DR TUTTLE took a break halfway through his pork chop It was awfully tough Glad to be out of the salt mines for a few days boys he asked setting his fork down Yeah said John Henry Tim just nodded afraid his father was about to bring up first term report cards It was the Friday before Christmas What did you do all day sing carols Dr Tuttle asked We sang Jingle Bells in assembly Tim said We had a scrimmage this afternoon John Henry said Last one of the season It was cool
It must have been said Mrs Tuttle The high for the day was ten degrees Aw you don't notice that when you're playing Mom Do you Timmy Tim grunted His fingers had been numb the whole scrimmage but it hadn't really mattered since he'd never gotten near the ball even though John Henry had thrown over and over to the boy he was meant to be covering Trying to make your kid brother look good the coach had said when he finally took Tim out Tim was in seventh grade at Burlington Middle School John Henry in sixth Me and Spider I mean Spider and I con nected for four TDs John Henry said Should have been five The last one hit him right in the bread basket and he dropped it didn't he Timmy Tim mumbled unintelligibly his mouth being full of roll You missed it Yeah I guess you were on your butt John Henry grinned at his mother Spider faked him out of his shorts Shorts on a day like this she said That seems spartan awfully
It's just an expression Mom It means he made Tim look like a dork The rolls were on the stale side but Tim had lubricated his with enough butter to get it down The field was icy he muttered And my glasses fogged up Luckily ice reminded Mrs Tuttle of a pipe that had burst that morning in the storage room of the Burlington Art Museum where she volunteered as a tour guide Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys got soaked she said How ignominious said Dr Tuttle They out fox the British army for the whole Revolutionary War only to be laid low by a burst pipe I imagine they'll survive Mrs Tuttle said They're in bronze Ah a sculpture I was thinking you meant the painting No such luck That's up in the main gallery Every time I have to call it a masterpiece of American historical painting the words stick in my throat
