The Adventures of Flash Jackson

The Adventures of Flash Jackson by William Kowalski Read Free Book Online Page A

Book: The Adventures of Flash Jackson by William Kowalski Read Free Book Online
Authors: William Kowalski
the countryside. From our house, you could see three other houses—the Grunveldt place, Emma’s house up on a slight rise maybe half a mile away, and then in the other direction the Shumacher farm, which at that distance was just a dark cluster of buildings on a hillside. That was it. It was all pastureland and cornfields around here, with a couple of vegetable patches thrown in for variety. If you stopped and listened, you wouldn’t hear a blessed thing. Maybe a tractor belching somewhere, or a cow fart.
    â€œWhen I was your age,” she said, “there were times I thought I would go absolutely mad if something exciting didn’t happen to me.”
    â€œYes, indeed!” I said. “Lord a’mighty! I know exactly what you’re saying.”
    â€œThe country is peaceful enough,” she said. “Heaven knows there have been times in my life when I missed it terribly. But if it’s all you’ve ever seen, it just seems like…”
    â€œSlow death by roasting?” I suggested. “About as much fun as a mouthful of pins?”
    Miz Powell laughed. Not a prim, proper laugh with a handkerchief pressed to her mouth, but a good, open hearty chuckle.
    â€œYou do have a way of saying what’s on your mind, don’t you, Haley?” she said.
    â€œYes, ma’am,” I said.
    â€œI think we understand each other perfectly,” she said.
    By now we’d only just passed Frankie’s house, but my hands were already getting sore. I still wasn’t used to walking on those crutches.
    â€œI don’t mean to be rude, but I think I’m going to stop here and turn around,” I said. “This is about as far as I’ve gone on these things, and I don’t want to overdo it.”
    â€œI understand, dear,” she said. “I’ll be fine from here.” She stopped. “What on earth is that young man doing hanging out of that window?” she asked.
    â€œOh, that’s just Frankie,” I said. I lifted up one crutch and waved it at him, but he was too busy staring at us to wave back. “He’s a little touched in the head. He spends all his time spying on people. He doesn’t mean any harm, though. He saved my life, actually.”
    â€œIndeed,” said Miz Powell. “I wonder what kind of binoculars he’s using.”
    That was a curious statement. What on earth would she know about binoculars? I wondered.
    â€œAnyhow, thank you for tea, Haley, and I’m sure I’ll be seeing you soon,” said Miz Powell. “Do stop by sometime, when you’re more able to get around.”
    â€œYou’re welcome, ma’am,” I said. “I sure will.”
    â€œAnd you can stop calling me ma’am,” she said. “My name is Elizabeth.”
    â€œAll righty,” I said. “Elizabeth. Can I ask you something?”
    â€œ May I ask you something.”
    â€œMay I…ask you a question?” I felt shy, suddenly. I was so surprised at myself I forgot to get mad at her for correcting me.
    â€œYes, you may.”
    â€œHow come you talk with an accent?”
    â€œDo I, dear?” She seemed surprised. “Oh, no. I tried so hard to stifle it. I didn’t want anyone to think I was…” She trailed off for a minute. “I’ve been gone a long time, that’s all,” she said. “A very long time. My friends in England always teased me because of how American I sounded, but I suppose after almost fifty years…oh dear. I’ll have to work on that, now, won’t I?”
    â€œThat’s all right,” I said. “I like it, actually.” I realized, as I said that, that it was true—I did like it. “I just wondered, because you said you were born here and everything, but you sounded so—”
    â€œPeople can be changed by places, Haley,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “That was the reason I left home in the

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