Down at the Dinghy

Part 4
suddenly got to her feet, stood unreasonably erect, made an oval out of the thumb and
index finger of her right hand, drew the oval to her mouth, and--kazoo style--sounded
something like a bugle call. Lionel instantly looked up. In all probability, he was aware
that the call was bogus, but nonetheless he seemed deeply aroused; his mouth fell
open. Boo Boo sounded the call--a peculiar amalgamation of "Taps" and "Reveille"--
three times, without any pauses. Then, ceremoniously, she saluted the opposite
shoreline. When she finally reassumed her squat on the pier edge, she seemed to do so
with maximum regret, as if she had just been profoundly moved by one of the virtues of
naval tradition closed to the public and small boys. She gazed out at the petty horizon
of the lake for a moment, then seemed to remember that she was not absolutely alone.
She glanced-venerably--down at Lionel, whose mouth was still open. "That was a secret
bugle call that only admirals are allowed to hear." She lit her cigarette, and blew out the
match with a theatrically thin, long stream of smoke. "If anybody knew I let you hear
that call--" She shook her head. She again fixed the sextant of her eye on the horizon.
"Do it again."
"Impossible."
"Why?"
Boo Boo shrugged. "Too many low-grade officers around, for one thing." She changed
her position, taking up a cross-legged, Indian squat. She pulled up her socks. "I'll tell
you what I'll do, though," she said, matter-of-factly. "If you'll tell me why you're running
away, I'll blow every secret bugle call for you I know. All right?"
Lionel immediately looked down at the deck again. "No," he said.
"Why not?"
"Because."
"Because why?"
"Because I don't want to," said Lionel, and jerked the tiller for emphasis.
Boo Boo shielded the right side of her face from the glare of the sun. "You told me you
were all through running away," she said. "We talked about it, and you told me you
were all through. You promised me."

Lionel gave a reply, but it didn't carry. "What?" said Boo Boo.
"I didn't promise."
"Ah, yes, you did. You most certainly did."
Lionel resumed steering his boat. "If you're an admiral," he said, "where's your fleet?"
"My fleet. I'm glad you asked me that," Boo Boo said, and started to lower herself into
the dinghy.
"Get off!" Lionel ordered, but without giving over to shrillness, and keeping his eyes
down. "Nobody can come in."
"They can't?" Boo Boo's foot was already touching the bow of the boat. She obediently
drew it back up to pier level. "Nobody at all?" She got back into her Indian squat. "Why
not?"
Lionel's answer was complete, but, again, not loud enough.
"What?" said Boo Boo.
"Because they're not allowed."
Boo Boo, keeping her eyes steadily on the boy, said nothing for a full minute.
"I'm sorry to hear it," she said, finally. "I'd just love to come down in your boat. I'm so
lonesome for you. I miss you so much. I've been all alone in the house all day without
anybody to talk to."
Lionel didn't swing the tiller. He examined the grain of wood in its handle. "You can
talk to Sandra," he said.
"Sandra's busy," Boo Boo said. "Anyway, I don't want to talk to Sandra, I want to talk
to you. I wanna come down in your boat and talk to you."
"You can talk from there."
"What?"
"You can talk from there."
"No, I can't. It's too big a distance. I have to get up close."
Lionel swung the tiller. "Nobody can come in," he said.
"What?"