no local trade. The few people who had gone in now and then to look over his used merchandise department were staying away, and only an occasional out-of-town antique buyer was seen entering his store. People wondered how he managed to stay in business, and they wondered if he were really guilty, and they wondered … But wondering takes time, and most of the people of the neighborhood were hard-working people, and so they gradually began to forget. And very gradually the children began to play out-of-doors again. But the Rosses and Mrs. Chung were frustratingly careful parents, and it looked as if they were going to be the very last ones to stop worrying. Of course, Caroline Hall hadn’t given April permission to play outside either; but she didn’t get home until 5: 30, and April just might have been willing to do a little private forgetting on
her own if she’d had anyone to keep her company. But since Elizabeth and Melanie were stuck inside, April figured she might as well be, too.
The waiting was particularly hard on April because, without to think about, it was more difficult to keep from thinking about other things. At first it was the empty mailbox to try not to think about-not a single letter from Dorothea for over a month. And then at last there was a letter-and even more to worry about. Dorothea was back in Hollywood. She must have gotten all of April’s letters, but she didn’t even mention the question that April asked in every one. Dorothea wrote about her tour, and about her new job in a night club, and about Nick; but she said nothing at all about April’s coming home.
As the days dragged by, the Egypt gang grew more and more impatient. They knew that Egypt was waiting for them just as they had left it because several times they had been able to stop by on their way to school. They had had time to notice things-important things-like the fact that the Crocodile Stone seemed to have moved a tiny bit, a sure sign of its sinister power, and that the flowers on the altar of Nefertiti stayed fresh much longer than you’d expect, as if in tribute to her beauty. But there was no time for a real game because Mrs. Ross had
arranged for a neighbor lady who didn’t work to make sure they arrived home safely and on time.
So the days passed and the Egyptian clothing grew fancier and all sorts of new plans were made for the time when they could return to Egypt.
Summoned by the Mighty Ones
RIGHT UP UNTIL A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE END OF the month it really looked as if Halloween was going to be completely wasted. Of course, there was going to be a program at school and kids who wanted to could wear their costumes to afternoon classes, but only little primary kids got very excited about that. The real fun of Halloween, Trick-or-Treating and being allowed to tear around out-of-doors late at night, was absolutely out. At least that was what all the parents in the neighborhood were saying all month long. Unless, of course, the murderer had been caught by then. But as day after day went by with nothing new in the papers, there seemed little hope of that. And then, with only three more days to go, suddenly there was good news.
At a P.T.A. meeting at Wilson school, a couple of
really red-blooded mothers stood up and volunteered their husbands to take large groups of Trick-or-Treaters around the neighborhood. Before long some other fathers got shamed or nagged into doing the same thing, and by the day before Halloween nearly all the kids at Wilson were signed up to go around Trick-or-Treating with some large, chaperoned group.
Mr. Barkley and Mr. Kamata were going to be the chaperones for all the kids who lived in the Casa Rosada and the rest of the eight hundred block of Orchard Avenue. Mr. Barkley was the father of some six-year-old twins who lived on the first floor of the Casa Rosada, and Mr. Kamata was from Kamata’s Realty, just across the street and the father of Ken Kamata who was in April’s and Melanie’s
her own if she’d had anyone to keep her company. But since Elizabeth and Melanie were stuck inside, April figured she might as well be, too.
The waiting was particularly hard on April because, without to think about, it was more difficult to keep from thinking about other things. At first it was the empty mailbox to try not to think about-not a single letter from Dorothea for over a month. And then at last there was a letter-and even more to worry about. Dorothea was back in Hollywood. She must have gotten all of April’s letters, but she didn’t even mention the question that April asked in every one. Dorothea wrote about her tour, and about her new job in a night club, and about Nick; but she said nothing at all about April’s coming home.
As the days dragged by, the Egypt gang grew more and more impatient. They knew that Egypt was waiting for them just as they had left it because several times they had been able to stop by on their way to school. They had had time to notice things-important things-like the fact that the Crocodile Stone seemed to have moved a tiny bit, a sure sign of its sinister power, and that the flowers on the altar of Nefertiti stayed fresh much longer than you’d expect, as if in tribute to her beauty. But there was no time for a real game because Mrs. Ross had
arranged for a neighbor lady who didn’t work to make sure they arrived home safely and on time.
So the days passed and the Egyptian clothing grew fancier and all sorts of new plans were made for the time when they could return to Egypt.
Summoned by the Mighty Ones
RIGHT UP UNTIL A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE END OF the month it really looked as if Halloween was going to be completely wasted. Of course, there was going to be a program at school and kids who wanted to could wear their costumes to afternoon classes, but only little primary kids got very excited about that. The real fun of Halloween, Trick-or-Treating and being allowed to tear around out-of-doors late at night, was absolutely out. At least that was what all the parents in the neighborhood were saying all month long. Unless, of course, the murderer had been caught by then. But as day after day went by with nothing new in the papers, there seemed little hope of that. And then, with only three more days to go, suddenly there was good news.
At a P.T.A. meeting at Wilson school, a couple of
really red-blooded mothers stood up and volunteered their husbands to take large groups of Trick-or-Treaters around the neighborhood. Before long some other fathers got shamed or nagged into doing the same thing, and by the day before Halloween nearly all the kids at Wilson were signed up to go around Trick-or-Treating with some large, chaperoned group.
Mr. Barkley and Mr. Kamata were going to be the chaperones for all the kids who lived in the Casa Rosada and the rest of the eight hundred block of Orchard Avenue. Mr. Barkley was the father of some six-year-old twins who lived on the first floor of the Casa Rosada, and Mr. Kamata was from Kamata’s Realty, just across the street and the father of Ken Kamata who was in April’s and Melanie’s
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