Chapter 7 Surprised Moms

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=55 BGCOLOR="#CC9966" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="c267f3b1dkesoe.jpg"> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=170 BGCOLOR="#CC9966" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="b3ab6c22dkesoe.jpg"> <div>  <IMG SRC="1125e5c0.jpg" border=0 width="94" height="92" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Chapter 7</B></div> <div> <B>Surprised Moms</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" "><U><U><IMG SRC="a2a8c360.jpg" border=0 width="140" height="54" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="3" VSPACE="3"></U></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id120.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapters Page"><U><B><IMG SRC="a176c320.jpg" border=0 width="108" height="50" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id70.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 8 Martha MacCowley Day"><U><B>Chapter 8 Martha MacCowley Day</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=425 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> Chapter 7 Surprised Moms</B></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >   </FONT><B>  Harry and Jimmy astounded Harry's mother one Thursday afternoon.  How it came about was this; Mrs. Killman was cooking in the kitchen --frying chicken, in fact, when she heard someone </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#00CCFF" FACE="Arial" ><B><IMG SRC="1436e390.png" border=0 width="110" height="57" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="1" VSPACE="1"></B></FONT><B>playing her mama's old upright piano in the parlor.  There were several neighbors on the block who could play, but did not have a piano, and they occasionally would stop in to practice.  This was fine with Mrs. Killman as she loved music and nothing could make a hot summer afternoon chore more pleasant than to have music to listen to in the house.</B></div> <div> <B>     Whoever this neighbor may be, he or she certainly had an interesting way with a hymn.  As she listened she thought she could hear a rhythmic stomping accompanying the piano -- yes, it was certain whoever was playing was stomping feet in time to the marching beat of the hymn.  Her ears now fully tuned in to the music, she realized that she was actually hearing one piano but four hands!  There were two players and they were certainly getting a lot out of that old piano.</B></div> <div> <B>     Mrs. Killman took the last piece of chicken from the grease and decided to go see who was making all that music.  Being able only to see their backs, at first she thought they were two midgets from a side show who had invaded her home.  After the astonishment of registering the size of the players she then realized they were two boys.  But whose children on the block would be cheeky enough to enter someone's home without permission, much less play one's piano?  Purposefully she strode across the room, fingers aiming for ears.</B></div> <div> <B>     The boys, who had just finished their third rendition of  “Onward, Christian Soldiers”  with a jazzy flourish, rocked back on the bench in a convulsion of laughter.  Mrs. Killman saw then that <IMG SRC="111717b0.png" border=0 width="113" height="123" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="0">it was her own Harry with Jimmy who had been playing her piano.  This not only stopped her in her tracks it also left her standing with her mouth gaping open trying to form words.  Harry and Jimmy turned and saw Mrs. Killman doing an impression of a fish and they thought that was funny, too.</B></div> <div> <B>     Mrs. Killman quickly regained her wits and gasped:  “Harry! Jimmy! How in the world did you learn to do that?  Where did you learn to do that? When did you learn to do that?”</B></div> <div> <B>     Harry said: “Gee Momma, which question do ya want us ta answer first?”</B></div> <div> <B>     But there was no need to answer for Evelyn Miller Killman was already out the back door shouting at the top of her lungs,  "Martha . . .Martha MacCowley Day!  Come see . . .  come hear!  Martha! Martha!"</B></div> <div> <B>     Mrs. Day, who had supper on the stove and in the oven, had just sat down to do some <IMG SRC="1414f3c0.png" border=0 width="79" height="60" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="3">mending in the cool breeze of the front room when she heard the shouting.  She was so startled that she threw her sewing basket straight up at the ceiling and started running to the back of the house with images of injury or fire in her mind.</B></div> <div> <B>     She ran through the kitchen and right into Evelyn Killman.  Both women being of comfortable build, there was ample bumperage to prevent injury.  Evelyn Killman, who was now quite out of breath, just grabbed Martha Day's hand and dragged her toward the Killman household.</B></div> <div> <B>     Around The Killman home such a fuss usually meant that someone was in deep trouble, and Harry was thinking about hiding somewhere when his momma and Jimmy's puffed through the door, cheeks pink and eyes wide.</B></div> <div> <B>     “Jimmy, Harry, DO IT AGAIN! PLAY THE SONG AGAIN!” gasped Mrs. Killman.</B></div> <div> <B>     The boys looked at each other, giggled, and started to play.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>To</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id70.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 8 Martha MacCowley Day"><U><B>Chapter 8 Martha MacCowley Day</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>