"Somebody else all of a sudden,

Somebody new"

by K.O.NEAL

All of a sudden Jeffy was awake.

He jumped to the window. It had stopped! The rain had actually stopped!

He tore off his pajamas, got into his shirt and overalls and shoes and socks and dashed out the door and down the hall. Then the light from the kitchen blinded him; he stopped and stood there stock-still in the doorway, blinking.

Mom in her robe was on a stool by the table, stirring her coffee. Pop in his robe was on a stool by the huge black stove, watching the toast on the asbestos mats. They both looked up, first in surprise, then in amusement.

He saw the smiles on their faces and suddenly realized they were looking at him funnylike, then Pop roared out in that huge voice of his, "Well, son, off to a hard day's work on the railroad gang?"

He looked at Pop, puzzled, but he didn't have to think of an answer because Pop went off into one of his spasms of laughter, and Mom suddenly seemed to choke and set her coffee mug down and laughed till her hair, that fell clear down her back to her middle, jerked and rippled under the electric light.

He looked at them laughing, still puzzled, then he saw the smoke from the toast.

"Your toast is burning."

"Oh, oh," Pop said and snatched at it and pulled it off.

He went to the sink, primed the little pump, caught a little water in his hands and splashed it over his face, then dried himself and sat at the table. "You want some Wheaties, Jeffy?" Mom asked. She was still smiling and drying her eyes.

"And give that son of mine," Pop shouted, "some strong black coffee afore his hard day's work!"

"Now, Jeff, don't tease the boy," Mom said with a crooked smile. He was eating his Wheaties, when Pop came and sat down beside him. "Well, sonny, your day's agenda must be mighty strenuous."

He couldn't understand the words, and he looked at Pop, and Pop was looking at him like he was supposed to say something, so he spoke:

"Doody Davis has caught thirty-six minnows and two purple crawdaddys and two turtles, and I got thirty-five minnows and a baby crawdaddy and two turtles and a leech. And my leech squeaks when you press on him with a stick."

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