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Authors: David A. Adler
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waiting to buy tickets. She went outside, into the school yard. Some young children were on the swings. Lots of teenagers were playing basketball.
Cam looked across the school yard. Then she saw her parents and Eric’s family. Cam waved. “Hurry,” she called to them. “The play is about to start.”
“This is so exciting,” Mr. and Mrs. Jansen said as they entered the school.
Eric’s twin sisters, Donna and Diane, were next. Then Mr. and Mrs. Shelton walked in. Mr. Shelton carried Eric’s baby brother, Howie.
“Sh,” Mr. Shelton whispered to Cam. “Howie is asleep.”
Cam watched as her mother paid for two tickets. Danny pushed the money through the narrow slit in the top of the shoe box.
Next, the Sheltons paid for their tickets.
“Please stay here,” Ms. Benson told Cam. “I’m going backstage to see if everyone is ready.”
A few boys came in from the school yard. One of them carried a basketball.
“Hey, what’s going on here?” one of the boys asked.
Cam told them they were raising money for charity. She told them about the play. But they weren’t interested in a play about President Lincoln.
“I learned enough about him in school,” one of the boys said as they left.
There were only a few people still in line. The last was a tall woman. She had on an orange dress. Cam wanted to remember her. She looked at the woman, blinked her eyes, and said, “Click. ”
Then Cam told Sara and Danny, “I’ll let Ms. Benson know you’re just about done. I’ll be right back.”
Cam walked into the auditorium. The seats were almost all filled. It was noisy. People were talking while they waited for the play to begin.
Cam went backstage. Her classmates were checking their costumes. Some were looking at their scripts, making sure they remembered their lines.
“You all look just fine,” Ms. Benson said. “We’re going to put on a great play.”
Susie giggled.
“What is it?” Ms. Benson asked.
“I’m sorry,” Susie answered. “I laugh when I’m nervous.”
“Don’t be nervous,” Ms. Benson said. “If you forget your lines, look to the right. I’ll be just behind the curtain. I’ll help you. And, please, don’t laugh.”
Ms. Benson asked Cam, “Is everyone seated?”
Cam looked through the curtains at the people waiting for the play to begin. She found the tall woman with the orange dress. The woman was in the aisle. She was drinking from a soda can and looking for a seat.
Cam told Ms. Benson, “We are almost ready.”
Cam watched the woman with the orange dress sit in the last row.
“Now we can start,” Cam said. “The last one in line for tickets just took her seat.”
Ms. Benson gave Cam a pair of scissors and a leather purse. She told Cam to open the shoe box, count the money, and put it in the purse. Then Ms. Benson called out, “Dim the lights. The show is about to begin.”
Cam walked quickly down the center aisle. The lights dimmed. People in the audience stopped talking. They looked toward the stage and waited.
Cam opened the doors and went into the hall.
“Can we go in now?” Sara asked. “We want to see the play, too.”
Cam said, “Ms. Benson wants us to open the box. She wants us to count the money and put it in this purse. Then we can all go in to see the play.”
Cam cut the tape that was wrapped around the top and sides of the box. She took off the lid.
There were just a few dollars in the box.
“Hey,” Cam said. “You sold lots of tickets. What happened to all the money?”
CHAPTER THREE
Sara counted the money. There were just three dollar bills and four quarters in the box.
“I put lots of money in there,” Sara said. “Lots more than this.”
Danny said, “I did, too.”
“The auditorium is just about full,” Cam said. “You must have sold about 150 tickets. At one dollar each, that’s 150 dollars.” Cam held up the money she had taken from the box. “All we have here are four dollars.”
Sara told Cam, “I didn’t
Cam looked across the school yard. Then she saw her parents and Eric’s family. Cam waved. “Hurry,” she called to them. “The play is about to start.”
“This is so exciting,” Mr. and Mrs. Jansen said as they entered the school.
Eric’s twin sisters, Donna and Diane, were next. Then Mr. and Mrs. Shelton walked in. Mr. Shelton carried Eric’s baby brother, Howie.
“Sh,” Mr. Shelton whispered to Cam. “Howie is asleep.”
Cam watched as her mother paid for two tickets. Danny pushed the money through the narrow slit in the top of the shoe box.
Next, the Sheltons paid for their tickets.
“Please stay here,” Ms. Benson told Cam. “I’m going backstage to see if everyone is ready.”
A few boys came in from the school yard. One of them carried a basketball.
“Hey, what’s going on here?” one of the boys asked.
Cam told them they were raising money for charity. She told them about the play. But they weren’t interested in a play about President Lincoln.
“I learned enough about him in school,” one of the boys said as they left.
There were only a few people still in line. The last was a tall woman. She had on an orange dress. Cam wanted to remember her. She looked at the woman, blinked her eyes, and said, “Click. ”
Then Cam told Sara and Danny, “I’ll let Ms. Benson know you’re just about done. I’ll be right back.”
Cam walked into the auditorium. The seats were almost all filled. It was noisy. People were talking while they waited for the play to begin.
Cam went backstage. Her classmates were checking their costumes. Some were looking at their scripts, making sure they remembered their lines.
“You all look just fine,” Ms. Benson said. “We’re going to put on a great play.”
Susie giggled.
“What is it?” Ms. Benson asked.
“I’m sorry,” Susie answered. “I laugh when I’m nervous.”
“Don’t be nervous,” Ms. Benson said. “If you forget your lines, look to the right. I’ll be just behind the curtain. I’ll help you. And, please, don’t laugh.”
Ms. Benson asked Cam, “Is everyone seated?”
Cam looked through the curtains at the people waiting for the play to begin. She found the tall woman with the orange dress. The woman was in the aisle. She was drinking from a soda can and looking for a seat.
Cam told Ms. Benson, “We are almost ready.”
Cam watched the woman with the orange dress sit in the last row.
“Now we can start,” Cam said. “The last one in line for tickets just took her seat.”
Ms. Benson gave Cam a pair of scissors and a leather purse. She told Cam to open the shoe box, count the money, and put it in the purse. Then Ms. Benson called out, “Dim the lights. The show is about to begin.”
Cam walked quickly down the center aisle. The lights dimmed. People in the audience stopped talking. They looked toward the stage and waited.
Cam opened the doors and went into the hall.
“Can we go in now?” Sara asked. “We want to see the play, too.”
Cam said, “Ms. Benson wants us to open the box. She wants us to count the money and put it in this purse. Then we can all go in to see the play.”
Cam cut the tape that was wrapped around the top and sides of the box. She took off the lid.
There were just a few dollars in the box.
“Hey,” Cam said. “You sold lots of tickets. What happened to all the money?”
CHAPTER THREE
Sara counted the money. There were just three dollar bills and four quarters in the box.
“I put lots of money in there,” Sara said. “Lots more than this.”
Danny said, “I did, too.”
“The auditorium is just about full,” Cam said. “You must have sold about 150 tickets. At one dollar each, that’s 150 dollars.” Cam held up the money she had taken from the box. “All we have here are four dollars.”
Sara told Cam, “I didn’t
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