Read Online The Second Adventure by Gordon Korman - Free Book Online Page B

they were in the clear.
    â€œKeep Luthor under there!” he called to Melissa, “no matter what happens!”
    â€œMary Catherine says hurry up and change,” she advised. “You and Bobby are the last two for ‘Gettysburg’!”
    â€œI’m on it!” he promised.
    A small tent had been set up backstage to serve as the wardrobe room. Bobby had thrown off his Timon costume and was about to don the long frock coat and stovepipe hat of Abraham Lincoln when Logan dashed inside, stripping out of Pumbaa.
    â€œWhat’s going on, Logan? Why is Pride Rock moving?”
    â€œThe dog woke up,” Logan explained breathlessly. “And the farmer has two guys at the Showdown, looking for him. Mary Catherine needs to talk to you right away about what we’re going to do!”
    The trusting Bobby rushed out in search of the Ta-da! captain.
    Grim with determination, Logan crammed himself into the President’s black frock coat and trousers. He felt bad about tricking Bobby, who was a nice kid, even though he had no talent. But this was necessary. The Ta-da! revue had started off in the toilet, yet he could tell from the judge’s eyes that the second half had brought steady improvement. They were in striking distance. He could taste it. But they needed an Abraham Lincoln who could bring the house down. It called for a touch of Kellerman magic.
    He put on the fake beard and stovepipe hat, and checked his reflection in the mirror. A jarring note: The burgers in his pocket made him look fat, and Lincoln was anything but. Still, he couldn’t dump the burgers. They might be needed to keep Luthor quiet.
    Where could he stash them?
    In a moment of inspiration, he stuffed them into the tall stovepipe hat, and crammed it tightly onto his head. Perfect. No one would ever know there were hamburgers up there. It might even help his posture look more presidential.
    Bobby came rushing in. “Mary Catherine didn’t — Logan, why are you wearing my costume?”
    There could be no reasonable explanation, so Logan just ran out of the tent and took the stage. The Union soldiers seemed a little bewildered to see the wrong Lincoln standing there. So he launched right into,
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers
. . .”
    It was a little fast and energetic for a man with smallpox, so he slowed down and mopped his brow with a handkerchief, being careful not to dislodge his hat. He could feel Mickey Bonaventure’s eyes on him. This was it! He was doing it! He was winning over a real Hollywood actor!
    A rumble like thunder shook the stage. In that instant, Logan realized that the judge hadn’t been looking at him, but at Pride Rock, which was vibrating like a volcano about to blow. Two black-and-tan paws appeared in the gap between set and floor.
    â€œNow we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation . . .”
    Pride Rock rocked. It bounced once, slammed back to the platform, and then tilted up again, teetered there, and finally tipped over.

    L uthor came roaring across the stage like he’d been launched by a catapult. He gamboled all around Logan, leaping and barking.
    The audience was thunderstruck. Was this part of the show? And if so, what version of the Gettysburg Address had Mr. Lincoln being attacked by a giant dog?
    â€œThe brave men, living and dead, who struggled here . . .”
It was the greatest challenge any actor could possibly face — to deliver a classic speech while fighting off a wild beast. Logan never wavered, and he never blew a line. Mickey Bonaventure couldn’t have done it! Not even Johnny Depp! When Luthor knocked the hat off and the hamburgers came tumbling down, Logan didn’t falter. He finished with
“. . .
government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Luthor stood beside him, his large snout buried in the pile of fallen food.
    Mickey Bonaventure