Read Online Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson - Free Book Online Page B

longer talking. Brenda had her lip stuck out because Ellie had gotten a pair of panty hose in her Christmas stocking and she had only bobby socks. Ellie wasn’t helping matters, prancing around in her new hose, making a big show of helping Momma with the ham and sweet potatoes for dinner. Lord, sometimes Ellie was as snotty as Wanda Kay Moore.
    â€œJesse Oliver Aarons, Jr., if you can stop playing with those fool cars long enough to milk the cow, I’d be most appreciative. Miss Bessie don’t take noholiday, even if you do.”
    Jess jumped up, pleased for an excuse to leave the track which he couldn’t make work to his dad’s satisfaction. His mother seemed not to notice the promptness of his response but went on in a complaining voice, “I don’t know what I’d do without Ellie. She’s the only one of you kids ever cares whether I live or die.” Ellie smiled like a plastic angel first at Jess and then at Brenda, who glared back.
    Leslie must have been watching for him because as soon as he started across the yard he could see her running out of the old Perkins place, the puppy half tripping her as it chased circles around her.
    They met at Miss Bessie’s shed. “I thought you’d never come out this morning.”
    â€œYeah, well, Christmas, you know.”
    Prince Terrien began to snap at Miss Bessie’s hooves. She stamped in annoyance. Leslie picked him up, so Jess could milk. The puppy squirmed and licked, making it almost impossible for her to talk. She giggled happily. “Dumb dog,” she said proudly.
    â€œYeah.” It felt like Christmas again.

SEVEN
The Golden Room
    Mr. Burke had begun to repair the old Perkins place. After Christmas, Mrs. Burke was right in the middle of writing a book, so she wasn’t available to help, which left Leslie the jobs of hunting and fetching. For all his smartness with politics and music, Mr. Burke was inclined to be absent-minded. He would put down the hammer to pick up the “How to” book and then lose the hammer between there and the project he was working on. Leslie was good at finding things for him, and he liked her company as well. When she came home from school and on the weekends, he wanted her around. Leslie explained all this to Jess.
    Jess tried going to Terabithia alone, but it was no good. It needed Leslie to make the magic. He was afraid he would destroy everything by trying to forcethe magic on his own, when it was plain that the magic was reluctant to come for him.

    If he went home, either his mother was after him to do some chore or May Belle wanted him to play Barbie. Lord, he wished a million times he’d never helped buy that stupid doll. He’d no more than lie down on the floor to paint than May Belle would be after him to put an arm back on or snap up a dress. Joyce Ann was worse. She got a devilish delight out of sitting smack down on his rump when he was stretched out working. If he yelled at her to get the heck off him, she’d stick her index finger in the corner of her mouth and holler. Which would, of course, crank up his mother.
    â€œJesse Oliver! You leave that baby alone. Whatcha mean lying there in the middle of the floor doing nothing anyway? Didn’t I tell you I couldn’t cook supper before you chopped wood for the stove?”
    Sometimes he would sneak down to the old Perkins place and find Prince Terrien crying on the porch, where Mr. Burke had exiled him. You couldn’t blame the man. No one could get anything done with that animal grabbing his hand or jumping upto lick his face. He’d take P.T. for a romp in the Burkes’ upper field. If it was a mild day, Miss Bessie would be mooing nervously from across the fence. She couldn’t seem to get used to the yipping and snapping. Or maybe it was the time of year—the last dregs of winter spoiling the taste of everything. Nobody, human or animal, seemed happy.
    Except Leslie. She was