然而，不知怎的，这个好孩子老是倒霉，他碰到的事情与书中好孩子所碰到的总是两样。书中的好孩子们总是玩得尽兴，而书中的坏孩子们老是摔断双腿；他呢，好像螺丝松了，做啥事情都适得其反。他发现吉姆·布莱克在偷别人树上的苹果，便赶忙跑到树底下给他读起坏孩子偷邻居树上的苹果，掉下来摔断胳膊的故事。说来也奇，吉姆真得掉下来了，不过正好掉在他的身上，吉姆安然无恙，他的胳膊倒被砸断了。雅各布真不明白，因为书中没有这种事呀！
And once， when some bad boys pushed a blind man over in the mud， and Jacob ran to help him up and receive his blessing， the blind man did not give him any blessing at all， but whackedwhack vt.重打， 击败 vi.重击 him over the head with his stick and said he would like to catch him shoving him again， and then pretending to help him up. This was not in accordanceaccordance n.一致， 和谐 with any of the books. Jacob looked them all over to see.
有一次，几个坏孩子把一个瞎子推进泥坑，雅各布赶紧跑过去把他扶起来。雅各布以为，那个瞎子定会为他祝福。可是那个瞎子不仅没有为他祝福，反而用拐杖打他的脑袋，还说雅各布是想把他抓来重新推倒，然后再装模作样扶他起来。这件事也与书中说的全然不符。雅各布翻遍了全部课本，想弄清其中的道理。
One thing that Jacob wanted to do was to find a lame dog that hadnt any place to stay， and was hungry and persecuted， and bring him home and pet him and have that dogs imperishableimperishable adj.不灭的， 不朽的 gratitude. And at last he found one and was happy， and he brought him home and fed him， but when he was going to pet him the dog flew at him and tore all the clothes off him except those that were in front， and made a spectaclespectacle n.观览物， 展览物， 公开展示， 奇观， 景象，光景， (a pair of ～s)眼镜 of him that was astonishingastonishing adj.可惊异的. He examined authorities， but he could not understand the matter. It was of the same breed of dogs that was in the books， but it acted very differently. Whatever this boy did he got into trouble. The very things the boys in the books got rewarded for turned out to be about the most unprofitableunprofitable adj.无利益的， 不赚钱的， 没有用的 things he could invest in.
雅各布还想做的一件好事是，找一条挨饿受欺、无家可归的瘸腿狗，带回家里，好好照料它，让它永远感激他。后来他果然找到了这样的一条狗，真是满心喜欢。他把这条狗带回家里，喂养起来，但是，当他抚弄它的时候，那狗猛地扑到他身上，把他的衣服撕得稀烂，裤子也仅剩下前裆的几片。他的那副狼狈相，叫人看了大吃一惊。雅各布追查权威性典籍，也没找出原因何在。那条狗与书中说的狗属于同种，但它的举动却大相径庭。这孩子干什么都会招来麻烦。同样的事，书中孩子们做了得益匪浅，他做了却总是倒霉。
Once， when he was on his way to Sundayschool， he saw some bad boys starting off pleasuring in a sailboatsailboat n.帆船. He was filled with consternation， because he knew from his reading that boys who went sailing on Sunday invariably got drowned. So he ran out on a raftraft n.筏， 救生艇， 橡皮船， 大量 vi.乘筏 vt.筏运， 制成筏 to warn them， but a log turned with him and slid him into the river. A man got him out pretty soon， and the doctor pumped the water out of him， and gave him a fresh start with his bellows， but he caught cold and lay sick aboud nine weeks. But the most unaccountableunaccountable adj.无法解释的， 无责任的 thing about it was that the bad boys in the boat had a good time all day， and then reached home alive and well in the most surprising manner. Jacob Blivens said there was nothing like these things in the books. He was perfectly dumfoundeddumfound vt.使说不出话来.
一次，在去主日学校的路上，他看见一些坏孩子扬帆离岸，在船上玩耍，吓得要死，因为他从书中得知，凡在星期天出去划船的孩子没有一个不被水淹死。他赶紧乘上木筏追去告诫。可是他一脚踩滑了一截圆木，失足落水。有一个人很快把他救上岸来，医生抽出他腹中的积水，又用吹风器恢复了他的呼吸，不料，他竟因此患了感冒，卧床不起，时间长达九个星期。令人不可思议的是，船上的那几个坏孩子痛快淋漓地玩了一整天，活蹦乱跳地回到家里。雅各布·布利文斯说，书里哪有这种事啊。他全糊涂了。
When he got well he was a little discouraged， but he resolved to keep on trying anyhow. He knew that so far his experiences wouldnt do to go in a book， but he hadnt yet reached the allotted term of life for good little boys， and he hoped to be able to make a record yet if he could hold on till his time was fully up. If everything else failed he had his dying speech to fall back on.
雅各布病愈之后，不免有些丧气。不过，他还是决心继续试下去。他知道，截至目前，他的经历还不足以被写进书里，他还没有达到好孩子年岁极限，只要坚持下去，直到生命终止，最终还是能够名存书卷的。即使别的全部落空，临终遗言还是靠得住的。