hands, seemed to tell her that the adventure was probably over, at least so far as they were concerned.
But the little girl had begun speaking at the same moment. "I think," she said, "if it's all the same to you, Baby and I'll just go on by ourselves from now on. I think we've had enough of the future."
"I'm sorry things got so wild," said Susan.
"It's not usually that exciting around here," said Abbie.
"It's been an unusual day," said Barnaby.
"All the same," said the little girl, "I think that's what we'll do. Not that it hasn't been interesting," she added politely.
Everyone felt a bit disappointed, but everyone, even Fredericka, could see the little girl's point of view. It was her charm, at least for the moment. Let her use it in her own way while it lasted.
But, "What'll you wish? Where'll you go first?" Fredericka couldn't help asking.
"First?" The little girl's eyes danced as an idea occurred to her. "Well, first I think..." She stopped. "Or perhaps..." she began again, as another magic possibility flashed through her mind. Then her expression changed. "I think maybe first we'll go home and see Mother," she said. "And after that..." She smiled a secret smile at the baby, and the baby smiled back. "After that, we'll see."
She tucked the baby under one arm and held the charm before her in the other hand, poised for flight.
"Do you know the words to say?" asked John.
"Oh, yes," the little girl assured him. "We know everything now, don't we, Baby? We won't make any mistakes from now on." And she wished herself and the baby twice as far as home.
"Good-bye," said Abbie a second later to the spot where the girl and the baby had been standing.
"At least we got them off to a good start," said Susan. "Do you really think she'll be all right? Do you suppose she really won't make any more mistakes?"
"That charm'll find a way," said Barnaby. "It'll foil her somehow, if I know it. But I think," he added, "she'll be all right in the end."
"We never got to explore the past," complained Fredericka. "We never found out that little girl's first name or about her home life or anything."
"It doesn't tell her name in the
Half Magic
book," said Susan, remembering. "So I guess it all works out. I guess we're never meant to know."
There was a silence, as everyone thought about the mysteriousness of things in general and of magic in particular.
"Children," called Grannie from inside the parlor window, "I seem to have tatted myself fast to this rocking chair. Come and unstitch me!"
And the five children ran inside.
4. Losing It
Susan put the book down on the porch before running in after the others. And then, while the five children were untatting Grannie, the front doorbell rang, and it was Eunice Geers, come to show off her new party dress.
Eunice, while not an exciting or a magical girl, was perfectly all right in some ways, and her ways included those of fashion and charm; so after lunch (for which Eunice was pressed to stay), she and Susan spent an enjoyable afternoon in Susan's room, trying on each other's clothes and experimenting with two run-down lipsticks Eunice had rescued from her mother's wastebasket.
Big Pete Schroeder had shown up, meanwhile, with his catcher's mitt and ball, and he and John were tossing a few in the backyard. Barnaby, who was not at his best with a ball, base or any other, sat in the cherry tree and made sarcastic remarks, knowing all the time he should let them alone and go home but somehow not doing it.
Abbie and Fredericka stayed with Grannie and wound yarn while she knitted, meanwhile charming them with tales of life on the old Dakota plains, and how when she was a young girl teaching school, she lived all alone in a sod house, and when she married Grandad, the neighbors moved
his
sod house two miles and joined it on to
her
sod house. Abbie was fond of this story and could never hear it too often.
Later, while Grannie took her nap, Abbie and Fredericka went outside and perched on the
But the little girl had begun speaking at the same moment. "I think," she said, "if it's all the same to you, Baby and I'll just go on by ourselves from now on. I think we've had enough of the future."
"I'm sorry things got so wild," said Susan.
"It's not usually that exciting around here," said Abbie.
"It's been an unusual day," said Barnaby.
"All the same," said the little girl, "I think that's what we'll do. Not that it hasn't been interesting," she added politely.
Everyone felt a bit disappointed, but everyone, even Fredericka, could see the little girl's point of view. It was her charm, at least for the moment. Let her use it in her own way while it lasted.
But, "What'll you wish? Where'll you go first?" Fredericka couldn't help asking.
"First?" The little girl's eyes danced as an idea occurred to her. "Well, first I think..." She stopped. "Or perhaps..." she began again, as another magic possibility flashed through her mind. Then her expression changed. "I think maybe first we'll go home and see Mother," she said. "And after that..." She smiled a secret smile at the baby, and the baby smiled back. "After that, we'll see."
She tucked the baby under one arm and held the charm before her in the other hand, poised for flight.
"Do you know the words to say?" asked John.
"Oh, yes," the little girl assured him. "We know everything now, don't we, Baby? We won't make any mistakes from now on." And she wished herself and the baby twice as far as home.
"Good-bye," said Abbie a second later to the spot where the girl and the baby had been standing.
"At least we got them off to a good start," said Susan. "Do you really think she'll be all right? Do you suppose she really won't make any more mistakes?"
"That charm'll find a way," said Barnaby. "It'll foil her somehow, if I know it. But I think," he added, "she'll be all right in the end."
"We never got to explore the past," complained Fredericka. "We never found out that little girl's first name or about her home life or anything."
"It doesn't tell her name in the
Half Magic
book," said Susan, remembering. "So I guess it all works out. I guess we're never meant to know."
There was a silence, as everyone thought about the mysteriousness of things in general and of magic in particular.
"Children," called Grannie from inside the parlor window, "I seem to have tatted myself fast to this rocking chair. Come and unstitch me!"
And the five children ran inside.
4. Losing It
Susan put the book down on the porch before running in after the others. And then, while the five children were untatting Grannie, the front doorbell rang, and it was Eunice Geers, come to show off her new party dress.
Eunice, while not an exciting or a magical girl, was perfectly all right in some ways, and her ways included those of fashion and charm; so after lunch (for which Eunice was pressed to stay), she and Susan spent an enjoyable afternoon in Susan's room, trying on each other's clothes and experimenting with two run-down lipsticks Eunice had rescued from her mother's wastebasket.
Big Pete Schroeder had shown up, meanwhile, with his catcher's mitt and ball, and he and John were tossing a few in the backyard. Barnaby, who was not at his best with a ball, base or any other, sat in the cherry tree and made sarcastic remarks, knowing all the time he should let them alone and go home but somehow not doing it.
Abbie and Fredericka stayed with Grannie and wound yarn while she knitted, meanwhile charming them with tales of life on the old Dakota plains, and how when she was a young girl teaching school, she lived all alone in a sod house, and when she married Grandad, the neighbors moved
his
sod house two miles and joined it on to
her
sod house. Abbie was fond of this story and could never hear it too often.
Later, while Grannie took her nap, Abbie and Fredericka went outside and perched on the
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