he was.Strong and fierce as he was, the truth was that both goose and gander had good reason to worry about Templeton.The rat had no morals, no sympathy, no scruples, no regard for others, no virtue, no rodent kindness, no qualms of conscience, no noble feelings, no friendship, no good of anything.If he could get away with it, he would kill the gosling - and the goose knew it.Everyone knows it too.

The goose pushed the unhatched egg out of her nest with her flat beak, and all the mates watched with disgusted expressions as the mouse carried it away.Even Wilbur, who would eat almost anything, was sickened by the sight. "Just imagine, someone would want a rotten egg!" he muttered. "A mouse is worthy of being a mouse." Charlotte's laughter was like jingle in the wind. "But, my friend, if the egg were to be broken, the barn would be unbearable." "What does that mean?" Wilbur asked. "Which means the smell is too strong for us to live here. A rotten egg is usually very stinky."

"I won't break it," said Templeton angrily. "I know what I'm doing. I move stuff like that a lot." He pushed the goose egg in front of him into his tunnel.He rolled the egg carefully until it was safely in his nest under the pig trough. That afternoon, when the wind died down and the barn became quiet and warm, the gray goose led her seven goslings out into the world outside the nest.Mr. Zuckerman saw them as he was bringing Wilbur his supper. "Ha, what's that!" he said, laughing. "Let me see...one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Seven baby geese. How cute they are!"