take it.”
“And I didn’t either,” Danny said.
“I know you didn’t,” Cam said.
She looked at the box. The only hole in it was the slit in the lid. On the table were some unsold tickets and two empty soda cans. Cam looked under the table. She found a ticket, but no money.
Danny told Cam, “Sara and I were both sitting here. We never left the room. Whenever we sold a ticket, we put the money in the box. And we never opened the box.”
“I know,” Cam said. “I just cut off the tape.”
Cam opened the door to the auditorium. Cam, Sara, and Danny looked inside. At one side of the stage was an easel. A boy walked onto the stage and put a sign on the easel:
HONEST ABE LINCOLN.
Cam whispered, “I must tell Ms. Benson about the missing money.”
The curtain opened.
On the right of the stage was a very large cardboard box painted to look like the front of a house. In the center of the stage were two barrels and a table. There were lots of jars and small boxes on the table. Susie stood and looked at the things on the table. Above her was a sign: OFFUTT’S GENERAL STORE.
“I’ll have to wait,” Cam whispered. “I’ll tell her after this scene.”
Eric walked onto the stage. A spotlight followed him as he slowly walked toward Susie.
People in the audience applauded.
“Hello, Mrs. Olsen,” Eric said.
Susie put her hand to her mouth.
“She’s about to laugh,” Sara whispered.
Susie looked to the right, to Ms. Benson offstage. Then she took her hand from her mouth and said, “Hello, Abe.” She told Eric she needed flour, shortening, sugar, and raisins. She told him how much of each she needed. “I’m baking raisin bread,” she said.
Eric carefully weighed each of the items. He wrapped them. He put everything in a large paper bag and gave it to Susie.
Eric took a small pad from his pocket. He made some notes on the pad and then told Susie, “That will be one dollar and nine cents.”
Susie paid Eric. She walked to the right of the stage and sat by the cardboard house.
Other children came into Offutt’s General Store.
“Abe, don’t you have a story for us?” one of the children asked.
“Sure I do,” Eric answered.
Eric told about a small child who was scared at night by a loud noise. “His father looked and looked,” Eric said. “At last he found the noise was coming from a bullfrog. He showed the boy the frog and said, ‘Don’t be scared, son. Sometimes a loud noise is just a way of saying Howdy.’”
Eric leaned back, opened his mouth, and laughed. The children on stage and lots of people in the audience laughed, too.
The children finished their shopping and left the store. Eric waited. When no one else came into the store, he counted the money he had been paid. He took the small pad from his pocket and looked at it.
“Oh my,” he said. “Mrs. Olsen paid too much for her groceries.”
“When he counted his money, he found too much,” Danny whispered. “When we opened the shoe box and counted our money, we found too little.”
Eric put lids on the barrels. He covered the table with a large cloth. Then he walked very slowly across the stage, toward Susie. He gave her a few coins.
Susie looked to the right again. Then she said, “You walked all this way to bring me six cents?” She patted Eric’s shoulder and said, “Now I know why people call you Honest Abe.”
Eric and Susie walked to the center of the stage and bowed. The children who had been in Offutt’s Store came out and bowed, too. People in the audience clapped.
As the curtain closed, Sara said to Cam and Danny, “This is a play about Honest Abe Lincoln, but there’s someone here who’s not honest at all.”
“He’s not honest, but he’s clever,” Danny said. “Somehow, he stole the money without opening the box. And he stole the money without Sara or me seeing him do it.”
“Ms. Benson said she was counting on me,” Cam said, “and now the money is gone. I’ve got to tell her what
“And I didn’t either,” Danny said.
“I know you didn’t,” Cam said.
She looked at the box. The only hole in it was the slit in the lid. On the table were some unsold tickets and two empty soda cans. Cam looked under the table. She found a ticket, but no money.
Danny told Cam, “Sara and I were both sitting here. We never left the room. Whenever we sold a ticket, we put the money in the box. And we never opened the box.”
“I know,” Cam said. “I just cut off the tape.”
Cam opened the door to the auditorium. Cam, Sara, and Danny looked inside. At one side of the stage was an easel. A boy walked onto the stage and put a sign on the easel:
HONEST ABE LINCOLN.
Cam whispered, “I must tell Ms. Benson about the missing money.”
The curtain opened.
On the right of the stage was a very large cardboard box painted to look like the front of a house. In the center of the stage were two barrels and a table. There were lots of jars and small boxes on the table. Susie stood and looked at the things on the table. Above her was a sign: OFFUTT’S GENERAL STORE.
“I’ll have to wait,” Cam whispered. “I’ll tell her after this scene.”
Eric walked onto the stage. A spotlight followed him as he slowly walked toward Susie.
People in the audience applauded.
“Hello, Mrs. Olsen,” Eric said.
Susie put her hand to her mouth.
“She’s about to laugh,” Sara whispered.
Susie looked to the right, to Ms. Benson offstage. Then she took her hand from her mouth and said, “Hello, Abe.” She told Eric she needed flour, shortening, sugar, and raisins. She told him how much of each she needed. “I’m baking raisin bread,” she said.
Eric carefully weighed each of the items. He wrapped them. He put everything in a large paper bag and gave it to Susie.
Eric took a small pad from his pocket. He made some notes on the pad and then told Susie, “That will be one dollar and nine cents.”
Susie paid Eric. She walked to the right of the stage and sat by the cardboard house.
Other children came into Offutt’s General Store.
“Abe, don’t you have a story for us?” one of the children asked.
“Sure I do,” Eric answered.
Eric told about a small child who was scared at night by a loud noise. “His father looked and looked,” Eric said. “At last he found the noise was coming from a bullfrog. He showed the boy the frog and said, ‘Don’t be scared, son. Sometimes a loud noise is just a way of saying Howdy.’”
Eric leaned back, opened his mouth, and laughed. The children on stage and lots of people in the audience laughed, too.
The children finished their shopping and left the store. Eric waited. When no one else came into the store, he counted the money he had been paid. He took the small pad from his pocket and looked at it.
“Oh my,” he said. “Mrs. Olsen paid too much for her groceries.”
“When he counted his money, he found too much,” Danny whispered. “When we opened the shoe box and counted our money, we found too little.”
Eric put lids on the barrels. He covered the table with a large cloth. Then he walked very slowly across the stage, toward Susie. He gave her a few coins.
Susie looked to the right again. Then she said, “You walked all this way to bring me six cents?” She patted Eric’s shoulder and said, “Now I know why people call you Honest Abe.”
Eric and Susie walked to the center of the stage and bowed. The children who had been in Offutt’s Store came out and bowed, too. People in the audience clapped.
As the curtain closed, Sara said to Cam and Danny, “This is a play about Honest Abe Lincoln, but there’s someone here who’s not honest at all.”
“He’s not honest, but he’s clever,” Danny said. “Somehow, he stole the money without opening the box. And he stole the money without Sara or me seeing him do it.”
“Ms. Benson said she was counting on me,” Cam said, “and now the money is gone. I’ve got to tell her what
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