thought he would die. A poem, by Ralph Waldo Smith.” Then he blew one loud, piercing chord that used every hole on the harmonica.
After that, having had the whole thing turned into a poem, followed by what sounded like a musical raspberry, Junior didn’t feel like saying anything.
“You know what? Now nobody in your family will ever be allowed up on the roof again,” the brother said. “Ralphie fell off the riding lawn mower five years ago and cut off his leg and none of us have been allowed on the riding mower since. We can’t even sit on it when it’s in the garage. Just because h e was stupid enough to fall off, we have to be punished the rest of our lives.”
Junior wiped his tears on his sheet, this time because he wanted to get a closer look at Ralphie’s brother. “Is that what happened to him?” He nodded his head in the direction of Ralphie’s bed.
“Yes. What did he tell you—that a crocodile bit off his leg at Disneyland?”
“He didn’t tell me anything.”
“That’s what he usually tells people, but he’s never even been to Disneyland. He fell off a mower, and the mower cut off his leg.”
“And,” the other brother said, moving into the conversation, “he’s had five operations because his bone keeps poking through. He just had one, and now he’s getting a new leg. Every time he grows, he has to get a new leg. There’s his old one over in the corner. You want to see it?”
Junior nodded.
The brothers had a short tug-of-war with the leg to see who would have the honor of bringing it to Junior. The bigger brother won and ran over to Junior’s bed. He laid the leg on Junior’s lap and sat on the side of the bed, jiggling up and down.
Junior didn’t even feel the pain of having his legs bounced. On his lap was Ralphie’s leg. Ralphie’s leg!
“Big mouth,” sneered Ralphie from the next bed.
“When I get my new leg, the first thing I’m going to use it for is to kick your guts out.”
CHAPTER 16
Walking the Plank
“Hand up the board.”
Vern was up in the crook of the elm tree by the jail. Maggie was below him, hiding a ten-foot board between her and the trunk of the tree.
“Someone’s coming,” she hissed.
“Look innocent,” he hissed back.
“I am innocent!”
The man walked slower as he saw Maggie flattened against the tree. When she saw he was going to stop, her eyes got as round as cartoon eyes.
“Oh, hello.” She pulled her lips up into a smile.
The man combed his hair with his hands. “Are you all right?”
“Of course.”
“It’s late, isn’t it, for you to be out by yourself?”
“Yes, but my dad’s a cop. He’ll be out in a minute. He told me to wait here. I’m not supposed to go inside because children aren’t allowed. My dad thinks criminals are a bad influence.”
“Do you want me to go in and tell your dad you’re out here?”
“He knows,” Maggie said quickly. Behind her the board began falling forward, and she stopped it with her head. She looked up at the man through her eyelashes.
The man watched Maggie and the board for a full thirty seconds. Maggie shoved the board back against the tree with her head and stared right back at him.
Overhead, in the tree, Vern waited without breathing. Ever since he had gotten the idea of breaking into jail, he had been gripped by a kind of excitement he had never felt before. He was amazed that his ordinary, everyday mind had thought of it. Breaking into jail!
It had come to him in a flash. One moment he had been standing there with Maggie, looking stupidly at the jail, wondering what to do, and the next moment the idea burst out of his brain like one of those fantastic Dr. Seuss trees, too wild and wonderful to be real.
He gazed down through the leaves where the man stood with Maggie. He could see the man’s bald spot. Vern took in a deep breath and closed his eyes in prayer.
Finally the man remembered when he and his gang used to steal lumber at night to build a clubhouse. With
After that, having had the whole thing turned into a poem, followed by what sounded like a musical raspberry, Junior didn’t feel like saying anything.
“You know what? Now nobody in your family will ever be allowed up on the roof again,” the brother said. “Ralphie fell off the riding lawn mower five years ago and cut off his leg and none of us have been allowed on the riding mower since. We can’t even sit on it when it’s in the garage. Just because h e was stupid enough to fall off, we have to be punished the rest of our lives.”
Junior wiped his tears on his sheet, this time because he wanted to get a closer look at Ralphie’s brother. “Is that what happened to him?” He nodded his head in the direction of Ralphie’s bed.
“Yes. What did he tell you—that a crocodile bit off his leg at Disneyland?”
“He didn’t tell me anything.”
“That’s what he usually tells people, but he’s never even been to Disneyland. He fell off a mower, and the mower cut off his leg.”
“And,” the other brother said, moving into the conversation, “he’s had five operations because his bone keeps poking through. He just had one, and now he’s getting a new leg. Every time he grows, he has to get a new leg. There’s his old one over in the corner. You want to see it?”
Junior nodded.
The brothers had a short tug-of-war with the leg to see who would have the honor of bringing it to Junior. The bigger brother won and ran over to Junior’s bed. He laid the leg on Junior’s lap and sat on the side of the bed, jiggling up and down.
Junior didn’t even feel the pain of having his legs bounced. On his lap was Ralphie’s leg. Ralphie’s leg!
“Big mouth,” sneered Ralphie from the next bed.
“When I get my new leg, the first thing I’m going to use it for is to kick your guts out.”
CHAPTER 16
Walking the Plank
“Hand up the board.”
Vern was up in the crook of the elm tree by the jail. Maggie was below him, hiding a ten-foot board between her and the trunk of the tree.
“Someone’s coming,” she hissed.
“Look innocent,” he hissed back.
“I am innocent!”
The man walked slower as he saw Maggie flattened against the tree. When she saw he was going to stop, her eyes got as round as cartoon eyes.
“Oh, hello.” She pulled her lips up into a smile.
The man combed his hair with his hands. “Are you all right?”
“Of course.”
“It’s late, isn’t it, for you to be out by yourself?”
“Yes, but my dad’s a cop. He’ll be out in a minute. He told me to wait here. I’m not supposed to go inside because children aren’t allowed. My dad thinks criminals are a bad influence.”
“Do you want me to go in and tell your dad you’re out here?”
“He knows,” Maggie said quickly. Behind her the board began falling forward, and she stopped it with her head. She looked up at the man through her eyelashes.
The man watched Maggie and the board for a full thirty seconds. Maggie shoved the board back against the tree with her head and stared right back at him.
Overhead, in the tree, Vern waited without breathing. Ever since he had gotten the idea of breaking into jail, he had been gripped by a kind of excitement he had never felt before. He was amazed that his ordinary, everyday mind had thought of it. Breaking into jail!
It had come to him in a flash. One moment he had been standing there with Maggie, looking stupidly at the jail, wondering what to do, and the next moment the idea burst out of his brain like one of those fantastic Dr. Seuss trees, too wild and wonderful to be real.
He gazed down through the leaves where the man stood with Maggie. He could see the man’s bald spot. Vern took in a deep breath and closed his eyes in prayer.
Finally the man remembered when he and his gang used to steal lumber at night to build a clubhouse. With
Similar Books
