Some Luck Read Online Free PDF Page A

take Frankie out? It’s not that cold. We can walk down the road and look for wildflowers.”
    Rosanna picked up the stack of folded clothes and set them in the laundry basket. They smelled starchy and fresh. She said, “That’s fine. I saw some bluebells when I was out there yesterday.”
    She turned toward the stairs. Now she could hear him calling her by name—“Mama! Mama!” The very sound of his voice made her want to set down the laundry basket and run to him, but she maintained her dignity because Eloise was right behind her.
    ELOISE WAS THERE at Thanksgiving, and she was looking at Frankie the very moment when he astounded the entire family by shouting, “One two three four five six sedno eight none tin!” Her mother ran in from the kitchen, Rosanna threw up her hands, and even Rolf, who was leaning over his plate in what Eloise considered her brother’s usual thickheaded way, looked up and laughed. Opa said, “I’ll be!” Frank became the family genius right there. Her mother remembered some aunt who could read at four, and also that Rosanna had said, “I’m very pleased to meet you, sir,” to Father Berger when she was not yet two, without any coaching at all. But one to ten at not yet two—well, that was something.
    Eloise was less impressed. Now that she had been looking after little Frank for almost nine months, she knew he was far from perfect. The thing he was smart at was not taking no for an answer, but, thought Eloise, no one knew that, because no one ever said no tohim other than herself. Rosanna said, “I don’t think so, darling,” or “Maybe later, Frank, honey,” and then Frank wheedled and nodded until Rosanna thought he was so cute that she gave him whatever he wanted, and then she told everyone what a happy and agreeable baby he was. When Eloise said no to him (“No, I will not give you my spritz cookie,” for example), Frank opened his mouth and screamed. Then Rosanna came running up the stairs and said, “Why is he screaming?” and before Eloise had a chance to answer, she swept Frankie into her arms and said, “All right, baby. All right, Frankie, let’s go downstairs and let Eloise finish her studying.” Of course, Frankie didn’t get the cookie, but he did get something better, Eloise thought, since Rosanna was still nursing him, just the way her mother and Aunt Helen had nursed every one of the children except Eloise (“She weaned herself at nine months. I never will understand that child”) until the next one came along.
    Frank didn’t ask Walter for anything at all. He sometimes looked at Walter, and he laughed when Walter sat down on the floor and played with the jack-in-the-box and the drum. Or he rode on Walter’s shoulders or hung upside down over Walter’s arm and laughed, but Eloise could see that Frank was a little afraid of Walter, as who wouldn’t be, loud as Walter was.
    Every day, Frank attempted with Eloise what worked so well with Rosanna—talking. Just today, when Eloise picked Frank up from the puzzle he was looking at (and chewing on the pieces, not putting it together, where was the genius in that?) to put him in his bed for his nap, he had cried and reached for the puzzle, trying to get down. “Time for a nap,” said Eloise. Rosanna was in the kitchen making her pumpkin pies, so there was no help for him.
    “Puz!” barked Frank.
    “After your nap,” said Eloise.
    “Puz! One puz!” said Frank, now not crying, but looking at her.
    “No,” said Eloise.
    “One!” said Frank.
    “No,” said Eloise.
    And here was where Frank arched his back and had a tantrum, because Rosanna was always so charmed by Frank saying “One puz!” or “Little later!” that she gave in, and let him have one more minute with the puzzle or ten more minutes before bed. It wasn’t at all likeliving at home with her brothers, who at fourteen, ten, and seven were so used to “no” that, even as their mother was opening her mouth to respond to any request