since I'd marched out of Claudia's room announcing I was "quitting."
Unfortunately, Suzi didn't know any of this.
"Dawn?" she said. "Can I go play with Claire?"
Dawn bit her lip. She hated to say no just because she and I were having problems. Why should Suzi and Claire suffer for that? Finally she said, "Don't you want to go to the brook? We can throw stones in the water and float leaves under the bridge. Hey, we can play Poohsticks just like Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends do in The House at Pooh Corner. We might even see some squirrels there. Or a rabbit." Dawn was pulling out all the stops.
"Maybe we'll see a snake!" Suzi cried excitedly. Her decision was made. Dawn felt relieved — especially because Suzi hadn't yelled across the street to ask Claire to join them.
So Dawn took the girls to the brook and they did toss stones and float leaves and play Poohsticks. And they saw a squirrel, which Pow chased joyfully. (They did not see any snakes.) When they returned to the Barretts' house later, Dawn was still wondering about Jessi and me and whether we were baby-sitting. And why. And who Jessi was.
Her questions were answered not long after when she was getting more juice for Marnie. She opened the refrigerator and for the first time noticed something tacked to the door with a magnet shaped like a frog. It was one of our fliers for Kids Incorporated. It listed Jessi's name and my name, our ages, phone numbers, and the club meeting times. (Jessi and I had decided to run the club just the way the Babysitters Club was run. We'd even bought an appointment book and a notebook.)
Dawn finished her sitting job in a huff. As soon as she got home, she called Kristy with the news. She figured that, as president, Kristy ought to hear it first.
"Guess what," Dawn said flatly.
"What?" replied Kristy. "Boy, you sound like you're in a good mood."
"I'm in a rotten mood and it's all because of what I have to tell you. Mallory Pike has started her own baby-sitting club."
"What?!" screeched Kristy. "How could she? Who else is in the club?"
"Some girl named Jessi Ramsey. She's new here. I think she's the one whose family moved into Stacey's house."
"Hmphh," was all Kristy would reply. After a pause she added, "Well, who'll hire them?
They're too young. They won't get any jobs. . . . And Mallory doesn't know the first thing about tourniquets."
"Mrs. Pike already hired them," Dawn informed her. "They were sitting there this afternoon when I was at the Barretts'. That's how I know about all this."
"The Pikes! They're practically our best customers," moaned Kristy. "Mallory can't do this to us."
"Well, she is doing it."
"Hmphh," said Kristy again. "Well, I'll just get on the phone with Mary Anne and Claudia. This absolutely cannot happen."
"How are you going to stop it?" I asked.
"I don't know," replied Kristy. "I really don't know."
Chapter 11.
The second meeting of Kids Incorporated will now come to order," I said.
It was Monday afternoon, five-thirty. Not far away, the girls in the Baby-sitters Club were holding a meeting of their own. I wondered if Claudia's phone had rung yet. I decided that it might have, since it seemed to ring an awful lot.
The girls in the Baby-sitters Club held their meetings with the door closed. Jessi and I had to hold ours with the door open so we could hear the phone in the hall. We'd set it on the floor, as close to the doorway as the cord would stretch, but it was not the same as having my own phone. Plus, my brothers and sisters ran upstairs every two seconds.
I looked at Jessi. "This is not exactly like the Baby-sitters Club," I told her.
"No?"
I explained about the phone and the privacy.
"And another thing," I added. "They have club officers. You know, president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer. But there are only two of us."
"You could be the president," said Jessi, "since you know how to run a baby-sitting club."
"But you thought of the great name for our club," I pointed
Unfortunately, Suzi didn't know any of this.
"Dawn?" she said. "Can I go play with Claire?"
Dawn bit her lip. She hated to say no just because she and I were having problems. Why should Suzi and Claire suffer for that? Finally she said, "Don't you want to go to the brook? We can throw stones in the water and float leaves under the bridge. Hey, we can play Poohsticks just like Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends do in The House at Pooh Corner. We might even see some squirrels there. Or a rabbit." Dawn was pulling out all the stops.
"Maybe we'll see a snake!" Suzi cried excitedly. Her decision was made. Dawn felt relieved — especially because Suzi hadn't yelled across the street to ask Claire to join them.
So Dawn took the girls to the brook and they did toss stones and float leaves and play Poohsticks. And they saw a squirrel, which Pow chased joyfully. (They did not see any snakes.) When they returned to the Barretts' house later, Dawn was still wondering about Jessi and me and whether we were baby-sitting. And why. And who Jessi was.
Her questions were answered not long after when she was getting more juice for Marnie. She opened the refrigerator and for the first time noticed something tacked to the door with a magnet shaped like a frog. It was one of our fliers for Kids Incorporated. It listed Jessi's name and my name, our ages, phone numbers, and the club meeting times. (Jessi and I had decided to run the club just the way the Babysitters Club was run. We'd even bought an appointment book and a notebook.)
Dawn finished her sitting job in a huff. As soon as she got home, she called Kristy with the news. She figured that, as president, Kristy ought to hear it first.
"Guess what," Dawn said flatly.
"What?" replied Kristy. "Boy, you sound like you're in a good mood."
"I'm in a rotten mood and it's all because of what I have to tell you. Mallory Pike has started her own baby-sitting club."
"What?!" screeched Kristy. "How could she? Who else is in the club?"
"Some girl named Jessi Ramsey. She's new here. I think she's the one whose family moved into Stacey's house."
"Hmphh," was all Kristy would reply. After a pause she added, "Well, who'll hire them?
They're too young. They won't get any jobs. . . . And Mallory doesn't know the first thing about tourniquets."
"Mrs. Pike already hired them," Dawn informed her. "They were sitting there this afternoon when I was at the Barretts'. That's how I know about all this."
"The Pikes! They're practically our best customers," moaned Kristy. "Mallory can't do this to us."
"Well, she is doing it."
"Hmphh," said Kristy again. "Well, I'll just get on the phone with Mary Anne and Claudia. This absolutely cannot happen."
"How are you going to stop it?" I asked.
"I don't know," replied Kristy. "I really don't know."
Chapter 11.
The second meeting of Kids Incorporated will now come to order," I said.
It was Monday afternoon, five-thirty. Not far away, the girls in the Baby-sitters Club were holding a meeting of their own. I wondered if Claudia's phone had rung yet. I decided that it might have, since it seemed to ring an awful lot.
The girls in the Baby-sitters Club held their meetings with the door closed. Jessi and I had to hold ours with the door open so we could hear the phone in the hall. We'd set it on the floor, as close to the doorway as the cord would stretch, but it was not the same as having my own phone. Plus, my brothers and sisters ran upstairs every two seconds.
I looked at Jessi. "This is not exactly like the Baby-sitters Club," I told her.
"No?"
I explained about the phone and the privacy.
"And another thing," I added. "They have club officers. You know, president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer. But there are only two of us."
"You could be the president," said Jessi, "since you know how to run a baby-sitting club."
"But you thought of the great name for our club," I pointed
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