and everything but the Fourth of July parade. Just last year Lila had been the Statue of Liberty on the high school float and she had looked so wonderful with her dark hair loose and hanging down over her white robe. People had talked for days and days about what a beautiful statue Lila had been. Picturing herself in Lila’s white robe and spiky golden crown, Carly felt a sudden pang of yearning. There was nothing in the whole world that she wanted more than to be the Statue of Liberty on the Presbyterian Fourth of July float.
Looking around the room, Carly assessed her chances of being chosen and decided they were pretty good. Of course, she wasn’t as beautiful as Lila, but she’d had good luck in winning elections in the past. She’d been elected class president once, and Queen of the May twice, and secretary so many times she’d lost track. Being elected secretary might not mean a great deal, since it depended mostly on spelling ability, but presidents and Queens of the May were chosen for more complicated reasons. Carly wasn’t entirely sure just what those reasons were, but she did know that she often did well in elections. She was thinking that her chances were pretty good—until she noticed what Henry was up to.
While Mrs. Mapes took up the collection and counted it, and filled out the register, Henry whispered to Luther Purdy and Emma Hawkins and then reached in his pocket and gave them something. She was beginning to suspect the truth, even before Mavis Johns told her what was going on. When Mrs. Mapes went into the kitchen to check on her pork roast, Mavis moved closer to Carly and whispered that Henry was buying votes for the float election. His mother, Alicia Babcock, was on the float committee and she’d told him that each Sunday School class would get to choose one participant. And Henry had been rounding up votes ever since.
“He already got Bucky and Frank,” Mavis whispered excitedly, “and I think he just got Luther and Emma.”
“How about you?” Carly whispered. “Are you going to vote for him?”
Mavis smiled sheepishly. “I’d rather vote for you, Carly,” she said. “You know that.” She reached in her pocket and pulled out a shiny new dime. She looked at the dime and then at Carly. “You don’t have an extra dime, do you?” she asked. “I’ll give Henry’s back if you do.”
Mrs. Mapes came back then, so all Carly could do was toss her head and turn her back on Mavis, and think about the remarks she could have made about people who sold their friendship.
The lesson started then. The assignment had been to read all of Matthew 23 as well as memorizing verse 33, and the quiz was about everything in the whole chapter. The questions weren’t easy, but Carly had read Matthew 23 just that morning before breakfast, so it was fresh in her mind. Henry made a mess of most of his answers, but, as usual, he managed to make a joke out of his mistakes, so that the class had a good time laughing at him. When Mrs. Mapes asked him what building was described as being “white and clean on the outside and full of uncleanness on the inside,” he said, “a whitewashed outhouse,” and everyone nearly died laughing. And when Carly gave the right answer, which was, of course, a whited sepulcher, Henry whispered, “Know-it-all! Just like her pa.”
When the clock on the dining room wall said ten fifty-five, Henry raised his hand and asked when the election was going to be, and that’s when Mrs. Mapes said that there wasn’t going to be one. “I decided I would select as our representative the person with the most correct answers to today’s quiz,” she said, “and the honor goes, without question, to Carly Hartwick.” Carly marched back into the church in such a haze of excitement that she barely noticed how everyone was avoiding Henry, in case he decided to demand the return of his dimes.
Chapter 16
C ARLY HAD BEEN looking forward to Brother Tupper’s “generation of vipers”
Looking around the room, Carly assessed her chances of being chosen and decided they were pretty good. Of course, she wasn’t as beautiful as Lila, but she’d had good luck in winning elections in the past. She’d been elected class president once, and Queen of the May twice, and secretary so many times she’d lost track. Being elected secretary might not mean a great deal, since it depended mostly on spelling ability, but presidents and Queens of the May were chosen for more complicated reasons. Carly wasn’t entirely sure just what those reasons were, but she did know that she often did well in elections. She was thinking that her chances were pretty good—until she noticed what Henry was up to.
While Mrs. Mapes took up the collection and counted it, and filled out the register, Henry whispered to Luther Purdy and Emma Hawkins and then reached in his pocket and gave them something. She was beginning to suspect the truth, even before Mavis Johns told her what was going on. When Mrs. Mapes went into the kitchen to check on her pork roast, Mavis moved closer to Carly and whispered that Henry was buying votes for the float election. His mother, Alicia Babcock, was on the float committee and she’d told him that each Sunday School class would get to choose one participant. And Henry had been rounding up votes ever since.
“He already got Bucky and Frank,” Mavis whispered excitedly, “and I think he just got Luther and Emma.”
“How about you?” Carly whispered. “Are you going to vote for him?”
Mavis smiled sheepishly. “I’d rather vote for you, Carly,” she said. “You know that.” She reached in her pocket and pulled out a shiny new dime. She looked at the dime and then at Carly. “You don’t have an extra dime, do you?” she asked. “I’ll give Henry’s back if you do.”
Mrs. Mapes came back then, so all Carly could do was toss her head and turn her back on Mavis, and think about the remarks she could have made about people who sold their friendship.
The lesson started then. The assignment had been to read all of Matthew 23 as well as memorizing verse 33, and the quiz was about everything in the whole chapter. The questions weren’t easy, but Carly had read Matthew 23 just that morning before breakfast, so it was fresh in her mind. Henry made a mess of most of his answers, but, as usual, he managed to make a joke out of his mistakes, so that the class had a good time laughing at him. When Mrs. Mapes asked him what building was described as being “white and clean on the outside and full of uncleanness on the inside,” he said, “a whitewashed outhouse,” and everyone nearly died laughing. And when Carly gave the right answer, which was, of course, a whited sepulcher, Henry whispered, “Know-it-all! Just like her pa.”
When the clock on the dining room wall said ten fifty-five, Henry raised his hand and asked when the election was going to be, and that’s when Mrs. Mapes said that there wasn’t going to be one. “I decided I would select as our representative the person with the most correct answers to today’s quiz,” she said, “and the honor goes, without question, to Carly Hartwick.” Carly marched back into the church in such a haze of excitement that she barely noticed how everyone was avoiding Henry, in case he decided to demand the return of his dimes.
Chapter 16
C ARLY HAD BEEN looking forward to Brother Tupper’s “generation of vipers”
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