Pennington expressed it, Bud looked like a
second-hand boy. The simile pleased Pennington so that he renewed his
laughter, and paid no heed to the chatter of the pack clamoring to
tell all in one breath, the history of the incident that had led to
Bud's dilapidation. Also they were drawing gloomy pictures of the
appearance of his assailants, after the custom of boys in such cases.
Because his son was not involved in the calamity, Piggy's father was
not moved deeply by the story of the raid of the North-enders and
their downfall. So he put the young gentlemen of the Court of Boyville
into the back room of his grocery store, where coal-oil and molasses
barrels and hams and bacon and black shadows of many mysterious
things were gathered. He gave the royal party a cheese knife and a
watermelon, and bade them be merry, a bidding which set the hearts of
Piggy and Abe and Jimmy and Mealy to dancing, while Bud's heart, which
had been sinking lower and lower into a quagmire of dread, beat
on numbly and did not join the joy. As the time for going home
approached, Bud shivered in his soul at the thought of meeting Miss
Morgan. Not even the watermelon revived him, and when a watermelon
will not help a boy his extremity is dire. Still he laughed and
chatted with apparent merriment, but he knew how hollow was his
laughter and what mockery was in his cheer. When the melon was eaten
business took its regular order.
Pages:
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113