8 Noonday Surprise

8 NOONDAY SURPRISE "Jack! Annie!" a voice called from the campsite. "Jack, wake up," said Annie. "Charlie's calling us." "Oh! What?" said Jack, opening his eyes. "We're up here! We're coming!" Annie shouted back to Charlie. Jack was still holding his pencil. "What happened?" "We fell asleep drawing stars," said Annie. Overhead, all the stars had vanished from sight. In the pale dawn, Jack could see the valley below. He saw the huge rock formations and the high white waterfall. He held up his sketchbook. He looked at his last sketch. "Oh, man, I don't believe this," he said. "Look!" said Annie, holding up her book.

Both their drawings showed countless tiny silver dots on a black background. Their magic pencils had miraculously captured the full starry night sky over Yosemite. "It looks just like what we saw," said Annie. "Totally!" said Jack. Birds started singing. "It's a new morning," said Annie. She smiled. "Maybe it will be a fun day." Jack was relieved. Annie seemed like her regular self. "Jack! Annie!" Charlie shouted again. "Coming!" Jack and Annie put their pencils and sketchbooks back in their pockets. They scrambled down from the ledge. Sunlight was shining on the campsite. John and Teddy were eating breakfast. Archie was packing up all the gear. Charlie held a skillet over a low fire. "Come get your pancakes!" he called to Jack and Annie. "Oh, boy!" said Jack. Sleeping in the open air had given him a big appetite. "Good morning, friends!" said Teddy. "Up early sketching the view?"

"Up late," said Annie. "We sketched a billion stars." Teddy laughed. "I hope you got 'em all," he said. "Actually, we did," said Annie. "May we see your sketches?" said John. "Yes!" said Annie. She and Jack pulled out their sketchbooks and handed them to John and Teddy. Jack and Annie ate their pancakes while the two men looked carefully at their nature drawings—the squirrel, red bird, mushroom, tree trunk, butterfly, deer, boulders, cedar, pines, waterfall, rock formations, and starry night sky. "Goodness, your work is remarkable," said John. "Your drawings capture both the majesty of Yosemite and the beauty of its small, everyday wonders." "Thanks," said Jack and Annie. At first, Teddy didn't speak. As he studied the sketchbooks, he kept shaking his head. Finally he looked up. "Words cannot express the full truth of nature's magic," he said. "But your drawings have done just that." "Thank you, sir. We only wish we could save it," Annie said.

"Save what?" said Teddy. "The wilderness," said Annie. "We wish no one would ever slaughter birds or catch animals in steel traps or cut down the giant trees." "Really?" said Teddy. "Even as a child, you think about these things?" "I cry about these things," said Annie. "She does," said Jack. Teddy stared thoughtfully at them. "Ready to go, sir?" Charlie asked. "We need to be there by noon." The two forest rangers had packed up everything and saddled the horses and mules. Teddy took a deep breath and let it out. "Yes, I believe I am," he said, standing. "Let us go now, my friends, and face civilization." The four men mounted their horses. Jack and Annie climbed onto their mules. With Teddy in the lead, they all rode away from the campsite. Soon Jack noticed something strange. Women and children were peeking out from behind trees along the trail. "Who are they?" he asked Annie. "I don't know," Annie said. "Look, there's

more." She pointed to a group farther along the trail. As the riders drew closer to the crowd, everyone smiled and waved. Children jumped up and down with excitement. Charlie rode to the front, shouting, "Step back! Please, step back!" He cleared the way, making a path for Teddy and the other riders. The horses and mules quickened their pace and trotted past the onlookers. "What's going on?" said Jack, looking over his shoulder. People were still waving at them. "I don't know. But look—there's lots more," said Annie. Up ahead, the trail widened. Jack could see hundreds of people standing outside a white, wooden hotel. Horse-drawn carriages were parked under trees. As the riders drew closer, photographers rushed forward and snapped photos of Teddy and John. The people in the crowd began cheering. Jack heard someone shout, "Mr. President! Mr. President!" Mr. President? thought Jack. Who's that? Teddy and John climbed off their horses. They

shook hands with men in suits. A tall man led Teddy to the front steps of the hotel. The crowd pressed forward to hear him speak. Jack and Annie sat on their mules and stared in shock. "Is Teddy president of something?" asked Annie. "Seems like it," said Jack. "President of what?" said Annie. "Ladies and gentlemen!" a tall man shouted. "Please welcome the president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt!" "Wha-at?" Jack nearly fell off his mule. "Wow! Oh, wow!" cried Annie. As the crowd cheered wildly, she cheered, too. "Yay! Yay!" Jack was too stunned to clap or cheer. He couldn't believe it. Teddy wasn't just a friendly, fearless cowboy. Teddy was the president of the United States!