Bobby in Search of a Birthday Page 7

  CHAPTER VII

  ALL THE PERQUISITES PERTAINING THERETO

  Bobby obediently exchanged the four quarters for the dollar despite thefrantic efforts of the puppy to see what was going on. The dollar washeavy in his hand and it was very thick. Bobby felt quite wealthy, ableto buy all sorts of things, an edge-cation or . . . or perhaps evenbirthdays! His eyes grew big and round.

  The Man with the Pocketful of Quarters had just said a moment beforethat a boy could buy all sorts of things with a dollar. And a dollar islots of money even to a boy with seven birthdays! In his excitementBobby almost dropped the puppy, retaining his hold on that delightby one leg only. His eyes sparkled with the intensity of the desirelighted in them.

  "Is it enough to buy a birthdays?" he asked, stammering in hiseagerness.

  The lady gasped at the question and the man was too staggered to doanything at first; finally he exploded into that huge laughter whichalways seemed to Bobby to fill the room. He didn't mind the laughterfor he knew the man was not making fun of him.

  "I don't know, Bobby," said the man when he had stopped laughing. "I'venever heard of anybody selling his birthday. You might try and see."

  Bobby turned at once to the Lady Who Likes Little Boys.

  "Your little boy ain't not never coming back," he fairly stammered inhis excitement. "Would he sell me a birthdays?"

  And he held out the round, shining dollar.

  The lady shrank back from him and went suddenly all white. Bobby knewhe had done something wrong, but couldn't for the life of him imaginewhat it was.

  The father of the boy with seven birthdays went quickly to his wife.

  "He's got grit and perseverance," said the man. "A birthday looks goodto him and he won't give up till he gets one. It would make him happyas a king, Alice."

  She hid her face on his shoulder.

  "I can't, Alfred. Don't ask that."

  Bobby didn't understand what it was _she_ couldn't do, but felt that hehad in some way hurt her and his lower lip began to move unsteadily.

  "It's only day-after-tomorrow, Alice," pleaded the man.

  "It's Edward's," replied the Lady. "You have no heart or youcouldn't. . . ."

  The man looked at Bobby and then said in a low voice to his wife:

  "Day-after-tomorrow is never to-day."

  Bobby's heart smote him anew, for he saw water running down the Lady'sface as she lifted her head. It had all been caused by his wanting abirthdays. Very well, he would pretend he didn't want a birthdays anymore; then perhaps the water would go out of the Lady's eyes.

  "Don't want a birthdays," he announced with a suspicious dolefulness inhis voice. "It doesn't not feel good."

  "Look at him, Alice," said the man.

  Bobby didn't want the Lady to see the water in _his_ eyes, so he triedto rub it out, but the tightly clutched dollar got in the way, and thelady must have seen what he was doing, for she simply rushed at Bobbyand gathered him, puppy, dollar and all, into her arms and kissed himforty or a dozen times and held his face against her wet cheek.

  "Birthdays can't be bought, Bobby, but you shall have one all of yourvery own. I'll _give_ you one."

  "Don't not want any," whimpered Bobby.

  "Not if _I_ give you one?" asked the lady, wiping the water out of hereyes. "We'll give you our little boy's."

  Bobby kept perfectly still and in that stillness a miracle wasperformed; that trembling lip of his, without stopping its trembling,was transformed into a joyful smile. And when the Lady saw it, _she_smiled too.

  "I've been selfish and . . . rebellious," said her sweet, low voiceright at his ear, but she was looking up at the Man with the Pocketfulof Quarters when she said it.

  The man blew his nose and made such a loud noise that it startled Bobbyand the Lady. They looked into one another's face and then began tosmile like persons sharing a happy secret that no one else knew.

  "I'll draw it up on paper, son," said the man, "and then if you everlose it again, whoever finds the paper will know _that_ birthdaybelongs to you and return it."

  He went to the writing desk in one corner of the room, took paper, penand ink and began to write. When all the water had gone out of the eyesof Bobby and the Lady, they went over to watch the man who was writingaway rapidly and smiling to himself.

  "There you are," he said at last, with a concluding flourish, andhanded the paper to his wife. She smiled as if it hurt her to read whathe had written, and pressed Bobby more closely to her.

  "Now we must sign it," said the man.

  With another flourish, he wrote his name on the paper. His wife's liptrembled just like Bobby's as she signed it. Then the man took Bobbyon his lap and guided his hand in making a big cross, and then wrotesomething himself above and below the mark Bobby made.

  "Is that a birthdays?" asked Bobby.

  "No," replied the Lady, "it's just proof that we have given you abirthday. If anybody ever doesn't believe you have one, just show himthat, and he'll know that you have."

  "I'll read it to you, son," said the man and proceeded to read in abig, booming voice:

  "Done at Our House this Second Day of August, 1916. We, Alfred andAlice Anning, do hereby and herewith give and convey to Bobby North,Day-After-Tomorrow, which on every Second Day of August becomesTo-Day, to be his very own birthday forever. _This_ Day-After-Tomorrowis his fifth birthday; the next one will be his sixth. No one cantake this birthday from him because it is ours to give. WheneverDay-After-Tomorrow comes, the aforesaid Bobby North is to have hisbirthday with a celebration and all the perquisites pertaining thereto.In witness whereof our signatures are herewith attached.

  Signed: Alfred Anning Alice Anning. Bobby North Accepted by His =X= Mark."

  "There, I guess that's all ship-shape and tight enough so water can'tleak through," said the man and offered the paper to Bobby. He acceptedit gravely, as one should in such important matters, then smiled up atthe Lady whose lip still twitched curiously. He looked thoughtfully atthe paper in his hand.

  "A birthdays and perk--perk--"

  "And all the perquisites pertaining thereto," said the man, helping himout.

  "What is perk-_wiz_its?" Bobby asked.

  "Perk-_wiz_its," replied the man gravely, "are the things that go withbirthdays, a celebration, marbles, cake and ice cream, pocket knives,pigs and pups. Why, look at that pup!"

  Bobby looked and the puppy had the precious bit of paper in his mouthand was trying to swallow it!

  The man opened the puppy's mouth and rescued Bobby's birthdays.

  "I was only just in time," he confided to Bobby. "A second later andthat dog would have swallowed it. Then where would your birthdays havebeen?"

  Bobby took time to consider. In due course he arrived at a decision.

  "Long's the puppy's mine, I'd have the birthdays, too."

  He joined in the laughter of his two friends without quite knowing why.

  "Keep the paper in your pocket, Bobby. If the dog eats it you couldn'tprove to anybody that you had a birthday. Now we are going to continuethe celebration."

  All day long that celebration lasted and Bobby was so happy and excitedand had so many good things to eat and so many wonderful things to dothat he didn't know where the hours had gone when the man said the daywas almost over and that it was time to take him back to Mr. Eller's.