“Pat is dead,” said the Story Girl hopelessly, as we returned one evening from a bootless quest to Andrew Cowan’s where a strange gray cat had been reported—a cat which turned out to be a yellowish brown nondescript, with no tail to speak of.
“I’m afraid so,” I acknowledged at last.
“If only Peg1 Bowen had been at home she could have found him for us,” asserted Peter. “Her skull2 would have told her where he was.”
“I wonder if the wishbone she gave me would have done any good,” cried Cecily suddenly. “I’d forgotten all about it. Oh, do you suppose it’s too late yet?”
“There’s nothing in a wishbone,” said Dan impatiently.
“You can’t be sure. She TOLD me I’d get the wish I made on it. I’m going to try whenever I get home.”
“It can’t do any harm, anyhow,” said Peter, “but I’m afraid you’ve left it too late. If Pat is dead even a witch’s wishbone can’t bring him back to life.”
“I’ll never forgive myself for not thinking about it before,” mourned Cecily.
As soon as we got home she flew to the little box upstairs where she kept her treasures, and brought therefrom the dry and brittle3 wishbone.
“Peg told me how it must be done. I’m to hold the wishbone with both hands, like this, and walk backward, repeating the wish nine times. And when I’ve finished the ninth time I’m to turn around nine times, from right to left, and then the wish will come true right away.”
“Do you expect to see Pat when you finish turning?” said Dan skeptically.
None of us had any faith in the incantation except Peter, and, by infection, Cecily. You never could tell what might happen. Cecily took the wishbone in her trembling little hands and began her backward pacing, repeating solemnly, “I wish that we may find Paddy alive, or else his body, so that we can bury him decently.” By the time Cecily had repeated this nine times we were all slightly infected with the desperate hope that something might come of it; and when she had made her nine gyrations we looked eagerly down the sunset lane, half expecting to see our lost pet. But we saw only the Awkward Man turning in at the gate. This was almost as surprising as the sight of Pat himself would have been; but there was no sign of Pat and hope flickered5 out in every breast but Peter’s.
“You’ve got to give the spell time to work,” he expostulated. “If Pat was miles away when it was wished it wouldn’t be reasonable to expect to see him right off.”
But we of little faith had already lost that little, and it was a very disconsolate6 group which the Awkward Man presently joined.
He was smiling—his rare, beautiful smile which only children ever saw—and he lifted his hat to the girls with no trace of the shyness and awkwardness for which he was notorious.
“Good evening,” he said. “Have you little people lost a cat lately?”
We stared. Peter said “I knew it!” in a triumphant7 pig’s whisper. The Story Girl started eagerly forward.
“Oh, Mr. Dale, can you tell us anything of Paddy?” she cried.
“A silver gray cat with black points and very fine marking?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Alive?”
“Yes.”
“Well, doesn’t that beat the Dutch!” muttered Dan.
But we were all crowding about the Awkward Man, demanding where and when he had found Paddy.
“You’d better come over to my place and make sure that it really is your cat,” suggested the Awkward Man, “and I’ll tell you all about finding him on the way. I must warn you that he is pretty thin—but I think he’ll pull through.”
We obtained permission to go without much difficulty, although the spring evening was wearing late, for Aunt Janet said she supposed none of us would sleep a wink8 that night if we didn’t. A joyful9 procession followed the Awkward Man and the Story Girl across the gray, star-litten meadows to his home and through his pine-guarded gate.
“You know that old barn of mine back in the woods?” said the Awkward Man. “I go to it only about once in a blue moon. There was an old barrel there, upside down, one side resting on a block of wood. This morning I went to the barn to see about having some hay hauled home, and I had occasion to move the barrel. I noticed that it seemed to have been moved slightly since my last visit, and it was now resting wholly on the floor. I lifted it up—and there was a cat lying on the floor under it. I had heard you had lost yours and I took it this was your pet. I was afraid he was dead at first. He was lying there with his eyes closed; but when I bent10 over him he opened them and gave a pitiful little mew; or rather his mouth made the motion of a mew, for he was too weak to utter a sound.”
“Oh, poor, poor Paddy,” said tender-hearted Cecily tearfully.
“He couldn’t stand, so I carried him home and gave him just a little milk. Fortunately he was able to lap it. I gave him a little more at intervals11 all day, and when I left he was able to crawl around. I think he’ll be all right, but you’ll have to be careful how you feed him for a few days. Don’t let your hearts run away with your judgment12 and kill him with kindness.”
“Do you suppose any one put him under that barrel?” asked the Story Girl.
“No. The barn was locked. Nothing but a cat could get in. I suppose he went under the barrel, perhaps in pursuit of a mouse, and somehow knocked it off the block and so imprisoned13 himself.”
Paddy was sitting before the fire in the Awkward Man’s clean, bare kitchen. Thin! Why, he was literally14 skin and bone, and his fur was dull and lustreless15. It almost broke our hearts to see our beautiful Paddy brought so low.
“Oh, how he must have suffered!” moaned Cecily.
The Story Girl gathered Paddy up in her arms. Most mellifluously17 did he purr as we crowded around to stroke him; with friendly joy he licked our hands with his little red tongue; poor Paddy was a thankful cat; he was no longer lost, starving, imprisoned, helpless; he was with his comrades once more and he was going home—home to his old familiar haunts of orchard18 and dairy and granary, to his daily rations4 of new milk and cream, to the cosy19 corner of his own fireside. We trooped home joyfully20, the Story Girl in our midst carrying Paddy hugged against her shoulder. Never did April stars look down on a happier band of travellers on the golden road. There was a little gray wind out in the meadows that night, and it danced along beside us on viewless, fairy feet, and sang a delicate song of the lovely, waiting years, while the night laid her beautiful hands of blessing21 over the world.
“You see what Peg’s wishbone did,” said Peter triumphantly22.
“Now, look here, Peter, don’t talk nonsense,” expostulated Dan. “The Awkward Man found Paddy this morning and had started to bring us word before Cecily ever thought of the wishbone. Do you mean to say you believe he wouldn’t have come walking up our lane just when he did if she had never thought of it?”
“I mean to say that I wouldn’t mind if I had several wishbones of the same kind,” retorted Peter stubbornly.
“Of course I don’t think the wishbone had really anything to do with our getting Paddy back, but I’m glad I tried it, for all that,” remarked Cecily in a tone of satisfaction.
“Well, anyhow, we’ve got Pat and that’s the main thing,” said Felix.
“And I hope it will be a lesson to him to stay home after this,” commented Felicity.
“They say the barrens are full of mayflowers,” said the Story Girl. “Let us have a mayflower picnic tomorrow to celebrate Paddy’s safe return.”
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1
peg
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| n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定 | |
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2
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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3
brittle
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| adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的 | |
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4
rations
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| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
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flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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6
disconsolate
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| adj.忧郁的，不快的 | |
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7
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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8
wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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9
joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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10
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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11
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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12
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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13
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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15
lustreless
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| adj.无光泽的，无光彩的，平淡乏味的 | |
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16
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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17
mellifluously
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| adj.声音甜美的，悦耳的 | |
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18
orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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19
cosy
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| adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的 | |
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joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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21
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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22
triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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