It was as big as we could make it and covered with lovely red paper ; we had pasted gold tinsel stars all over it and written our names out in full on it -- Claude Martin Leete and Philippa Brewster Leete , Big Half Moon Lighthouse . That kite had the most magnificent tail , too . It used to scare the gulls nearly to death when we sent up our kites . They did n't know what to make of them . And the Big Half Moon is such a place for gulls -- there are hundreds of them here . One day there was a grand wind for kite-flying , and Claude and I were having a splendid time . We used our smaller kites for signalling , and when we got tired of that Claude sent me to the house for the big one . I 'm sure I do n't know how it happened , but when I was coming back over the rocks I tripped and fell , and my elbow went clear through that lovely kite . You would never have believed that one small elbow could make such a big hole . Claude said it was just like a girl to fall and stick her elbow through a kite , but I do n't see why it should be any more like a girl than a boy . Do you ? We had to hurry to fix the kite if we wanted to send it up before the wind fell , so we rushed into the lighthouse to get some paper . We knew there was no more red paper , and the looks of the kite were spoiled , anyhow , so we just took the first thing that came handy -- an old letter that was lying on the bookcase in the sitting-room . I suppose we should n't have taken it , although , as matters turned out , it was the best thing we could have done ; but Father was away to the mainland to buy things , and we never thought it could make any difference about an old yellow letter . It was one Father had taken from a drawer in the bookcase which he had cleaned out the night before . We patched the kite up with the letter , a sheet on each side , and dried it by the fire . Then we started out , and up went the kite like a bird . The wind was glorious , and it soared and strained like something alive . All at once -- snap ! And there was Claude , standing with a bit of cord in his hand , looking as foolish as a flatfish , and our kite sailing along at a fearful rate of speed over to the mainland .
I might have said XXXXX Claude , So like a boy !
although at by in of out than through to with