Johnny Tremain Read Online Free PDF Page A

pie, a flat loaf of rye bread, dried apples, and ran down cellar to fetch him a flagon of cold ale. He drank the ale, and then more leisurely began on the pie.
    With hardly a word Cilla went back to the settle where Isannah was sprawled and picked up her slate. She drew very well. It would be just about nothing, Johnny thought, to teach that girl to write.
    'She's doing it for you, Johnny,' Isannah said at last.
    'What are you doing for me, Cil?'
    'She's designing you a beautiful mark so when you are man-grown and master smith you can stamp your silver with it.'
    'I've five more years to go. No matter how good my work may be, I have to mark it with your grandpa's old pellets and "L's." '
    'Johnny's forgotten morning prayers and all those wonderful humble people,' said Cilla. 'Look, I've got your "J" and "T" sort of entwined.'
    'Too hard to read. Then, too' (he could not imagine why he came out with this secret), 'when I'm master smith I'm going to use all three of my initials.'
    All
three?
'
    'J. L. T.'
    Neither of the girls had ever heard of a poor working boy with three names. 'You're not making up?' Cilla asked, almost respectfully. 'I've heard tell of folk with three names, but I never saw one before.'
    'Look at me, my girl.' He got up to go back to the shop.
    'Wait, Johnny. What is that middle name? It begins with "L." '
    'As far as you are concerned, it ends with "L" too.'
    'I'll bet it's something so awful you are ashamed of it, like "Ladybug" or "Leapfrog." I'll bet it's "Lamentable." '
    Johnny grinned, untempted by her insults.
    In the shop it was so hot he could not handle the wax. The solitude in which he worked depressed him a little. For the first time he was afraid he could not get the handles right. All the shops had stopped work because of the heat. He could hear the other boys running and splashing, diving off the wharf into the cold water. He locked the shop. Now even Mr. Lapham would have to ask him if he wanted to get in, and he ran off to swim. Later, after sunset, he could get on with the model, even if he had to work by lamplight.
5
    When at last he blew out his lamp, Johnny had made an exact replica of the winged woman, only larger. He looked at it and knew that it was not, for some reason, quite right. Instead of going up to the attic to sleep, he crossed into the kitchen and got an old mattress. The clock struck midnight and he was asleep.
    He woke and it was still dark night. Someone was in the room with him and he thought of thieves.
    'Who's there!' he yelled roughly.
    'It's me. Johnny, I wasn't going to wake you up, if you were already asleep, but...'
    'What's wrong, Cilla?'
    'Johnny ... it's Isannah. She's sick again.'
    'What does her mother say?'
    Cilla began to cry. 'I don't want to tell her. She'd just say p-p-p-oor Ba-a-Baby wasn't worth raising.'
    Johnny was tired. At the moment he had a sneaking sympathy with Mrs. Lapham's point of view.
    'What seems to be wrong?'
    'She's so hot. She says if she can't get a breath of air, she'll throw up.' This was a very old, but dire threat.
    'There might be a little down at the end of the wharf. Fetch her down.'
    Seemed it was always like this. Whenever things went wrong and he was tired, Cilla was after him to help her nurse Isannah. Nevertheless he carried her in his thin, strong arms. She was a tiny child for eight. The white-gold hair that he secretly admired so much got into his mouth and he wished she was bald. Isannah giggled. On one side of the deserted wharf were warehouses, on the other were ships. Not a person was abroad except themselves. The child grew heavier and heavier.
    'Want to walk now, Isannah? You'd be cooler walking.'
    'I like to ride.'
    'Well—just so
you
are satisfied.'
    'Johnny,' said Cilla crossly, 'are you being sarcastic to baby?'
    'Yes.'
    'How do you feel, dear?'
    'I feel like I'm going to throw up.'
    'Oh, you get down, then,' said Johnny. 'That settles it.' But he carried her to the very end of the wharf.
    Suddenly he