Read Online The Boys Start the War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
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frightened, from scared to angry, and it was then she heard the scream.
Thinking her sister was being strangled, Caroline rushed into the room across the hall to find Beth on the floor, her chair overturned, eyes huge.
“What is it?” Caroline cried.
“Oh, Caroline, the most horrible thing right outside my window!”
“Girls, what’s going on?” asked their father, hurrying in. Mother followed.
“Dad, there was something right outside my window!” Beth cried, still shaken.
“What was it?”
“A bobbing head. A floating face! It was greenwith gray eyes, and … oh, it was awful! All decayed, with drool coming out of its mouth, and …”
Father reached down and picked up the book Beth had been reading: The Creeping Dead.
“Don’t you think it’s time you read something else for a change?”
“I only had half a chapter to go, and I just had to know how it ended,” Beth said. “But what I saw wasn’t my imagination; it was real!”
Caroline and her mother went to the window.
“Well, I don’t see a thing,” said Mrs. Malloy. “Eddie went next door to take back the eggs I borrowed. I’ll bet it was her.”
“It wasn’t Eddie!” Beth declared.
“I’ll go check,” said Father.
He started down the stairs, the others behind him, just as Eddie came up.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
“You missed a floating face,” Caroline told her diyly. “Dad’s going out to check.”
“Don’t bother,” Eddie said. “Guess who I just bumped into? Crashed into, actually, they were in such a hurry to get away.”
“Them?” cried Beth.
Eddie nodded.
“Who?” said Mother. “Those Hatford boys?”
“The very same,” said Eddie. “There’s a ladder up against the house, right under Beth’s window.”
“What now!” Mother exclaimed. “Those guys must drive their mother nuts.”
Coach Malloy, however, was grinning. “That’s the kind of thing you get when you have boys, Jean. Now, don’t you go telling on them. They helped wash our windows, didn’t they?”
Caroline waited as her parents went back downstairs, then she and Eddie went inside Beth’s bedroom and shut the door.
“Those guys are terrible!” Beth said angrily.
“It could have been worse,” said Caroline. “You could have been naked.” Frankly, it had been a wonderful trick, Caroline decided, and she only wished that she had thought of it first to play on the boys.
“We’ve got to get even!” Beth declared, “We’ve just got to, Eddie!”
Eddie only smiled. “We already have. I’ve got their flashlight. A good flashlight too. I’ll bet it belongs to their dad. They won’t get it back unless they give us something in return.”
“What?” asked Caroline.
“I haven’t decided yet,” said Eddie. “But believe me, they’ll have to crawl!”
It would make such a marvelous story, Caroline thought. Sort of like Cinderella, only with the shoe on the other foot. This time they had the glass slipper, and whoever it belonged to had to come beg for it.
On their way to school the next day Beth and Eddie showed Caroline the ransom note they had written to the Hatfords:
To whom it may concern:
If you ever hope to see your flashlight; again, you will meet us at the swinging bridge at 7:30 this evening, and you will each say aloud, “I am, honestly and truly sorry for the trouble I have caused, and will be a faithful, obedient servant of the realm, now and forever.”
The Malloy Musketeers
“Servant of the realm?” Caroline asked. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know,” said Beth, “but I read it in a book, and it sounded wonderful.”
“It is wonderful!” said Caroline. “We could go walking down the path tonight single file, dressed like Egyptian princesses or something, and make them kneel down on one knee when they said it.”
“Not me,” said Eddie. “I’m not going as any princess.”
“The boys would never do that,” said Beth. “Getting them to say they’re sorry is
Thinking her sister was being strangled, Caroline rushed into the room across the hall to find Beth on the floor, her chair overturned, eyes huge.
“What is it?” Caroline cried.
“Oh, Caroline, the most horrible thing right outside my window!”
“Girls, what’s going on?” asked their father, hurrying in. Mother followed.
“Dad, there was something right outside my window!” Beth cried, still shaken.
“What was it?”
“A bobbing head. A floating face! It was greenwith gray eyes, and … oh, it was awful! All decayed, with drool coming out of its mouth, and …”
Father reached down and picked up the book Beth had been reading: The Creeping Dead.
“Don’t you think it’s time you read something else for a change?”
“I only had half a chapter to go, and I just had to know how it ended,” Beth said. “But what I saw wasn’t my imagination; it was real!”
Caroline and her mother went to the window.
“Well, I don’t see a thing,” said Mrs. Malloy. “Eddie went next door to take back the eggs I borrowed. I’ll bet it was her.”
“It wasn’t Eddie!” Beth declared.
“I’ll go check,” said Father.
He started down the stairs, the others behind him, just as Eddie came up.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
“You missed a floating face,” Caroline told her diyly. “Dad’s going out to check.”
“Don’t bother,” Eddie said. “Guess who I just bumped into? Crashed into, actually, they were in such a hurry to get away.”
“Them?” cried Beth.
Eddie nodded.
“Who?” said Mother. “Those Hatford boys?”
“The very same,” said Eddie. “There’s a ladder up against the house, right under Beth’s window.”
“What now!” Mother exclaimed. “Those guys must drive their mother nuts.”
Coach Malloy, however, was grinning. “That’s the kind of thing you get when you have boys, Jean. Now, don’t you go telling on them. They helped wash our windows, didn’t they?”
Caroline waited as her parents went back downstairs, then she and Eddie went inside Beth’s bedroom and shut the door.
“Those guys are terrible!” Beth said angrily.
“It could have been worse,” said Caroline. “You could have been naked.” Frankly, it had been a wonderful trick, Caroline decided, and she only wished that she had thought of it first to play on the boys.
“We’ve got to get even!” Beth declared, “We’ve just got to, Eddie!”
Eddie only smiled. “We already have. I’ve got their flashlight. A good flashlight too. I’ll bet it belongs to their dad. They won’t get it back unless they give us something in return.”
“What?” asked Caroline.
“I haven’t decided yet,” said Eddie. “But believe me, they’ll have to crawl!”
It would make such a marvelous story, Caroline thought. Sort of like Cinderella, only with the shoe on the other foot. This time they had the glass slipper, and whoever it belonged to had to come beg for it.
On their way to school the next day Beth and Eddie showed Caroline the ransom note they had written to the Hatfords:
To whom it may concern:
If you ever hope to see your flashlight; again, you will meet us at the swinging bridge at 7:30 this evening, and you will each say aloud, “I am, honestly and truly sorry for the trouble I have caused, and will be a faithful, obedient servant of the realm, now and forever.”
The Malloy Musketeers
“Servant of the realm?” Caroline asked. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know,” said Beth, “but I read it in a book, and it sounded wonderful.”
“It is wonderful!” said Caroline. “We could go walking down the path tonight single file, dressed like Egyptian princesses or something, and make them kneel down on one knee when they said it.”
“Not me,” said Eddie. “I’m not going as any princess.”
“The boys would never do that,” said Beth. “Getting them to say they’re sorry is
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