The Beast Under the Wizard's Bridge by Brad Strickland

Author:Brad Strickland [Strickland, Brad]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781101659670
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2002-03-17T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

Friday came and went peacefully. Lewis began to hope that everything might be all right, after all. On Saturday the newspaper reported that the last portion of the old bridge had been removed. Nothing, apparently, had happened to the workmen.

On Saturday too, a delivery truck pulled up in front of 100 High Street, and Uncle Jonathan signed for an assortment of mysterious packages, one of them taller than Lewis himself. Uncle Jonathan told Lewis to ask Rose Rita over if he wanted. He did, and only when she arrived did Uncle Jonathan consent to unpack all the boxes.

“Wow!” Lewis exclaimed when they had opened the tall one. It was a gleaming white tube with black metal fittings. Lewis knew what it was right away. “A telescope!”

“A good one, I hope,” Uncle Jonathan stated. “I paid enough for it! It’s an eight-inch reflector with a focal length of sixty-four inches. There’s also a spotting scope, a pedestal mount with an electric motor, mounting rings, and eyepieces that will give you anywhere from thirty to five hundred magnification. I, uh, thought backyard astronomy might be an interesting hobby.”

They had a fine time assembling the instrument. As he and Uncle Jonathan were carefully attaching the tube to the mount, Lewis said, “I bet I know why you have to have a motor. The moon and stars and planets move, and the telescope has to move to keep them in sight.”

“The Earth moves,” corrected Rose Rita. “The stars seem to move because the Earth is rotating.”

Uncle Jonathan had been kneeling as he finished the job. He stood up and took out a big bandana handkerchief to wipe his hands. He had a splotch of oil across his nose too that he didn’t even notice. “There!” he said. “What a beauty! If it’s clear tonight, we’ll try it out.” He took his gold pocket watch from a bottom vest pocket and said, “We’ve taken up most of the afternoon with this! I wonder if Gravel Gertie is home. Rose Rita, call Mrs. Zimmermann and ask her if she’d like to come over and see one of the wonders of the twentieth century.”

Rose Rita ran to the phone. A minute later she came back and said, “She just got in from the library. She’ll be right over.”

“Good,” said Uncle Jonathan. “Think she’ll be impressed?”

“I think she’ll be more impressed if you get the smudge off your nose,” said Rose Rita.

Uncle Jonathan laughed and swabbed his face with the bandana. A moment later Mrs. Zimmermann walked in without knocking. She was carrying a manila folder, and she shook her head and clucked her tongue when she saw the telescope. “That must have cost a mint.”

“It was pretty expensive, but since Grandpa left me a pile of money and I’ve invested wisely,” Jonathan explained, “I thought I’d indulge myself. Care to join us tonight for a little stargazing? Afterward, I thought I’d conjure up the Battle of the Nile, for the pleasure and edification of all!”

Jonathan and

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