its little trailer had disappeared down the road into the evening dusk.
Sophie turned back to the garage. She almost started crying, but she shook her head and blinked hard. She’d ask Mrs. Miller if she could use her telephone to call her uncle. But just as she reached the shop, the lights in the window went out!
She hurried to the door. Locked! She knocked, loudly.
“Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Miller!” she called. The lights went on again and there was Mrs. Miller’s friendly face at the door. She looked surprised.
“But you’re still here!” said Mrs. Miller. “Your mother left at least half an hour ago. Your uncle picked her up with your little brother. I thought you went with them too. And your father, he left as soon as his tire was repaired. It didn’t take us very long.”
She shook her head. She had to blink really hard now.
“We’ll just telephone your uncle’s place,” said Mrs. Miller, kindly. “Come in. Come in. I’ll look up his number in the telephone book.”
When they found the number, Sophie called. Her aunt said they thought she was coming with Papa.
“But they’ve already left!” said Sophie, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice.
“Well, your uncle will have to come back and get you then. He’ll be there in about half an hour.”
“My uncle will be here in half an hour,” she told Mrs. Miller. She sighed a big sigh. She felt better already.
Mrs. Miller nodded. “Good. I’ll stay and keep you company until he comes. Now, the comic? Did you want to buy it?”
“Oh!” Sophie realized she was still clutching the Star Girl comic. “Sorry. I don’t have enough money for it.” As she turned to put it back on the pile, she thought of something.
“Could I trade you something for the comic?”
“You’ve something to trade?”
Sophie opened her suitcase. The first thing she saw was the nightcap her grandmother had sent for her birthday.
“What about this?” she asked, offering Mrs. Miller the pink cap with shiny blue ribbons.
“That’s lovely!” said Mrs. Miller. “For such a fancy nightcap I’d give you two comics.”
By the time Sophie’s Uncle Thomas arrived with Arthur, she’d chosen a Little Lulu to go along with her Star Girl. Mrs. Miller gave her two postcards as well, showing the town of Kitchener with a sign beside the road saying, “Welcome to Kitchener. Keep it as clean as your kitchen.”
Sophie thought she’d send one card to Marcie and the other to her cousin, Danielle, in St. John’s.
It was a snug fit to get the comics into her suitcase, but she managed to squeeze them both in.
Her uncle Thomas was a big jolly sort of man with curly black hair. “Ah, there you are, ma chérie. Welcome to Kitchener. Your chariot awaits, Mademoiselle,” he said, sweeping her into his big green car.
ONTARIO QUICK FACTS
Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Loyal it began, loyal it remains). Ontario means “Beautiful Lake” in the Iroquois language.
Population: 11,506,400 (1999)
Size: 1,068,580 sq. km
Capital: Toronto
Main Industries: Manufacturing, farming, mining, forestry
Flower: White Trillium
Bird: Common Loon
Tree: White Pine
History:
In 1630, Etienne Brulé came to live with the Hurons and soon missionaries set up missions along the Great Lakes and fur traders set up trading posts. In 1781, many people loyal to Britain fled the United States and settled around York (now Toronto). In 1867, Ontario was one of the first four provinces that originally formed Canada. The manufacturing industry which developed during World War I and II attracted many workers from all parts of the world which has made Ontario a multicultural society today.
Sophie sat in the front seat between Uncle Thomas and Arthur. By the time they got to Uncle Thomas’s house, it was dark and the lights of the approaching cars blazed by.
“They’ve got their own park across the street,” Arthur told her. “Victoria Park.”
“It doesn’t belong just to us,” said Uncle Thomas. “It’s a public park and anyone can use it. And lots of hooligans do, let me tell you.”
Uncle Thomas had a fancy looking house made of stone with tall pillars holding up the roof and a grand front porch.
When they went inside, everyone, especially Arthur, had a good laugh about Sophie being left behind. Sophie didn’t think it was the least bit funny.
She was to share a bedroom with her cousin, Isabella, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time. Isabella was eight and everything about her was plump and pink. Plump, pink cheeks, puffy pink dress. Even the quilts on the twin beds in her pink bedroom were plump and pink.
That night Sophie’s dreams were filled with plump pinkness too.
The next day after breakfast, Papa said, “I really don’t trust that repaired tire can take us all across Canada. I’d feel better with a new tire.”
Uncle Thomas told him where he could buy a new one. Sophie’s three older brothers got ready to go with Papa. She was about to follow, but Maman said, “I’m sure you’ll want to stay and play with Isabella this morning, Sophie. And later, Aunt Josephine is having some ladies for lunch and she’d like you and Isabella help serve the tea. She’s even bought you a pretty dress to match Isabella’s.”
The two girls were dressed in the fancy new dresses which made Sophie scratch and itch all over. She thought they looked silly, but Maman and Auntie sighed and said they looked like two adorable sisters with their matching fluffy pink dresses and matching pink hair bows.
“They’ll be so cute helping Gretchen serve at my luncheon,” said Aunt Josephine. “Now Isabella, take Sophie out and sit on the front porch, but be sure to stay clean and tidy until our guests arrive.”
The girls put on sweaters and went out into the spring sunshine on the front porch. Isabella brought out her paper doll cut-outs. She had a paper girl doll who was the famous Olympic figure skater, Barbara Ann Scott and a paper boy doll who was also a famous skater but Sophie couldn’t remember his name. Isabella was cutting out wedding clothes for them from the
