around at the boys. “What's under there?”
“Car-o-line!” Peter warbled.
“What?”
Jake and Josh reached down and lifted the crate while Wally shone the flashlight on it.
Caroline crawled out, eyes on the ground, and brushed off the knees of her jeans.
“Well!” said Dad, and Wally could tell he was trying not to laugh. “How was the chicken leg?”
Caroline didn't answer. Thrusting her hands in her pockets, she set off for home, looking as embarrassed as Wally had ever seen her. He almost felt sorry for her, but not quite.
Mr. Hatford watched her go, then turned to his sons. “Now, what was that all about?”
“She tried to take our bait’ said Wally.
“Maybe she was hungry’ offered Peter.
“Will all this never end?” asked Mr. Hatford. “Why do I get the feeling that I don't even know half of all that's been going on around here?”
“ ‘Cause you don't, I guess,” Wally mumbled.
“That's what I thought,” said their father. And then, “Come on, now, and finish your dinner.”
Jake and Josh set the trap again, and then they all went inside.
•
Wally lay by the window that night, listening for the faintest clang of the cowbell. For a snort, a grunt, the slightest growl. But he heard nothing. And when he got up the next morning, he woke to the special fragrance of baking bread.
Mother had been up since five, she told them, and wanted to bake the Thanksgiving bread before she went to work at noon. She was doing the turkey, the vegetables, and the bread and coffee, and Mrs. Malloy was bringing the pies, the potatoes, and a salad.
“If I do the bread today, the vegetables tomorrow, and the turkey and dressing Thanksgiving morning, I think I'll get it all done,” she said.
Wally swallowed. Thanksgiving was only two daysoff? Two more days and he'd have to spend two hours looking at Caroline's face across the table? When the Bensons used to come for Thanksgiving, the guys would always do something special. The Bensons would bring a bunch of model planes, maybe, and they'd spend all Thanksgiving, before and after dinner, making models. Or maybe, if it wasn't too cold out, they'd play touch football, and their parents would come out on the back porch to watch.
Josh came down to breakfast.
“You know what I was thinking?” Mother said. “It would be nice to have place cards at the table this year. You're so good at drawing, Josh, why don't you take some index cards and make a place card for each person?”
“Place cards?” Josh yelled. “I don't want to make place cards.”
“Well, you don't have to shout. I thought it would be nice to be fancy for once.”
“See what's happening?” Jake said from the doorway. “We've gone from having a fun Thanksgiving to fancy. Just because the Malloys are coming over.”
“I'll make place cards,” said Peter, his mouth full of cereal.
“That will be wonderful,” said Mother, raising her eyebrows at Josh, Jake, and Wally.
The only thing that made the day worth living, accordingto Wally, was the possibility that they might trap the abaguchie yet. He wasn't sure, but there were times he definitely believed that boys were smarter than girls. What boy would be crazy enough to crawl right into a trap and try to steal the bait without stopping to think that he might be trapped instead? Even Peter had brains enough not to do that.
Girls just didn't understand how things worked. They didn't think of the consequences. They just did the first dumb thing that popped in their heads, and always got into trouble. Boys thought ahead
“Let's check the box before school’ he said to Jake. “Maybe it fell down without ringing the bell.”
They put on their jackets when they were through with breakfast and went out across the yard and around the shed.
Wally stopped in his tracks and gave a shout. The refrigerator crate was gone.
Twenty-four
Cruising down the River
C aroline felt she could not go home. Screaming when she saw the
“Car-o-line!” Peter warbled.
“What?”
Jake and Josh reached down and lifted the crate while Wally shone the flashlight on it.
Caroline crawled out, eyes on the ground, and brushed off the knees of her jeans.
“Well!” said Dad, and Wally could tell he was trying not to laugh. “How was the chicken leg?”
Caroline didn't answer. Thrusting her hands in her pockets, she set off for home, looking as embarrassed as Wally had ever seen her. He almost felt sorry for her, but not quite.
Mr. Hatford watched her go, then turned to his sons. “Now, what was that all about?”
“She tried to take our bait’ said Wally.
“Maybe she was hungry’ offered Peter.
“Will all this never end?” asked Mr. Hatford. “Why do I get the feeling that I don't even know half of all that's been going on around here?”
“ ‘Cause you don't, I guess,” Wally mumbled.
“That's what I thought,” said their father. And then, “Come on, now, and finish your dinner.”
Jake and Josh set the trap again, and then they all went inside.
•
Wally lay by the window that night, listening for the faintest clang of the cowbell. For a snort, a grunt, the slightest growl. But he heard nothing. And when he got up the next morning, he woke to the special fragrance of baking bread.
Mother had been up since five, she told them, and wanted to bake the Thanksgiving bread before she went to work at noon. She was doing the turkey, the vegetables, and the bread and coffee, and Mrs. Malloy was bringing the pies, the potatoes, and a salad.
“If I do the bread today, the vegetables tomorrow, and the turkey and dressing Thanksgiving morning, I think I'll get it all done,” she said.
Wally swallowed. Thanksgiving was only two daysoff? Two more days and he'd have to spend two hours looking at Caroline's face across the table? When the Bensons used to come for Thanksgiving, the guys would always do something special. The Bensons would bring a bunch of model planes, maybe, and they'd spend all Thanksgiving, before and after dinner, making models. Or maybe, if it wasn't too cold out, they'd play touch football, and their parents would come out on the back porch to watch.
Josh came down to breakfast.
“You know what I was thinking?” Mother said. “It would be nice to have place cards at the table this year. You're so good at drawing, Josh, why don't you take some index cards and make a place card for each person?”
“Place cards?” Josh yelled. “I don't want to make place cards.”
“Well, you don't have to shout. I thought it would be nice to be fancy for once.”
“See what's happening?” Jake said from the doorway. “We've gone from having a fun Thanksgiving to fancy. Just because the Malloys are coming over.”
“I'll make place cards,” said Peter, his mouth full of cereal.
“That will be wonderful,” said Mother, raising her eyebrows at Josh, Jake, and Wally.
The only thing that made the day worth living, accordingto Wally, was the possibility that they might trap the abaguchie yet. He wasn't sure, but there were times he definitely believed that boys were smarter than girls. What boy would be crazy enough to crawl right into a trap and try to steal the bait without stopping to think that he might be trapped instead? Even Peter had brains enough not to do that.
Girls just didn't understand how things worked. They didn't think of the consequences. They just did the first dumb thing that popped in their heads, and always got into trouble. Boys thought ahead
“Let's check the box before school’ he said to Jake. “Maybe it fell down without ringing the bell.”
They put on their jackets when they were through with breakfast and went out across the yard and around the shed.
Wally stopped in his tracks and gave a shout. The refrigerator crate was gone.
Twenty-four
Cruising down the River
C aroline felt she could not go home. Screaming when she saw the
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