The Bad Seed by William March

Author:William March
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, azw3
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2014-01-24T05:00:00+00:00

After lunch, Rhoda asked permission to sit in the park, and Mrs. Forsythe said she could. She took her book and went to her usual place under the pomegranate tree. She had hardly turned to the correct page when Leroy, who could never leave her alone very long, came into the park and pretended to sweep the path behind her. He swept the same spot over and over, and at last he said, "There you sit reading a book and trying to look cute. Maybe you're thinking about how you hit that little boy with a stick. Is that what you're thinking about right now? Is that what makes you look so pleased and happy?"

Rhoda, in the tone that a bored but tolerant adult might use, said, "Finish sweeping the walk and get away from me. I don't want to listen to you. You talk silly all the time."

Leroy put down his broom for a moment and examined the pomegranate tree, snickering and nodding his head. He picked off a dead branch and held it in his hand; then, coming in front of the child, weighing the branch in his palm, he said innocently, "Is this about the size stick you hit him with?"

"Sweep your path. Either that, or talk to somebody else."

"After you rolled little Claude in the bay, he tried to pull himself up on the wharf again; but you hit him on the back of his hands that time until he had to turn loose, and drown; but before he done that, you fetched him another good lick on the temple, and that was the lick that bled so free."

Rhoda looked about her for a bookmark, as she did not want to damage her property by turning down a leaf. Before her, on the path, was a small, soft pigeon feather; she picked it up, blew on it to rid it of dust, and marked her place with it. Then, putting the book on the bench beside her, she stared calmly at him.

"You make out like you don't know what I'm talking about," said Leroy in delight, 'but you know what I'm talking about, all right. You ain't dumb like them others—I got to admit that, no matter how mean you are. You know what time it is, just like I know what time it is. You ain't no dope—that I must say—and that's why you didn't leave that bloody stick where people could pick it up. Oh, no! You got better sense than that. You took that stick with you when you ran off the wharf, and when you were among the trees, with nobody to see you, you went down to the beach and washed off that bloody stick good. Then you threw it in the woods where nobody could find it."

"I think you're a very silly man."

"I may be silly, but I'm not silly like you are," said Leroy. He was enjoying the scene more and more. That mean little girl was letting on

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