Read Online The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Mary Downing Hahn
Tags: Fiction, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Social Issues, Brothers and sisters, Ghost Stories, Horror & Ghost Stories, Haunted Houses, Siblings, Ghosts, Friendship
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crows.
"Stop it, MacDuff!" Lissa shouted, adding to the din. "Be quiet! Sit!"
Georgie scrambled to his feet. "Shut up and go away!" he yelled at Lissa. "And make that stupid dog be quiet. She's bound to hear the noise he's making!"
"Who?" Lissa looked at Georgie. "Who will hear?"
I grabbed my brother and shook him. "Don't say another word!"
He pulled loose. "I can say whatever I want. Thanks to you, the rules are busted. Nothing matters now."
Lissa turned to me. "What's he talking about?"
I stood between Lissa and Georgie, unsure whose side to take. I was furious with my brother for messing things up just when I was getting to know Lissa, but there he stood, ready to cry, though Lissa wouldn't have guessed it from his fierce expression. Georgie had good reason to be angry. As he'd said, I was a liar. I'd broken promises. I'd broken rules. All because I wanted a friend.
Just as I was about to take Georgie's hand and run, Lissa said, "Here comes my father."
Horrified, I spun around and watched as Mr. Morrison strode toward us. It was one thing for Lissa to know about Georgie and me. She was just a kid like us. But Mr. Morrison was an adult. He was bound to ask even more questions than Lissa. And he'd be harder to fool.
"What's going on?" Mr. Morrison asked, obviously puzzled by Georgie's and my presence. "Who are these children?"
"Diana's my friend and that's her brother, Georgie," Lissa said. "MacDuff tried to bite Georgie. He had him down on the ground. I could hardly pull him off." Lissa started crying. "I was so scared."
Mr. Morrison grabbed the dog's collar and told him to sit and be quiet. MacDuff obeyed, but he watched my brother closely. He'd probably never seen a boy quite like Georgie.
Keeping a grip on MacDuff, Mr. Morrison asked my brother if he was all right. "Did MacDuff bite you? Or hurt you?"
Georgie's thin chest rose and fell sharply with every quick and angry breath. Ignoring Mr. Morrison, he scowled at me. "You've really done it now, Diana!"
Before I could say a word to stop him, Georgie turned and ran. His skinny legs streaked through the weeds. The feathers in his hair bobbed. He didn't look back, not even when I called his name. In a few seconds, he vanished into the woods. A crow cawed, and then all was still.
I longed to run after my brother, but I stood where I was, too shocked to move. After all these years, I'd let a caretaker catch me. I couldn't believe it. Georgie was right. I'd really done it now.
Mr. Morrison stared at the vines and leaves still swaying from Georgie's plunge into the trees. "I wish he'd let me take a look at him. Are you sure the dog didn't bite him?"
"I'm positive," Lissa answered for me. "He knocked him down, that's all."
"He's okay," I added. "MacDuff just scared him."
Mr. Morrison glanced at MacDuff, who was now lying calmly at his feet. "That's not like you, old boy."
"Maybe it was the feathers in Georgie's hair," Lissa said, "and the war paint. He jumped out of the bushes screaming and yelling. I guess he was trying to frighten us."
Mr. Morrison shook his head. "I've never seen a getup like that. He looked like a genuine savage."
Lissa nodded. "I was scared to death of him."
Her father turned to me. "Well, I'm glad to see you don't wear feathers in your hair, too." He smiled to show he was teasing, but I didn't trust him. He'd start asking questions any minute now.
Sure enough, his very next words were, "Do you and Georgie live nearby?"
I shrugged and stared at my bare feet, cleaner than they'd been in years, almost unrecognizable. I seemed to have lost my voice as well as the ability to move.
Lissa reached out and took my hand. "Doesn't Diana have the most beautiful hair you ever saw?"
"Why, yes," he said. "With that long braid, you could be a princess in a fairy tale—Rapunzel perhaps."
"Come home with us." Lissa held my hand tighter. "We'll have something cold to drink. Soda, iced tea, lemonade—whatever you want."
Like a creature with no
"Stop it, MacDuff!" Lissa shouted, adding to the din. "Be quiet! Sit!"
Georgie scrambled to his feet. "Shut up and go away!" he yelled at Lissa. "And make that stupid dog be quiet. She's bound to hear the noise he's making!"
"Who?" Lissa looked at Georgie. "Who will hear?"
I grabbed my brother and shook him. "Don't say another word!"
He pulled loose. "I can say whatever I want. Thanks to you, the rules are busted. Nothing matters now."
Lissa turned to me. "What's he talking about?"
I stood between Lissa and Georgie, unsure whose side to take. I was furious with my brother for messing things up just when I was getting to know Lissa, but there he stood, ready to cry, though Lissa wouldn't have guessed it from his fierce expression. Georgie had good reason to be angry. As he'd said, I was a liar. I'd broken promises. I'd broken rules. All because I wanted a friend.
Just as I was about to take Georgie's hand and run, Lissa said, "Here comes my father."
Horrified, I spun around and watched as Mr. Morrison strode toward us. It was one thing for Lissa to know about Georgie and me. She was just a kid like us. But Mr. Morrison was an adult. He was bound to ask even more questions than Lissa. And he'd be harder to fool.
"What's going on?" Mr. Morrison asked, obviously puzzled by Georgie's and my presence. "Who are these children?"
"Diana's my friend and that's her brother, Georgie," Lissa said. "MacDuff tried to bite Georgie. He had him down on the ground. I could hardly pull him off." Lissa started crying. "I was so scared."
Mr. Morrison grabbed the dog's collar and told him to sit and be quiet. MacDuff obeyed, but he watched my brother closely. He'd probably never seen a boy quite like Georgie.
Keeping a grip on MacDuff, Mr. Morrison asked my brother if he was all right. "Did MacDuff bite you? Or hurt you?"
Georgie's thin chest rose and fell sharply with every quick and angry breath. Ignoring Mr. Morrison, he scowled at me. "You've really done it now, Diana!"
Before I could say a word to stop him, Georgie turned and ran. His skinny legs streaked through the weeds. The feathers in his hair bobbed. He didn't look back, not even when I called his name. In a few seconds, he vanished into the woods. A crow cawed, and then all was still.
I longed to run after my brother, but I stood where I was, too shocked to move. After all these years, I'd let a caretaker catch me. I couldn't believe it. Georgie was right. I'd really done it now.
Mr. Morrison stared at the vines and leaves still swaying from Georgie's plunge into the trees. "I wish he'd let me take a look at him. Are you sure the dog didn't bite him?"
"I'm positive," Lissa answered for me. "He knocked him down, that's all."
"He's okay," I added. "MacDuff just scared him."
Mr. Morrison glanced at MacDuff, who was now lying calmly at his feet. "That's not like you, old boy."
"Maybe it was the feathers in Georgie's hair," Lissa said, "and the war paint. He jumped out of the bushes screaming and yelling. I guess he was trying to frighten us."
Mr. Morrison shook his head. "I've never seen a getup like that. He looked like a genuine savage."
Lissa nodded. "I was scared to death of him."
Her father turned to me. "Well, I'm glad to see you don't wear feathers in your hair, too." He smiled to show he was teasing, but I didn't trust him. He'd start asking questions any minute now.
Sure enough, his very next words were, "Do you and Georgie live nearby?"
I shrugged and stared at my bare feet, cleaner than they'd been in years, almost unrecognizable. I seemed to have lost my voice as well as the ability to move.
Lissa reached out and took my hand. "Doesn't Diana have the most beautiful hair you ever saw?"
"Why, yes," he said. "With that long braid, you could be a princess in a fairy tale—Rapunzel perhaps."
"Come home with us." Lissa held my hand tighter. "We'll have something cold to drink. Soda, iced tea, lemonade—whatever you want."
Like a creature with no
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