Under the Lilacs - Chapter 13

"'School is done, Now we'll have fun,", ,Sung Bab and Betty, slamming down their books as if they never meant to take them up again, when they came home on the last day of June., ,Tired teacher had dismissed them for eight whole weeks, and gone away to rest; the little school-house was shut up, lessons were over, spirits rising fast, and vacation had begun. The quiet town seemed suddenly inundated ¹ with children, all in such a rampant ² state that busy mothers wondered how they ever should be able to keep their frisky ³ darlings out of mischief ⁴; thrifty ⁵ fathers planned how they could bribe ⁶ the idle hands to pick berries or rake hay; and the old folks, while wishing the young folks well, secretly blessed the man who invented schools., , ,The boys took to base-ball like ducks to water, and the common was the scene of tremendous battles, waged with much tumult ¹², but little bloodshed. To the uninitiated, it appeared as if these young men had lost their wits; for, no matter how warm it was, there they were, tearing about in the maddest mannet, jackets off, sleeves rolled up, queer caps flung on any way, all batting shabby leather balls, and catching ¹³ the same, as if their lives depended on it. Every one talking in his gruffest tone, bawling ¹⁴ at the top of his voice, squabbling over every point of the game, and seeming to enjoy himself immensely, in spite of the heat, dust, uproar ¹⁵, and imminent ¹⁶ danger of getting eyes or teeth knocked out., ,Thorny ¹⁷ was an excellent player, but, not being strong enough to show his prowess, he made Ben his proxy ¹⁸; and, sitting on the fence, acted as umpire to his heart's content. Ben was a promising ¹⁹ pupil, and made rapid progress; for eye, foot, and hand had been so well trained, that they did him good service now; and Brown was considered a first-rate "catcher"., ,We have been inundated with every bit of information imaginable. 凡是想得到的各种各样的信息潮水般地向我们涌来 。 来自《简明英汉词典》,Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。