“Hi! This is my friend,” Thomas said, coming in with Pesty. “She’s Pesty Darrow, the sister of Macky. I told you about him.”

“Well, I’m pleased to meet you, Miss Pesty,” Great-grandmother said.

“This is my great-grandmother Jeffers,” Thomas said to Pesty.

Pesty grinned and nodded. “Good morning,” she said.

“Good morin, Pesty!” piped Buster.

“Good mornin’, Pesty,” Billy said, correcting him.

“Hi, y’all,” Pesty said to the boys.

Great-grandmother grinned at Pesty. “Just call me Grandmother Rhetty if you want to,” she told her. Then she turned to Thomas and said, “Yes, it was Hector Protector. I remember now.

“Thomas, you still have that book?” asked Great-grandmother.

“I think so. I must’ve brought it.”

“Well, I hope so,” she said. “I’d like to read them old Hector Protector.”

“Hec, Brec,” said Billy.

Buster regarded him for a moment and then grabbed him. And they both fell over on the bed, giggling.

“You guys stop it!” Thomas said. “You’re going to hurt Great-grandmother, roughhousing like that.”

“They love to roughhouse,” Pesty told Great-grandmother.

“Billy and Buster might muss up their pretty outfits,” said Great-grandmother. “Where are they going, all spiffied up this morning?”

“Mama said something about taking them into town to look around at the nursery schools,” Thomas said.

“Oh, that’s right,” Great-grandmother said. “But I didn’t know she was planning on it today.”

“Guess she knew we would keep you busy, me and Pesty,” Thomas said.

“Well,” Great-grandmother said.

“Great-grandmother,” he went on, “we’ve been over to Mr. Pluto’s already.”

“That so?” she said.

“Yeah, and Mr. Pluto can’t come over until tomorrow. He’s got a sore throat, but he’s not real sick,” Thomas said.

“Well, I’ll bring him some of your mama’s soup, how’s that?”

“Or one of her pies,” Thomas said eagerly.

“I’d better get up from here then,” Great-grandmother Jeffers said. “I slept so good!”

“There was lots of noise last night,” Thomas said. He knew he must go on talking to keep her in bed a little longer. His mama had a surprise.

“Noise,” the boys said to Great-grandmother.

“It sounded like a blizzard came real fast,” Thomas said.

“A blizzard!” Great-grandmother said. “I didn’t hear a thing.”

“Well, I did. I think I heard it,” Thomas said.

“Goodness, what’s this congregation?” Mrs. Small came in, ready for a morning in town. “Morning, everybody,” she said, eyeing Thomas, Pesty, and the boys. “Grandmother Rhetty, good morning!” Martha Small said. “I hope you slept well, even with the storm last night.”

“Good morning to you,” Great-grandmother said. “Oh, I did sure sleep, I sure did. Martha, darlin’, this is the best old house for sleeping.”

“Don’t I know it,” Martha said. “But I hope some little boys and a big boy and girl didn’t burst in here to wake you up.”

“Pesty and me have already been outside,” Thomas said.

“Pesty and I,” Mrs. Small corrected.

“Well, Billy and Buster were crawling all over Great-grandmother when we got here,” Thomas said.

Billy and Buster scrunched low against Great-grandmother Jeffers. They grabbed the blanket to cover their faces. Buster thought to put The Three Bears on the very top of his curly head.

“Don’t think that’s going to hide you two,” said Mrs. Small.

“Don’t scold them, Martha. I just hope they come in to greet me every morning like this,” Great-grandmother Jeffers said. “I love to see their faces exactly alike smiling at me. And we’re going to read a story.”

“You’ll get to hear a story later, boys,” Martha Small told her sons. At once she put a finger to her lips, warning them to keep still. They were quick to understand. They watched her as she winked at Thomas. Thomas hurried out. They could hear him taking the stairs two at a time.

“What are you-all up to?” Great-grandmother Jeffers said, smiling.

“Read me!” Billy commanded. Buster was searching for the book. He’d lost it in the jumble of bedcovers. Billy gave him a push.

“Stop that,” Martha told him. “There’ll be time for stories later. Grandmother Rhetty, I’m sorry, but we have to be going. Boys, we have to go visit some schools. They are getting to be too much even for me,” Mrs. Small explained.

“But the both of us together, couldn’t we both handle them?” Great-grandmother Jeffers asked.

Mrs. Small shook her head. The land, full of caves, was on her mind. It was no place for boys to be free to roam. “It’s time they played with other children. You know, they never have much,” she said.

“Billy, Buster, move out the way!” Thomas yelled. He was back. Pesty had slipped out of the room, unnoticed, and now had returned with him. He had a breakfast tray for Great-grandmother Jeffers. It was the surprise.

“Oh!” Great-grandmother exclaimed. “I thought it would be nice if we spoiled you today,” Martha said.

“Oh my! You-all shouldn’t’ve gone to such trouble,” Great-grandmother said.

Gingerly Thomas carried the tray to her bedside. He was perspiring, for it hadn’t been easy getting up the stairs.

The twins scrambled to the foot of the bed as Thomas and Pesty placed the tray across Great-grandmother’s lap. The tray had panel legs that rested on each side of her. “Look at this!” said Great-grandmother Jeffers. “Thomas, you made these pancakes?”

“No, I just took the plate out of the oven and put everything on the tray.”

“Well! Martha, this is so sweet of you!” she said. “Billy, Buster, you’re going to help me with this food. And orange juice, too. And bacon, goodness!”

There was a neatly folded blue napkin next to the plate. There was silverware. Butter, syrup. The tray did look nice. “Come on, boys!” Great-grandmother said. “Get some of my pancakes.”

“Now take it easy.” Thomas warned his brothers.

They took it easy. They climbed down to stand by the bed next to the tray. “Pan-cakes!” said Billy. “Cakes!” Buster whispered.

They stood in line. Buster was first. Great-grandmother Jeffers spread butter and syrup on the pancakes. She cut a nice piece, speared it with her fork, and held it out to Buster. He took it all in one bite. “Ummmm!” he said.

Next, Billy took his portion in two bites. “Ummmm-huuum!” he moaned happily.

“That’s it, you guys,” Martha said. “We have to get going. Thomas, come help me with their coats and boots.”

Thomas and Pesty both helped, standing by the closet in the downstairs hall. The boys liked to grab Pesty around the neck. With their combined weight, they could topple her to her knees.

“Goodbye! Grandmother Rhetty? We’re going,” Martha called up the stairs.

“Bye!” said Billy and Buster. Now in their snowsuits, they were eager to go.

“Bye, you-all, have a good time,” Great-grandmother called from her room.

“Bye,” Thomas said.

“Bye, y’all!” Pesty added.

Then they were gone in the car. Pesty and Thomas watched it go down the road. By the time the two of them were back upstairs, Great-grandmother Jeffers was out of bed and in her bathrobe. The breakfast tray was on the floor.

“Take the tray, please, Thomas,” she said.

“But you haven’t eaten hardly a thing,” Thomas said.

“I know it,” Great-grandmother said. “I never eat much for breakfast. You-all wait for me downstairs,” she said to them. “I’ll get dressed and we’ll go.”

“We’re going to Mr. Pluto’s?” Thomas asked.

“Why not? Just let me get ready!” she said.

10

“MAYBE Y’ALL COULD COME over to my house, too,” Pesty said shyly to Thomas. “That would be something!” Thomas murmured. He set the tray down on the kitchen counter. He and Pesty ate the pancakes and bacon that Great-grandmother hadn’t eaten. “Mama’ll never know Great-grandmother Jeffers didn’t have her breakfast,” Thomas said. He took a pitcher of orange juice from the refrigerator and poured them tall glasses; put the pitcher back. They sat down with the juice at the kitchen table. They drank greedily.