Read Online Magic by the Lake by Edward Eager - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Edward Eager
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brandy, don't you?" said Katharine.
"There's the cocoa," said Jane.
And now a strange thing happened. The four children could never decide afterwards whether Carrie did it deliberately or not. Certainly she had never gone out of her way to be helpful to anyone before. But now she walked majestically over to where the four mugs of cocoa still stood, balanced on the snowy crust where the four children had put them down. She leaned delicately over one of the mugs. There was a sound of lapping.
The man had followed her, as though hypnotized, and though he didn't see the cocoa (for hot possets had been part of the wish), he heard the lapping. And throwing table manners to the winds, he flung himself down on the snow and sought its source with his mouth. The four children looked away politely.
And now the man began to laugh hysterically. "Ha ha ha!" he cried. "Cocoa! If it weren't so tragic, it'd be funny. I said I'd find the South Pole or die, but I thought it would be a hero's death. I never thought I'd spend my last hours drinking cocoa with a domestic cat!" But he drank the cocoa.
And even though it was invisible to him, it seemed to do him good. For he perked up noticeably, and the flush of health began to appear on his wan cheek (such of it as could be seen between whiskers).
"Now I know what he's doing here," said Mark. "He's an explorer and he's lost. He's trying to find the South Pole."
"Oh, is that all? Why doesn't he look, then?" said Martha. "It's right behind him."
"He doesn't notice it," said Katharine. "He doesn't see our inscription, either. It's invisible to him."
"We could help," said Jane. "We could sort of shove him along with our ghostly unseen hands till he's right on it."
"No we couldn't," said Mark. "Then he really
would
go mad. No mortal mind could stand it."
And it turned out not to be necessary. For now, having drained her half of the mug of cocoa, Carrie started parading slowly toward the inscription Mark had written in the snow. Every few steps she turned and looked over her shoulder at the man. Fascinated, he followed her.
Carrie reached the spot, sat down on it, and purred. The man came and stood beside her. Suddenly an idea dawned. He took out his compass. He took his bearings. And a great light broke over his face.
"Eureka!" he cried. "At last, at last! After all these years! Oh, what a lucky fellow I am!" He took out a whistle and blew it. He started shouting and waving his arms.
"Admiral!" he called. "Fellows! Barriscale, Chelmsford, McAlpine! Here it is! I found it! We've done it! We're successful, we're famous, we're heroes!"
And from the distance four more figures came staggering into view, furred and booted and bearded and pale and tottering, but with excited grins and joyful flushes marking each face. They ran up to the first man.
They
took out their compasses.
They
took their bearings. And then they all began jumping for joy and thumping each other on the back in congratulation and dancing round and round the Pole in delight.
"How did you ever find this spot in the first place, Fordyce?" said one of the men to the first man.
"I don't know. Something just seemed to lead me to it," said Fordyce. "Instinct, I guess."
"Isn't he going to give even
Carrie
any credit?" said Katharine to Mark.
Carrie was wreathing herself around the men's leg's now and making conversation.
"What's that sound?" said the fourth man. "Kind of a meowing and wawling."
"For a minute I thought I saw a pussycat," said another.
"But that couldn't be, of course," said still another. "Not in the Antarctic."
"We don't want to go home saying we saw a thing like that," said the one who seemed to be the Admiral. "Nobody would believe a thing we
do
say. Nobody would believe we found the Pole at all."
All of the men were looking straight at Carrie now.
"I don't see a thing, do you, fellows?" said Fordyce.
"Not a thing," said all the others.
"Come on," said the one called the Admiral. "Let's get back to
"There's the cocoa," said Jane.
And now a strange thing happened. The four children could never decide afterwards whether Carrie did it deliberately or not. Certainly she had never gone out of her way to be helpful to anyone before. But now she walked majestically over to where the four mugs of cocoa still stood, balanced on the snowy crust where the four children had put them down. She leaned delicately over one of the mugs. There was a sound of lapping.
The man had followed her, as though hypnotized, and though he didn't see the cocoa (for hot possets had been part of the wish), he heard the lapping. And throwing table manners to the winds, he flung himself down on the snow and sought its source with his mouth. The four children looked away politely.
And now the man began to laugh hysterically. "Ha ha ha!" he cried. "Cocoa! If it weren't so tragic, it'd be funny. I said I'd find the South Pole or die, but I thought it would be a hero's death. I never thought I'd spend my last hours drinking cocoa with a domestic cat!" But he drank the cocoa.
And even though it was invisible to him, it seemed to do him good. For he perked up noticeably, and the flush of health began to appear on his wan cheek (such of it as could be seen between whiskers).
"Now I know what he's doing here," said Mark. "He's an explorer and he's lost. He's trying to find the South Pole."
"Oh, is that all? Why doesn't he look, then?" said Martha. "It's right behind him."
"He doesn't notice it," said Katharine. "He doesn't see our inscription, either. It's invisible to him."
"We could help," said Jane. "We could sort of shove him along with our ghostly unseen hands till he's right on it."
"No we couldn't," said Mark. "Then he really
would
go mad. No mortal mind could stand it."
And it turned out not to be necessary. For now, having drained her half of the mug of cocoa, Carrie started parading slowly toward the inscription Mark had written in the snow. Every few steps she turned and looked over her shoulder at the man. Fascinated, he followed her.
Carrie reached the spot, sat down on it, and purred. The man came and stood beside her. Suddenly an idea dawned. He took out his compass. He took his bearings. And a great light broke over his face.
"Eureka!" he cried. "At last, at last! After all these years! Oh, what a lucky fellow I am!" He took out a whistle and blew it. He started shouting and waving his arms.
"Admiral!" he called. "Fellows! Barriscale, Chelmsford, McAlpine! Here it is! I found it! We've done it! We're successful, we're famous, we're heroes!"
And from the distance four more figures came staggering into view, furred and booted and bearded and pale and tottering, but with excited grins and joyful flushes marking each face. They ran up to the first man.
They
took out their compasses.
They
took their bearings. And then they all began jumping for joy and thumping each other on the back in congratulation and dancing round and round the Pole in delight.
"How did you ever find this spot in the first place, Fordyce?" said one of the men to the first man.
"I don't know. Something just seemed to lead me to it," said Fordyce. "Instinct, I guess."
"Isn't he going to give even
Carrie
any credit?" said Katharine to Mark.
Carrie was wreathing herself around the men's leg's now and making conversation.
"What's that sound?" said the fourth man. "Kind of a meowing and wawling."
"For a minute I thought I saw a pussycat," said another.
"But that couldn't be, of course," said still another. "Not in the Antarctic."
"We don't want to go home saying we saw a thing like that," said the one who seemed to be the Admiral. "Nobody would believe a thing we
do
say. Nobody would believe we found the Pole at all."
All of the men were looking straight at Carrie now.
"I don't see a thing, do you, fellows?" said Fordyce.
"Not a thing," said all the others.
"Come on," said the one called the Admiral. "Let's get back to
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