Ray was thought to be an odd boy.
芮被公认为是一个奇怪的小男孩。
You will think him so,too, when you have read this story.
当你看到这个故事时，也会这么认为的。
Ray liked well enough to play with the boys at school;
芮很喜欢和其他的男孩子在学校里玩耍；
yet he liked better to be alone under the shade of some tree, reading a fairy tale or dreaming daydreams.
但是，他更喜欢独自坐在树下的阴凉处，看神话故事或者做白日梦。
But there was one sport that he liked as well as his companions; that was kite flying.
不过，有一项体育活动让他和其他的小伙伴一样着迷，那就是放风筝。
One day when he was flying his kite, he said to himself, "I wonder if anybody ever tried to fly a kite at night.
有一天，当他正在放风筝时，自言自语地说：“我很奇怪，有人在晚上放风筝吗。”
It seems to me it would be nice.
在我看来，这样做可能很有趣。
But then, if it were very dark, the kite could not be seen.
但是，如果天特别黑的话，又怎么能看到风筝呢。
What if I should fasten a light to it, though?
如果我在风筝上加一盏灯，又会怎样呢？
That would make it show.
这样就能让人看到它了。
I'll try it this very night.
我想在今天晚上试一试。
As soon as it was dark, without saying a word to anybody,
等天黑下来后，他对谁也没有说，
he took his kite and lantern, and went to a large, open lot, about a quarter of a mile from his home.
径自拿着风筝和灯笼来到了一片开阔、空旷的地里，那里离他家只有四分之一英里远。
"Well," thought he,"this is queer.
他心里想：“好吧，这样做的确有点奇怪。
How lonely and still it seems without any other boys around!
周围没有其他小朋友，看上去是很孤独和寂寞！
But I am going to fly my kite, anyway.
但是，无论如何，我要开始放飞自己的风筝了。
So he tied the lantern, which was made of tin punched full of small holes, to the tail of his kite.
于是，他把一个满是小孔的锡制灯笼系在风筝的尾巴上。
Then he pitched the kite,and, after several attempts, succeeded in making it rise.
接着，他掷出了风筝，经过几次努力，他才成功地使风筝升起来。
Up it went, higher and higher, as Ray let out the string.
芮松开了线绳，风筝不断地上升，越来越高。
When the string was all unwound, he tied it to a fence; and then he stood and gazed at his kite as it floated high up in the air.
当所有的线绳都被松开后，他将风筝线绑在一个栅栏上，然后站在那里盯着自己的风筝看，而那风筝就在空中飘浮着。
While Ray was enjoying his sport, some people who were out on the street in the village, saw a strange light in the sky.
就在芮正享受着自己的游戏时，村子里一些在街上行走的人看见了空中奇怪的灯光。
They gathered in groups to watch it.
他们聚集到一起，抬头望着天空。
Now it was still for a few seconds, then it seemed to be jumping up and down; then it made long sweeps back and forth through the air.
这才刚刚放飞了几秒钟，它好像还在上下乱窜，一会儿又开始前前后后地飘忽不定。
