near the outside door.
Dunkum was glad for his heavy jacket. âTonightâs the sleep-over at Miss Hersheyâs house,â he said.
âMaybe weâll get snowed in,â Jason said.
Abby grinned. âI wouldnât mind. I heard about Miss Hersheyâs old house,âshe said. âShe has eight cats. And she likes Mozartâplayed in a minor key. Perfect for a haunted mansion, you know.â
Sounds like a haunted cat shelter, thought Dunkum.
The first bell rang. Miss Hersheyâs classroom door swung open. She greeted the students. âHurry, hurry, children. Come in where itâs warm.â
Dunkum liked her cheerful voice. She was saying things his mom might say on a cold day. He watched her smiling face.
She was cool. Really, really cool! Miss Hershey couldnât possibly live in a haunted mansion.
Could she?
The teacher wrote the date on the board. January 19 .
âToday is a famous personâs birthday,â she said. âDoes anyone know who?â
Abby Hunter raised her hand.
âYes, Abby?â
âItâs Edgar Allen Poeâs birthday. He was born in 1809,â Abby recited.
Dunkumâs hand shot up.
âYes, Dunkum?â said Miss Hershey.
âPoe was a mystery writer.â Dunkum grinned. He was glad Eric and Jason had filled him in earlier.
Miss Hershey nodded and smiled. âThatâs right. Poe was born almost two hundred years ago today.â
Dunkum listened as Miss Hershey told about Edgar Allan Poe. âHe was an American poet. A short story writer, too,â she said.
Dunkum liked short stories. Heâd even written a few himself.
âPoeâs works are almost like music,â said Miss Hershey.
Dunkum had never heard such a thing. Heâd read tons of books. Lots of them! But heâd never found tunes hiddenin the words or sentences.
He didnât get it. What did Miss Hershey mean?
By recess, the ground was covered white. But the snow had stopped.
Some of the Cul-de-sac Kids made a fort. Abby and Stacy helped pack down the snow.
Dunkum and Jason carried armfuls of white wet stuff.
Eric and Shawn made little cannon-balls out of snow.
Dunkum kept thinking about Miss Hersheyâs house. âWhy does she live in a mansion?â he asked Eric.
âSheâs weird, thatâs why,â Eric said.
âHow can you say that?â Dunkum replied.
âWell, she lives with a bunch of cats. No husband, no kids,â Jason chimed in. âIsnât that kinda weird?â
âSo what? Not everyone gets married,â Eric said.
Dunkum knew that was true. His motherâs cousin was almost forty and still single.
Whoosh! He plopped down a pile of snow near the fort. âBeing singleâs not weird.â Dunkum sighed. âI wanna know why she lives in a mansion.â
âMaybe sheâs rich,â Abby spoke up.
Stacy shook her head. âI doubt it.â
âHow come?â Dunkum asked.
âTeachers donât make much money. Besides, she doesnât dress rich,â Stacy said.
âNo diamond rings or bracelets,â added Abby.
Dunkum thought about that. âMiss Hershey dresses real pretty, though.â
âAnd her hairâs always perfect,â Abby said.
âMaybe she gives her money away . . . to poor kids,â Dunkum said.
âHey! Iâm poor,â Jason laughed. He twirled his glasses around.
âGrow up,â spouted Dunkum. âYouâre rich compared to some kids.â
âYeah, kids in India, for starters!â Abby said.
Dunkum gave Abby a high five.
Jason made a face and scooped up a handful of wet snow.
POW!
He threw the snowball hard.
Dunkum dodged out of the way, laughing.
Br-r-i-i-ing! The recess bell rang.
âWhatâll we do about the fort?â Dunkum said. It was only half finished.
âWeâll work on it later,â Eric said.
The Cul-de-sac Kids agreed and ran toward the
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