"Robert F. Young - Little Red Schoolhouse" - читать интересную книгу автора (Young Robert F)

RONNIEтАЩS eyes got big. тАЬOh, but I didnтАЩt want to leave the valley, sir,тАЭ he
said. тАЬNora and Jim waited until I went to sleep one night, and then they put
me on the stork train, and when I woke up I was already on my way to the city.
I want to go back to the valley, sir. IтАФI ran away from home.тАЭ
тАЬI understand,тАЭ the truant officer said, тАЬand IтАЩm going to take you back to
the valleyтАФback to the little red schoolhouse.тАЭ He reached down and took
RonnieтАЩs hand.
тАЬOh, will you, sir?тАЭ Ronnie could hardly contain the sudden happiness that
coursed through him. тАЬI want to go back in the worst way!тАЭ
тАЬOf course I will. ItтАЩs my job.тАЭ The truant officer started walking toward
the big building and Ronnie hurried along beside him. тАЬBut first IтАЩve got to
take you to the principal.тАЭ
Ronnie drew back. He became aware then of what a tight grip the truant
officer had on his weak-feeling hand.
тАЬCome on,тАЭ the truant officer said, making the grip even tighter. тАЬThe
principal wonтАЩt hurt you.тАЭ
тАЬIтАФI never knew there was a principal,тАЭ Ronnie said, hanging back. тАЬMiss
Smith never said anything about him.тАЭ
тАЬNaturally thereтАЩs a principal; there has to be. And he wants to talk to
you before you go back. Come on now, like a good boy, and donтАЩt make it
necessary for me to turn in a bad report about you. Miss Smith wouldnтАЩt like
that at all, would she?тАЭ
тАЬNo, I guess she wouldnтАЩt,тАЭ Ronnie said, suddenly contrite. тАЬAll right,
sir, IтАЩll go.тАЭ
Ronnie had learned about principals in school, but he had never seen one.
He had always assumed that the little red schoolhouse was too small to need
one and he still couldnтАЩt understand why it should. Miss Smith was perfectly
capable of conducting the school all by herself. But most of all, he couldnтАЩt
understand why the principal should live in a place like the terminalтАФif it
was a terminalтАФand not in the valley.
 However, he accompanied the truant officer dutifully, telling himself that
he had a great deal to learn about the world and that an interview with a
principal was bound to teach him a lot.

THEY entered the building through an entrance to the left of the archway and
walked down a long bright corridor lined with tall green cabinets to a frosted
glass door at the farther end. The lettering on the glass said: EDUCATIONAL
CENTER 16, H. D. CURTIN, PRINCIPAL.
The door opened at the truant officerтАЩs touch and they stepped into a small
white-walled room even more brightly illumined than the corridor. Opposite the
door was a desk with a girl sitting behind it, and behind the girl was another
frosted glass door. The lettering said: PRIVATE.
The girl looked up as the truant officer and Ronnie entered. She was young
and prettyтАФalmost as pretty as Miss Smith.
тАЬTell the old man the Meadows kid finally showed up,тАЭ the truant officer
said.
The girlтАЩs eyes touched RonnieтАЩs, then dropped quickly to a little box on
her desk. Ronnie felt funny. There had been a strange look in the girlтАЩs
eyesтАФa sort of sadness. It was as though she was sorry that the truant officer
had found him.