Ralph and I can, can’t we, Ralph?”
“I don’t have a granddaddy as old as yours, so I don’t know,” said Ralph.
“Well, we can,” said Ned. “Thanks, Tugs. I won’t let you down. Come on, Ralph.”
Tugs watched them run off. For a moment, she wished Ned was coming with her. But it was good he had Ralph. She had Aggie, after all. At least she hoped she had Aggie. She’d show Aggie her photographs when she got home from camp.
Eldora and Elmira were sitting on their porch of their smart, well-kept house when Tugs passed the library. Leopold was perched in a potted plant in front of the library, and as she passed, he jumped out and followed her up the walk to the house.
“Sissy!” exclaimed Elmira. “Looky here, looky here! Our Leopold has been rescued again! Thank you, young man.”
“Oh, Sissy!” cried Eldora. “Our Leopold!”
“I didn’t . . .” Tugs started, but the sisters were down the steps and scooping up Leopold between them.
“He’s been gone since breakfast and we feared the worst, didn’t we, Sissy?”
“Oh, my, yes, Sissy. Our Leopold never runs off, and when we sat down in our porch chairs like we do every morning after toast and bacon, with our cup of coffee like every morning, our Leopold did not come sit by our feet like he does every morning.” Eldora sighed into Leopold’s shaggy back as he struggled to get free.
“I said to Sissy, I said, ‘This could be the day we say good-bye to our faithful friend,’” said Elmira. “But you’ve saved him.” She looked more closely at Tugs. “Why, you aren’t a young man at all. You are the girl who got him out of the tree, aren’t you?”
Eldora pushed her glasses up on her nose and peered closer at Tugs.
“That’s her, Sissy. The very one. It’s the pants that threw us off.”
“I brought cake!” Tugs said. “And my camera. Remember you said you’d develop my film?”
“Cake!” said Elmira.
“She did bring back Leopold,” said Eldora.
“True enough,” said Elmira.
“Give me the Kodak, then,” said Eldora.
“And the cake,” said Elmira.
Tugs followed the sisters inside and sat on the sofa. They took the chairs across from her and leaned forward, staring at her like she was a show about to start.
“Well, I never,” said Elmira, taking the Brownie from Eldora and inspecting it. “She’s got herself a green F model. Old Pepper only had the blue, so he said. But we really wanted the green.”
“Looks like she’s dropped it,” said one.
“It’s a little banged up,” agreed the other.
Elmira held it up to the light and looked through the lens.
“Should still work, though. These are sturdy little boxes. I bet it’s just a broken mirror. We must have a spare around here we could fix in its place.”
“Oh, Sissy, won’t this be fun! I wonder what she photographed!”
“I . . .” Tugs started, but Eldora interrupted.
“No, don’t tell! It’s more fun to be surprised.”
“Yes!” agreed Elmira. “I do love a surprise. That is the best part. When we take photographs, we develop each other’s film. Eldora mine and I hers. Then we’re always surprised.”
“Except that she always tells me when she’s taken a photograph,” said Eldora. “Can’t keep a secret, that one.”
“Pshaw,” argued Elmira.
“Can I help?” asked Tugs.
“No,” said Elmira. “Not enough room. You wait here with Leopold. Come on, now, Sissy, let’s see what she’s got here.”
Tugs wandered the room. She took down cameras and held them in her hands, looking through their viewfinders, until she heard the creak of the darkroom door. She sat down quickly on the sofa.
“Here’s your Brownie. We did fix the mirror,” Eldora said. “Good as new. Though that dent is making some trouble for advancing the film. You’ll have to fiddle with it a bit. Here. We have lots of extra film. Take a few rolls, so you can keep snapping.”
“But the pictures?” insisted Tugs.
“Ah, yes, the
“I don’t have a granddaddy as old as yours, so I don’t know,” said Ralph.
“Well, we can,” said Ned. “Thanks, Tugs. I won’t let you down. Come on, Ralph.”
Tugs watched them run off. For a moment, she wished Ned was coming with her. But it was good he had Ralph. She had Aggie, after all. At least she hoped she had Aggie. She’d show Aggie her photographs when she got home from camp.
Eldora and Elmira were sitting on their porch of their smart, well-kept house when Tugs passed the library. Leopold was perched in a potted plant in front of the library, and as she passed, he jumped out and followed her up the walk to the house.
“Sissy!” exclaimed Elmira. “Looky here, looky here! Our Leopold has been rescued again! Thank you, young man.”
“Oh, Sissy!” cried Eldora. “Our Leopold!”
“I didn’t . . .” Tugs started, but the sisters were down the steps and scooping up Leopold between them.
“He’s been gone since breakfast and we feared the worst, didn’t we, Sissy?”
“Oh, my, yes, Sissy. Our Leopold never runs off, and when we sat down in our porch chairs like we do every morning after toast and bacon, with our cup of coffee like every morning, our Leopold did not come sit by our feet like he does every morning.” Eldora sighed into Leopold’s shaggy back as he struggled to get free.
“I said to Sissy, I said, ‘This could be the day we say good-bye to our faithful friend,’” said Elmira. “But you’ve saved him.” She looked more closely at Tugs. “Why, you aren’t a young man at all. You are the girl who got him out of the tree, aren’t you?”
Eldora pushed her glasses up on her nose and peered closer at Tugs.
“That’s her, Sissy. The very one. It’s the pants that threw us off.”
“I brought cake!” Tugs said. “And my camera. Remember you said you’d develop my film?”
“Cake!” said Elmira.
“She did bring back Leopold,” said Eldora.
“True enough,” said Elmira.
“Give me the Kodak, then,” said Eldora.
“And the cake,” said Elmira.
Tugs followed the sisters inside and sat on the sofa. They took the chairs across from her and leaned forward, staring at her like she was a show about to start.
“Well, I never,” said Elmira, taking the Brownie from Eldora and inspecting it. “She’s got herself a green F model. Old Pepper only had the blue, so he said. But we really wanted the green.”
“Looks like she’s dropped it,” said one.
“It’s a little banged up,” agreed the other.
Elmira held it up to the light and looked through the lens.
“Should still work, though. These are sturdy little boxes. I bet it’s just a broken mirror. We must have a spare around here we could fix in its place.”
“Oh, Sissy, won’t this be fun! I wonder what she photographed!”
“I . . .” Tugs started, but Eldora interrupted.
“No, don’t tell! It’s more fun to be surprised.”
“Yes!” agreed Elmira. “I do love a surprise. That is the best part. When we take photographs, we develop each other’s film. Eldora mine and I hers. Then we’re always surprised.”
“Except that she always tells me when she’s taken a photograph,” said Eldora. “Can’t keep a secret, that one.”
“Pshaw,” argued Elmira.
“Can I help?” asked Tugs.
“No,” said Elmira. “Not enough room. You wait here with Leopold. Come on, now, Sissy, let’s see what she’s got here.”
Tugs wandered the room. She took down cameras and held them in her hands, looking through their viewfinders, until she heard the creak of the darkroom door. She sat down quickly on the sofa.
“Here’s your Brownie. We did fix the mirror,” Eldora said. “Good as new. Though that dent is making some trouble for advancing the film. You’ll have to fiddle with it a bit. Here. We have lots of extra film. Take a few rolls, so you can keep snapping.”
“But the pictures?” insisted Tugs.
“Ah, yes, the
Similar Books
