Family Reminders Read Online Free Page B

rushing of the river
.
    Finally Daddy called us to a lunch of trout cooked over the campfire. “Why is it that food always tastes better on a picnic?” Mama asked, after cutting into the tender trout with her fork, washing it down with the icy stream water, and topping her meal off with fresh, sweet raspberries
.

    “It must be my cooking,” Daddy said, with a wink
.
    After lunch Mama stretched out on a blanket in the shade and read her book. Daddy leaned against a tree, pulled out his knife, and began to whittle, and I waded in the river. So the afternoon passed until dark thunderstorms rumbled down from the peaks and chased us home
.
    That night when I climbed into bed, tired and content with my day, I found the carving Daddy had been working on tucked under my pillow. It was a girl with the hem of her long skirt tucked into her waistband and an overflowing bucket of raspberries in her hand
.
    “Hurry up, Mary. It will be dark soon,” Mama said, her voice rousing me from my reverie. “Here’s a dime. Tell Mr. Brown that Daddy needs more pipe tobacco. He’ll know which kind.”
    “Just one minute, Mama,” I said as I ducked quickly into my room and grabbed the Raspberry Reminder still sitting on my dresser. It was a good memory, and I wasn’t ready to leave it behind. I stuck the Reminder into my coat pocket and headed out the door and down the hill toward Bennett Avenue.

Ten

    The bell at the top of the door jingled, and a voice from the back said, “I’ll be out in just a minute.”
    “That’s okay, Mr. Brown,” I called back. “Don’t hurry. It’s just me, Mary McHugh.” The truth is, I was glad to have a chance to wander around the store alone, breathing in the spicy-sweet smell of tobacco. Outside, the sign read “Brown’s Emporium: The Finest Things in Life.” Inside, the store was crowded with shelves and glass display cases full of beautiful things to buy: fancy marble chess sets, carved wooden pipes, delicate music boxes, jewelry, and sculptures from all around the world. As I looked around I thought about the town’s rich mine managers, bankers, and store owners who bought these trinkets.

    “Well, hello, Mary,” Mr. Brown said as he came out of the store’s back room. “What can I do for you today?”
    “I came to get some more of Daddy’s pipe tobacco,” I said, fishing in my pocket for the dime Mama had given me earlier. “I know it’s here somewhere,” I said nervously. A dime was a lot of money, and our family couldn’t afford to lose even a penny. I emptied the contents of my pocket out onto the counter. I pulled out a purple-veined rock that I’d found up on the mountain, Daddy’s Raspberry Reminder, and a piece of hard candy. “Here it is,” I said finally, holding up the dime triumphantly.
    ”And here is your daddy’s tobacco,” Mr. Brown said, looking over the treasures lined up across the counter. “This is mighty fine work,” he said, picking up Daddy’s carving and inspecting it with an experienced eye over the top of his glasses. “Yes, mighty fine indeed,” he said softly to himself. He turned it over and over in his hand, inspecting the delicate details of the girl’s dress and bucket.
    “Where did you get this, Mary?” he asked at last.
    “It’s my Raspberry Reminder. Daddy made it for me last summer after we went raspberry picking. He carves lots of things. He even makes furniture,” I boasted proudly, feeling happy that I had something to brag about.
    “This is beautiful, Mary. Your daddy is a real artist,” Mr. Brown said slowly. “How ‘bout I buy it from you? I could easily sell it in the store.”
    I smiled as I pictured Daddy’s Reminder sitting on the shelf in some fancy mansion up on the hill, or better yet, wrapped up and taken to Denver. “Thank you, Mr. Brown, but I can’t. See, it’s me. I’m holding my pail of raspberries. I could never sell it. Especially now …”
    Mr. Brown looked over the carving once more before