with Lawrence, who quailed, though he was
normally a rowdy boy and not easily daunted. Captain Early's voice seemed to surround
them. "Two plus two!" he demanded.
"Four," said Lawrence. His own age, thought Margaret.
"Three
plus
three!"
"Six." (A softer voice.)
"Four plus four!"
"Eight." (Very quiet.) This one Margaret was surprised the boy knew.
"Five plus five!"
Something inaudible emerged from Lawrence. She bent down and said, "What do
you reply to Captain Early?"
Lawrence now yelled in the defiant manner she was more familiar with, "I said
'Enough!'"
Captain Early barked out a laugh and said, "Indeed, ten is often enough." He
laughed again, and Lawrence laughed with him, his sassiness fully restored.
Then Captain Early shook her hand heartily, and skated away. She watched him
in the crowd. Most people stared at him. He exchanged greetings with a few, but no
lengthy conversations. One or two people looked from him to her and back again.
Later that week, Lavinia and Margaret were invited to the Earlys' for supper. The
horse and the sleigh came for them. Once again the house was warm, and once again the
supper was very good, and just a little more festive. Mrs. Hitchens nodded agreeably and
said, "Yes. Oh, yes, indeed," every time Captain Early spoke. But this time Captain Early
didn't speak much. He complimented his mother on the supper, told them that the
exposition was still behindhand, and allowed as how some of the athletic performances
scheduled to take place that summer, at the Olympic Games, which had been moved from
Chicago to St. Louis, could well be "enlightening." Mrs. Hitchens asked what the
Olympic Games were, and they were told that these were a competition between amateur
athletes from all parts of the world.
"Don't you remember?" said Mrs. Early. "They had them in Greece several years
ago, and then in Paris."
Lavinia and Mrs. Early discussed Christmas greenery and scarlet fever, and
Margaret told how Aurelius had finally died--"a blessing not to go through the winter,"
said Lavinia, and possibly Beatrice would send them another horse, "but horses are such
a bother," and everyone nodded, including Captain Early, who said, "Everyone will have
an automobile soon enough," and Lavinia said, "Can you imagine?" Margaret could tell
Lavinia was uncomfortable, because her tone of voice got suspiciously brighter each time
she spoke, and then she said, suddenly, "You know, Margaret here once witnessed a
hanging. A public hanging. But she doesn't remember a thing about it."
"Indeed!" said Mrs. Early, but gracefully, as if Lavinia were still talking about
Aurelius.
"She was five, or almost. It was the day Elizabeth was born. Her brother
Lawrence took her. I don't know what he was thinking."
"I remember that," said Mrs. Early. "It was quite an event. The last time in this
town for such a thing, thank goodness."
Captain Early said nothing for a moment, then, "That was the week John and I
went upstate to look for geodes. We took the train to Hannibal and then trekked up to
Keokuk."
Mrs. Early said, "You should see the boxes of rocks in the cellar. I'm sure there
are diamonds in there somewhere."
Captain Early said, "I sometimes feel as though I remember everything." He said
this in such a somber voice that Lavinia immediately added, "Margaret has such a good
habit of looking on the bright side of things."
This was when Mrs. Early, who was sitting catty-corner to her, momentarily put
her hand over Margaret's and gave a squeeze. The older woman's hand was warm, and
she said, "That is a personal quality that I've always appreciated."
But it was not a lively supper. Captain Early went back to Washington soon after,
and Margaret had the distinct feeling of staring into her own future, the same feeling she
had had so long ago, at the Fourth of July parade where John Gentry had fallen off his
chair and Robert Bell had seen his possibilities expand. The
normally a rowdy boy and not easily daunted. Captain Early's voice seemed to surround
them. "Two plus two!" he demanded.
"Four," said Lawrence. His own age, thought Margaret.
"Three
plus
three!"
"Six." (A softer voice.)
"Four plus four!"
"Eight." (Very quiet.) This one Margaret was surprised the boy knew.
"Five plus five!"
Something inaudible emerged from Lawrence. She bent down and said, "What do
you reply to Captain Early?"
Lawrence now yelled in the defiant manner she was more familiar with, "I said
'Enough!'"
Captain Early barked out a laugh and said, "Indeed, ten is often enough." He
laughed again, and Lawrence laughed with him, his sassiness fully restored.
Then Captain Early shook her hand heartily, and skated away. She watched him
in the crowd. Most people stared at him. He exchanged greetings with a few, but no
lengthy conversations. One or two people looked from him to her and back again.
Later that week, Lavinia and Margaret were invited to the Earlys' for supper. The
horse and the sleigh came for them. Once again the house was warm, and once again the
supper was very good, and just a little more festive. Mrs. Hitchens nodded agreeably and
said, "Yes. Oh, yes, indeed," every time Captain Early spoke. But this time Captain Early
didn't speak much. He complimented his mother on the supper, told them that the
exposition was still behindhand, and allowed as how some of the athletic performances
scheduled to take place that summer, at the Olympic Games, which had been moved from
Chicago to St. Louis, could well be "enlightening." Mrs. Hitchens asked what the
Olympic Games were, and they were told that these were a competition between amateur
athletes from all parts of the world.
"Don't you remember?" said Mrs. Early. "They had them in Greece several years
ago, and then in Paris."
Lavinia and Mrs. Early discussed Christmas greenery and scarlet fever, and
Margaret told how Aurelius had finally died--"a blessing not to go through the winter,"
said Lavinia, and possibly Beatrice would send them another horse, "but horses are such
a bother," and everyone nodded, including Captain Early, who said, "Everyone will have
an automobile soon enough," and Lavinia said, "Can you imagine?" Margaret could tell
Lavinia was uncomfortable, because her tone of voice got suspiciously brighter each time
she spoke, and then she said, suddenly, "You know, Margaret here once witnessed a
hanging. A public hanging. But she doesn't remember a thing about it."
"Indeed!" said Mrs. Early, but gracefully, as if Lavinia were still talking about
Aurelius.
"She was five, or almost. It was the day Elizabeth was born. Her brother
Lawrence took her. I don't know what he was thinking."
"I remember that," said Mrs. Early. "It was quite an event. The last time in this
town for such a thing, thank goodness."
Captain Early said nothing for a moment, then, "That was the week John and I
went upstate to look for geodes. We took the train to Hannibal and then trekked up to
Keokuk."
Mrs. Early said, "You should see the boxes of rocks in the cellar. I'm sure there
are diamonds in there somewhere."
Captain Early said, "I sometimes feel as though I remember everything." He said
this in such a somber voice that Lavinia immediately added, "Margaret has such a good
habit of looking on the bright side of things."
This was when Mrs. Early, who was sitting catty-corner to her, momentarily put
her hand over Margaret's and gave a squeeze. The older woman's hand was warm, and
she said, "That is a personal quality that I've always appreciated."
But it was not a lively supper. Captain Early went back to Washington soon after,
and Margaret had the distinct feeling of staring into her own future, the same feeling she
had had so long ago, at the Fourth of July parade where John Gentry had fallen off his
chair and Robert Bell had seen his possibilities expand. The
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