plays the championship game and your mom runs the sale. How are you feeling, Jake? Did you have a final practice after school today?”
“Yep. We're playing the toughest team, though—the Grafton Grangers.”
“Well,
they're
playing the toughest team too, so don't let that discourage you.”
“Hey, hey!” said Jake. “I'm ready.”
When all the women had gone at last, Mrs. Hatford came upstairs and fell across her bed.
“Think you'll make it?” Mr. Hatford asked as he sat down beside her and rubbed her back, the boys gathering in the doorway.
“I've never been so tired in my whole life,” she said. “Even my fingernails ache.”
“Who's setting up tomorrow?” Wally asked.
“The men. All the husbands are going to come over at seven, set up the tables on the porch and lawn and driveway, and put out all the stuff. We've color-coded every item, so that the things that sell for between one and five dollars will go on one table, things going forfive to ten dollars will be on another, and…so… on….” Her voice dropped off as she sank into sleep. Mr. Hatford put one finger to his lips and sent the boys back to their rooms.
After Wally went to bed that night, he realized he had forgotten to demand those pictures back from Caroline now that the play was over. Well, when she came the next day to help with the sale, she'd just better have them with her, or perhaps
that
was when he'd tell her about Eddie's LET'S PLAY BALL! underpants that they were going to run up the flagpole if they didn't get their album back.
He turned on his side and smoothed out his pillow. With his ear off the pillow momentarily, however, he thought he heard a noise. Footsteps. He had thought that the rest of the family was in bed, but then the sound came again. It almost sounded as though it was coming from the front porch.
Wally sat up and listened. Then he got up and went to the door of his bedroom. All the other bedroom doors were closed, and there was no light shining from under any of them.
Wally felt his way along the dark hall and slowly descended the stairs, being careful to avoid the next to the last step because it squeaked. If there was a robber in the house, Wally didn't want to be heard.
At the bottom of the stairs, he looked all about him—the living room, the dining room… There wascertainly no one there that he could see. Wally went over to the front door. For a minute he thought of turning on the light to see if anyone was out there. Then he saw a circle of light—the beam of a flashlight—moving across the grass in the front yard and disappearing at last in the trees.
Eighteen
Mystery
I t seemed as though everyone in Upshur County was at the Buckman Elementary school baseball field on Saturday. Shortly after the Malloys were seated on the bleachers and the game with the Grafton Grangers began, Caroline whispered in her mother's ear, “I'm going over to the Hatfords’ and help Wally with the sale.”
“You're not going to watch the rest of the game?” Mrs. Malloy asked in surprise.
“I can't!” Caroline wailed softly. “I've got butterflies in my stomach. But I don't want Eddie to know I've left, so I'm just going to slide through the bleachers. You'll have to tell me about it afterwards.”
Her mother understood. “All right,” she said. “I don't want you fainting dramatically if Eddie misses a ball. I'm sure Wally can use you.” She helped Caroline slip down to the ground below. Beth and Coach Malloy didn't even notice that she had gone.
It was very warm for a day in May, and instead of her usual jeans and T-shirt, Caroline had put on a sundress that morning. If she was going to be a security guard at the Hatfords', people were going to see her. And if people were going to be noticing her, she wanted to look her best. She hurried down the sidewalk toward the Hatfords’ house but hardly recognized it when she got there.
It looked like a junkyard. An organized junkyard. Every square inch of
“Yep. We're playing the toughest team, though—the Grafton Grangers.”
“Well,
they're
playing the toughest team too, so don't let that discourage you.”
“Hey, hey!” said Jake. “I'm ready.”
When all the women had gone at last, Mrs. Hatford came upstairs and fell across her bed.
“Think you'll make it?” Mr. Hatford asked as he sat down beside her and rubbed her back, the boys gathering in the doorway.
“I've never been so tired in my whole life,” she said. “Even my fingernails ache.”
“Who's setting up tomorrow?” Wally asked.
“The men. All the husbands are going to come over at seven, set up the tables on the porch and lawn and driveway, and put out all the stuff. We've color-coded every item, so that the things that sell for between one and five dollars will go on one table, things going forfive to ten dollars will be on another, and…so… on….” Her voice dropped off as she sank into sleep. Mr. Hatford put one finger to his lips and sent the boys back to their rooms.
After Wally went to bed that night, he realized he had forgotten to demand those pictures back from Caroline now that the play was over. Well, when she came the next day to help with the sale, she'd just better have them with her, or perhaps
that
was when he'd tell her about Eddie's LET'S PLAY BALL! underpants that they were going to run up the flagpole if they didn't get their album back.
He turned on his side and smoothed out his pillow. With his ear off the pillow momentarily, however, he thought he heard a noise. Footsteps. He had thought that the rest of the family was in bed, but then the sound came again. It almost sounded as though it was coming from the front porch.
Wally sat up and listened. Then he got up and went to the door of his bedroom. All the other bedroom doors were closed, and there was no light shining from under any of them.
Wally felt his way along the dark hall and slowly descended the stairs, being careful to avoid the next to the last step because it squeaked. If there was a robber in the house, Wally didn't want to be heard.
At the bottom of the stairs, he looked all about him—the living room, the dining room… There wascertainly no one there that he could see. Wally went over to the front door. For a minute he thought of turning on the light to see if anyone was out there. Then he saw a circle of light—the beam of a flashlight—moving across the grass in the front yard and disappearing at last in the trees.
Eighteen
Mystery
I t seemed as though everyone in Upshur County was at the Buckman Elementary school baseball field on Saturday. Shortly after the Malloys were seated on the bleachers and the game with the Grafton Grangers began, Caroline whispered in her mother's ear, “I'm going over to the Hatfords’ and help Wally with the sale.”
“You're not going to watch the rest of the game?” Mrs. Malloy asked in surprise.
“I can't!” Caroline wailed softly. “I've got butterflies in my stomach. But I don't want Eddie to know I've left, so I'm just going to slide through the bleachers. You'll have to tell me about it afterwards.”
Her mother understood. “All right,” she said. “I don't want you fainting dramatically if Eddie misses a ball. I'm sure Wally can use you.” She helped Caroline slip down to the ground below. Beth and Coach Malloy didn't even notice that she had gone.
It was very warm for a day in May, and instead of her usual jeans and T-shirt, Caroline had put on a sundress that morning. If she was going to be a security guard at the Hatfords', people were going to see her. And if people were going to be noticing her, she wanted to look her best. She hurried down the sidewalk toward the Hatfords’ house but hardly recognized it when she got there.
It looked like a junkyard. An organized junkyard. Every square inch of
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