They're coming!" Josh yelled.
Like a whirlwind the twins rushed downstairs, where Peter was waiting. With Wally bringing up the rear they all went outside.
The two older Malloy sisters, wearing jeans and long shirts down to their knees, were walking arm in arm across the swinging bridge, leaning on each other, like two girls who had more sadness than they could possibly bear, Wally thought.
As they came closer, the Hatford brothers pretended to be looking down the road, at the sky, anywhere, in fact, except at the Malloys.
"Ask!" Jake whispered to Josh.
" ask!" said Josh. "You always try to make me do it."
"Wally, you do it," said Jake.
"Why me? What the heck am I supposed to say?"
The girls had reached the middle of the narrow bridge now and, still walking side by side, held on to the cable handrails as the bridge bounced slightly beneath their weight.
"If one of us doesn't ask, Peter will," Josh warned. "He'll say something dumb, like 'Have you buried anyone lately?'"
"I will not!" snapped Peter.
Like a whirlwind the twins rushed downstairs, where Peter was waiting. With Wally bringing up the rear they all went outside.
The two older Malloy sisters, wearing jeans and long shirts down to their knees, were walking arm in arm across the swinging bridge, leaning on each other, like two girls who had more sadness than they could possibly bear, Wally thought.
As they came closer, the Hatford brothers pretended to be looking down the road, at the sky, anywhere, in fact, except at the Malloys.
"Ask!" Jake whispered to Josh.
" ask!" said Josh. "You always try to make me do it."
"Wally, you do it," said Jake.
"Why me? What the heck am I supposed to say?"
The girls had reached the middle of the narrow bridge now and, still walking side by side, held on to the cable handrails as the bridge bounced slightly beneath their weight.
"If one of us doesn't ask, Peter will," Josh warned. "He'll say something dumb, like 'Have you buried anyone lately?'"
"I will not!" snapped Peter.
( Phyllis Reynolds Naylor )
[ The Boys Start the War ]
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