I could feel my ears getting red.
Presently I braced and mumbled, "No more details till the castle is
completed, then I'll coax you out there and let you revel."
"How soon will that be?" she asked, "To-morrow? Yes, John,
to-morrow?"
"No," I whispered croupily, "in--in about a week."
I wanted time to arrange my earthly affairs.
"Oh! lovely!" she said, and kissing me rushed away to break the
news to mother.
I felt like a rain check after the sun comes out.
Suddenly Hope tugged at my heart strings and I remembered that I
had a week in which to beat the ponies to a pulp and win out enough
coin to buy six Swiss Cheese cottages in the country.
Day after day I waded in among the jelly fish at the track but the
best I ever got was an $8 win.
Eight dollars wouldn't buy a dog house.
I was desperate. Every evening I had to sit around and listen
while Clara J. told Tacks or Uncle Peter or Aunt Martha or Mother
what she intended doing when we moved to the country.
They had it all cooked up. Uncle Peter and Aunt Martha were coming
to live with us and Tacks would be there to let us live with him.
Uncle Peter intended starting a garden truck farm in the back yard
and Tacks figured on building a chicken coop somewhere between the
front gate and the parlor.
Aunt Martha and Clara J. almost came to blows over the question of
milking the cow. Aunt Martha insisted that cows are milked by
machinery and Clara J.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25