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Authors: Robert B. Parker
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said.
She smiled.
“Yes,” she said. “I can understand that.”
“You can?”
“Of course,” she said. “Some things are embarrassing.”
I nodded.
“But we have rules,” Miss Delaney said. “And you can’t just disappear for much of the day and I let it go.”
I nodded again.
“You’ll need to stay after school today,” Miss Delaney said. “For an hour.”
That wasn’t bad.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said.
She looked at me for a moment. She had very big eyes. Like Joanie. Except hers were brown and Joanie’s were blue.
“No argument?”
“No, ma’am.”
“And what is all this yes ma’am and no ma’am business?” she said. “You are usually quite a bit more mouthy.”
“I did something wrong,” I said. “I know it. I think the punishment is fair.”
She looked at me some more.
“Very mature,” she said.
“Thank you.”
I was pretty sure she knew I was lying. But she didn’t say so.
She just smiled and said, “Now go sit down, and while you’re serving your time, please write me a two-page essay on why we have to keep track of the students in our classes.”
I went back to my desk, sat down, and got out some lined paper and a pen. I was a good writer. The essay would be easy. I knew that. Miss Delaney knew it too.
I felt bad lying to her, and worse because I thought she knew it. Just like I felt bad about sneaking into her house. I seemed to have to do a lot of bad things to do a good thing. It made me uncomfortable. It was kind of spoiling the adventure. But it wasn’t just an adventure—Miss Delaney really needed help. What I needed to do was talk with Joanie.
CHAPTER 26
I went up to the Reverend Tupper’s youth group meeting on Sunday afternoon, and slipped into the back row. There were maybe fifteen other kids there. Too few to hide among. The reverend spotted me.
“Bobby Murphy,” he said in his mock Irish brogue, “sure and ye be welcome among us, Bucko.”
I nodded and tried to look pleased. Actually I was so nervous, I thought I might throw up.
“You are just in time, Bobby, to join us in our opening pledge.”
Everyone stood up, so I did too. We stood at attention.
“Until I die…” the reverend said.
Everyone said, Until I die…
“I will serve…”
I will serve…
“This flag…”
This flag…
“And the great country it represents…”
And the great country it represents…
“So help me God.”
So help me God.
We all sat down. Reverend Tupper was wearing a tan uniform, kind of like a Boy Scout leader, except instead of a kerchief, he had a black tie. Over the tie he wore some kind of medal hanging on a blue ribbon around his neck. Behind him on the wall was a big American flag with a crucifix. The same one that had been in the house trailer church.
“As always,” the reverend said, “we begin by reviewing the truth of our mission. The flag of our country is red, white, and blue: red, for the blood shed in the defense of our way of life; blue is for the true-blue loyalty of those who have defended our way; and white for the color of the founding fathers.”
All of us sat silently.
“Those of us who served in the war, including those who won the Medal of Honor”—he touched the medal—“as I did, went to war to keep those colors clean and pure. We trusted this country and we were lied to. We were not preserving those sacred colors. We were fighting to advance the cause of godless Communism. We were fighting to repress white Christians. We were making it more possible for black and yellow hordes to mongrelize the population so that racial purity and Christian virtue could be banished. We were manipulated by Franklin Delano Jewsavelt and international Jewry, who conspired to demonize the German people and advance the cause of godless Bolshevism in the name of victory.”
We all sat perfectly still listening. It was unbelievable. I had never heard anyone talk that way. I wasn’t exactly sure what he was saying, but it was
She smiled.
“Yes,” she said. “I can understand that.”
“You can?”
“Of course,” she said. “Some things are embarrassing.”
I nodded.
“But we have rules,” Miss Delaney said. “And you can’t just disappear for much of the day and I let it go.”
I nodded again.
“You’ll need to stay after school today,” Miss Delaney said. “For an hour.”
That wasn’t bad.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said.
She looked at me for a moment. She had very big eyes. Like Joanie. Except hers were brown and Joanie’s were blue.
“No argument?”
“No, ma’am.”
“And what is all this yes ma’am and no ma’am business?” she said. “You are usually quite a bit more mouthy.”
“I did something wrong,” I said. “I know it. I think the punishment is fair.”
She looked at me some more.
“Very mature,” she said.
“Thank you.”
I was pretty sure she knew I was lying. But she didn’t say so.
She just smiled and said, “Now go sit down, and while you’re serving your time, please write me a two-page essay on why we have to keep track of the students in our classes.”
I went back to my desk, sat down, and got out some lined paper and a pen. I was a good writer. The essay would be easy. I knew that. Miss Delaney knew it too.
I felt bad lying to her, and worse because I thought she knew it. Just like I felt bad about sneaking into her house. I seemed to have to do a lot of bad things to do a good thing. It made me uncomfortable. It was kind of spoiling the adventure. But it wasn’t just an adventure—Miss Delaney really needed help. What I needed to do was talk with Joanie.
CHAPTER 26
I went up to the Reverend Tupper’s youth group meeting on Sunday afternoon, and slipped into the back row. There were maybe fifteen other kids there. Too few to hide among. The reverend spotted me.
“Bobby Murphy,” he said in his mock Irish brogue, “sure and ye be welcome among us, Bucko.”
I nodded and tried to look pleased. Actually I was so nervous, I thought I might throw up.
“You are just in time, Bobby, to join us in our opening pledge.”
Everyone stood up, so I did too. We stood at attention.
“Until I die…” the reverend said.
Everyone said, Until I die…
“I will serve…”
I will serve…
“This flag…”
This flag…
“And the great country it represents…”
And the great country it represents…
“So help me God.”
So help me God.
We all sat down. Reverend Tupper was wearing a tan uniform, kind of like a Boy Scout leader, except instead of a kerchief, he had a black tie. Over the tie he wore some kind of medal hanging on a blue ribbon around his neck. Behind him on the wall was a big American flag with a crucifix. The same one that had been in the house trailer church.
“As always,” the reverend said, “we begin by reviewing the truth of our mission. The flag of our country is red, white, and blue: red, for the blood shed in the defense of our way of life; blue is for the true-blue loyalty of those who have defended our way; and white for the color of the founding fathers.”
All of us sat silently.
“Those of us who served in the war, including those who won the Medal of Honor”—he touched the medal—“as I did, went to war to keep those colors clean and pure. We trusted this country and we were lied to. We were not preserving those sacred colors. We were fighting to advance the cause of godless Communism. We were fighting to repress white Christians. We were making it more possible for black and yellow hordes to mongrelize the population so that racial purity and Christian virtue could be banished. We were manipulated by Franklin Delano Jewsavelt and international Jewry, who conspired to demonize the German people and advance the cause of godless Bolshevism in the name of victory.”
We all sat perfectly still listening. It was unbelievable. I had never heard anyone talk that way. I wasn’t exactly sure what he was saying, but it was
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