Death Comes to Santa Fe by Amanda Allen

Author:Amanda Allen [Allen, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House
Published: 2023-05-09T00:00:00+00:00

SEVEN

‘Why won’t Pansy keep her hat on, Miss Maddie?’ Pearl cried, stomping one patent-leather Mary Jane shoe as the dog tossed her ruffled bonnet to the ground again, and Buttercup proceeded to chomp it.

‘She’s ruining the parade!’ Ruby wailed.

Maddie bit her lip to keep from laughing at the twins’ Drama. ‘My darlings, I’m sure Buttercup and Pansy will be complete angels compared to most of the pets at the parade. Remember Andy Dormer’s donkey? It grabbed a whole pig from the butcher’s window and ran all across the plaza with it. No one knew the creature could move so fast.’

Juanita laughed as she sewed up the ribbons of the canine bonnets, making sure they fit closely. ‘Dios mío, that was a sight! And then the Lujans’ collie snatched it from the donkey. These dogs would never do such a thing.’

‘So true. They’re much too small to reach the window,’ Maddie said as she painted the last touches on their sign and attached it to the little green wagon Eddie brought from work. Las princesas de Casa Madeline. Gunther had added some little purple flowers, sacrificed from one of his beloved cravats, and Juanita had sewn up garlands and wreaths from some old tinsel. Maddie thought it all looked rather spiffy.

Despite all the uncertainty, and the strong possibility of donkey disaster at every corner, the Desfile de los Niños was her favorite event of Fiesta. One of Will’s new concepts for his Pasatiempo, not part of the traditional Fiesta, it was hugely popular. No politics, just adorable kids. Most of the town’s children insisted on dressing up their pets – dogs, cats, llamas, guinea pigs, even chickens sometimes – and making them parade through the streets in floats and tableaux. The creativity was amazing; spectators never knew what was around the next corner.

‘Pansy! No!’ Pearl shouted, as Pansy once again made a break for it, her lacy bonnet askew. She obviously didn’t want to be a fairy-tale princess. Buttercup just sat down on her cushion in the wagon, her brown eyes full of resignation.

‘We’ll never win first prize,’ Ruby murmured. ‘Melanie Parker from school said her cats are going to be Red Riding Hood and the Wolf!’

‘That doesn’t sound like it will work out very well. And Pansy and Buttercup are far superior to any cats,’ Maddie reassured them. She and Juanita fastened the dogs down on their cushions, and smoothed out their lacy Elizabethan collars that matched the trim on the girls’ new pink and pale green velvet dresses and little hennins. ‘And you two look absolutely gorgeous! Like something in that film we saw last year!’

‘When Knighthood Was in Flower,’ Juanita said with a little sigh. She had loved Forest Stanley in that one.

‘Yoo-hoo! Don’t you dare leave without me,’ Gunther cried, hurrying over from between their garden gates, purple ribbon streamers over his arm. More lost cravats. ‘You need these to flutter in the breeze behind you! All right, nearly showtime, my dears. Are we ready? How are my leading ladies faring?’

‘Buttercup and Pansy are terrible divas, Gunther.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.