Back in 1893, Jeff was having fun 'talking' to Helen, who was now a well-behaved young woman. He
He heard the famliar whistle and a crash in some bushes. His eyes grew wide.
'Is everything all right?' Helen signed to him. He put her hand on his head and nodded. Then he
spelled out 'Yes, but I'll be right back.' She nodded and busied herself with her needlepoint. It
was a beautiful day and she wasn't ready to go in yet.
Jeffrey ran to where the noise had come from, his little legs couldn't run fast enough!
As he got to the bushes, the pirate was standing up and brushing his pants.
"Bogg!" Jeff gave the older man a bear hug.
"Hi ya, kid! Miss me?"
"Like crazy! But, you gotta see this, Bogg. Helen and I are talking!"
"That's great, kid.Why don't you take me to her and show me?"
"All right!" Jeff dragged Bogg over to where Helen was. She looked up and smiled at him.
Jeff told her who the stranger was and why he was there.
'Is he your father?' she asked.
Phineas watched Jeff take her hand up to his head and the boy nodded.
'Then, he can stay.' Jeff laughed at her last statement.
"What she say?" Phineas asked.
"She asked me if you were my father. I told her yes and then she said, then he can stay."
Phineas chuckled.
"Tell her thanks,"
Jeff did and she laughed whole heartedly.
At that point, Anne Sullivan came around, almost out of nowhere!
"Well, I thought I heard familiar voice and I was right! Took you long enough to get back to us,
Phineas." She put her hands on her hips.
"Hello, Anne. Nice to see you again." he smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek.
She smiled and signed something to Helen. Jeff laughed.
"Okay, now I feel out of the loop." Phineas moaned.
"Hey, you can't know everything we say about you,Bogg." Jeffrey said, nudging his old friend.
It was Phineas's turn to put his hands on his hips. "And why not?"
Jeffrey laughed and slapped his partner on the shoulder.
"It's okay, Bogg. Anne just told Helen that you and I were cute,"
Phineas smiled. "Thanks,"
Anne told Helen what Phineas said and in her own voice she said, "Your welcome,"
The foursome headed for the house in merry conversation. They were greeted by James.
"Well, my helper has returned!" he said to Phineas.
"Yes, I have. Sorry I had to leave with unfinnished business,"
"That's all right, Phineas. Jeffrey told me where you went off to,"
Phineas looked over at his partner.
"I'll tell you later," Jeffrey whispered.
The rest of the day, Phineas went back to helping James and Jeffrey and Anne kept busy with Helen.
At dinner, Phineas and Anne kept eyeing eachother and Jeffrey noticed. He just moaned
inwardly and kept eating the delicious food. There was no way he was gonna eat beef jerky for
awhile! Or have the need to! He hated the stuff, though Phineas swore by it.
After dinner, Phineas and Anne went for a walk while Jeff and Helen stayed on the front porch swing.
They talked for awhile, then Helen rested her head on Jeff's shoulder and hand on his knee. The
feeling he felt was strange. He never, in his twelve years of living, never had a feeling like this
before and he decided to talk to Phineas about it later that night. He put a comforting arm
around Helen and enjoyed the spring air.
Meanwhile, Phineas and Anne enjoyed the peacefull walk with eachother. Anne had her
sunglasses on.
"Anne, it's dark out. Do you need those glasses even now?" he asked her. He had her arm around her and felt her shiver.
"Any kind of light hurts my eyes, Phineas. Even the lights from the lamps out here."
"Ugh, that must be terrible!"
"Sometimes it is a burden, but is helpful in many ways." Anne smiled.
"Helpful?"
"Well, if I took my glasses off, you'd know how I was feeling right at this very moment." she put
her head on his chest.
"Would it be that bad that I knew?"
"Phineas, let me ask you something."
"Okay. Shoot,"
"How long are you and Jeffrey going to be here?"
Phineas shrugged. "I don't know, actually. Depending on if the kid and I have done our job,"
She looked up at him. "Your job, Phineas? And what would that be?"
"I'm sorry, I can't tell you that. Jeff and I just help people if and when we can."
"That's a difficult job. What if they don't want your help?"
"That's a good question, Anne. But, sometimes they need our help when they don't know they
need help."
Anne poundered on his last statement for a minute. She suppose what he said was true.
Sometimes she herself don't realize she needed help until it was too late.
"Is Jeffrey your son, Phineas?"
uh, oh, here it comes, Phineas moaned inwardly.
"No, but I'd like to think he is. He's a very good friend and I love him just the same."
"Oh, that's nice. I wish Mr. Keller acted the same way with James."
"Yeah, I've noticed that, too. I hope Jeff and I don't do that,"
"I don't believe you will, Phineas. I sence a different comerade between the two of you. You
two respect and adore eachother and it shows. Jeff looks up to you and I know you respect him
as well,"
Phineas was impressed with her insight. She hit the nail right on the head with the two of them.
He didn't know that what was between the kid and him showed that much. Phineas supposed it did.
As of now, he was enjoying this time with Anne. A walk in the moonlight and the feeling of a
nice cool breeze hitting their faces.
He was hoping that Jeff was having the same kind of night he was with Anne. What was he
thinking?
The kid was only twelve years old! He couldn't possibly have those kind of feelings, could he?
He was gonna have to ask Jeff a few questions...