Suzanna darted out into the road. As the carriage did not stop she
called out: "Mr. Eagle Man! Oh, Mr. Eagle Man!"
The coachman involuntarily pulled in his horses. He didn't know what
peremptory signal would be given him to move on, or what inquiry as to
his sanity would scorchingly be made, but Suzanna's eager voice impelled
him to stop. Mr. Massey leaned over the side of the carriage.
"I never dreamed you'd ride by our picnic," said Suzanna, all excited.
"We've got my mother here and our baby."
"Well, well," said the Eagle Man. "And how are you, little girl?"
"I'm awfully well," returned Suzanna. "But today was cleaning day at
home and we all started out wrong; the baby kept mother awake last night
and Maizie hated her oatmeal with the syrup in the middle and Peter
cried hard because he couldn't see his ears, and never in all his life
can see his ears."
She paused tragically. "Never in all his life--and neither can you, or
anybody."
"What a terrible loss, for sure," said the Eagle Man, after a look
darted at his coachman's imperturbable back. "And what did _you_ cry
about?"
She stared at him in horror. "I never cry," she said. "I mean I never
let the tears fall down my face. I cry in my heart sometimes, but never
out loud, on top. But I felt funny this morning because I wished we
didn't have to wash on Monday, and iron on Tuesday, and clean on
Wednesday, and bake on Thursday, and mend on Friday, and clean again on
Saturday."
"Well, ask your mother to wash on _Saturday_," the Eagle Man suggested
easily.
"Oh, I don't think mother would," Suzanna cried, in a little horror
herself at that idea. "She's awful set about washing on Monday. Still
I'll ask her if you say so, Eagle Man, because Saturday is kind of a wet
day anyhow. You see Saturday is just the shape of a big, immense, round
ocean. Shall I bring my mother over here to look at you?" suddenly
recalling the conventions.
"I don't think I'm fit to look at this morning," the Eagle Man
muttered.
"Oh, I think you are," said Suzanna, earnestly. "I like your shiny shoes
and your very high collar. I know mother would like you, too."
The Eagle Man looked down at his shiny shoes, hesitated and was lost. He
opened the carriage door, seized his cane and struggled to the ground.
"Now, let's see your wonderful family," he said to Suzanna, as he
hobbled forward toward the little group under the trees.
Suzanna looked up at him. "Oh, you're the lame and the halt, too! We
took Mabel along on our picnic because her eyes don't match, you know.
They don't seem to work together. We _are_ obeying the Bible today,
aren't we?"
Old John Massey did not answer, since he was intent upon covering the
ground with as little wear and tear on his nerves as possible, and so in
silence they walked till they reached Mrs. Procter, still leaning
against the tree, but now holding the baby in her arms.
Maizie, Mabel, and Peter all looked with vivid interest at the newcomer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account