Is there anything I can do for you this evenin'?"
Apparently there was, for the child, untucking the doll from
beneath her right arm and tucking it under the left, pointed her
right hand at a wooden weather-vane in the shape of a sperm whale
and asked:
"Please, does that fish go 'round?"
"Go 'round? Go 'round where?"
"I mean does it go 'round and 'round on a stick?"
"Cal'late it does when it has a chance."
"And does it make the wind blow no'theast by no'th and--and like
that?"
"Eh? Make the wind blow--how?"
"I mean does it make the wind blow different ways, no'theast by
no'th and cantin' 'round to the sou-east and--and those ways?
Captain Hedge has got a fish up on his barn that used to do that,
but now it won't 'cause he cal'lates it's rusted fast. He said he
guessed he would have to be getting a new one. When I saw the
fishes out in your yard I thought about it and I thought I would
come in and see if you had the right kind. Is this one a--a
gunfish?"
"A WHICH fish?"
"A gunfish. No, that isn't it. A--a swordfish, that's it.
Captain Hedge's is a swordfish."
"We-ll, that particular one got a wrong start and ended up by bein'
a whale, but I shouldn't wonder if we could find a swordfish if we
looked. Yes, here's one. Think that would do?"
The child looked it over very carefully.
Pages:
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74