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By Root 867 0

If he claimed he was an orphan in school and it turned out that he was not, people would all laugh at him. But if he really was an orphan he wanted to know, so he would be able to say he was, and get the benefit. What was the good of being an orphan if nobody else knew it? Well, so he was not an orphan. Yet his father was dead. Not his mother, too, though. Only his father. But one was dead. One and one makes two. One-half of two equals one. He was half an orphan, no matter what his mother said. And he had a sister who was half an orphan too. Half and half equals a whole. Together they made a whole orphan. He felt that it was not worth mentioning, that he was half an orphan, although he privately considered it a good deal better than nothing; and that also, he would not volunteer the fact that he and his sister together made a whole orphan. But if anyone teased either of them about not being an orphan at all, then he would certainly speak of that. He decided that Catherine should be warned of this, so that if they were teased, they could back each other up.

“Both of us together is a whole orphan,” he said.

“Huh?”

“Don’t say ‘huh,’ say, ‘What is it, Rufus?’ ”

“I will not!”

“You will so. Mama says to.”

“She does not.”

“She does so. When I say ‘huh’ she says, ‘Don’t say “huh,” say “What is it, Mother?” ’ When you say ‘huh’ she tells you the same thing. So don’t say ‘huh.’ Say, ‘What is it, Rufus?’ ”

“I won’t say it to you.”

“Yes, you will.”

“No, I won’t.”

“Yes, you will, because Mama said for us to be good. If you don’t I’ll tell her on you.”

“You tell her and I’ll tell on you.”

“Tell on me for what?”

“Listening at the door.”

“No you won’t.”

“I will so.”

“You will not.”

“I will so.”

He thought it over.

“All right, don’t say it, and I won’t tell on you if you won’t tell on me.

“I will if you tell on me.”

“I said I won’t, didn’t I? Not if you don’t tell on me.”

“I won’t if you don’t tell on me.”

“All right.”

They glared at each other.

They heard loud feet on the porch, and the doorbell rang. Upstairs they heard their mother cry “Oh, goodness!” They ran to the door. He blocked Catherine away from the knob and opened it.

A man stood there, almost as tall as Daddy. He had a black glaring collar like Dr. Whittaker but wore a purple vest. He wore a long shallow hat and he had a long, sharp, bluish chin almost like a plow. He carried a small, shining black suitcase. He seemed to be as disconcerted and displeased as they were. He said, “Oh, good morning,” in a voice that had echoes in it and, frowning, glanced once again at the number along the side of the door. “Of course,” he said, with a smile they did not understand. “You’re Rufus and Catherine. May I come in?” And without waiting for their assent or withdrawal (for they were blocking the door) he strode forward, parting them with firm hands and saying “Isn’t Miss L ...”

They heard Aunt Hannah’s voice behind them on the stairs, and turned. “Father?” she said, peering against the door’s light. “Come right in.” And she came up as he quickly removed his oddly shaped hat, and they shook hands. “This is Father Jackson, Rufus and Catherine,” she said. “He has come specially from Chattanooga. Father, this is Rufus, and this is Catherine.”

“Yes, we’ve already introduced ourselves,” said Father Jackson, as if he thought it was funny. That’s a lie, Rufus reflected. Father Jackson left one hand at rest for a moment on Catherine, then removed it as if he had forgotten her. “And where is Mrs. Follet?” he asked, almost whispering “Mrs. Follet.”

“If you’ll just wait a moment, Father, she isn’t quite ready.”

“Of course.” He leaned towards Aunt Hannah and said, in a grinding, scarcely audible voice, “Is she—chuff-chuff-chuff?”

“Oh yes,” Hannah replied.

“But does she Whehf-wheff-whehf-whef-tized?”

“I’m afraid not, Father,” said Hannah, gravely. “I wasn’t quite sure enough myself, to tell her. I’m sorry to burden you with it but I felt I should leave that to you.”

“You were right, Miss Lynch. Absolutely.” He looked around, his head gliding, his hat in his hand. “Now