never felt so foolish in my life.”
“I won’t tell. But I must go inside. Can I dosomething to make you more comfortable, Henry?”
“I’m chilly. I need a coat or something.”
“I’ll just go in the house and…”
“No! Your pa will get to wondering. Get something from the barn.”
The only thing Rowena could find was an old horse blanket. She wrapped it around Henry. “That should keep you warm,” she said. “Tomorrow I’ll be out first thing and bring you breakfast. Or maybe you’ll get free in the meantime.”
Henry sniffed at the blanket and wrinkled his nose. “Phoo!” he exclaimed. “This old thing stinks of hay and horse sweat. Haven’t you got anything cleaner?”
Rowena glared at him. “You said you didn’t want me to go into the house, Henry.”
“Then I suppose it’ll have to do.”
Rowena ran off toward the house, while Henry clutched the smelly blanket close about him and tried to stop the chattering of his teeth.
Rowena didn’t sleep much that night. She was too jittery and upset—and a little scared—by what had happened. Henry Piper, stuck to the ground—had ever there been such a thing before? By morning she was so logy and puff eyed that her mother wondered if she was sick.
“No, Mama. Just a bit tired.”
As soon as she could, Rowena sneaked out to the grove of trees with a doughnut from the breakfast table. Henry stood there, shivering in the blanket.
“I brought you this, Henry,” said Rowena.
“A doughnut,” he sneered. “If it wasn’t for coming to see you, I’d be down at Miz Ballentine’s right now, eating ham and eggs. All you’ve got is an old doughnut. Well, I don’t need it.”
“You’ve got to eat, Henry.”
“I feel like I’ve been eating all night. Only the food came up from my feet instead of down from my mouth. What in tarnation has happened to me, Rowena?”
“Henry, I really think I should tell somebody—”
“You just keep that mouth of yours shut, young lady!”
“Henry Piper, you never in your life talked to me like that before,” said Rowena. “But…well don’t start worrying. We’ll get you free. Let me find you something to sit on.”
“I’ve got every right to worry,” Henry replied.“And as for sitting, I can’t do it. My knees won’t bend. I’m stiff from the waist down. Never mind a chair. Just get rid of this smelly blanket.”
“All right, Henry. But then I have to go to school. I’ll come back, soon as I can.”
“You’d better,” said Henry sternly. “I’m stuck on your property, so you have to look after me until I get loose.”
Rowena walked out of the grove of trees. Suddenly she turned and stuck out her tongue at the spot where Henry was standing.
The school day passed almost like a dream—or a nightmare. Afterward Rowena ran all the way home, hoping to slip in the back door without anybody seeing her. But Mama was in the kitchen.
“Sit down, Rowena,” said Mrs. Jervis. “I want to talk to you.”
Rowena put a hand to her lips. Had Mama discovered…?
“Did you pass the grade school on your way home?” Mama asked.
Rowena shook her head. “I took the short cut. Why?”
“Clara Fessengill came by today, and she saidPolly Kemp was croaking like a frog in school. I thought you might have heard—”
“Oh, Mama, you know Polly. She’d do anything to get attention.”
“No, Clara said it was like Polly couldn’t help herself. As if croaking had taken the place of talking.”
“Clara Fessengill’s an old gossip…” Rowena began. Then she suddenly closed her mouth, and a little shiver ran up her spine.
“Excuse me, Mama.” Rowena darted through the back door and out of her mother’s sight. Polly Kemp, acting strangely—Polly who’d sat right next to her in Thaddeus Blinn’s tent. What was going on?…
In the midst of the circle of trees she found Henry just as she’d left him. No, not quite the same. “I seem to be losing my voice, too,” he told her in
“I won’t tell. But I must go inside. Can I dosomething to make you more comfortable, Henry?”
“I’m chilly. I need a coat or something.”
“I’ll just go in the house and…”
“No! Your pa will get to wondering. Get something from the barn.”
The only thing Rowena could find was an old horse blanket. She wrapped it around Henry. “That should keep you warm,” she said. “Tomorrow I’ll be out first thing and bring you breakfast. Or maybe you’ll get free in the meantime.”
Henry sniffed at the blanket and wrinkled his nose. “Phoo!” he exclaimed. “This old thing stinks of hay and horse sweat. Haven’t you got anything cleaner?”
Rowena glared at him. “You said you didn’t want me to go into the house, Henry.”
“Then I suppose it’ll have to do.”
Rowena ran off toward the house, while Henry clutched the smelly blanket close about him and tried to stop the chattering of his teeth.
Rowena didn’t sleep much that night. She was too jittery and upset—and a little scared—by what had happened. Henry Piper, stuck to the ground—had ever there been such a thing before? By morning she was so logy and puff eyed that her mother wondered if she was sick.
“No, Mama. Just a bit tired.”
As soon as she could, Rowena sneaked out to the grove of trees with a doughnut from the breakfast table. Henry stood there, shivering in the blanket.
“I brought you this, Henry,” said Rowena.
“A doughnut,” he sneered. “If it wasn’t for coming to see you, I’d be down at Miz Ballentine’s right now, eating ham and eggs. All you’ve got is an old doughnut. Well, I don’t need it.”
“You’ve got to eat, Henry.”
“I feel like I’ve been eating all night. Only the food came up from my feet instead of down from my mouth. What in tarnation has happened to me, Rowena?”
“Henry, I really think I should tell somebody—”
“You just keep that mouth of yours shut, young lady!”
“Henry Piper, you never in your life talked to me like that before,” said Rowena. “But…well don’t start worrying. We’ll get you free. Let me find you something to sit on.”
“I’ve got every right to worry,” Henry replied.“And as for sitting, I can’t do it. My knees won’t bend. I’m stiff from the waist down. Never mind a chair. Just get rid of this smelly blanket.”
“All right, Henry. But then I have to go to school. I’ll come back, soon as I can.”
“You’d better,” said Henry sternly. “I’m stuck on your property, so you have to look after me until I get loose.”
Rowena walked out of the grove of trees. Suddenly she turned and stuck out her tongue at the spot where Henry was standing.
The school day passed almost like a dream—or a nightmare. Afterward Rowena ran all the way home, hoping to slip in the back door without anybody seeing her. But Mama was in the kitchen.
“Sit down, Rowena,” said Mrs. Jervis. “I want to talk to you.”
Rowena put a hand to her lips. Had Mama discovered…?
“Did you pass the grade school on your way home?” Mama asked.
Rowena shook her head. “I took the short cut. Why?”
“Clara Fessengill came by today, and she saidPolly Kemp was croaking like a frog in school. I thought you might have heard—”
“Oh, Mama, you know Polly. She’d do anything to get attention.”
“No, Clara said it was like Polly couldn’t help herself. As if croaking had taken the place of talking.”
“Clara Fessengill’s an old gossip…” Rowena began. Then she suddenly closed her mouth, and a little shiver ran up her spine.
“Excuse me, Mama.” Rowena darted through the back door and out of her mother’s sight. Polly Kemp, acting strangely—Polly who’d sat right next to her in Thaddeus Blinn’s tent. What was going on?…
In the midst of the circle of trees she found Henry just as she’d left him. No, not quite the same. “I seem to be losing my voice, too,” he told her in
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