Half-Past Seven Stories

ained--"rained pitchforks." That is what Father said, but Marmaduke could see nothing but prongs. There were thousands of them, coming down through the air. Wh

shining for them, way up above the clouds, or they wouldn't have haying weather. But maybe, after all, it was

, when the rain slackened a little and the pitchforks didn't come down so fast, he could put on h

hat it was swelling up like a pouter pigeon, or like the bo

. But Father Wyandotte and all his family were sticking pretty close to the coops. Funny how ducks liked water and chickens didn't, all but the Gold Rooster on the top of the barn. He never seem

. It wasn't hard to find, for it had grown so big and stretched almost to the fence-rails now, and

re should be a flood!

t be fine!" s

ght rise an' rise till the barnyard'd be covered, a

's flood,

y he isn't here to build an

," said Marma

s brother. "Why, you'd dro

uke seemed very sure about this-

use

ittle boy. "He could build an ark as big as a house, as big as th

each kind. Now Hal an' Teddy could get on, but White Boots an' Ole Methusaleh'd

very thought of Wienerwurst, his little dogg

under my coat,

imals an' chickens and things. Now Mother and Father could go--that's two grown-ups, an' Hepzebiah an' me, but you a

idn't take it quite that way. It seemed very

re just alike. Didn't Mother say,--'He's nothing but a boy.' So I'd sneak Wienie under m

Brook, but Marmaduke was very happy picturing to himself the big Ark which the Toyman would build, and how he w

their rubber boots and went out to the Pond. They couldn't get quite as near it as usual, for the edge was almost at the Ducks' house now, and not s

uld shake the water from their coats and over the boys, just like shower baths. It was all very jol

of this, too, and walked up

uddy and brown as if a thousand cups of coffee had been spilled in it. And on it floated many strange th

atch long enough, some pirates'll come sa

heir mouths," Ma

at went on, "they'll have a flag with a s

ine word, too, but only to be used on special occasions. And pirates

hink so, too, for he w

ho,

ttle of

y turned and saw nothing but the high board fence of the cowyard, and, over by the barn, the Toyman, walking very swiftly towards his workshop. Now usual

pered Jehosophat, "they may have dis

was open. It was com

phat s

thing!"

by the flood; and it was tossed first to this

And they hurried down the Brook towards the Pond. They had to

at looke

the walnut tree migh

ches. The water was more quiet here than out in the stream and it made a fin

e barn and fetched some rope. With this he made the ship fast t

be done, for the ship had

ates," ordered Jehosophat. "I'll be b

alone with pirates around, but Marmaduke stuc

a sack. Now that was very mysterious, but the messenger only said to hi

ave some boards

, Mr. Ship'

Toyman knew what he was, when they hadn't told a soul. But then

p. Soon the boards were nailed acros

d Jehosophat, and th

that's goi

ry splendidly, he t

in Kidd,"

Marmaduke excitedly, and excit

," his brother informed h

er a name Reddy Toms had told him, out of a book of Reddy's, al

a voice

, Dick D

had been standing in th

me under his tongue like something that taste

swords! One for each of them! Now we said they were real swords, and they were, though they were made of wood. They could do a lot of da

he told his brother, "that'

e sort of suspected the Toyman, but he

people the pirates have killed. It's a sign. Guess we're not pirate

hought fo

this flag anyway, even

es as well. They were f

bout to go aboard, the

said, then aga

game at all, but like real life!

arties, what'

thing at all. Strange talk it was, to be sure, and the neighbors would never have understood it. Still, folks never understoo

he way to say it. Yo

ds to his mouth like a

andlubber, will y

n touched

ate in my time. Now it's your chance. But it's blo

il. They made quite a voyage of it and had some trouble, for the waves

make another try for it when Hepzebiah came to the wharf. She wa

for the women

hard that they just ha

ll have to be my slave

e Marmaduke wouldn't be one and was Dick Deadeye anyway, why, the little girl would have to

the skull and the dead men's bones floating merril

You'd better go back. Rememb

ehosophat Kid

ll. It wouldn't drown a ra

ere was

stone, jumping around like wild Indians. They looked again--sharply this time--and saw that it w

aptain Kidd, then, forgetting that his ship was

brothe

eam run

m a poetry book he had read onc

of the "Jolly Roger" loo

las

tone. It was a--cannon ball! The pirates on s

." He was very brave through all these trying times--and so were the crew. And they just turned

shore had seized long poles and were reaching out over the w

ned the Captain, "and very terrible weapons." He mu

to rock. The crew looked around

p," shouted Pirate Fatty

eadeye saw the Toyman running, running as fast as he could towards shore. And Rover, too. He was barking for

hit the ship a terrible crack, a

d only touched her uniform, and over he f

ith water all around him and in his eyes and his nose and mouth. He was chok

a strong hand on his shoulder and

ou're all right--j

ms, especially at night before the fire when he told th

f-a-sudden

t too full of water to say anything, "get--bllllll

n spikes,' explained Captain Jehoso

view la

hed as he pulled hi

here,"

Rover dragging his little sister out

ted the brave

," he said, "g

ke and Jehosophat thought so. And we'll leave

ourse, it wasn't very deep, but Fatty tumbled flat on his back, and the water covered him--all but his stomach, which stuck out above the water like the fat rump of a whale. He got up at last. And a pretty sight he was, not like

e shoulder, the little girl on the other, as he a

best of all--some nice warm lemonade was trickling down

coals of fire on their heads, as the minister used to say. Yes sir, they invited the big, fat chief of the pirates into their kitchen, th

t was a very