Grandpa was coming in. Leaning on his cane, she thought. She\u27d look around and see. Yes, leaning on his cane. And ready for his lunch. Noon meal was always dinner to him, though, even if it was only a cheese sandwich and a glass of milk

Schortemeier, Mary Margrette

English

Digital Commons @ Butler University

As he settled three hoofs back intotheir notches, he noticed that his seams hadburst here and there and he had lost someof his woodenhorse beauty marks. Thensuddenly he saw he was no longer red! Hehad stretched and stretched until the grayspots had become bigger and bigger and thered spots littler and littler until - he wasa gray horse with red spots. When hethought about this he was even more de-jected. "Not only am laId and broken, butnow I'm no longer Different," he whinniedsadly. "I'm only one of the Common Herd."But when the full rays of the dawn fellupon the carnival grounds, the dingy mir-rors of the Merry-Go-Round showed the tipof his nose to be gold - pure gold.GRANDPA'S STORYMARY MARGRET'l'E SCHORTEMEIERThird Prize, Short Story Division, Butler Literary Contest, 1943/Grandpa was coming in. Leaning onhis cane, she thought. She'd look aroundand see. Yes, leaning on his cane. Andready for his lunch. Noon meal was alwaysdinner to him, though, even if it was onlya cheese sandwich and a glass of milk."Well, how's dinner coming along? Isthere anything I can do to help?"He was hungry. Men were alwayshungry. Even if they were old. Help?What could he do to help? Just what?Get on out of the kitchen. But she couldn'tsay that. Not to Grandpa."Are you slicing cheese? The butcherknife'd be better. I'd be glad to do it foryou. More than glad. Yes, sir, just mightyglad."She certainly wasn't slicing up themoon. It was green cheese. And this wasvery evidently rich and golden. Right therebefore him and he wondered if it wascheese. His questions were just habit.They meant nothing. And she was verywell able to slice the cheese. She was nobaby. She was old enough to be marriedand keeping house for a husband instead offor him. But he forgot that."Yes sir, it's a good thing I came inwhen I did. You needed some help. Ialways was a hand to help out the womenfolks. Yes sir, I'm mighty glad to slicethis cheese. Just more than glad."How could he go on that way? Shehated to hurt his feelings. She wouldn'ttell him how much of a nuisance he was.If he just didn't talk so much he wouldn'tbother her so. Just as well stop the sunfrom shining, though. Grin and bear it.Well - anyway, bear it."Slicing cheese for you like this makesme think of a long time ago-"Everything made him think of a longtime ago. That was part of growing old,maybe. She hoped she'd never bore hergrandchildren with reminiscences fromtirnes that would seem long ago to them.If ever she had any grandchildren _ andany memories . . ."Reminds me of a long time ago whenme and my sister - the oldest sister, theone you never saw - we two were left outon the ranch together while the family wentsomewhere. Can't remember where, any-more. May have been a family funeral.That was about the only time they wouldso many of them go at once. Might have(28)been a wedding or a baby born - but I'mnot sure. Then just my older brother andMa would've gone. Ma to do the familyproud and my brother to drive the rig -Yes, yes, I remember I'm cutting cheese.Sure I'm cutting cheese."He went right on living in the past,telling her these long tales about peopleshe had never seen. They were all justnames. His old red plush-covered familyalbum had pictures of some of them. Butwhat was a picture in an album - whatwere they to her but faded faces and queerclothes? Why dwell with them? Therewere people - a person - whom she didknow and did love - but what would thatget her?"Doh't get impatient, now, I'm almostdone. It's a little stiff when it's just outof the ice-box. Well, about my story. Mysister and me were out there on the ranchfive days and nights. Mighty lonesome daysand nights they was, too. We'd get alongaU right in the day time - there werealways plenty of chores waiting to be donethen. But at night when the dishes weredone and then it was time to sit down -here's your cheese all sliced. I reckonthat'll be enough."Yes, and enough of his chatter, too.She could have sliced the cheese in halfthe time with half the trouble. She had tohumour him, though. Now he would sitdown on the kitchen chair and lean it backon two legs against the wall until it totteredcrazily. He was in a story telling mood.He was, though, whenever he got anyoneto listen to him. She couldn't help seemingto listen. She could think of her dreamswhile he rambled on, and he'd never know."Guess I'll sit down here. Seems likethere's nothing to be did right now. Letme know, though, if there's anything youwant me to do. I'll be right glad to."There went the chair leaning back onits two legs. There was that gleam in hiseye. She wondered when he would getback to his tale."Did I ever finish my story about thecheese? It's not such a long story, not veryinteresting anymore. But it was interestingback in the old days. Used to be folks wouldjust sit around and swap yarns. Folks didn'tall the time need a radio or a phongraphblatting in their ears in those days. Thatracket all the time keeps 'em from think-ing, seems to me. Nobody can tell you agood old fashioned, honest-to-goodness storythese days. It's a lost art. It's all phono-graph and radio, nowadays. I remember,though, the first victrola in our town. Why,folks were so excited about it. And no-body understood how it was made. Itseemed mysterious to us all. But we likedit. I remember On the T.rail of the Lone-some Pine _ must a' played it a thousandtimes, myself. And I remember thefirst radio, too. It had a great biginside aerial that stood up in the livingroom _ that's about the time we quit call-ing it the parlor - anyway, this diamondshaped thing stood out like a sore thumb inthe front room. Everybody that had onewas so proud. And we listened all the time."The point _ the story - was he evergoing to finish? She knew what it wouldbe. But she mustn't let him know that.She must keep him in suspense, the wayhe thought he was keeping her. It was likeplaying a game. Playing like she waslistening to some one else say other things.He would surely fall oft' of that chair.She'd have to tell him to be careful."Yes, yes, - I know what I'm doing.Sat this way for years and never yet felloff. I'll sit down fiat, though, if you likethat better. Always aim to please thewomen folks. I'll sit on, all four legs andtell my story. Does that suit you now?Well, my sister and I-I've been all aroundRobin Hood's barn telling this thing - mysister and I got along all right in spite of(29)./being lonesome and everything. Right thenI wouldn't have minded a radio or victrola.It was pretty doggone lonesome. But ourtrouble started on the fourth day. Mysister always was a good cook. I told yourgrandma before I married her that she'dhave to be as good a cook as this oldestsister of mine. She was, too; don't let any-body tell you she wasn't. They got to meetonce and swap recipes - neither one out-smarted the other, either."More album leaves. He droned on andon. And she wasn't listening very closely.She wondered if HIS sister was a goodcook. Anyway, she had experience. Somepeople got married without knowing howto boil water, as Grandpa would say.Imagine her quoting Grandpa. She hadlistened to him enough. She ought to beable to."I'll move out from the table so's youcan put the cloth on. I like a big whitecloth like that with sharp creases evenwhen we eat in the kitchen. It reminds meor old times before there was any oilcloth.Out on the ranch we didn't know whatoil-cloth was. I can remember how thebig white table cloths looked on the clothesline. Well, that time I was telling youabout - my sister and I ran out of food.Maybe you think that's a funny thing tohappen on a farm, but that's just what didhappen. You try having nothing but milk,cream, and butter for two whole days andyou'll be sick of it, too."Sick of it - how expressive for herfeelings. Lunch was almost ready andhe wasn't through with his story. And hewouldn't start eating until his story wasfinished. By then the meal would be ruined.Here he was off again."Yessir, all we had to eat was whatwas in the ice house. We went down to-gether and looked. It was always so cooland refreshing inside. Usually I wantedto start right in and eat a whole pound ofbutter. But having the chance, for once,I kind of out-did myself. I kinda' lost mytaste for butter after that. Well, we lookedaround and Sis found a big cheese. Thetwo of us lifted it off the shelf. I took abig knife - sort of like that one you'recutting the bread with there - and slicedsome of that cheese off. Then - now thisis the funny part - Sis took that slicedcheese to the house and put in a skilletItover a low fire and fried that cheese.was the funniest stuff I ever tasted. Itgot real soft and sticky and its flavor alto-gether changed. I didn't like it at all, butI ate it just to please her. But I was sureglad when the folks come back - don'tknow where they'd been anymore - whenthey came back with food - meat andpotatoes. Mighty glad - Yessir, just morethan glad."He was going to get up and shuffle overto wash his hands in the kitchen sink andthen back again to the table. Therewouldn't be much longer to wait, surely.She was glad the man she was going tomarry was young. He'd never tell her thesame old story over and over. She'd haveto tell Grandpa about him right after lunch.Feed a man first and then tell him. Shehad experience. Grandpa was ready fordinner.(30)

Grandpa\u27s Story

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Grandpa\u27s Story

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