around. What’s wrong with you?”
Mud hung his head.
“Just go on,” Pap said. “Go on. If you can’t behave yourself, Mud, just go on back to the house.”
Mud took a few steps away from the people, toward the path where Pap was pointing.
“We’ll be glad to have your company if you can behave yourself, but if you can’t, just go on. I’m tired of watching you make this puppy’s life miserable.”
Mud went a few more steps. He sat down. He watched Pap patting the puppy. He waited for a long time for Pap to speak to him and tell him things were all right. When he didn’t, Mud turned and with his tail between his legs, he started for home.
Maggie was a good climber too, but that didn’t surprise Ralphie. He knew himself well enough to know he would never fall in love with a girl who was clumsy.
They got up to the level of the Phantom too quickly to suit Ralphie, and he had only himself to blame. He was in such a hurry for the next handhold, that he didn’t let the individual holds last long enough. What he should have done was—
Maggie broke into his thoughts. “Do you want to crawl out on that limb or this one?”
“I’ll take the one you don’t want,” he said graciously.
“I’ll go out on this one. I weigh less and …” She grinned and he could see her broken tooth up close for the first time. It was much more beautiful up close. It was like—he was sorry he wasn’t a more poetic person because it wasn’t like anything really except Maggie’s tooth. It was his favorite of her teeth, of course, but it was like nothing in the world but her tooth. He hardly heard the end of her sentence, “… since it’s the smallest …”
Junior called from the ground, “Are you there yet?”
“We’re there,” Maggie called back.
“Can you reach it?”
“Give us time,” Ralphie answered.
They inched out on their limbs and stopped when they were directly below the branch that held the Phantom. Ralphie reached out with Mad Mary’s cane and poked it. “It’s going to take more than this. Let’s shake.”
Maggie nodded. They reached up together and grabbed the limb. “Ready?” Ralphie asked.
Maggie nodded. Then she added, “Wait a minute, let me get a better grip.”
“Me too,” Ralphie said.
Maggie really wanted a better grip, but Ralphie just wanted a way to make the time in the tree with Maggie last longer. He wondered if all men loved women more in trees than they did on the ground, or if it was just him. Maybe it was the way the moonlight shone through the leaves on her face. Or maybe it was the fact that they seemed so much more alone at this moment than they had ever been before.
“I’m ready,” she said.
“Okay,” Ralphie said. “Go!”
They both began to shake, and it was one of the most exciting moments of Ralphie’s life. Maggie was laughing and leaves and twigs were falling all around them.
Maggie stretched forward and looked up. “It’s still there. Go again!”
They shook harder this time. Leaves and twigs rained around them. Maggie laughed aloud. Then she leaned forward to look.
“It’s free,” she cried. “It’s free!”
She had to keep leaning forward to watch the Phantom’s escape. Ralphie could see all right from where he was, but he found himself leaning forward too.
Instead of looking up at the Phantom, however, he looked down at Maggie’s face. Her eyes were shining. Her lips were smiling.
And to Ralphie’s amazement he bent his head and kissed her.
CHAPTER 26
Going … Going … Gone
“Can you see it all right up there?” Junior yelled. “Can you guys see it?”
Ralphie tried to make his voice normal when he called back, “Yes.”
“It’s so beautiful,” Junior went on in an excited way, “and the breeze is just right. Come on down quick so you see it.”
“We can see real good from up here, Junior,” Maggie called back.
She looked down as she called to Junior, and all Ralphie could see was the top of her head, her
Mud hung his head.
“Just go on,” Pap said. “Go on. If you can’t behave yourself, Mud, just go on back to the house.”
Mud took a few steps away from the people, toward the path where Pap was pointing.
“We’ll be glad to have your company if you can behave yourself, but if you can’t, just go on. I’m tired of watching you make this puppy’s life miserable.”
Mud went a few more steps. He sat down. He watched Pap patting the puppy. He waited for a long time for Pap to speak to him and tell him things were all right. When he didn’t, Mud turned and with his tail between his legs, he started for home.
Maggie was a good climber too, but that didn’t surprise Ralphie. He knew himself well enough to know he would never fall in love with a girl who was clumsy.
They got up to the level of the Phantom too quickly to suit Ralphie, and he had only himself to blame. He was in such a hurry for the next handhold, that he didn’t let the individual holds last long enough. What he should have done was—
Maggie broke into his thoughts. “Do you want to crawl out on that limb or this one?”
“I’ll take the one you don’t want,” he said graciously.
“I’ll go out on this one. I weigh less and …” She grinned and he could see her broken tooth up close for the first time. It was much more beautiful up close. It was like—he was sorry he wasn’t a more poetic person because it wasn’t like anything really except Maggie’s tooth. It was his favorite of her teeth, of course, but it was like nothing in the world but her tooth. He hardly heard the end of her sentence, “… since it’s the smallest …”
Junior called from the ground, “Are you there yet?”
“We’re there,” Maggie called back.
“Can you reach it?”
“Give us time,” Ralphie answered.
They inched out on their limbs and stopped when they were directly below the branch that held the Phantom. Ralphie reached out with Mad Mary’s cane and poked it. “It’s going to take more than this. Let’s shake.”
Maggie nodded. They reached up together and grabbed the limb. “Ready?” Ralphie asked.
Maggie nodded. Then she added, “Wait a minute, let me get a better grip.”
“Me too,” Ralphie said.
Maggie really wanted a better grip, but Ralphie just wanted a way to make the time in the tree with Maggie last longer. He wondered if all men loved women more in trees than they did on the ground, or if it was just him. Maybe it was the way the moonlight shone through the leaves on her face. Or maybe it was the fact that they seemed so much more alone at this moment than they had ever been before.
“I’m ready,” she said.
“Okay,” Ralphie said. “Go!”
They both began to shake, and it was one of the most exciting moments of Ralphie’s life. Maggie was laughing and leaves and twigs were falling all around them.
Maggie stretched forward and looked up. “It’s still there. Go again!”
They shook harder this time. Leaves and twigs rained around them. Maggie laughed aloud. Then she leaned forward to look.
“It’s free,” she cried. “It’s free!”
She had to keep leaning forward to watch the Phantom’s escape. Ralphie could see all right from where he was, but he found himself leaning forward too.
Instead of looking up at the Phantom, however, he looked down at Maggie’s face. Her eyes were shining. Her lips were smiling.
And to Ralphie’s amazement he bent his head and kissed her.
CHAPTER 26
Going … Going … Gone
“Can you see it all right up there?” Junior yelled. “Can you guys see it?”
Ralphie tried to make his voice normal when he called back, “Yes.”
“It’s so beautiful,” Junior went on in an excited way, “and the breeze is just right. Come on down quick so you see it.”
“We can see real good from up here, Junior,” Maggie called back.
She looked down as she called to Junior, and all Ralphie could see was the top of her head, her
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