Moon Mirror Read Free

feel the pain of that. This was her own room, she was here—
    “Sue!” Jerry pounded on the door, called through it.
    “Just let me alone! Let me alone!” her voice was close to a scream.
    She had to think, to know— How did a person go crazy?
    They saw things that were not there— They— She wantedto dive into bed and pull up the covers, bury herself so and never come out. A doctor—suppose she went to Dr. Wilson and told him, and then they took her away to be shut up somewhere— And—
    Sue wanted to scream, but she would not let herself. Mom, Dad, Jerry—if she was going crazy—she could— could hurt them maybe. Get away—away from here before she did something to someone. Get away where nobody knew her—
    She began to dress. Now that she had made her decision it seemed to steady her. She could think, plan a little. She had her allowance for next week. Dad had given it to her this morning. And she had the money she had been saving up to go to the Cape with the Service Club. There was her piggy bank, too—she put dimes in that all year long for Christmas. As she buckled her sandals she counted up her resources.
    Then she got out her big purse and put it all in, the wallet with her allowance, the envelope of the club money, last of all the weight of dimes from the piggy bank, not stopping to count. Jerry had gone away. But he would tell Mom—
    Sue went to the south window. She could get out here, cut across the yard into the Fentons’ drive. She did not know the bus schedule. But if there was not one leaving soon maybe she could hitch a ride. Dad said no hitching ever, but house rules did not count now.
    The need to move fast made her stronger. Sue pushed out the window screen, scrambled through, and was down the Fentons’ drive and into the back street in no time at all. Thebus station was on Vandosia, she could cut over by the library, avoid going down De Sota.
    Holding her heavy purse against her Sue stumbled on. She had hurried so fast she was getting a pain in her side and she felt a little dizzy. Better slow up, she did not want to faint or something and fall down right on the street. Maybe she should sit down awhile. The library was closed today, she could sit on the steps at the side where the bushes were.
    “Sue! Sue Patterson!”
    The name was called so demandingly that it reached even through the fog of fear. She looked up dazedly.
    Miss Carmichael stood on the steps, she must have been working alone today. She did sometimes when she got behind. Sue, ready to cry with frustration and fear, found she could not run as she longed to.
    “Sue, this is luck, running into you today. There has to be a change in our plans for the Cape. We can't get the bus until—Sue! What is the matter, dear?”
    There she stood, wearing one of her book-colored dresses which always seemed to fit in with the shelves and the volumes which were her usual background, her gray hair cut short in ragged little points about her face, looking at Sue like Mom did just before she began to fuss. Sue felt as if she were backed against a wall with no hope of escape. For the first time she thought she could easily hate Miss Carmichael.
    “Leave me alone! Just—leave me alone!” Sue flailed out with one arm as if to beat off an expected attack.

    “Sue, there must be something very wrong. You need help.”
    “Just—leave me alone.” But Sue could not fight any longer, she felt so weak, so full of fear.
    “Sue, come on in the library. You—you are ill.”
    Sue was hardly aware of the words. In spite of herself she responded to the grasp on her arm which took her away from the walk into the dusky quiet of the big building closed for the weekend.
    “Sit here. I will get you some water—”
    Sue sat. She was in Miss Carmichael's office. It was stuffy with the smell she always associated with books. The library had always been an important part of her life since she had been old enough for Mom to bring her to pre-school story