The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau

of being grateful!” someone else broke in. “They promised to feed us, but they’re starving us instead!”
    “It seems to me,” said Tick, “that we should do something about this. I think maybe I’ll mention the problem at lunch tomorrow. Maybe we
all
should. Maybe we should tell them it’s very hard to work when you’re hungry.”
    “I’ll tell them!” cried Lizzie’s high voice, and other voices rose in agreement. An excited, angry babble filled the hallway, drowning out those who spoke for patience. “I’ll speak up!” “We have to protest!” “Tick is so right!”
    “Tick for mayor!” someone shouted, laughing.
    For a second Tick looked surprised. Then his eyes glowed with pleasure. He raised a fist in the air. “We’ll stand up for ourselves!” he said, and the people around him roared and raised their fists, too.
    Doon turned to his father and Edward and Sadge, who had all come to the door to see what was going on. “We should tell the Partons,” he said. “If we’re working, we need enough to eat. It’s only fair.”
    “Of course, they don’t
have
to give us
anything,
” said Doon’s father. “They’re giving what they think they can spare.” He looked sadly at the dry chunk of cornbread in his hand. “But I suppose it can’t hurt to mention it,” he said, “without being rude, of course. I imagine they’re doing the best they can.”
    Mrs. Polster agreed to be the one to bring the matter up. She did so at lunch the next day. They were having cold spinach soup.
    “I have a request,” she said firmly. She set down her soup spoon.
    Everyone looked toward her. Doon felt a jitter in his stomach.
    “We have noticed,” said Mrs. Polster, “that the food parcels you so generously give us have become considerably
smaller
lately. We find that when we have eaten what is within, we are still, to be frank,
hungry.
This is a difficulty for us.”
    There was silence. Everyone stared at Mrs. Polster, who sat very calmly with her hands in her lap, waiting for an answer.
    “What?” said Martha Parton at last. “Did I hear right?”
    “I believe so,” said Mrs. Polster, “unless you have ear trouble. I said we are not getting quite enough to eat.”
    Martha laughed a one-note laugh, a laugh of disbelief. Kenny stopped chewing and looked frightened. Ordney drew himself up and cleared his throat. “I am surprised,” he said. “I had thought you people understood the situation.”
    “We do, indeed,” said Doon’s father hastily. “We’re very grateful for what you’ve done for us. It’s just that . . .”
    “We’re working quite hard,” said Clary.
    “It’s a very small amount . . . ,” said Miss Thorn timidly.
    “For both dinner and breakfast,” added Edward Pocket.
    “Last night,” said Doon, “I had a boiled egg and three carrots for dinner. And nothing for breakfast this morning.”
    There was a silence again, a terrible, vibrating silence.
    Then Ordney leaned forward, gripping the edge of the table with his fingertips. “Now, listen here,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can with what has been asked of us. And I must say, a great deal has been asked. Suddenly we’re supposed to feed twice as many people as before! More than twice as many!” He glared at the Emberites, shifting his eyes to each one in turn. “And yet we do not have twice as much food as we did before. It’s true that each family is being given a little extra from the storehouse for this emergency. But not much.
Sparks village just does not have enough for four hundred extra people.
Are we supposed to feed you instead of our own families? Why should we? Who
are
you, anyway, you strangers from some city no one’s ever heard of?”
    By the end of this speech, Ordney’s face was a deep red and his voice was shaking with rage.
    Doon felt frozen. All he could think was,
He’s right. Of course he’s right. But we’re right, too.
    Everyone else must have been thinking the same thing.