back over the lawn mower and make her escape, Jake slammed the door shut.
“Bring me the bicycle padlock, Wally!” he yelled. “We’ve got a hostage, and her sisters aren’t getting her back without a ransom!”
Kidnapped!
W ally and his brothers could not believe their good fortune! Caroline Malloy, trapped in the toolshed, and their parents away picking apples.
“We got her! We got her!” Peter sang, dancing around the yard. And then he stopped. “What’s a hostage, Wally?”
“A person you keep prisoner until somebody pays to get her back.” Wally told him. But then the enormity of what had happened began to sink in on him. How could this be? Only a few minutes ago he and his brothers were lying on their backs talking about Halloween and New Year’s, and suddenly Caroline Malloy was a prisoner in their toolshed!
“Man, they aren’t going to believe what we’re going to make them say to get her back, are they, Jake?” Josh was saying. “What was it they wanted us to promise to get our flashlight back?”
“I am honestly and truly sorry for the trouble Ihave caused, and … something about an obedient servant of the realm.” said Wally.
“They are going to crawl! ” said Jake. “They are going to creep! They are going to beg! We’re going to rub their noses in the dirt before we give their sister back. You hear that Caroline?” he yelled.
There was no answer from the toolshed.
“Probably crying.” said Peter. He looked around a little worriedly.
“You crying, Caroline?” asked Josh.
“Hoo boy, can she cry! You ought to see her up there onstage! The tears just pour.” Wally put in.
“Well, we didn’t make her go in the shed,” said Josh.
“Right!” said Peter. “She went in there all by herself, didn’t she Wally?”
“How are we going to get a note to her sisters, though, without her parents finding out?” Wally wondered. “What if her folks start looking for her?”
“Then we’ve got to reach Beth and Eddie before they do. We’ll say something about how we found her on our property.” Jake decided.
“Yeah! Trespassing!” said Wally, “That’s a crime, isn’t it?”
“We could call the police!” Peter whooped.
“Her sister will come and get her, you’ll see,” said Jake. “Come on. Let’s write the note.”
The boys went over to the back steps and sat down Wally got a pencil and paper, and Jake dictated: “To whom it may concern ….”
“‘Namely, Whomper and Weirdo,’” added Josh.
“‘… Caroline the Crazie was found spying on our property, and is now being held prisoner in our toolshed.’”
Wally wrote it down.
“‘If you tell anybody,’” Jake continued, “‘we will tell your folks all the stuff you’ve done so far to us. If you want to see Caroline again, you’ve got to crawl over to our house on your hands and knees…’”
“‘Lick our shoes …’” said Josh.
“They’ll never do that.” said Wally, “not even for Caroline.”
“Okay. ‘Crawl over to our house on your hands and knees and say, We are honestly and truly sorry for the trouble we have caused, and …’” Jake paused again.
“‘Will be your obedient servants…’” said Josh.
“No. Obedient slaves,” said Jake. “That’s it.” We are honestly and truly sorry for the trouble we have caused, and will be your obedient slaves forever.
“Perfect,” said Josh.
Wally started to write it, then stopped. “I can’t imagine Eddie saying ‘your obedient slave forever.’”
“Yeah.” said Josh gloomily. “I can’t imagine them crawling on their hands and knees either.”
“Well, they thought we would say somethinglike this!” Jake reminded him. “Go ahead. Write it, Wally. Make them squirm a little. Maybe they won’t do any of it, but they’ve got to at least say they’re sorry.”
Wally finished the note.
“How do we sign it?” Josh wondered.
“How did they sign theirs?” asked Jake.
“The Malloy Musketeers,” said
“Bring me the bicycle padlock, Wally!” he yelled. “We’ve got a hostage, and her sisters aren’t getting her back without a ransom!”
Kidnapped!
W ally and his brothers could not believe their good fortune! Caroline Malloy, trapped in the toolshed, and their parents away picking apples.
“We got her! We got her!” Peter sang, dancing around the yard. And then he stopped. “What’s a hostage, Wally?”
“A person you keep prisoner until somebody pays to get her back.” Wally told him. But then the enormity of what had happened began to sink in on him. How could this be? Only a few minutes ago he and his brothers were lying on their backs talking about Halloween and New Year’s, and suddenly Caroline Malloy was a prisoner in their toolshed!
“Man, they aren’t going to believe what we’re going to make them say to get her back, are they, Jake?” Josh was saying. “What was it they wanted us to promise to get our flashlight back?”
“I am honestly and truly sorry for the trouble Ihave caused, and … something about an obedient servant of the realm.” said Wally.
“They are going to crawl! ” said Jake. “They are going to creep! They are going to beg! We’re going to rub their noses in the dirt before we give their sister back. You hear that Caroline?” he yelled.
There was no answer from the toolshed.
“Probably crying.” said Peter. He looked around a little worriedly.
“You crying, Caroline?” asked Josh.
“Hoo boy, can she cry! You ought to see her up there onstage! The tears just pour.” Wally put in.
“Well, we didn’t make her go in the shed,” said Josh.
“Right!” said Peter. “She went in there all by herself, didn’t she Wally?”
“How are we going to get a note to her sisters, though, without her parents finding out?” Wally wondered. “What if her folks start looking for her?”
“Then we’ve got to reach Beth and Eddie before they do. We’ll say something about how we found her on our property.” Jake decided.
“Yeah! Trespassing!” said Wally, “That’s a crime, isn’t it?”
“We could call the police!” Peter whooped.
“Her sister will come and get her, you’ll see,” said Jake. “Come on. Let’s write the note.”
The boys went over to the back steps and sat down Wally got a pencil and paper, and Jake dictated: “To whom it may concern ….”
“‘Namely, Whomper and Weirdo,’” added Josh.
“‘… Caroline the Crazie was found spying on our property, and is now being held prisoner in our toolshed.’”
Wally wrote it down.
“‘If you tell anybody,’” Jake continued, “‘we will tell your folks all the stuff you’ve done so far to us. If you want to see Caroline again, you’ve got to crawl over to our house on your hands and knees…’”
“‘Lick our shoes …’” said Josh.
“They’ll never do that.” said Wally, “not even for Caroline.”
“Okay. ‘Crawl over to our house on your hands and knees and say, We are honestly and truly sorry for the trouble we have caused, and …’” Jake paused again.
“‘Will be your obedient servants…’” said Josh.
“No. Obedient slaves,” said Jake. “That’s it.” We are honestly and truly sorry for the trouble we have caused, and will be your obedient slaves forever.
“Perfect,” said Josh.
Wally started to write it, then stopped. “I can’t imagine Eddie saying ‘your obedient slave forever.’”
“Yeah.” said Josh gloomily. “I can’t imagine them crawling on their hands and knees either.”
“Well, they thought we would say somethinglike this!” Jake reminded him. “Go ahead. Write it, Wally. Make them squirm a little. Maybe they won’t do any of it, but they’ve got to at least say they’re sorry.”
Wally finished the note.
“How do we sign it?” Josh wondered.
“How did they sign theirs?” asked Jake.
“The Malloy Musketeers,” said
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