Emily Makes a Difference by JoAnn A. Grote

Author:JoAnn A. Grote [GROTE, JOANN A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-62836-198-8
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2004-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

The Mysterious Boy

“Why don’t you watch where you’re going?” The college-aged chair boy grabbed Emily by one arm and yanked her up.

“Ouch!” Emily clutched her shoulder. Running into the chair had knocked the breath out of her, but it hadn’t hurt. The way the boy had pulled her up made her arm feel like it was on fire.

Ted rushed up to Emily. “Are you hurt?”

She shook her head and made herself quit holding her shoulder. “No.”

The chair boy was already kneeling beside the woman. Emily knelt beside the chair, too. She put a hand on the woman’s arm. “Are you hurt?”

“I…I don’t think so,” the woman said. “Do you always dart about in such an unladylike manner?”

Emily winced. “I’m afraid I do.”

Emily tried to ignore the pain in her shoulder as she and the chair boy helped the woman to her feet. While the chair boy righted the large, heavy chair, she turned to look for the woman’s hat and for her own.

“Oh, no!” she whispered when she saw them.

Her own little sailor hat with its broad navy blue satin ribbon was squashed flat where some passerby had stepped on it. She watched Ted pick it up and give her a pitying glance.

Worse was the lady’s hat. A boy about Emily’s age had sat on it! He was busy dusting the dirt from his frayed knickers, not paying any attention to the bonnet he’d ruined. The curly-haired boy looked familiar, but she was sure she didn’t know him.

Emily picked up the bonnet. It had been a perfectly delightful little hat, she could tell. A deep purple ribbon sat over the point in front. White silk roses peeked from behind it. At the back was another glossy purple bow.

She turned back to the woman, whom the chair boy was helping back into the chair. Swallowing hard, she handed the hat to the woman. “I’m terribly sorry, ma’am; just terribly.”

“Well, that doesn’t restore my bonnet, does it?” The woman set her lips in a hard line.

“N…no, ma’am.” Emily rubbed her suddenly sweaty hands down the sides of her skirt. “I…I guess I should offer to pay for it.”

“That’s the least you can do!” the chair boy agreed in a nasty tone.

Emily’s gaze darted to his angry blue eyes and back to the woman. “I truly am sorry. I only have about twenty-five cents with me today. If you will tell me how much the bonnet cost and give me your address, I’ll send you the money.”

The hard lips relaxed a little. The woman waved a black-gloved hand. “Oh, never mind. I’m sure you didn’t intend to run me down.”

“I…thank you, ma’am,” Emily whispered. “Are you sure you weren’t hurt?”

“Only a couple bumps and bruises.” She actually smiled. “This old body has known worse. I do remember being young and how it felt to run about on a summer’s day. But you must be more careful.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The chair boy scowled at Emily as he leaned into the back of the chair and started it again.

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