Read Online Who Won the War? by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
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duty this time, their stomachs full of lemon pie.
Instead of saying something pleasant to the girls, Jake said, “Too bad the power didn't go out when you were halfway back to Ohio. Your dad would have to call while you were still here!”
“Yeah? I don't know what you're complaining about,” said Eddie. “You've got free maid service. We did the dishes, remember.”
“Hey, you guys,” said Josh. “You know what I think? I think you two ought to go hide in a cave or something till the heat wave's over. I'm tired of hearing you gripe at each other all the time. I mean it.”
“I am too!” said Beth. “Nobody likes that we have to be here, you know.”
Jake and Eddie looked quickly around at the others, surprised, it seemed, that their own brothers and sisters were turning against them.
“I just wish there was something exciting to do,” said Eddie. “We never did go to the old coal mine. I'm going to go up there and look around.”
“Yeah? I dare you,” said Jake.
“I dare you both !” said Josh. “Maybe that'll stop your complaining.”
And Caroline knew that a dare, to Eddie, was as good as a done deal.
Twelve
Undercover Operation
W ally did not know when anything had felt weirder than having Eddie, Beth, and Caroline sleeping in his house. Here in the upstairs! In Jake and Josh's bedroom!
The twins had dumped all their stuff on the floor in Peter's room and were sprawled out now on their sleeping bags in Wally's room. But those sleeping bags alone took up most of the floor space. If Wally had to get up in the night, he'd have to take wide steps, putting his feet only on the places where there wasn't an arm or a leg.
“This stinks! They'll snoop through everything!” said Jake.
“I got most of the stuff out of our desks, though,” said Josh. “I got the journal I was keeping for a while, and all your baseball cards.”
Suddenly Jake gave a little cry and bolted upright. “Our underwear!” he gasped. “We didn't clean out the dresser! We left our underwear!”
Wally watched as Jake fell back on his sleeping bag, eyes closed. For once something humiliating was happening to Wally's brothers, not to him. He imagined Caroline coming down to breakfast in the morning with Jake's underpants on her head. He imagined Eddie going out to his mother's vegetable garden in the backyard and picking tomatoes for lunch, using Josh's underwear for a basket. He imagined Beth fastening little pink bows to the front of each pair.
“Man oh man!” he said, trying not to laugh. “That could be embarrassing.”
“We've got to get them out of there!” said Josh.
“The girls?” asked Wally.
“The underwear!” Jake and Josh howled together.
“What are you going to do? Sneak in there while they're asleep?” asked Wally. “Everyone's gone to bed.”
“I don't know. We'll think of something,” said Jake, and who knew what that something would be?
It had been a hot, miserable day, made worse by Wally's brothers' taking up all his floor space with their sleeping bags, and all the air with their complaints— Jake's in particular. Not only that, but their shoes stank! All Wally wanted to do was fall asleep and forget how many people were in his house just now.
Once, in the night, Wally had to go to the bathroom. He did not want to go out into the hall and bump into a Malloy girl. Maybe he could hold it in tillmorning, he thought. He turned onto his left side. He turned onto his right. He couldn't hold it in much longer.
Finally he got out of bed, edged his way around his brothers, and slowly opened his bedroom door so that it wouldn't creak. Then, in his tiger pajamas, he stepped out into the hall and took a step toward the bathroom. There, coming straight toward him, was Caroline Malloy in her Little Mermaid pajamas. A tiger and a mermaid did not mix at all.
He knew that Caroline, being a guest, should be allowed to go to the bathroom first. But Wally's feet kept moving. He made it two steps
Instead of saying something pleasant to the girls, Jake said, “Too bad the power didn't go out when you were halfway back to Ohio. Your dad would have to call while you were still here!”
“Yeah? I don't know what you're complaining about,” said Eddie. “You've got free maid service. We did the dishes, remember.”
“Hey, you guys,” said Josh. “You know what I think? I think you two ought to go hide in a cave or something till the heat wave's over. I'm tired of hearing you gripe at each other all the time. I mean it.”
“I am too!” said Beth. “Nobody likes that we have to be here, you know.”
Jake and Eddie looked quickly around at the others, surprised, it seemed, that their own brothers and sisters were turning against them.
“I just wish there was something exciting to do,” said Eddie. “We never did go to the old coal mine. I'm going to go up there and look around.”
“Yeah? I dare you,” said Jake.
“I dare you both !” said Josh. “Maybe that'll stop your complaining.”
And Caroline knew that a dare, to Eddie, was as good as a done deal.
Twelve
Undercover Operation
W ally did not know when anything had felt weirder than having Eddie, Beth, and Caroline sleeping in his house. Here in the upstairs! In Jake and Josh's bedroom!
The twins had dumped all their stuff on the floor in Peter's room and were sprawled out now on their sleeping bags in Wally's room. But those sleeping bags alone took up most of the floor space. If Wally had to get up in the night, he'd have to take wide steps, putting his feet only on the places where there wasn't an arm or a leg.
“This stinks! They'll snoop through everything!” said Jake.
“I got most of the stuff out of our desks, though,” said Josh. “I got the journal I was keeping for a while, and all your baseball cards.”
Suddenly Jake gave a little cry and bolted upright. “Our underwear!” he gasped. “We didn't clean out the dresser! We left our underwear!”
Wally watched as Jake fell back on his sleeping bag, eyes closed. For once something humiliating was happening to Wally's brothers, not to him. He imagined Caroline coming down to breakfast in the morning with Jake's underpants on her head. He imagined Eddie going out to his mother's vegetable garden in the backyard and picking tomatoes for lunch, using Josh's underwear for a basket. He imagined Beth fastening little pink bows to the front of each pair.
“Man oh man!” he said, trying not to laugh. “That could be embarrassing.”
“We've got to get them out of there!” said Josh.
“The girls?” asked Wally.
“The underwear!” Jake and Josh howled together.
“What are you going to do? Sneak in there while they're asleep?” asked Wally. “Everyone's gone to bed.”
“I don't know. We'll think of something,” said Jake, and who knew what that something would be?
It had been a hot, miserable day, made worse by Wally's brothers' taking up all his floor space with their sleeping bags, and all the air with their complaints— Jake's in particular. Not only that, but their shoes stank! All Wally wanted to do was fall asleep and forget how many people were in his house just now.
Once, in the night, Wally had to go to the bathroom. He did not want to go out into the hall and bump into a Malloy girl. Maybe he could hold it in tillmorning, he thought. He turned onto his left side. He turned onto his right. He couldn't hold it in much longer.
Finally he got out of bed, edged his way around his brothers, and slowly opened his bedroom door so that it wouldn't creak. Then, in his tiger pajamas, he stepped out into the hall and took a step toward the bathroom. There, coming straight toward him, was Caroline Malloy in her Little Mermaid pajamas. A tiger and a mermaid did not mix at all.
He knew that Caroline, being a guest, should be allowed to go to the bathroom first. But Wally's feet kept moving. He made it two steps
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