a plain old tree.”
And with his head high, Junior started walking.
CHAPTER 25
In the Tree with Maggie
“Junior, you are not climbing that tree.”
“Let me go! Let me go!”
Junior’s mother spun him around. She had him by both arms, but Junior kept twisting as hard as he could. His mother held on as hard as she could. Junior realized that if his mother had been holding him that night at old man Benson’s farm, he would not have ended up on the chicken house.
“I said to let me go!” He gave a final desperate twist. Still his mother held him.
“Listen to me. I will let you go when you calm down and not a minute sooner.”
Junior stopped struggling. He stood there, looking down at the ground, breathing hard. Then he threw one agonized glance up at the Phantom.
“Junior.” His mother’s voice forced him to look back at her. “Junior, the reason you are not going to climb that tree is because if you fall and break those legs again, you will be crippled for the rest of your life. Nothing is worth that.”
“I’ll be glad to do it, Mrs. Blossom,” Ralphie said.
She turned to look at him. “But you have a bad leg too, don’t you, Ralphie?”
“Yes, but that doesn’t stop me from doing anything I want to do.” Then he said what he believed to be the truth. “If anybody can get it down, I can.”
“I’ll help,” Maggie said quickly.
Ralphie drew in his breath, taken completely by surprise at Maggie’s offer. He had offered to climb the tree because offering to do things for Junior had become almost a way of life. The thought that Maggie might climb with him had never even crossed his mind.
“Will you two be very careful?” Vicki Blossom asked.
“Yes,” Ralphie answered.
“Michael and I will help too.”
Ralphie’s delight in climbing a tree with Maggie dimmed at the thought of taking along her brother and his friend.
“No, thanks, Vern,” Ralphie said quickly, “it’s a two-man job. Mrs. Blossom, if we get too many people up there somebody might fall. I couldn’t be responsible.”
“Vern, you and Michael stay down here.” It was a Blossom order, and Ralphie sighed with quick relief.
“We’ll give you a boost.” Michael and Vern were already at the tree with their hands clasped together. Now that Junior saw those clasped hands, he was glad someone else was going to be boosted up this time.
Maggie got the first boost, then Ralphie. “Wait!” Mad Mary said. Everyone was so shocked to hear her actually say something that they stopped what they were doing.
Mad Mary crossed to the tree with long strides. “Here,” she said, “maybe this will help.”
She passed up her long stick with the crook on the end. Maggie took it. “Why, thank you.”
Then she handed it to Ralphie. “Thank you,” he said. He reached up and hooked it over an upper limb. “Let’s go.”
Ralphie was good in trees. Sometimes he even took off his leg to prove just how good he was, but obviously this was not the time to show off.
He got up the first two limbs like a shot so that he could lean down and offer his hand to Maggie. She took it. He glanced up. Ah, about ten more limbs, twelve if he went the hard way, twelve more offers of help. Ralphie hooked Mad Mary’s stick over the next limb and moved up.
“Mud, stop that,” Pap said, “let Dump go.”
Now that Maggie and Ralphie were out of sight in the tree, Pap had looked down. He did this mainly to give his neck muscles a rest, but the first thing he saw was Mud, holding Dump down on the ground with his paw.
“Stop it, Mud.”
Mud took his paw off Dump, and Dump ran to Pap. He put his thin paws on Pap’s knee. Pap leaned down and scratched him behind the ears. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Mud.”
Mud’s ears pulled back. His tail went between his legs.
“I been noticing how you been carrying on. You won’t let the puppy drink water out of your bowl and you won’t let him eat at all and now you won’t let him walk
And with his head high, Junior started walking.
CHAPTER 25
In the Tree with Maggie
“Junior, you are not climbing that tree.”
“Let me go! Let me go!”
Junior’s mother spun him around. She had him by both arms, but Junior kept twisting as hard as he could. His mother held on as hard as she could. Junior realized that if his mother had been holding him that night at old man Benson’s farm, he would not have ended up on the chicken house.
“I said to let me go!” He gave a final desperate twist. Still his mother held him.
“Listen to me. I will let you go when you calm down and not a minute sooner.”
Junior stopped struggling. He stood there, looking down at the ground, breathing hard. Then he threw one agonized glance up at the Phantom.
“Junior.” His mother’s voice forced him to look back at her. “Junior, the reason you are not going to climb that tree is because if you fall and break those legs again, you will be crippled for the rest of your life. Nothing is worth that.”
“I’ll be glad to do it, Mrs. Blossom,” Ralphie said.
She turned to look at him. “But you have a bad leg too, don’t you, Ralphie?”
“Yes, but that doesn’t stop me from doing anything I want to do.” Then he said what he believed to be the truth. “If anybody can get it down, I can.”
“I’ll help,” Maggie said quickly.
Ralphie drew in his breath, taken completely by surprise at Maggie’s offer. He had offered to climb the tree because offering to do things for Junior had become almost a way of life. The thought that Maggie might climb with him had never even crossed his mind.
“Will you two be very careful?” Vicki Blossom asked.
“Yes,” Ralphie answered.
“Michael and I will help too.”
Ralphie’s delight in climbing a tree with Maggie dimmed at the thought of taking along her brother and his friend.
“No, thanks, Vern,” Ralphie said quickly, “it’s a two-man job. Mrs. Blossom, if we get too many people up there somebody might fall. I couldn’t be responsible.”
“Vern, you and Michael stay down here.” It was a Blossom order, and Ralphie sighed with quick relief.
“We’ll give you a boost.” Michael and Vern were already at the tree with their hands clasped together. Now that Junior saw those clasped hands, he was glad someone else was going to be boosted up this time.
Maggie got the first boost, then Ralphie. “Wait!” Mad Mary said. Everyone was so shocked to hear her actually say something that they stopped what they were doing.
Mad Mary crossed to the tree with long strides. “Here,” she said, “maybe this will help.”
She passed up her long stick with the crook on the end. Maggie took it. “Why, thank you.”
Then she handed it to Ralphie. “Thank you,” he said. He reached up and hooked it over an upper limb. “Let’s go.”
Ralphie was good in trees. Sometimes he even took off his leg to prove just how good he was, but obviously this was not the time to show off.
He got up the first two limbs like a shot so that he could lean down and offer his hand to Maggie. She took it. He glanced up. Ah, about ten more limbs, twelve if he went the hard way, twelve more offers of help. Ralphie hooked Mad Mary’s stick over the next limb and moved up.
“Mud, stop that,” Pap said, “let Dump go.”
Now that Maggie and Ralphie were out of sight in the tree, Pap had looked down. He did this mainly to give his neck muscles a rest, but the first thing he saw was Mud, holding Dump down on the ground with his paw.
“Stop it, Mud.”
Mud took his paw off Dump, and Dump ran to Pap. He put his thin paws on Pap’s knee. Pap leaned down and scratched him behind the ears. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Mud.”
Mud’s ears pulled back. His tail went between his legs.
“I been noticing how you been carrying on. You won’t let the puppy drink water out of your bowl and you won’t let him eat at all and now you won’t let him walk
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