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Mr. Patch-Withers’ laughter surprised us all, including himself. His face, whose shades we had often labeled, now achieved a new one. Phineas was very happy; sour and stern Mr. Patch-Withers had been given a good laugh for once, and he had done it! He broke into the charmed, thoughtless grin of a man fulfilled.
He had gotten away with everything. I felt a sudden stab of disappointment. That was because I just wanted to see some more excitement; that must have been it.
We left the party, both of us feeling fine. I laughed along with Fi
Fi
“Yes. It sure was boring. Who did most of the talking anyway?”
Fi
“Yeah. And?”
Turning a look of mock shock on me, “You don’t mean to infer that I talked too much!”
Returning, with interest, his gaping shock, “You? Talk too much? How can you accuse me of accusing you of that!” As I said, this was my sarcastic summer. It was only long after that I recognized sarcasm as the protest of people who are weak.
We walked along through the shining afternoon to the river. “I don’t really believe we bombed Central Europe, do you?” said Fi
Far ahead of us four boys, looking like white flags on the endless green playing fields, crossed toward the te
Bombs in Central Europe were completely unreal to us here, not because we couldn’t imagine it—a thousand newspaper photographs and newsreels had given us a pretty accurate idea of such a sight—but because our place here was too fair for us to accept something like that. We spent that summer in complete selfishness, I’m happy to say. The people in the world who could be selfish in the summer of 1942 were a small band, and I’m glad we took advantage of it.
“The first person who says anything unpleasant will get a swift kick in the ass,” said Fi
“All right.”
“Are you still afraid to jump out of the tree?”
There’s something unpleasant about that question, isn’t there?”
“That question? No, of course not. It depends on how you answer it.”
“Afraid to jump out of that tree? I expect it’ll be a very pleasant jump.”
After we had swum around in the water for a while Fi
“My pleasure.”
Rigid, I began climbing the rungs, slightly reassured by having Fi
“A suicide society,” I said stiffly. “The Suicide Society of the Summer Session.”
“Good! The Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session! How’s that?”
“That’s fine, that’s okay.”
We were standing on a limb, I a little farther out than Fi
It was only after di
Chapter 3
Yes, he had practically saved my life. He had also practically lost it for me. I wouldn’t have been on that damn limb except for him. I wouldn’t have turned around, and so lost my balance, if he hadn’t been there. I didn’t need to feel any tremendous rush of gratitude toward Phineas.
The Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session was a success from the start. That night Fi
We began to meet every night to initiate them. The Charter Members, he and I, had to open every meeting by jumping ourselves. This was the first of the many rules which Fi
We met every night, because Fi