The Long and Short Book

By Dorothea Condry-Paulk

More Stories and Poems

A collection of long and short stories and poems for children ages six to twelve

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 31, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483623832

Dorothea Condry-Paulk

Dorothea Paulks live in Oklahoma where she manages her farm, writes and paints. Retirement from career in teaching language arts and in hospital nursing freed time to write. She has published five books at Xlibris since retiring. Sulphur Matches is her fourth novel and her first juvenile book. Adapted from the adult novel, courtesy of Andrew Carnegie, it focuses on the six-year-old Crissy instead of adult characters. She has been writing and publishing since the late sixties: clapbooks, shortstories, articles and one play which Pueblo Press published in 1980. She received her MA in writing from UCO in 1974.

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The Long and Short Book

Dorothea Condry-Paulk

Copyright © 2013 by Dorothea Condry-Paulk.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The cover design is by the author; Illustrated by Danielle Small.

Rev. date: 07/31/2013

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris LLC

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

125061

Contents

Acknowledgements

Excerpts From

Sulphur Matches And Moriah’s Ghost

Chapter I Best Friends

Chapter II The Rescue

Chapter III The Escape

Chapter IV Ghosts And Sulphur Matches

Chapter V The Raccoon

Chapter VI Joe Bob Dalton

Hooter And Bruno Share

How Turla Pat Got His Name

Mr. Kerplunk

Poems

The Gulls

Chapter 1 Breakfast

Chapter 2 Willis

Chapter 3 Rhubarb

Chapter 4 The Glasses

Chapter 5 Fishing

Chapter 6 The Escape

Chapter 7 Reconciliation

Chapter 8 The Gulls

Dedicated to Condry,

Collyn, Ethan, Hannah,

Holland, Sophia

and Elizabeth Grace

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I owe many thanks to Marilynn Penwright for her

encouragement and for the manuscript’s preparation.

Her buoyant spirit brought the project to completion.

EXCERPTS FROM

SULPHUR MATCHES AND MORIAH’S GHOST

CHAPTER I

BEST FRIENDS

The Levi family stood outside their burning home, waiting for help.

It’s Benji! Grans exclaimed, hope still in his voice. Marmi and

young Crissy scurried to the edge of the yard, their expectant faces turned toward his approach. In the midst of this new commotion, wings fluttered raucously, and Arns looked to see old Ben, struggling for a hold on a low limb of the mulberry. Wings flapping at the great torch before him, he crowed and crowed as if it were morning.

Stupid bird, Arns muttered, his attention divided between the rooster and his sister, Crissy. In the midst of Ben’s confusion, he had the distinct feeling that she was up to something. There had been many such times for him over the years, times when it seemed he couldn’t draw the bits and fragments of his feelings together and know what was happening and why. He usually brushed aside such anxieties as meaningless and went on his way. He did that now, though he saw her small fist tighten and clamp against her breast.

Grans had walked to the truck to meet Benji, whose great face, all boldness and full of cheer since Arns had known him, looked long and sorrowful.

Noel! he exclaimed, clasping the older man. Then he turned his sight directly to Marmi, his voice pleading and full of grief. Come away from this, Metti, he said. You tell the children to get in the truck; there’s nothing you can do here tonight. It’s warm at our house. You’re welcome as long as there’s need. His voice brimmed full of tears that knew no shame.

Why, Benji was a big man, Arns thought—not flabby big, but barrel-chested and tall. He did the work of two men to feed his family of six. Those tears on his face were a disturbing thing, and Arns promised himself he’d forget it in lieu of all else that Benji was, namely; their best friend and neighbor.

Obviously tempted by such an offer, Marmi leaned against him gratefully. Then her head lifted proudly in that profile Arns had seen so often. It’ll crowd ya, she said, rearranging the shawl about her shoulders. My thanks to you, Benji, but we’ll manage just fine. She fingered the silky fringe deciding just how that first of the miracles would come about. I’ve a fondness for tepees,