gonna skin your nose.”
He spun her around, and the child laughed with delight. She pulled at his hair, demanding that he play horsey with her as he always did.
“Can you stay for supper, Jeff?”
Jeff held Esther in his arms and looked over at Leah as though he never knew how to take her. “I guess so, if it won’t be any trouble. I’ll go down and fish in the pond while you’re cooking.”
“Take Esther with you, but be sure she doesn’t fall in.”
“Why, I wouldn’t allow a thing like that!” Jeff threw Esther up in the air, and she squealed.
“Again! Again, Jeff!” she said.
“If I finish, I’ll come down and watch you,” Leah said.
“Sure. I’ll take your pole too, in case you have time to fish a little.”
Jeff went by the barn, leading Esther by the hand. She would have stumbled, but he kept pullingher up and laughing at her. “Come on now—you can walk better than that!”
Ten minutes later they were at the small pond behind the house. It was no more than thirty feet across, but it was filled with plump, small panfish. Jeff put Esther down and said, “Now, don’t you fall in the water.”
“Fall in the water!” Esther said happily. She sat down at once and began digging in the dirt.
Jeff watched her, grinned, then said, “Go on, get dirty. See if I care!” He baited a hook, swung the line up, and watched the cork float on the smooth surface. He watched Esther too, but she made no move to go toward the water. He got a bite, pulled a fish in, and showed it to the child. “Look, that’s a punkinseed perch,” he said. “We’ll have him for supper tonight, maybe.”
Esther reached out to touch the fish. Just as she did, it flopped out of Jeff’s hand, and her eyes went big with astonishment. Her lips trembled, and she began to cry.
“That’s just an old fish, Esther. Look!” He picked it up and put her tiny, fat forefinger on it. “See—it won’t hurt you.”
“Hurt Esther.”
“No, it can’t hurt you. Look, we’ll put this one on a stringer, and we’ll catch another one.”
For an hour, Jeff played with Esther and caught a few sun perch. Then he looked up to see Leah coming down the path toward the pond. “I got enough for supper,” he said when she stopped. “Do you want to fish awhile?”
“No, I’ll just watch.”
He fixed his eyes on the cork. It had always been easy to talk to Leah, but that was not true any longer.Desperately he wondered what to say to her. Finally he asked, “Have you seen Cecil Taylor?”
“Just once. He came by the other day. He was with Lucy.”
“Oh!” Jeff had not wanted to bring up Lucy since she had been the cause of all the difficulty with Leah. Immediately he changed the subject. “Esther looks pretty! Is that a new dress she’s got?”
“Yes, I made it myself.”
“You did?” Jeff looked at it closely. “Well, isn’t that fine? I knew you could sew, but not this well.”
“It’s not hard to make a dress for a little one.”
Somehow their argument had frozen her up, or so it seemed. She sat looking across the pond. A snake swam from one spot to another, making a V-shaped ripple. It was headed away from them, but she warned Jeff anyway. “Look, there’s a snake! I wouldn’t want one to get to Esther.”
Jeff lifted his head. “Just a water snake,” he said calmly. “He wouldn’t hurt anybody.”
“All snakes are alike to me. I’m afraid of all of them.”
Jeff began to talk about snakes. He cast his eyes secretly upon Leah, who sat facing the water. He admired the smooth turn of her cheek and noticed that her eyelashes seemed thicker than ever.
She sure is getting pretty
, he thought.
But I wouldn’t dare tell her so. She’d bite my head off
.
This was not the first argument he had had with Leah. Their disagreements were usually over little things, but they had never stayed angry this long before. At least
she
was angry.
Then Jeff talked about how it had been back in Kentucky. He did this
He spun her around, and the child laughed with delight. She pulled at his hair, demanding that he play horsey with her as he always did.
“Can you stay for supper, Jeff?”
Jeff held Esther in his arms and looked over at Leah as though he never knew how to take her. “I guess so, if it won’t be any trouble. I’ll go down and fish in the pond while you’re cooking.”
“Take Esther with you, but be sure she doesn’t fall in.”
“Why, I wouldn’t allow a thing like that!” Jeff threw Esther up in the air, and she squealed.
“Again! Again, Jeff!” she said.
“If I finish, I’ll come down and watch you,” Leah said.
“Sure. I’ll take your pole too, in case you have time to fish a little.”
Jeff went by the barn, leading Esther by the hand. She would have stumbled, but he kept pullingher up and laughing at her. “Come on now—you can walk better than that!”
Ten minutes later they were at the small pond behind the house. It was no more than thirty feet across, but it was filled with plump, small panfish. Jeff put Esther down and said, “Now, don’t you fall in the water.”
“Fall in the water!” Esther said happily. She sat down at once and began digging in the dirt.
Jeff watched her, grinned, then said, “Go on, get dirty. See if I care!” He baited a hook, swung the line up, and watched the cork float on the smooth surface. He watched Esther too, but she made no move to go toward the water. He got a bite, pulled a fish in, and showed it to the child. “Look, that’s a punkinseed perch,” he said. “We’ll have him for supper tonight, maybe.”
Esther reached out to touch the fish. Just as she did, it flopped out of Jeff’s hand, and her eyes went big with astonishment. Her lips trembled, and she began to cry.
“That’s just an old fish, Esther. Look!” He picked it up and put her tiny, fat forefinger on it. “See—it won’t hurt you.”
“Hurt Esther.”
“No, it can’t hurt you. Look, we’ll put this one on a stringer, and we’ll catch another one.”
For an hour, Jeff played with Esther and caught a few sun perch. Then he looked up to see Leah coming down the path toward the pond. “I got enough for supper,” he said when she stopped. “Do you want to fish awhile?”
“No, I’ll just watch.”
He fixed his eyes on the cork. It had always been easy to talk to Leah, but that was not true any longer.Desperately he wondered what to say to her. Finally he asked, “Have you seen Cecil Taylor?”
“Just once. He came by the other day. He was with Lucy.”
“Oh!” Jeff had not wanted to bring up Lucy since she had been the cause of all the difficulty with Leah. Immediately he changed the subject. “Esther looks pretty! Is that a new dress she’s got?”
“Yes, I made it myself.”
“You did?” Jeff looked at it closely. “Well, isn’t that fine? I knew you could sew, but not this well.”
“It’s not hard to make a dress for a little one.”
Somehow their argument had frozen her up, or so it seemed. She sat looking across the pond. A snake swam from one spot to another, making a V-shaped ripple. It was headed away from them, but she warned Jeff anyway. “Look, there’s a snake! I wouldn’t want one to get to Esther.”
Jeff lifted his head. “Just a water snake,” he said calmly. “He wouldn’t hurt anybody.”
“All snakes are alike to me. I’m afraid of all of them.”
Jeff began to talk about snakes. He cast his eyes secretly upon Leah, who sat facing the water. He admired the smooth turn of her cheek and noticed that her eyelashes seemed thicker than ever.
She sure is getting pretty
, he thought.
But I wouldn’t dare tell her so. She’d bite my head off
.
This was not the first argument he had had with Leah. Their disagreements were usually over little things, but they had never stayed angry this long before. At least
she
was angry.
Then Jeff talked about how it had been back in Kentucky. He did this
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