back door of Oldakers’ Bookstore after a burglar alarm was tripped Monday night is man-made fiber, forensicexperts determined. With further reported sightings of the elusive creature some residents have called the abaguchie, there was speculation that this animal may have been the culprit at Oldakers', where its supposed fur was found caught in the latch.
“These are polyester fibers frequently found on outdoor wear, made to resemble fur, and have no natural properties whatsoever,” said Don Matting, a forensic expert for Upshur County….
Caroline exchanged looks with Beth and Eddie. That was a disappointment, because it would have been fun to keep the abaguchie rumor going, but right now they were more interested in whether or not the Hatford boys had discovered what happened to their trap.
They hadn't long to wait, because after they started out for school, they saw the four Hatford brothers in the middle of the swinging bridge, their mouths open, faces forlorn, staring silently at a large wooden refrigerator crate, which had somehow managed to leave their backyard in the middle of the night to throw itself into the Buckman River, and which now sat lodged against a pile of rocks in the very middle, the chicken leg still swinging from a wire on the inside.
Twenty-five
Dinner Guest
W ally watched the Malloys coming up the driveway for Thanksgiving. Coach Malloy came first, holding a low open box with three pies in it, from what Wally could see.
Caroline's mother was next, holding a large covered dish. Then Eddie, who seemed to have been talked into wearing a skirt under her baseball jacket, and was carrying still another dish; Beth, who was holding a paper bag in one hand and a book stuck out in front of her with the other; and finally Caroline, with some kind of an acorn, pine-cone, ribbon creation in her hands, the ugliest thing Wally had ever seen.
The Whomper, the Weirdo, and the Crazie, that's what he and his brothers had nicknamed the girls— Whomper, because Eddie could whomp a baseball farther than any other girl he'd ever seen; Weirdo,because Beth was always reading about dragons and vampires and trolls; and Crazie, because you never knew what Caroline was going to try next, but whatever it was, it would be off the wall.
This was the first time the Bensons and Hatfords had not been together for Thanksgiving. The Benson brothers were probably sitting around a table in Georgia this very minute, their mouths full of thirty different kinds of desserts.
Well, let the Malloys come¡ Wally was ready for them. He fingered something in his right pants pocket, and a smile spread slowly across his face.
One minute his house was fairly quiet—the sound of a video game going in the living room, Mom in the kitchen listening to her favorite radio station, the snap of the fire in the fireplace—and the next, the hallway was filled with Malloys, with Coach Malloy's deep voice and Mrs. Malloy's high one, with the sound of hangers clunking and scraping as coats were hung in the closet.
“Happy Thanksgiving, and welcome to our home.”
“How nice of you to invite us.”
“A real November sky out there.”
“My, those pies smell so good.”
Just like it was when the Bensons used to come, there was so much food, it didn't all fit on the table. Mr. Hatford carved half the twenty-pound turkeyand set the rest on the back porch, but things still didn't seem the same as when the Bensons were there.
When they sat down around the big table, with Peter's place cards at every plate, Wally sat right beside Caroline. Jake had switched his place card so he did not have to sit beside Eddie, and Josh had switched his so he did not have to sit beside Beth, but Wally had made sure that he was right beside Caroline.
He hoped that the Malloys did not insist on holding hands around the table during grace, or singing “Come Ye Thankful People, Come” or something, and was glad when his father bowed his head and
“These are polyester fibers frequently found on outdoor wear, made to resemble fur, and have no natural properties whatsoever,” said Don Matting, a forensic expert for Upshur County….
Caroline exchanged looks with Beth and Eddie. That was a disappointment, because it would have been fun to keep the abaguchie rumor going, but right now they were more interested in whether or not the Hatford boys had discovered what happened to their trap.
They hadn't long to wait, because after they started out for school, they saw the four Hatford brothers in the middle of the swinging bridge, their mouths open, faces forlorn, staring silently at a large wooden refrigerator crate, which had somehow managed to leave their backyard in the middle of the night to throw itself into the Buckman River, and which now sat lodged against a pile of rocks in the very middle, the chicken leg still swinging from a wire on the inside.
Twenty-five
Dinner Guest
W ally watched the Malloys coming up the driveway for Thanksgiving. Coach Malloy came first, holding a low open box with three pies in it, from what Wally could see.
Caroline's mother was next, holding a large covered dish. Then Eddie, who seemed to have been talked into wearing a skirt under her baseball jacket, and was carrying still another dish; Beth, who was holding a paper bag in one hand and a book stuck out in front of her with the other; and finally Caroline, with some kind of an acorn, pine-cone, ribbon creation in her hands, the ugliest thing Wally had ever seen.
The Whomper, the Weirdo, and the Crazie, that's what he and his brothers had nicknamed the girls— Whomper, because Eddie could whomp a baseball farther than any other girl he'd ever seen; Weirdo,because Beth was always reading about dragons and vampires and trolls; and Crazie, because you never knew what Caroline was going to try next, but whatever it was, it would be off the wall.
This was the first time the Bensons and Hatfords had not been together for Thanksgiving. The Benson brothers were probably sitting around a table in Georgia this very minute, their mouths full of thirty different kinds of desserts.
Well, let the Malloys come¡ Wally was ready for them. He fingered something in his right pants pocket, and a smile spread slowly across his face.
One minute his house was fairly quiet—the sound of a video game going in the living room, Mom in the kitchen listening to her favorite radio station, the snap of the fire in the fireplace—and the next, the hallway was filled with Malloys, with Coach Malloy's deep voice and Mrs. Malloy's high one, with the sound of hangers clunking and scraping as coats were hung in the closet.
“Happy Thanksgiving, and welcome to our home.”
“How nice of you to invite us.”
“A real November sky out there.”
“My, those pies smell so good.”
Just like it was when the Bensons used to come, there was so much food, it didn't all fit on the table. Mr. Hatford carved half the twenty-pound turkeyand set the rest on the back porch, but things still didn't seem the same as when the Bensons were there.
When they sat down around the big table, with Peter's place cards at every plate, Wally sat right beside Caroline. Jake had switched his place card so he did not have to sit beside Eddie, and Josh had switched his so he did not have to sit beside Beth, but Wally had made sure that he was right beside Caroline.
He hoped that the Malloys did not insist on holding hands around the table during grace, or singing “Come Ye Thankful People, Come” or something, and was glad when his father bowed his head and
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