man.”
“He is starting up,” Polly aid.
The henny-pennies darted past him, tugging on his coat, shouting at him in tiny voices. Mr. Deener had his eyes shut and began eating imaginary doughnuts with both hands, stuffing them down his mouth.
“He can go on like this all day,” Polly said. “When he eats imaginary doughnuts, he never gets filled up. Uncle Deener!” She tapped him on the shoulder.
He started to hum.
“Uncle Deener!” Polly shouted.
He shoved another imaginary doughnut into his mouth, then reached into the air beside him and found another. “Yum,” he said, talking to himself.
“I knew it,” Danny said. “Let’s just give him the basket of doughnuts and go check out the cave.”
Mr. Deener sat down heavily on the grass. The earth shook. One of the jars of pond water fell over, and for a moment the sun seemed to dim. A henny-penny man landed on Mr. Deener’s shoulder and shouted into his ear. Mr. Deener brushed it away and began to grab at the air, as if he were picking doughnuts off a tree. The earth shook again. Mr. Deener hummed louder and louder.
“Give him one at least,” John said. “Hurry.”
Polly opened the basket, took out a doughnut, and put it into Mr. Deener’s hand. When he shoved it into his mouth he sat up straighter, opening his eyes and looking surprised and happy.
“Why, someone’s given me doughnut!” he said. Then he saw that Polly held the open basket and he reached in after another one. He pulled out a third and fourth, which he tried to cram into his coat pocket. Two henny-pennies flew up and snatched one of the doughnuts away, dropping it immediately Polly caught it in the basket and closed the lid.
“Of course,” Mr. Deener said, eating the second doughnut.
He breathed deeply, as if he’d just run a race. John and Danny helped him to stand up. He wiped his forehead, leaving a line of sugar glaze across it. “This is hard work,” he said, “but someone’s got to do it. We wont tolerate slackers, will we? Why was I sitting on the ground? Am I a slacker?”
“Of course not,” Polly said. “You’ve just been resting.”
“Good,” he said, giving everyone a look and nodding his head to show that he meant it. “Who mentioned the cave?”
Nobody spoke for a moment, and then Danny said, “I did.”
“Stay out of it,” Mr. Deener said. “It’s a terrible dark place. Nothing in there but lost things.”
He held the third doughnut in front of eye like a monocle squinting through it at the meadow. “It’s no good,” he said, eating it. “I’m afraid I don’t see a thing. Complete waste of time coming out here, just like I said. Might as well have lunch.”
“Perhaps the apparatus….” Polly said to him.
“What about it?”
“You were going to use it to find the window,” John reminded him.
“The window?”
“The
invisible
window,” Danny said. “We’ve come out here to find the invisible window!”
Mr. Deener nodded. “Why didn’t you say so?” he asked. “We’ve got a fog coming up. Pretty soon you won’t see your nose on your face. If it was me who was looking for a window, I’d get at it.”
“It
is
you that’s looking for a window, Uncle Deener!” Polly said.
He looked surprised. “It is?” he asked. “Then fetch me some forked sticks and some flat rocks and quit fooling away the morning.”
“That was close,” Polly said to John and Danny as the three of them went off to look for sticks and rocks. She carried the doughnut basket with her. “We nearly lost him that time.”
“Did he used to be better?” John asked.
“Heaps,” Polly said. “You should have seen him last week.”
“Last
week!”
Danny said. “You mean he’s going to pieces that fast?”
“Just as fast as he can,” Polly said.
They gathered sticks near the forest’s edge and found rocks along the stream bed. “Let’s hurry,” John said, looking at the fog that drifted toward them through the woods.
Mr. Deener
“He is starting up,” Polly aid.
The henny-pennies darted past him, tugging on his coat, shouting at him in tiny voices. Mr. Deener had his eyes shut and began eating imaginary doughnuts with both hands, stuffing them down his mouth.
“He can go on like this all day,” Polly said. “When he eats imaginary doughnuts, he never gets filled up. Uncle Deener!” She tapped him on the shoulder.
He started to hum.
“Uncle Deener!” Polly shouted.
He shoved another imaginary doughnut into his mouth, then reached into the air beside him and found another. “Yum,” he said, talking to himself.
“I knew it,” Danny said. “Let’s just give him the basket of doughnuts and go check out the cave.”
Mr. Deener sat down heavily on the grass. The earth shook. One of the jars of pond water fell over, and for a moment the sun seemed to dim. A henny-penny man landed on Mr. Deener’s shoulder and shouted into his ear. Mr. Deener brushed it away and began to grab at the air, as if he were picking doughnuts off a tree. The earth shook again. Mr. Deener hummed louder and louder.
“Give him one at least,” John said. “Hurry.”
Polly opened the basket, took out a doughnut, and put it into Mr. Deener’s hand. When he shoved it into his mouth he sat up straighter, opening his eyes and looking surprised and happy.
“Why, someone’s given me doughnut!” he said. Then he saw that Polly held the open basket and he reached in after another one. He pulled out a third and fourth, which he tried to cram into his coat pocket. Two henny-pennies flew up and snatched one of the doughnuts away, dropping it immediately Polly caught it in the basket and closed the lid.
“Of course,” Mr. Deener said, eating the second doughnut.
He breathed deeply, as if he’d just run a race. John and Danny helped him to stand up. He wiped his forehead, leaving a line of sugar glaze across it. “This is hard work,” he said, “but someone’s got to do it. We wont tolerate slackers, will we? Why was I sitting on the ground? Am I a slacker?”
“Of course not,” Polly said. “You’ve just been resting.”
“Good,” he said, giving everyone a look and nodding his head to show that he meant it. “Who mentioned the cave?”
Nobody spoke for a moment, and then Danny said, “I did.”
“Stay out of it,” Mr. Deener said. “It’s a terrible dark place. Nothing in there but lost things.”
He held the third doughnut in front of eye like a monocle squinting through it at the meadow. “It’s no good,” he said, eating it. “I’m afraid I don’t see a thing. Complete waste of time coming out here, just like I said. Might as well have lunch.”
“Perhaps the apparatus….” Polly said to him.
“What about it?”
“You were going to use it to find the window,” John reminded him.
“The window?”
“The
invisible
window,” Danny said. “We’ve come out here to find the invisible window!”
Mr. Deener nodded. “Why didn’t you say so?” he asked. “We’ve got a fog coming up. Pretty soon you won’t see your nose on your face. If it was me who was looking for a window, I’d get at it.”
“It
is
you that’s looking for a window, Uncle Deener!” Polly said.
He looked surprised. “It is?” he asked. “Then fetch me some forked sticks and some flat rocks and quit fooling away the morning.”
“That was close,” Polly said to John and Danny as the three of them went off to look for sticks and rocks. She carried the doughnut basket with her. “We nearly lost him that time.”
“Did he used to be better?” John asked.
“Heaps,” Polly said. “You should have seen him last week.”
“Last
week!”
Danny said. “You mean he’s going to pieces that fast?”
“Just as fast as he can,” Polly said.
They gathered sticks near the forest’s edge and found rocks along the stream bed. “Let’s hurry,” John said, looking at the fog that drifted toward them through the woods.
Mr. Deener
Similar Books
