Read Online Corn-Farm Boy by Lois Lenski - Free Book Online Page B

was taking his vacation. Mom put Uncle Henry and Aunt Etta on the folding cot on the porch, the twins took the boys’ bed upstairs, and the boys had to sleep on the floor in the upper hall.
    All morning everybody was bustling around, getting ready for the picnic. It was to be held in the only shady place—the grove. Mom made four pies—two pumpkin and two lemon. Wilma boiled potatoes and made potato salad. She helped Mom get all the other things ready. Betsy and Patsy tried to help, but were always in the way. Margy took Earl and Denny outside and played with them.
    About half-past eleven, Dad told Raymond to get the fire ready. “Make a good one,” he said.
    Raymond went in the grove and with Earl’s help brought out armfuls of brush. He started the fire with old dead grass. He piled small brush on the grass, then put larger pieces on top. He tried to light it, but it did not even catch. Dick came out to look.
    â€œThat’s not the way to do it,” he said. “You laid it all wrong.”
    Raymond scowled. “Well—if you know it all …” He walked away in disgust.
    Dick set to work and made the fire over. He made a small fire that soon settled into a bed of coals, just right for roasting wieners. The girls brought the little old dinner table from the wash-house.
    â€œOh boy!” cried Margy. “We’re going to eat pretty soon.”
    â€œWhat we going to eat?” demanded Denny.
    â€œOh, wieners and pie and beans and lemon drops and potato chips and everything,” said Margy.
    â€œGimme some!” said Denny.
    â€œYou’ll have to wait till it’s ready,” said Margy.
    The boys formed a procession and carried the kitchen chairs out. Uncle Henry brought a reclining porch chair and made himself comfortable in the shade.
    â€œWhy don’t you help, Uncle Henry?” asked Margy.
    â€œI’m too tired,” said Uncle Henry. “I worked hard all week in the factory in town.”
    â€œUncle Henry’s so lazy he won’t do a thing,” Margy reported to her mother.
    â€œSh, Margy!” said Mom. “You mustn’t say that.”
    At twelve o’clock, Wilma and Mom brought the food out. Aunt Etta and the twins helped. Then the picnic began. Dick kept the fire going, and everybody took turns holding wieners over the fire. Even Denny learned how to do it. He began roasting wieners for all the others. They crowded round the table and helped themselves to good things. It was a hot day, one of the hottest of the summer, so the shade of the trees was welcome. Flies and gnats swarmed over the food and tormented arms and legs, but nobody seemed to notice. They sat around, talked and ate. Popcorn, the rat terrier, stayed under the table all the time. Dick kept handing him pieces of wiener-sausage when no one was looking.
    After Denny got tired of roasting wieners, he came back to the table. “I want a drink! I’m thirsty!” he cried. He climbed on a chair and up on the table. Reaching for the glass pitcher, he tipped it over. A stream of ice-cold brown liquid ran across the table and over the edge into Wilma’s lap. She jumped up quickly.
    â€œOh look! On my good dress! My best Sunday dress!” she cried. A big brown stain was all over the front.
    Denny slid down from the table and ran. Wilma’s legs were longer than his, so she soon caught him. She gave him a good spanking. Denny cried and yelled.
    Aunt Etta jumped up. “Now Wilma,” she said, “if anybody whips Denny, I’m the one to do it.”
    â€œIf you’d whip him a little more often,” said Wilma, “he wouldn’t be such a nuisance.”
    â€œ Wilma! ” Dad’s stern voice called the girl’s name.
    Wilma turned away, shamefaced. She ran into the house and came out with her old clothes on—a checked shirt and her oldest blue jeans. Her city cousins looked at her in dismay.
    â€œWhy,