began to suck his thumb.
Her mother reached into her pocket, took out a match, and bent to strike it on a stone. She handed the little torch to Sally. Sally took it, and turned to the tall plant that grew at the edge of the path, its white flowers expectantly open, its pointed leaves upright and alert as cats’ ears. All around her Sally could feel the watching eyes gleaming in the dark: Bub’s, Patience’s, the cats’, and perhaps, from beneath a leaf somewhere, the little hoptoad’s. Gently, she touched the match to each bloom. Up leaped a tiny bluish flame, till the entire plant trembled with its own light.
“Oooh,” came the whispers from all sides. “Oooh.”
Beneath the plant, a family of ladybugs of all sizes, some so tiny that they could scarcely be seen at all in the wavering light, scattered in all directions.
And something else showed too.
“Tom!” cried Sally.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake!” said her mother, laughing. “That cat!”
For in the glow of the gas plant, Tom’s pointed face loomed from underneath a gooseberry bush. He had Elizabeth in his mouth. Her bonnet was all askew, her arms and legs were dangling, and her face, looking quite pathetically helpless, hung upside down.
“Put her down, Tom,” Sally ordered, making a threatening dart at him.
Tom flicked a cross green glance at Sally, dropped the doll, and began to nibble at his paws, by way of cleaning them.
Sally straightened Elizabeth’s bonnet and adjusted her dress. “Honestly,” she said. “I think he was going to hide her somewhere! I think he really believes she belongs to him! Naughty Tom!”
Tom blinked and mewed sleepily.
The flames of the gas plant flickered out.
“Time to go in.”
Someone had lighted the lamps inside the house, and the light streamed out through the porch vines into the garden. The white glimmer of the sea shells led them along the path.
Sally, hugging Elizabeth, followed the others into the house.
Chapter 14 - Gingerbread Cookies
T o Sally’s immense surprise , Elizabeth, as she hugged her, gave a little squeal. But, of course, it was not Elizabeth at all, but poor Shadow, who had curled up in Sally’s lap and gone to sleep, and been awakened by that fierce, if loving, hug.
“Oh, Shadow,” said Sally, scratching his ear where he most loved to have it scratched. “I’m sorry. I was dreaming again. But how funny! Both my dreams have been about things that the other Sally wrote about in her diary.” She looked back into the mirror, but she saw only Shadow and herself reflected there now.
“But do you know something, Shadow?” she whispered into his ear. “They don’t seem exactly likedreams. It almost seems as if they’re really happening. And look,” she said, remembering something and reaching into her pocket, “this must be a piece of one of the shells from the garden. The shells in the cupboard used to be out there.” She stared in awe at the bit of shell in her hand, feeling almost as if she had brought a bit of the past back with her.
Shadow reached up a paw and scratched his ear.
“But I still haven’t found Elizabeth,” she said unhappily, putting the shell back in her pocket. “I wonder if I ever will?”
As she was walking down the hall stairs, followed by Shadow, Sally noticed that the rain had stopped and that the sun had come out. Each trembling raindrop clinging to the window held a tiny curled rainbow. Their dancing reflections played over the stairs and along the stairway wall. She found that her gloomy gray mood of the morning had completely vanished along with the rain.
“Well,” said her aunt when she walked into the kitchen. “Have you found Elizabeth yet?”
“Not yet,” said Sally.
Her aunt brought a large earthenware bowl out of the cupboard and placed it on the counter. She was wearing a white apron over her dress.
“How would you like to ask your new friend tohelp us make gingerbread cookies?” asked Aunt Sarah.
“My friend
Her mother reached into her pocket, took out a match, and bent to strike it on a stone. She handed the little torch to Sally. Sally took it, and turned to the tall plant that grew at the edge of the path, its white flowers expectantly open, its pointed leaves upright and alert as cats’ ears. All around her Sally could feel the watching eyes gleaming in the dark: Bub’s, Patience’s, the cats’, and perhaps, from beneath a leaf somewhere, the little hoptoad’s. Gently, she touched the match to each bloom. Up leaped a tiny bluish flame, till the entire plant trembled with its own light.
“Oooh,” came the whispers from all sides. “Oooh.”
Beneath the plant, a family of ladybugs of all sizes, some so tiny that they could scarcely be seen at all in the wavering light, scattered in all directions.
And something else showed too.
“Tom!” cried Sally.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake!” said her mother, laughing. “That cat!”
For in the glow of the gas plant, Tom’s pointed face loomed from underneath a gooseberry bush. He had Elizabeth in his mouth. Her bonnet was all askew, her arms and legs were dangling, and her face, looking quite pathetically helpless, hung upside down.
“Put her down, Tom,” Sally ordered, making a threatening dart at him.
Tom flicked a cross green glance at Sally, dropped the doll, and began to nibble at his paws, by way of cleaning them.
Sally straightened Elizabeth’s bonnet and adjusted her dress. “Honestly,” she said. “I think he was going to hide her somewhere! I think he really believes she belongs to him! Naughty Tom!”
Tom blinked and mewed sleepily.
The flames of the gas plant flickered out.
“Time to go in.”
Someone had lighted the lamps inside the house, and the light streamed out through the porch vines into the garden. The white glimmer of the sea shells led them along the path.
Sally, hugging Elizabeth, followed the others into the house.
Chapter 14 - Gingerbread Cookies
T o Sally’s immense surprise , Elizabeth, as she hugged her, gave a little squeal. But, of course, it was not Elizabeth at all, but poor Shadow, who had curled up in Sally’s lap and gone to sleep, and been awakened by that fierce, if loving, hug.
“Oh, Shadow,” said Sally, scratching his ear where he most loved to have it scratched. “I’m sorry. I was dreaming again. But how funny! Both my dreams have been about things that the other Sally wrote about in her diary.” She looked back into the mirror, but she saw only Shadow and herself reflected there now.
“But do you know something, Shadow?” she whispered into his ear. “They don’t seem exactly likedreams. It almost seems as if they’re really happening. And look,” she said, remembering something and reaching into her pocket, “this must be a piece of one of the shells from the garden. The shells in the cupboard used to be out there.” She stared in awe at the bit of shell in her hand, feeling almost as if she had brought a bit of the past back with her.
Shadow reached up a paw and scratched his ear.
“But I still haven’t found Elizabeth,” she said unhappily, putting the shell back in her pocket. “I wonder if I ever will?”
As she was walking down the hall stairs, followed by Shadow, Sally noticed that the rain had stopped and that the sun had come out. Each trembling raindrop clinging to the window held a tiny curled rainbow. Their dancing reflections played over the stairs and along the stairway wall. She found that her gloomy gray mood of the morning had completely vanished along with the rain.
“Well,” said her aunt when she walked into the kitchen. “Have you found Elizabeth yet?”
“Not yet,” said Sally.
Her aunt brought a large earthenware bowl out of the cupboard and placed it on the counter. She was wearing a white apron over her dress.
“How would you like to ask your new friend tohelp us make gingerbread cookies?” asked Aunt Sarah.
“My friend
Similar Books
