Half Magic Read Online Free Page A

being the only boy in a family of girls, and when that happened there was no comfort in him. But she refused to be left here alone with the sleeping Jane and the gibbering Carrie.
    Or could Mark have been right? Was it just a coincidence? She looked at Carrie doubtfully.
    "Did you say something?" she inquired politely.
    "Idlwidl baxbix!" said Carrie. "Wah. Oom. Powitzer grompaw."
    Martha fled the room, calling for Katharine.
    Katharine met her in the hall.
    "Don't talk to me!" she said. "Pan-shirker!"
    "Oh, Kathie, don't be cross!" Martha entreated. "Something terrible's happened!
I
've got it now, only it comes all wrong!"
    And she told Katharine of the behavior of Carrie.
    The two sisters, clutched in each other's arms, cautiously approached the door of Jane's room and looked in.
    Carrie was still there, pacing the floor, lashing her tail and muttering a horrid monologue.
    "Idlwidl bixbax," she was saying. "Grompaw. Fooz! Idjwitz! Oo fitzwanna talkwitz inna fitzplace annahoo?"
    She seemed to be trying desperately to express herself. It was agony to watch and still worse to hear.
    "This can't go on," said Katharine.
    She strode courageously into the room, making a wide circle around the still muttering Carrie, approached the huddled figure in the bed, and shook it.
    "Fitzachoo!" said Jane.
    "Now
she's
doing it!" Martha wailed, from the doorway.
    Katharine looked shaken.
    "I
think
it's just sleep-talk," she said. "The time has come for desperate measures."
    "Let
me,"
said Martha, glad to get away from the doorway even for a second.
    She ran to the bathroom and fetched a wet sponge. Avoiding the sputtering Carrie, she ran back to the bed and trickled the sponge upon Jane.
    Jane sat up in bed and struck her sister full in the face.
    In the tears and apologies and mopping-up that followed, Jane awoke sufficiently to be engaged in sensible conversation and to notice the gurglings and spittings of Carrie.
    "What did somebody do—wish she could talk?" she asked.
    "Yes,
I
did. How did you know?" Martha stared in amazement.
    "How did you happen to find the charm? Who told you you could go through my things?"
    "I didn't! I don't know what you mean!"
    "Wait a minute. Where were you standing when you wished it?"
    "I wasn't. I was sitting down." And Martha showed her where.
    "You must have leaned back and touched it."
    "Touched
what
?" said Martha.
    "
What
charm?" said Katharine.
    "The charm in the shoebag," said Jane. "Wait till I tell you."
    She told them.
    "I don't see how you're so sure," said Martha, when she had finished. "About Mother last night, I mean."
    "She just as good as said so," said Jane, "and I Sherlock Holmsed the rest. Don't you see? She wished she were home and ended up
halfway
home! I wished there'd be a fire and got a
little
fire! A
child's-size
fire! Martha wished Carrie could talk and she can
half
talk!"
    "Wah. Oom. Fitzbattleaxe," remarked Carrie.
    "Exactly," said Jane. "It's that nickel I found, only it isn't a nickel! It's a magic charm and it does things by halves! So far we've each got
half
of what we wished for—all we have to do from now on is ask it for twice as much as we really want! You see?"
    "I haven't had fractions yet," said Martha.
    Jane explained further. Martha became weary of the explanation.
    "What would twice as much as never having to learn fractions be?" she wanted to know, at last.
    "Don't be silly—you don't want to ask it things like
that!
" Katharine cried in scorn.
    "Nobody's going to ask for anything till we talk it over and decide," Jane announced firmly. "We don't want to waste any more wishes—we can't tell how soon we might wear it out! We'll make plans, and then take turns. My turn yesterday doesn't count, 'cause I didn't know. I get to go first, 'cause I'm the oldest."
    "What would twice as much as not being the youngest anymore be?" was the bitter question of Martha, who was tired of always coming last.
    But the others paid her no heed.
    "
I
mean to ask for all kinds of