Silhouette of a Sparrow Read Online Free Page B

avoid.

    I tucked my new handkerchief into my pocket, silently thanking the blue jay I’d embroidered on it just the day before for his help in bringing the sky back—no matter his method of doing it. Then I set off out the door and down the front steps.
    But where to go? The park, of course . My heart skipped with anticipation.
    I followed the curve of the shoreline south toward the amusement park, but as soon as it was in sight, I knew something was wrong. The rides weren’t running. The park was closed.
    The storm. They must have repairs to do. I’ll have to go another day.
    Then I remembered my letter: the job! I didn’t have permission to job hunt yet, but there was no harm in looking. I’d head off into town to have a peek at the local businesses. That way, when Mother’s letter came in a few days, I’d be ready.
    But first, a stroll along the shore. My heart greeted that wide expanse of lake like an old friend. This trip to the country felt suddenly like a homecoming, even though I was far from home.
    As I approached the docks, I saw it. A proud, dark profile perched on a wooden post that stuck out of the water, a piece of a sunken dock. No, I wasn’t imagining the bird, it was real: a double-crested cormorant. Just as calm and as stately as I’d remembered. My scissors flew without sense—as if by faith alone .
    With the silhouette in my pocket and the hymn on my lips, I followed the road into town.

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
    ( Archilochus colubris)
    Mother’s letter arrived four days after my stroll through the picturesque little town, four days after I’d wandered along the row of brick storefronts dreaming of what it might be like to work in one of the shops. I’d spent the days after that trip waiting and worrying and getting my hopes up and then forcing them down again. I was sure, one minute, that she’d send an enthusiastic “yes” and let me work anywhere I pleased. The next minute, I was positive she’d laugh at my request and I’d be spending the whole summer on needlepoint and small talk—even more confined than I would’ve been at home in the city under Mother’s watchful eye.
    But when the letter found me, sitting at supper in the dining room with the Harringtons, it contained both good news and bad. “I am glad to hear that the Galpin is comfortable and you are all settled in with the Harringtons,” she wrote. “They are so generous for watching over you
this summer.” Next came news of Father, who she enthusiastically claimed was “on the mend.” My heart soared at the idea that this summer experiment might actually help bring him back. Then Mother digressed into a recitation of mundane reports from home and passed along greetings from Aunt Rachel and Rachel’s companion, Sarah. Then, finally, she addressed the job question:
    I’m sure you are anxious to know my decision on the topic of your letter, so I won’t delay further. I have considered your suggestion of employment and I’ve decided I will allow it. It is important for a young woman with your amount of energy to remain occupied. I have written to Mrs. Harrington to ask her to find you some small job that suits your position and education. She has connections in the town there, and I trust she can set you up with something you will find enjoyable—perhaps you could be a companion to a child of a wealthy family. Any wages you earn can help with your room and board at the hotel, less a little bit of spending money if you wish.
    Companion to a child of a wealthy family? Didn’t she understand that I was already a companion to Hannah, and it was the utter boredom of her company that drove me to ask for a job in the first place? Oh, Mother! Always concerned about my pent-up “energy” driving me to unrespectable pastimes, always conjuring up tasks to keep me “occupied” and out of trouble. Well, sitting around with yet another stuck-up
brat was not going to help. I I slumped in my seat and pushed away my bowl of