介绍:
CHAPTER17 Uncle
When they pulled into the Fair Grounds, they could hear music and see theFerris wheel turning in
the sky. They could smell the dust of the race track where the sprinkling carthad moistened it; and
they could smell hamburgers frying and see balloons aloft. They could hearsheep blatting in their
pens. An enormous voice over the loudspeaker said: "Attention, please!
Willthe owner of a Pontiac car, license number H-2439, please move your car awayfrom the
fireworks shed!"
"CanI have some money?" asked Fern.
"Can I, too?" asked Avery.
"I’m going to win a doll by spinning a wheel and it will stop at the rightnumber," said Fern.
"I’m going to steer a jet plane and make it bump into another one."
"Can I have a balloon?" asked Fern.
"Can I have a frozen custard and a cheeseburger and some raspberry sodapop?" asked Avery.
"You children be quiet till we get the pig unloaded," said Mrs.Arable.
"Let’s let the children go off by themselves," suggested Mr. Arable."The Fair only comes once a
year." Mr. Arable gave Fern two quarters and two dimes. He gave Avery fivedimes and four
nickels. "Now run along!" he said. "And remember, the money hasto last all day. Don’t spend it all
the first few minutes. And be back here at the truck at noontime so we can allhave lunch together.
And don’t eat a lot of stuff that’s going to make you sick to yourstomachs."
"Andif you go in those swings," said Mrs. Arable, you hang on tight! You hangon very tight.
Hear me?"
"Anddon’t get lost! " said Mrs. Zuckerman.
"And don’t get dirty!"
"Don’t get overheated!" said their mother.
"Watch out for pickpockets!" cautioned their father.
"And don’t cross the race track when the horses are coming!"
cried Mrs. Zuckerman.
The children grabbed each other by the hand and danced off in the direction ofthe merry-go-
round, toward the wonderful music and the wonderful adventure and the wonderfulexcitement, into
the wonderful midway where there would be no parents to guard them and guidethem, and where
they could be happy and free and do as they pleased. Mrs. Arable stood quietlyand watched them go.
Then she sighed. Then she blew her nose.
"Doyou really think it’s all right?" she asked.
"Well, they’ve got to grow up some time," said Mr. Arable.
"And a fair is a good place to start, I guess."
While Wilbur was being unloaded and taken out of his crate and into his newpigpen, crowds
gathered to watch. They stared at the sign ZUCKERMAN’S FAMOUS PIG. Wilburstared back and
tried to look extra good. He was pleased with his new home. The pen was grassy,and it was shaded
fromthe sun by a shed roof.
Charlotte,watching her chance, scrambled out of the crate and climbed a post to the underside of
the roof. Nobody noticed her.
Templeton,not wishing to come out in broad daylight, stayed quietly under the straw atthe
bottom of the crate. Mr. Zuckerman poured some skim milk into Wilbur’s trough,pitched clean straw
into his pen, and then he and Mrs. Zuckerman and the Arables; walked awaytoward the cattle barn to
look at purebred cows and to see the sights. Mr. Zuckerman particularly wantedto look at tractors.
Mrs. Zuckerman wanted to see a deep freeze. Lurvy wandered off by himself,hoping to meet friends
and have some fun on the midway.
Assoon as the people were gone, Charlotte spoke to Wilbur.
"It’s a good thing you can’t see what I see," she said.
"What do you see?" asked Wilbur.
"There’s a pig in the next pen and he’s enormous. I’m afraid he’s muchbigger than you are."
"Maybe he’s older than I am, and has had more time to grow,"suggested Wilbur. Tears began to
come to his eyes.
"I’lldrop down and have a closer look," Charlotte said. Then she crawled alonga beam till she
was directly over the next pen. She let herself down on a dragline until shehung in the air just in front
of the big pig’s snout.
"MayI have your name?" she asked, politely.
The pig stared at her. "No name," he said in a big, hearty voice."Just call me Uncle."
"Very well, Uncle," replied Charlotte. "What is the date of yourbirth? Are you a spring pig?"
"Sure I’m a spring pig," replied Uncle. "What did you think Iwas, a spring chicken? Haw, haw -
that’s a good one, eh, Sister."
"Mildlyfunny," said Charlotte. "I’ve heard funnier ones, though. Glad tohave met you, and now I
must be going."
Sheascended slowly and returned to Wilbur’s pen. "He claims he’s a springpig," reported
Charlotte, "and perhaps he is. One thing is certain, he has a mostunattractive personality. He is too
familiar, too noisy, and he cracks weak jokes. Also, he’s not anywhere near asclean as you are, nor
as pleasant. I took quite a dislike to him in our brief interview. He’s goingto be a hard pig to beat,
though, Wilbur, on account of his size and weight. But with me helping you, itcan be done."
"Whenare you going to spin a web?" asked Wilbur.
"This afternoon, late, if I’m not too tired," said Charlotte."The least thing tires me these days. I
don’t seem to have the energy I once had. My age, I guess."
Wilburlooked at his friend. She looked rather swollen and she seemed listless.
"I’m awfully sorry to hear that you’re feeling poorly, Charlotte," hesaid. "Perhaps if you spin a
web and catch a couple of flies you’ll feel better."
"Perhaps,"she said, wearily. "But I feel like the end of a long day." Clingingupside down to the
ceiling, she settled down for a nap, leaving Wilbur very much worried.
Allmorning people wandered past Wilbur’s pen. Dozens and dozens of strangersstopped to stare
at him and to admire his silky white coat, his curly tail, his kind and radiantexpression. Then they
would move on to the next pen where the bigger pig lay. Wilbur heard severalpeople make favorable
remarksabout Uncle’s great size. He couldn’t help overhearing these remarks, and hecouldn’t help
worrying. "And now, with Charlotte not feeling well …" he thought."Oh, dear!"
Allmorning Templeton slept quietly under the straw. The day grew fiercely hot. Atnoon the
Zuckermans and the Arables returned to the pigpen. Then, a few minutes later,Fern and Avery
showed up. Fern had a monkey doll in her arms and was eating Crackerjack. Averyhad a balloon
tied to his ear and was chewing a candied apple. The children were hot anddirty.
"Isn’tit hot?" said Mrs. Zuckerman.
"It’s terribly hot," said Mrs. Arable, fanning herself with anadvertisement of a deep freeze.
One by one they climbed into the truck and opened lunch boxes. The sun beatdown on everything.
Nobody seemed hungry.
"Whenare the judges going to decide about Wilbur?" asked Mrs. Zuckerman.
"Not till tomorrow," said Mr. Zuckerman.
Lurvy appeared, carrying an Indian blanket that he had won.
"That’s just what we need," said Avery. "A blanket."
"Of course it is," replied Lurvy. And he spread the blanket acrossthe sideboards of the truck so
that it was like a little tent. The children sat in the shade, under theblanket, and felt better.
Afterlunch, they stretched out and fell asleep.
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