She said he was trying
to find Aunt Vic.
Instead of looking behind the curtain, Ginger kept going down
to the bench where he sat by Aunt Vic on Sundays. Finally he gave
up his looking and his trotting and lay down by the wood box.
I stretched both my arms out straight.
"Mama, how come y'all wound this green paper 'round my arms?"
"They're tree limbs. And your pointed hat is the tip top of
the tree. See?" Mama reached over and set my paper hat farther
back on my head. "It's got to sit straight up to look right."
I smoothed out the wrinkles at my elbows and fluffed the
leaves across my shoulders. Aunt Vic had told me I looked pretty.
I thought so too.
Papa didn't know what to think when he finally walked in and
saw me sitting there in my shaggy dress. Mama told me to stand up
and turn around so he could take a look at me.
"Good gracious, Bandershanks, you're all diked out here
tonight!"
"I'm a Christmas tree, Papa!"
"I believe you are!"
Papa sat down on the front bench by us instead of going over
to his Sunday place in the corner, where he always sat with
Captain Jones and Uncle Dan and the other men.
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