sketched other pictures of her and her sisters as well.
When the laughter died away at last, Wally came out into the yard with a small rubber ball and practiced catching by bouncing it against the shed.
Blang! Blang! Blang! Caroline’s head began to pound. Each time the ball hit the metal shed it sounded like an explosion in a tin-can factory. On and on it went—at least twenty minutes. Caroline felt as though her head would split.
Finally Wally stopped, and all four boys lay down on their backs in the grass.
“What do you want to do?” Wally asked Josh.
“I don’t know,” said Josh. “What do you want to do?”
“Go to the school and shoot some baskets?” asked Jake.
“Naw,” said Wally.
“Bug the girls?” asked Josh.
“Yeah!” said Peter, Jake, and Wally.
Ha! thought Caroline.
“We’d better wait awhile, they’re probably having Sunday dinner,” Josh told them.
“Man!” said Jake. “I’ve thought of all kinds of stuff we could do to them at Halloween!”
“Yeah?” Caroline heard Josh say. “Wait till it snows ! Boy, will we ever get them then.”
“You remember how we used to sneak out on New Year’s Eve with the Bensons, and Bill would blow his comet right under someone’s window at midnight? Wouldn’t old Caroline flip?” said Wally.
“What about firecrackers?” said Peter. “We could put firecrackers in tin cans and set them on the Malloys’ porch.”
“They haven’t even seen Smuggler’s Cove yet.”
“We could throw Eddie’s dumb cap down the old coal mine, see if she’d crawl in after it. Bet she would too,” Jake said. “Remember when Tony Benson crawled in there and the rescue squad had to get him out?”
“Wait till we get to junior high school. There are about a hundred things you can do to a girl’s locker. We could wait until Beth put her coat in some mortiing, and then fix it so she couldn’t get the lock open.” Josh’s voice.
“Ha! Put Caroline in a locker and keep her there all weekend!”
More laughter.
Back in the toolshed Caroline smiled to herself. This was even better than she’d thought. Here she was, hearing all their plans! Wait till she told her sisters. They’d know everything the boys were going to do before they did it. No matter what the boystried, the girls would be ready. This was far more fun than Ohio!
“Wait till the town picnic next summer. Man, we’ll beat the girls at everything ,” said Jake. “The relay race, the sack race, the three-legged race …”
“… the skateboard contest …”
“… the pie-eating contest …”
“… volleyball.”
There was a long silence then, and for a moment Caroline thought the boys might have gone inside. She put her eye to the crack again. They were still on the grass.
“Unless …” Wally said, and Jake finished for him.
“… they go back to Ohio.”
“Yeah.” said Josh. “If the Bensons come back, it’s over.”
More silence.
“You know what I wish?” said Wally. “I hope the Bensons stay in Georgia long enough for us to do everything we’ve planned to do to the Malloys, and then come back.”
“Yeah,” said Jake. “That would be perfect.”
“A year and a half, maybe,” said Josh.
“Right,” said Wally.
“Let’s play horseshoes for a while,” Jake suggested. He got to his feet and started straight toward the shed.
No! He was coming here! Caroline scrambled offthe toolbox, grabbing her lunch sack, and tried to hide behind the lawn mower.
The footsteps grew louder, then the sound of the hinges creaking as the door to the toolshed opened partway. Caroline saw Jake’s hand reach inside for the horseshoes on one shelf. She flattened herself against the back wall, but it was no use. Jake saw.
“What …?” His eyes opened wide. “Hey, guys, look what we caught!” Jake grinned as he opened the door wider. The others came running.
“It’s Caroline!” said Peter.
“Spying on us!” cried Wally.
And before Caroline could scramble
When the laughter died away at last, Wally came out into the yard with a small rubber ball and practiced catching by bouncing it against the shed.
Blang! Blang! Blang! Caroline’s head began to pound. Each time the ball hit the metal shed it sounded like an explosion in a tin-can factory. On and on it went—at least twenty minutes. Caroline felt as though her head would split.
Finally Wally stopped, and all four boys lay down on their backs in the grass.
“What do you want to do?” Wally asked Josh.
“I don’t know,” said Josh. “What do you want to do?”
“Go to the school and shoot some baskets?” asked Jake.
“Naw,” said Wally.
“Bug the girls?” asked Josh.
“Yeah!” said Peter, Jake, and Wally.
Ha! thought Caroline.
“We’d better wait awhile, they’re probably having Sunday dinner,” Josh told them.
“Man!” said Jake. “I’ve thought of all kinds of stuff we could do to them at Halloween!”
“Yeah?” Caroline heard Josh say. “Wait till it snows ! Boy, will we ever get them then.”
“You remember how we used to sneak out on New Year’s Eve with the Bensons, and Bill would blow his comet right under someone’s window at midnight? Wouldn’t old Caroline flip?” said Wally.
“What about firecrackers?” said Peter. “We could put firecrackers in tin cans and set them on the Malloys’ porch.”
“They haven’t even seen Smuggler’s Cove yet.”
“We could throw Eddie’s dumb cap down the old coal mine, see if she’d crawl in after it. Bet she would too,” Jake said. “Remember when Tony Benson crawled in there and the rescue squad had to get him out?”
“Wait till we get to junior high school. There are about a hundred things you can do to a girl’s locker. We could wait until Beth put her coat in some mortiing, and then fix it so she couldn’t get the lock open.” Josh’s voice.
“Ha! Put Caroline in a locker and keep her there all weekend!”
More laughter.
Back in the toolshed Caroline smiled to herself. This was even better than she’d thought. Here she was, hearing all their plans! Wait till she told her sisters. They’d know everything the boys were going to do before they did it. No matter what the boystried, the girls would be ready. This was far more fun than Ohio!
“Wait till the town picnic next summer. Man, we’ll beat the girls at everything ,” said Jake. “The relay race, the sack race, the three-legged race …”
“… the skateboard contest …”
“… the pie-eating contest …”
“… volleyball.”
There was a long silence then, and for a moment Caroline thought the boys might have gone inside. She put her eye to the crack again. They were still on the grass.
“Unless …” Wally said, and Jake finished for him.
“… they go back to Ohio.”
“Yeah.” said Josh. “If the Bensons come back, it’s over.”
More silence.
“You know what I wish?” said Wally. “I hope the Bensons stay in Georgia long enough for us to do everything we’ve planned to do to the Malloys, and then come back.”
“Yeah,” said Jake. “That would be perfect.”
“A year and a half, maybe,” said Josh.
“Right,” said Wally.
“Let’s play horseshoes for a while,” Jake suggested. He got to his feet and started straight toward the shed.
No! He was coming here! Caroline scrambled offthe toolbox, grabbing her lunch sack, and tried to hide behind the lawn mower.
The footsteps grew louder, then the sound of the hinges creaking as the door to the toolshed opened partway. Caroline saw Jake’s hand reach inside for the horseshoes on one shelf. She flattened herself against the back wall, but it was no use. Jake saw.
“What …?” His eyes opened wide. “Hey, guys, look what we caught!” Jake grinned as he opened the door wider. The others came running.
“It’s Caroline!” said Peter.
“Spying on us!” cried Wally.
And before Caroline could scramble
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