costume, her hair now in pigtails.
“Oh, buzz off, Eileen,” said Lisa as she began to rummage in the big plastic box for her wig. “Stevie didn’t do anything to me. It was an accident.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” Eileen snapped back.
“Hey, Eileen, why aren’t you dressed for the rodeo?” Stevie asked as she re-coiled her rope. “I thought you were doing some bull riding today.”
“Not me!” cried Eileen, her green eyes wide. “I would never do anything that dirty and dusty and dangerous!” She watched Stevie as she began to twirl her rope again. “Anyway, I know a secret that’s a lot more fun than riding any stupid bull!”
“Really?” Stevie aimed her lasso at the wagon wheel. The noose fell around it cleanly on the first try. Steviepulled the rope taut, then gathered it up and started all over again.
Eileen smiled coyly. “Yes. It’s about two people you know really well.”
“You don’t say?” This time Stevie turned her attention to the parking brake at the front of the wagon. She made the noose smaller, then twirled the lasso over her head and let go. Again the noose hit its target dead on.
“Yes,” Eileen said smugly. “And one of them has blue eyes.”
“No kidding?” Stevie walked to the parking brake and loosened her rope. “Gosh, I wonder how many blue-eyed people might be on this wagon train. Ten? Twenty?” She turned and studied Eileen for a long moment. Slowly she started to twirl the rope again. “You know what we do with people who keep secrets around here?” she asked with a menacing grin.
“What?” Eileen stuck out her chest and tried to look fearless.
“We rope ’em.” Stevie raised the lariat over her head and twirled it faster and faster. “And then we hog-tie ’em and hitch ’em to the back of the wagon and let Yankee and Doodle pull ’em around the camp until they beg for mercy!”
“No-o-o-o!” Eileen gave a thin little scream and ran off toward her parents’ campsite.
“What was that noise?” Carole jumped out of the wagon, dressed in her clown costume.
Stevie chuckled. “That was the sound of a terrified Eileen.”
“What happened? Did she lose her teddy bear again?” Carole asked with a frown.
“No,” Stevie replied. “She was running away so that I wouldn’t rope and hog-tie her and let the horses drag her around the camp.”
“Stevie, did you say something to upset the poor little dear?” Carole could barely contain a laugh.
“Well, maybe a little something,” Stevie admitted. Then she remembered all the trouble Eileen had caused everyone in general and herself in particular. “But it was nothing she didn’t deserve,” she added.
“Hey, Carole, are you ready to go?” Lisa asked, finally pulling the green wig out of the box and fitting it on her head. “Since we’re going to have to put on our faces in Sal’s trailer, we should get a move on.”
“I’m ready.” Carole adjusted her derby to just the right angle and gave her candy-striped hose a final tug. “Stevie, are you coming with us?”
“You two go ahead,” said Stevie. “I’m going to practice my roping a little longer. I’ll catch up with you at the arena before everything begins.”
“Okay,” said Carole as she and Lisa began to walk toward the rodeo grounds. “We’ll see you later.”
Stevie smiled as she watched the purple clown with green hair and the baggy-suited clown in a derby run down the grassy hillside. Then she went back inside thewagon and pulled out her journal. She and Phil were each keeping a diary of their trip to share when they got home, but she’d been too busy to write anything in hers since she’d been practicing for the rodeo. Now she wanted to jot down all the details of the past two days before she forgot them. Hurriedly she scribbled about the bet she’d made with Gabriel, how hard she’d been practicing for the rodeo, and how Lisa and Carole were learning to be clowns.
They are having a lot of
“Oh, buzz off, Eileen,” said Lisa as she began to rummage in the big plastic box for her wig. “Stevie didn’t do anything to me. It was an accident.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” Eileen snapped back.
“Hey, Eileen, why aren’t you dressed for the rodeo?” Stevie asked as she re-coiled her rope. “I thought you were doing some bull riding today.”
“Not me!” cried Eileen, her green eyes wide. “I would never do anything that dirty and dusty and dangerous!” She watched Stevie as she began to twirl her rope again. “Anyway, I know a secret that’s a lot more fun than riding any stupid bull!”
“Really?” Stevie aimed her lasso at the wagon wheel. The noose fell around it cleanly on the first try. Steviepulled the rope taut, then gathered it up and started all over again.
Eileen smiled coyly. “Yes. It’s about two people you know really well.”
“You don’t say?” This time Stevie turned her attention to the parking brake at the front of the wagon. She made the noose smaller, then twirled the lasso over her head and let go. Again the noose hit its target dead on.
“Yes,” Eileen said smugly. “And one of them has blue eyes.”
“No kidding?” Stevie walked to the parking brake and loosened her rope. “Gosh, I wonder how many blue-eyed people might be on this wagon train. Ten? Twenty?” She turned and studied Eileen for a long moment. Slowly she started to twirl the rope again. “You know what we do with people who keep secrets around here?” she asked with a menacing grin.
“What?” Eileen stuck out her chest and tried to look fearless.
“We rope ’em.” Stevie raised the lariat over her head and twirled it faster and faster. “And then we hog-tie ’em and hitch ’em to the back of the wagon and let Yankee and Doodle pull ’em around the camp until they beg for mercy!”
“No-o-o-o!” Eileen gave a thin little scream and ran off toward her parents’ campsite.
“What was that noise?” Carole jumped out of the wagon, dressed in her clown costume.
Stevie chuckled. “That was the sound of a terrified Eileen.”
“What happened? Did she lose her teddy bear again?” Carole asked with a frown.
“No,” Stevie replied. “She was running away so that I wouldn’t rope and hog-tie her and let the horses drag her around the camp.”
“Stevie, did you say something to upset the poor little dear?” Carole could barely contain a laugh.
“Well, maybe a little something,” Stevie admitted. Then she remembered all the trouble Eileen had caused everyone in general and herself in particular. “But it was nothing she didn’t deserve,” she added.
“Hey, Carole, are you ready to go?” Lisa asked, finally pulling the green wig out of the box and fitting it on her head. “Since we’re going to have to put on our faces in Sal’s trailer, we should get a move on.”
“I’m ready.” Carole adjusted her derby to just the right angle and gave her candy-striped hose a final tug. “Stevie, are you coming with us?”
“You two go ahead,” said Stevie. “I’m going to practice my roping a little longer. I’ll catch up with you at the arena before everything begins.”
“Okay,” said Carole as she and Lisa began to walk toward the rodeo grounds. “We’ll see you later.”
Stevie smiled as she watched the purple clown with green hair and the baggy-suited clown in a derby run down the grassy hillside. Then she went back inside thewagon and pulled out her journal. She and Phil were each keeping a diary of their trip to share when they got home, but she’d been too busy to write anything in hers since she’d been practicing for the rodeo. Now she wanted to jot down all the details of the past two days before she forgot them. Hurriedly she scribbled about the bet she’d made with Gabriel, how hard she’d been practicing for the rodeo, and how Lisa and Carole were learning to be clowns.
They are having a lot of
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