Good morning FFFs!
Well, it's about an hour later than I usually get this posted. But I'm on vacation. Just be glad I remembered it was Friday at all! ;)
My mom, sister, and I are spending a week at my grandparents' which has been fun. We've gone out to eat, helped clean out some things, watched several games of the Little League World Series, watched the eclipse from the driveway, and have enjoyed our time. We head back home tomorrow afternoon. Back to the business of life, of teaching, writing, publishing and planning a blog party. :)
And, since I am on vacation, I'm not going to write more here. I'll let you read the next part of this story. Enjoy!
A Good Summer
Part 4
Off the shoes and stockings came in a flash and Kathleen sighed, “It’s cooler I’m feeling already.”
“Come on,” shouted Patrick, racing to the barn with Kathleen and Angelina at his heels.
Stopping in the shade, the three children began whispering.
“Let’s see if the blanket is still in the loft,” Pat suggested.
“Tis the pump we should check first,” Kathleen countered.
“T’would give him more time to hide entirely,” objected Pat.
“Tis not a long time we’d be taking to see if he’d been at the pump,” Kathleen persisted.
Then Angelina said quietly, “How do you know it is a he? Perhaps it is a she.”
The twins looked first at Angelina and then at each other. A girl? Neither one had thought of that. “But thieves are always men.”
Pat gave his sister a disgusted look. “And it’s not certain you are that this one is a thief.”
At last Kathleen ran off to check the pump while Patrick and Angelina softly entered the barn. The contrast between the brilliant world outdoors and the dusty darkness of the barn was greater than it had been the night before. Kathleen soon joined them, reporting that there was no sign of anyone having used the pump recently.
Beckoning to the others to follow, Patrick led the way over to the ladder and climbed up. Since all three children were used to going around without their shoes in the city, the hayloft caused no problems.
“Over here,” whispered Kathleen, pointing to where the blanket had showed the evening before.
It was gone. They dug in the hay but found no sign of it anywhere.
“Oh dear,” Kathleen wailed, sitting down, “tis certain we’ll never know who it was now.”
Sitting in a dejected bunch, the children were silent until Angelina suddenly turned around, her dark eyes scanning the farther side of the hay loft. She didn’t see anything, but she again felt as though she was being watched. “Come along,” she breathed, her eyes wide and half frightened.
Wonderingly, the twins followed her down the ladder, out of the barn and across the grass until they were under the sheltering branches of a tree. There they stopped breathless and Angelina shivered.
“Why did we come out here?” demanded Patrick panting from the run.
“Aye,” Kathleen echoed.
“Someone else was in the barn,” Angelina gasped.
“Where?”
“Did you see him?”
Angelina shook her head. “I felt the eyes on me. He or she was on the other side of the loft.”
The twins looked at each other. Then all three children looked back at the barn. Who was hiding in the barn and why?
It was Patrick who broke the silence. “It’s hungry he must be living out there.”
“If we could only feed him . . .” Angelina sighed. She couldn’t help feeling pity for this stranger who had to live in a barn loft, hiding away from others.
“Ah, tis a grand idea entirely! I’ll run and ask Aunt for some cookies.”
“Kath,” Pat caught her arm before she raced away, “don’t tell her.”
“I won’t,” she promised and dashed off.
Soon she was back with a hand full of cookies and the three children ran back to the barn. Slowly, looking about everywhere, they entered. Cautiously they climbed up the ladder and all felt relief when nothing looked changed. Patrick pulled out a clean handkerchief from his pocket and on it they placed the cookies and Pat said, “I hope this tells him or her that we want to be friends.”
Then, as though their own actions had frightened them, they clambered down the ladder quickly and rushed out of the barn as though afraid the mysterious person was chasing them. Nor did they stop running until safely under the sheltering arms of the tree.
Not one of the children ventured back to the barn until after supper when Uncle was ready to do chores. Angelina, more timid than the twins, again remained behind and helped wash the dishes. It was rather late when the chores were finished and Aunt Nancy sent the children off to bed.
After they had been tucked in and Mrs. Cutlass had gone back downstairs, Patrick again tiptoed to the girls’ room.
“Come quickly, Pat,” Kathleen beckoned. “We must tell Lina the new clue.”
Sitting on Kathleen’s bed, the twins told Angelina about finding the cookies gone and the handkerchief folded neatly.
“I only had time to shove it in my pocket before Uncle came up.”
“Aye, it was a narrow escape just,” his twin sighed.
“What Kath doesn’t know,” Patrick went on quietly, “is the note in the handkerchief.”
“A note!” exclaimed Kathleen, but her brother slapped his hand over her mouth and glanced towards the door.
Angelina hugged her knees and everyone sat still. Had anyone heard them? At last, after several minutes of waiting, they were satisfied that Kathleen’s involuntary exclamation had gone unnoticed.
“What did the note say?” Angelina whispered.
“It said, ‘Thank you’.”
“Nothing else?”
Patrick shook his head. “That was it entirely.”
None of the children could decide what to make of the note and after praying once again for the stranger, Patrick returned to his own room and all fell asleep quickly.
“Come on,” shouted Patrick, racing to the barn with Kathleen and Angelina at his heels.
Stopping in the shade, the three children began whispering.
“Let’s see if the blanket is still in the loft,” Pat suggested.
“Tis the pump we should check first,” Kathleen countered.
“T’would give him more time to hide entirely,” objected Pat.
“Tis not a long time we’d be taking to see if he’d been at the pump,” Kathleen persisted.
Then Angelina said quietly, “How do you know it is a he? Perhaps it is a she.”
The twins looked first at Angelina and then at each other. A girl? Neither one had thought of that. “But thieves are always men.”
Pat gave his sister a disgusted look. “And it’s not certain you are that this one is a thief.”
At last Kathleen ran off to check the pump while Patrick and Angelina softly entered the barn. The contrast between the brilliant world outdoors and the dusty darkness of the barn was greater than it had been the night before. Kathleen soon joined them, reporting that there was no sign of anyone having used the pump recently.
Beckoning to the others to follow, Patrick led the way over to the ladder and climbed up. Since all three children were used to going around without their shoes in the city, the hayloft caused no problems.
“Over here,” whispered Kathleen, pointing to where the blanket had showed the evening before.
It was gone. They dug in the hay but found no sign of it anywhere.
“Oh dear,” Kathleen wailed, sitting down, “tis certain we’ll never know who it was now.”
Sitting in a dejected bunch, the children were silent until Angelina suddenly turned around, her dark eyes scanning the farther side of the hay loft. She didn’t see anything, but she again felt as though she was being watched. “Come along,” she breathed, her eyes wide and half frightened.
Wonderingly, the twins followed her down the ladder, out of the barn and across the grass until they were under the sheltering branches of a tree. There they stopped breathless and Angelina shivered.
“Why did we come out here?” demanded Patrick panting from the run.
“Aye,” Kathleen echoed.
“Someone else was in the barn,” Angelina gasped.
“Where?”
“Did you see him?”
Angelina shook her head. “I felt the eyes on me. He or she was on the other side of the loft.”
The twins looked at each other. Then all three children looked back at the barn. Who was hiding in the barn and why?
It was Patrick who broke the silence. “It’s hungry he must be living out there.”
“If we could only feed him . . .” Angelina sighed. She couldn’t help feeling pity for this stranger who had to live in a barn loft, hiding away from others.
“Ah, tis a grand idea entirely! I’ll run and ask Aunt for some cookies.”
“Kath,” Pat caught her arm before she raced away, “don’t tell her.”
“I won’t,” she promised and dashed off.
Soon she was back with a hand full of cookies and the three children ran back to the barn. Slowly, looking about everywhere, they entered. Cautiously they climbed up the ladder and all felt relief when nothing looked changed. Patrick pulled out a clean handkerchief from his pocket and on it they placed the cookies and Pat said, “I hope this tells him or her that we want to be friends.”
Then, as though their own actions had frightened them, they clambered down the ladder quickly and rushed out of the barn as though afraid the mysterious person was chasing them. Nor did they stop running until safely under the sheltering arms of the tree.
Not one of the children ventured back to the barn until after supper when Uncle was ready to do chores. Angelina, more timid than the twins, again remained behind and helped wash the dishes. It was rather late when the chores were finished and Aunt Nancy sent the children off to bed.
After they had been tucked in and Mrs. Cutlass had gone back downstairs, Patrick again tiptoed to the girls’ room.
“Come quickly, Pat,” Kathleen beckoned. “We must tell Lina the new clue.”
Sitting on Kathleen’s bed, the twins told Angelina about finding the cookies gone and the handkerchief folded neatly.
“I only had time to shove it in my pocket before Uncle came up.”
“Aye, it was a narrow escape just,” his twin sighed.
“What Kath doesn’t know,” Patrick went on quietly, “is the note in the handkerchief.”
“A note!” exclaimed Kathleen, but her brother slapped his hand over her mouth and glanced towards the door.
Angelina hugged her knees and everyone sat still. Had anyone heard them? At last, after several minutes of waiting, they were satisfied that Kathleen’s involuntary exclamation had gone unnoticed.
“What did the note say?” Angelina whispered.
“It said, ‘Thank you’.”
“Nothing else?”
Patrick shook his head. “That was it entirely.”
None of the children could decide what to make of the note and after praying once again for the stranger, Patrick returned to his own room and all fell asleep quickly.
Who do you think wrote the note?
Would you have fed the mysterious person?
Did you get to see the eclipse at all?
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