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"Not just now, but it will keep a cow or two.
“不只是这，我还要在这养一两头牛。”
That will pay me about five dollars a year."
这样我一年就能赚5美元了。”
The boys looked at one another.
男孩们面面相觑。
Not all of them together had so much money as that, or knew where or how they could get it.
不是所有的人都有那么多钱，也不是所有人都知道从哪里或如何弄到钱。
They were turn- ing away, very downhearted at losing their playground, when Eddie spoke up quickly:
正当他们转身离开，因为失去游乐场而垂头丧气的时候，埃迪连忙说道:
"Could we do some work for you to pay for using this field?"
“我们可以为你干活作为使用这块土地的费用吗?”
"You might, perhaps. Do you see this?"
“也许可以，你看到了吗?
And he held up a blossom that looked like a tassel of silver-white silk.
他举起一朵银白色流苏的花。
"It is a thistle, almost ripe.
“这是蓟，快要成熟了。”
In a few days the wind would blow away every one of these tiny seeds.
几天之内，它们就会被风吹走。
Every seed has a little balloon that would carry it a long way and drop it in some other field, to start a new crop.
每颗种子都会飘起，被带到很远的地方，然后被扔到别的地里，开始新的收成。
If you could keep this field clear of these thistles,
如果你能把蓟清离出这片土地，
I think I should feel that you had paid me about five dollars for the right to use it."
我会认为你已经付了我5美元，作为使用这块土地的费用。”
"Well do it! Yes, sir! Of course we can," cried all the boys together.
“好的！先生！当然可以，”所有的男孩一起叫道。
"All right," said the old gentleman. "You may try it."
“好吧，”老先生说道。“也许你可以试试。”
The boys worked hard at first,
男孩们一开始比较辛苦，
but after that it was easier, and before the month was out there was not a thistle to be found in the whole field
过了些日子就驾轻就熟了。月底还没有到，地里找不到一棵蓟的踪影。
