Half Magic Read Online Free Page B
Author: Edward Eager
really wonderful, exciting, important things!" Katharine was saying. "Only I'm not sure just what yet."
"Idjwitz! Selfitz! Fitzmefitz!" said Carrie, suddenly.
They looked at her in remorse. Now that they knew the reason for them, her outcries weren't so alarming anymore—they'd even almost forgotten about her. But, in spite of the fact that she seemed to be learning to express herself a little more clearly, she was plainly so enraged by her half-talking state that something had to be done.
"Poor Carrie, I'll fix you up first of all," Jane promised. "The charm's right in here."
She put her hand into the shoebag. But it wasn't.
She put her hand into another compartment. The charm wasn't there, either!
She began wildly searching through all the different sections, taking out pairs of shoes and shaking them. The magic thing wasn't in any of them. Jane began to get in one of her rages.
"Really, what a house!" she cried. "Nothing ever stays where you put it! Has Miss Bick been cleaning my room again?"
"No, she said it needed it but it was beyond her!"
"Mark!" was the next thought of Jane. "I
wondered
where he was! Has anyone seen him?"
"I did," reported Martha. "He came in here and got his roller skates, just a few minutes ago."
"
Roller skates
!" Jane's voice was a wail. "They were in the shoebag! He must have found the charm and taken it! A person might as well be living in
a
den of thieves around here!"
"I don't think he did," Martha said. "He said the whole thing was just a coincidence."
"He probably never noticed the magic charm at all," Katharine pointed out reasonably. "He probably just put the skates on with it
in
one of them, where you probably put it in the dark last night, without realizing. It probably got stuck down there in the tightening part. It's probably still there, only he probably doesn't know. He'll probably make a wish pretty soon, and then suddenly..."
"
Stop!
" Jane could bear no more. "We've got to find him! Before he wishes for some awful thing and gets half of it! Where do you suppose he could haven gone?"
Jane was rushing into her clothes now.
"Wah! Mefitz! Mefitz!" said Carrie, crossly.
"All right. We'll take you along." Martha, who was beginning to understand Carrie's half-language, hoisted her up under one arm.
They met Miss Bick in the hall.
"Where are you taking that cat?" she wanted to know.
"Idjwit! Foo! Fitzouta thewayfitz!" said Carrie savagely.
Miss Bick backed away, turning pale.
"That cat is
ill!
" she cried.
"I know. We're taking her to the vet's," Katharine called back over her shoulder.
Like everything else lately, the lie was only
half
an untruth. They
were
taking Carrie to be cured, if the charm could cure her.
The children emerged from the house, and stood looking around. Fortunately they lived on a corner lot, and could look down streets running in all four directions.
But no welcome sound of whirring skate wheels, no welcome sight of an eleven-year-old boy rewarded them. Finally they started hurrying south on Maplewood Avenue, not because south looked any more promising than east or north or west, but because they had to start somewhere. Martha tried to muffle the sounds Carrie kept making by holding her close to her, but the few passers-by they met kept turning to stare after them.
"Wah! Oom! Fitzpatrix!" Carrie screamed at the passers-by. She almost seemed to be enjoying herself.
, "Hush. Hush," Martha told her. She was having hard work running fast enough to keep up with her sisters. "It won't be long now. At
least,
oh, I hope it won't!"
Meanwhile Mark had been skating around the neighborhood for some time. It was a dark, gloomy day and he wished the sun would come out. A minute later it did sort of half peep through the clouds.
Now that he was older, roller skating didn't seem quite the thing of whirlwind speed that it used to be, back in the days when it was new to him. He wished the skates would go faster. Pretty soon it seemed as though they
"Idjwitz! Selfitz! Fitzmefitz!" said Carrie, suddenly.
They looked at her in remorse. Now that they knew the reason for them, her outcries weren't so alarming anymore—they'd even almost forgotten about her. But, in spite of the fact that she seemed to be learning to express herself a little more clearly, she was plainly so enraged by her half-talking state that something had to be done.
"Poor Carrie, I'll fix you up first of all," Jane promised. "The charm's right in here."
She put her hand into the shoebag. But it wasn't.
She put her hand into another compartment. The charm wasn't there, either!
She began wildly searching through all the different sections, taking out pairs of shoes and shaking them. The magic thing wasn't in any of them. Jane began to get in one of her rages.
"Really, what a house!" she cried. "Nothing ever stays where you put it! Has Miss Bick been cleaning my room again?"
"No, she said it needed it but it was beyond her!"
"Mark!" was the next thought of Jane. "I
wondered
where he was! Has anyone seen him?"
"I did," reported Martha. "He came in here and got his roller skates, just a few minutes ago."
"
Roller skates
!" Jane's voice was a wail. "They were in the shoebag! He must have found the charm and taken it! A person might as well be living in
a
den of thieves around here!"
"I don't think he did," Martha said. "He said the whole thing was just a coincidence."
"He probably never noticed the magic charm at all," Katharine pointed out reasonably. "He probably just put the skates on with it
in
one of them, where you probably put it in the dark last night, without realizing. It probably got stuck down there in the tightening part. It's probably still there, only he probably doesn't know. He'll probably make a wish pretty soon, and then suddenly..."
"
Stop!
" Jane could bear no more. "We've got to find him! Before he wishes for some awful thing and gets half of it! Where do you suppose he could haven gone?"
Jane was rushing into her clothes now.
"Wah! Mefitz! Mefitz!" said Carrie, crossly.
"All right. We'll take you along." Martha, who was beginning to understand Carrie's half-language, hoisted her up under one arm.
They met Miss Bick in the hall.
"Where are you taking that cat?" she wanted to know.
"Idjwit! Foo! Fitzouta thewayfitz!" said Carrie savagely.
Miss Bick backed away, turning pale.
"That cat is
ill!
" she cried.
"I know. We're taking her to the vet's," Katharine called back over her shoulder.
Like everything else lately, the lie was only
half
an untruth. They
were
taking Carrie to be cured, if the charm could cure her.
The children emerged from the house, and stood looking around. Fortunately they lived on a corner lot, and could look down streets running in all four directions.
But no welcome sound of whirring skate wheels, no welcome sight of an eleven-year-old boy rewarded them. Finally they started hurrying south on Maplewood Avenue, not because south looked any more promising than east or north or west, but because they had to start somewhere. Martha tried to muffle the sounds Carrie kept making by holding her close to her, but the few passers-by they met kept turning to stare after them.
"Wah! Oom! Fitzpatrix!" Carrie screamed at the passers-by. She almost seemed to be enjoying herself.
, "Hush. Hush," Martha told her. She was having hard work running fast enough to keep up with her sisters. "It won't be long now. At
least,
oh, I hope it won't!"
Meanwhile Mark had been skating around the neighborhood for some time. It was a dark, gloomy day and he wished the sun would come out. A minute later it did sort of half peep through the clouds.
Now that he was older, roller skating didn't seem quite the thing of whirlwind speed that it used to be, back in the days when it was new to him. He wished the skates would go faster. Pretty soon it seemed as though they