Carol came forward. He looked very ashamed. He stubbed his toe on the braided rug.
"It seems to be our son Carol," said my Father, "who conjured up the picture of--of the blue larkspur!"
"What?" said the Blinded Lady. "_What?_"
She tapped her foot on the floor. She frowned her brows.
"Well--well--well," she said. "It wasn"t at all what I intended! Not at _all_!--Well--well--well!" She began to rock her chair. "But after all,"
she said, "an agreement is an agreement! And the First Prize is the First Prize!--Let the Little Dumb Boy step forward to the Chinese Cabinet and choose his Peac.o.c.k Feather Fan!"
Rosalee gave a little cry. It sounded almost like tears. She ran forward. She whispered in Carol"s ear.
Carol opened his eyes. He took a chair. He pushed it against the cabinet. He climbed up to the highest shelf. There was a fan as big as the moon! It was sandalwood! It was carved! It was all peac.o.c.k feathers!
Blue! Bronze! It was _beautiful_! He took it! He went back to his seat!
His mouth smiled a little! But he carried the Fan as though it was hot!
"The second prize of course," said the Blinded Lady, "goes to the child who wrote about the soldiers!"
Rosalee stepped forward.
The Blinded Lady took her hand. "It is not exactly as I had wished,"
said the Blinded Lady. "But a Choice of Cats is a Choice of Cats!--You will find them all in the wood-shed Young La.s.sie--awaiting your decision! Choose wisely! A good cat is a great comfort!"
We went to the wood-shed to help Rosalee choose her cat.
All the cats purred to be chosen. It was sad. My Father said it wasn"t.
My Father said one cat was plenty.
The White Persian Kitten lay on a soap box. It looked like Easter Lilies. Rosalee saw it. She forgot all about the fan.
Carol didn"t forget about the fan. He stamped his foot. He shook his head. He took Rosalee"s hand and led her to the old Tortoise Sh.e.l.l Cat.
He put the old Tortoise Sh.e.l.l cat in Rosalee"s arms. Rosalee looked pretty surprised. So did the cat.
My sorrow made tears in my eyes. My Mother came running.
"Bless your heart, Ruthy-Girl," she said. "You shall have a Ginger-bread to-night that _is_ a Picture!" She put a little box in my hand. There was a little gold pencil in the box. It was my Mother"s best little gold pencil with the agate stone in the end. "Here"s Mother"s prize, Darling," she said. "The Prize Mother brought for _whichever_ child didn"t win the Blinded Lady"s prizes! Don"t you worry! Mother"ll always have a prize for whichever child doesn"t win the other prizes!"
My sorrow went away.
We all ran back to the Blinded Lady to thank her for our Beautiful Party. And for the prizes.
My Father made a speech to the Blinded Lady.
"But after all, my dear Madam," he said, "I am afraid you have been cheated!--It was "_new_" pictures that you wanted, not old ones!"
The Blinded Lady whacked at him with her cane. She was awful mad.
"How do _you_ know what I want?" she said. "How do _you_ know what I want?"
My Father and my Mother looked at each other. They made little laughs with their eyes.
The Blinded Lady smoothed herself.
"But I certainly am flabbergasted," she said, "about the Old Tom Cat!
Whatever in the world made the Young La.s.sie choose the old battle-scarred Tom?"
Rosalee looked at Carol. Carol looked at me. I looked at the Old Tom.
"Maybe she chose him for--for his historicalness," said my Mother.
"----Maybe," said my Father.
We started for the door. We got as far as the Garden. I remembered something suddenly. I clapped my hands. I laughed right out! "No! She didn"t either!" I said. "She chose him for Carol"s Ar--Rena--I bet"cher!
Carol"s going to have him for a Cham--peen! We"ll fight him every afternoon! Maybe there"ll be tickets!"
"Tickets?" said my Father.
"Oh my dears," said my Mother. "A cat-fight is a dreadful thing!"
My Father looked at the Old Tom! At his battered ears! At his scarred nose! At his twisted eye! The Old Tom looked at my Father! They both smiled!
"Infamous!" said my Father. "How much will the tickets be?"
We went home. We went home through the fields instead of through the village.
Carol held the Peac.o.c.k Feather Fan as though he was afraid it would bite him.
Rosalee carried the Old Tom as though she _knew_ it would bite her.
When we got to the Willow Tree they changed prizes. It made a difference.
Rosalee carried the Peac.o.c.k Feather as though it was a magic sail. She tipped it to the breeze. She pranced it. And danced it. It looked fluffy.
Carol carried the Old Tom hugged tight to his breast. The Old Tom looked _very_ historical. Carol looked very shining and pure. He looked like a choir-boy carrying his singing book. He looked as though his voice would be very high.
My Father and Mother carried each other"s hands. They laughed very softly to themselves as though they knew pleasant things that no one else knew.
_My_ hand would have felt pretty lonely if I hadn"t had the little gold pencil to carry.
I felt pretty tired. I walked pretty far behind.
I decided that when I grew up I"d be a Writer! So that no matter what happened I"d always have a gold pencil in my hand and _couldn"t_ be lonely!
THE GIFT OF THE PROBABLE PLACES