A Surprise for Lily by Mary Ann Kinsinger Page A

beside her. “In a few weeks.”
    Lily wished Hannah didn’t look so excited. The thought of Hannah moving away made Lily want to cry.
    Just then, Effie came toward the girls from the playground, waddling like she was very fat. Hannah frowned. “She’s imitating Teacher Judith. She’s been doing that since school started.”
    â€œI thought she liked Teacher Judith,” Lily said. “I thought she would like having her stay at her house.”
    Hannah shrugged. “She does. She just makes fun of her behind her back.”
    â€œThat’s Effie,” Beth said. Malinda nodded.
    Two-faced Effie.

    The next morning, as Lily and Joseph walked to school, they chatted about the writing assignment Teacher Judith hadgiven to them. Each student was supposed to write a short story about something that had happened to them during the summer. The student who had written the best story would receive a prize.
    Lily liked to write. She liked prizes even better, though she had never won anything. But trying to think of something interesting that had happened was harder than she had thought it would be.
    She practically tripped and realized her shoelace had come untied. She set her lunch box down and bent down to tie it while Joseph waited for her. Lily finished tying her lace and straightened up just in time to see a dog charging toward her. Not just any dog. A Dozer dog.
    Dozer jumped all over them, wagging his tail and wiggling all over. “Go home, Dozer,” Joseph said sternly, pointing toward home. Dozer didn’t understand. He tried to grab Joseph’s hand with his mouth as if he thought there was a treat in it.
    â€œGo back, Dozer!” Lily shouted. She and Joseph stamped their feet and pretended to chase him. Dozer would run a few feet and start following them again.
    â€œDozer is a dumb dog,” Lily said.
    â€œNo he isn’t,” Joseph said, offended. “He’s very smart. He wants to be with me.”
    Lily knew it was pointless to argue about Dozer with Joseph. He was crazy about that puppy.
    They heard the school bell ring and ran the rest of the way to school. Lily was glad the other children were already in the schoolhouse. No one had seen Dozer follow them to school. Nobody’s dog ever did that. Surely, Dozer would get tired of waiting outside the schoolhouse for Joseph and go back home again.
    But when the first recess came, Dozer was waiting patiently under the tree in the school yard. When he saw Joseph, he ran over to greet him. Just as Lily feared, Aaron Yoder noticed.
    â€œThat’s the strangest looking dog I’ve ever seen,” Aaron said. “His ears are funny and he has a black patch over his eye like a pirate.” He nudged Sam Stoltzfus and the two started pointing and laughing at Dozer. “What a weird-looking dog!”
    Now wait just a minute. Lily thought Dozer was dumb and she thought he was a little strange looking, but she wasn’t going to let anybody—especially Aaron Yoder—call her dog names. She marched up to Aaron and Sam.
    â€œStop making fun of our dog.”
    Aaron couldn’t wipe the grin off his sassy face. “What’s that weird-looking dog’s name?”
    â€œHis name is Dozer,” Joseph said, stroking the top of Dozer’s head.
    Aaron doubled over and laughed some more. “Dozer . . . His name is Dozer! What a dumb name for a dog.”
    â€œA dumb name for a dumb dog,” Sam echoed.
    It took a lot to get Joseph riled. He was like Papa that way. But Aaron Yoder had done it. Joseph’s hands were clenched in fists by his sides. “Dozer is not a dumb name, and he is not a dumb dog. He’s my dog.”
    Aaron Yoder just kept laughing, like a hyena, and suddenly Joseph punched him right in the nose. Aaron stopped laughing. Sam stilled, and all motion on the school ground stopped. Everything was silent. Even the birds had stopped singing in the