APRIL FOOL?

April Fool has gone and past
And you’re the biggest fool at last

Jenny slept in the high bed in the bedroom and Margaret slept on the duo-fold in the parlor.
Jenny could look down on Margaret and usually waited until Margaret was up before getting up herself. She was afraid of going alone into the empty kitchen. This had happened before when she had gotten up too early and no one was up yet. How quiet and empty and lonely the kitchen had seemed.There was nobody to greet her and no happy clatter of dishes or morning’s activities.

Margaret knew Jenny usually got up shortly after she did. She wanted to have things to herself and decided to play a trick on Jenny. She put her big doll with the real hair in her place in bed and left only a little of the hair uncovered.

Jenny awoke and saw what she thought was the top of Margaret’s head on the pillow. She tossed and turned over and over. Margaret was lying so still. Maybe she was dead. She was afraid to look any closer and pulled the covers over her head. After a while Mother came in calling, “Jenny! Are you all right? It’s almost ten thirty.”

“But Margaret isn’t up yet either.

“Margaret has been up for over two hours.”

“Look, she’s still in bed,” Jenny said.

Mother pulled back the covers and there was the doll. Jenny felt very foolish. Why was she always on the losing end of the joke?

Margaret knew that her prank wouldn’t work again, but it had been fun while it lasted.

A couple of years later Jenny got her revenge. By now Margaret liked sleeping late and Jenny was the early bird. After she had eaten her breakfast and played outside a bit, she got an idea. She went to the piano and began playing a little piece she had learned this summer and sang along with her playing as loudly as she could:

Lazy Margaret will you get up? 
Will you , will you , will you get up? 
Lazy Margaret will you get up?  Will you get up today?”

“Moth-er! Make her be quiet so I can sleep.”

“Well, it’s time you were getting up anyhow. You can’t just sleep your life away. Besides, I could use some help.”

Margaret grudgingly got up, glaring at Jenny. Suddenly Jenny felt very strong and powerful. She smiled a satisfied little smile to herself.