jackets, the boys ran outside into the misty rain and headed for the footbridge. The water had been rising in the Buckman River and was only six feet below the bridge.
“If it keeps on raining like this, the river will flood,” said Danny. “Remember that time it got up almost as high as the footbridge?”
“Come on!” Steve said. “I see the girls outside.”
Indeed, the Malloys were waiting for them, standing out in the yard in their yellow slickers. They looked like crossing guards, Wally thought. He had only come over here because the other guys wanted to come, but he knew that Caroline would be unbearable.
She was.
“Did you see? Did you see?” she called excitedly, running forward to meet them. “My picture's right there on the front page, and—”
“We're all on the front page, Caroline,” said Eddie. “Pipe down, will you?”
“So, what do you think? Was it a good idea or was it a good idea !” Steve bragged.
“Okay, so it was a good idea!” said Jake irritably. Now Steve was getting unbearable.
“I didn't even get a chance to put the chicken out,” said Eddie. “The cougar must have been really hungry to go for those leftover food scraps and bones.” The twelve of them moved inside the garage to keep dry.
“Wally, weren't you scared up there in the loft?” Beth asked him. “I'd have been terrified.”
“Oh, I don't know,” said Wally. “I figured I'd get down sooner or later.”
“Weren't you scared, Caroline, when you shut the door?” asked Bill.
Caroline dramatically placed her hand over her heart. “Absolutely, positively terrified!” she answered. “My entire life flashed before my eyes. All the roles on Broadway I would never play. ‘Do it for the good of Buckman,' I told myself, even though I might be clawed to death.”
“Oh, brother!” murmured Tony.
All day, neighborhood kids came by the garage to see where the cougar had been trapped. They wanted to climb up into the loft to see where Wally had been hiding, to see the window where the animal control man had climbed inside. Caroline sat at the back of the garage holding court like a queen, and all she would say when friends asked if she had been scared was, “Absolutely, positively terrified.”
“She's sickening,” said Beth. “ Do something, Eddie!”
“Hey, Caroline,” Eddie called. “You know what we just found out? You may have RM disease. Anyone who is anywhere near a wild animal, like a cougar, is susceptible to an airborne virus that's sometimes fatal. You were probably closer than anyone.”
Caroline stopped bragging and stared at her sisters. “I wasn't as close as the animal control people.”
“They've all been vaccinated against it,” Eddie said. “You weren't.”
Caroline's face paled. “What are the symptoms?”
“Rapid heartbeat, excitability, flushed face, sweating hands, delusions of grandeur…”
“Oh, my gosh, Eddie, what will I do? How will I know if I've got it?” Caroline cried in alarm.
“You'll have to go to the hospital and get a bunch of tests. They stick a tube down your throat and take about twenty blood samples, and put wires in your ears and everything.”
“What is RM disease?” Caroline asked, quickly getting to her feet and ready to run inside the house.
“Running-mouth disease,” said Eddie, and everyone laughed. Caroline glowered at her sister and sat back down, arms folded across her chest.
Wally laughed too, and looked around at the guys, glad it was all over and they could enjoy the rest of spring vacation. The boys were sitting on one side ofthe garage, the girls on the other. All except Steve and Eddie. They were sitting together, side by side, and they were practically touching, Wally noticed. After all this, one of the Bensons had fallen for Eddie Malloy! He couldn't believe it!
Sixteen
Goodbye
“ T his was the most exciting spring vacation we ever had,” Beth declared on Saturday as the girls woke to still more rain on the roof.
“If it keeps on raining like this, the river will flood,” said Danny. “Remember that time it got up almost as high as the footbridge?”
“Come on!” Steve said. “I see the girls outside.”
Indeed, the Malloys were waiting for them, standing out in the yard in their yellow slickers. They looked like crossing guards, Wally thought. He had only come over here because the other guys wanted to come, but he knew that Caroline would be unbearable.
She was.
“Did you see? Did you see?” she called excitedly, running forward to meet them. “My picture's right there on the front page, and—”
“We're all on the front page, Caroline,” said Eddie. “Pipe down, will you?”
“So, what do you think? Was it a good idea or was it a good idea !” Steve bragged.
“Okay, so it was a good idea!” said Jake irritably. Now Steve was getting unbearable.
“I didn't even get a chance to put the chicken out,” said Eddie. “The cougar must have been really hungry to go for those leftover food scraps and bones.” The twelve of them moved inside the garage to keep dry.
“Wally, weren't you scared up there in the loft?” Beth asked him. “I'd have been terrified.”
“Oh, I don't know,” said Wally. “I figured I'd get down sooner or later.”
“Weren't you scared, Caroline, when you shut the door?” asked Bill.
Caroline dramatically placed her hand over her heart. “Absolutely, positively terrified!” she answered. “My entire life flashed before my eyes. All the roles on Broadway I would never play. ‘Do it for the good of Buckman,' I told myself, even though I might be clawed to death.”
“Oh, brother!” murmured Tony.
All day, neighborhood kids came by the garage to see where the cougar had been trapped. They wanted to climb up into the loft to see where Wally had been hiding, to see the window where the animal control man had climbed inside. Caroline sat at the back of the garage holding court like a queen, and all she would say when friends asked if she had been scared was, “Absolutely, positively terrified.”
“She's sickening,” said Beth. “ Do something, Eddie!”
“Hey, Caroline,” Eddie called. “You know what we just found out? You may have RM disease. Anyone who is anywhere near a wild animal, like a cougar, is susceptible to an airborne virus that's sometimes fatal. You were probably closer than anyone.”
Caroline stopped bragging and stared at her sisters. “I wasn't as close as the animal control people.”
“They've all been vaccinated against it,” Eddie said. “You weren't.”
Caroline's face paled. “What are the symptoms?”
“Rapid heartbeat, excitability, flushed face, sweating hands, delusions of grandeur…”
“Oh, my gosh, Eddie, what will I do? How will I know if I've got it?” Caroline cried in alarm.
“You'll have to go to the hospital and get a bunch of tests. They stick a tube down your throat and take about twenty blood samples, and put wires in your ears and everything.”
“What is RM disease?” Caroline asked, quickly getting to her feet and ready to run inside the house.
“Running-mouth disease,” said Eddie, and everyone laughed. Caroline glowered at her sister and sat back down, arms folded across her chest.
Wally laughed too, and looked around at the guys, glad it was all over and they could enjoy the rest of spring vacation. The boys were sitting on one side ofthe garage, the girls on the other. All except Steve and Eddie. They were sitting together, side by side, and they were practically touching, Wally noticed. After all this, one of the Bensons had fallen for Eddie Malloy! He couldn't believe it!
Sixteen
Goodbye
“ T his was the most exciting spring vacation we ever had,” Beth declared on Saturday as the girls woke to still more rain on the roof.
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