though you needed one more thing!”
“The ladybugs would have come whether you were here or not, Jean,” Mrs. Hatford said. “But they can really be a pain.”
“Tell you what, Peter,” his father said. “I'll give you a nickel for every dozen ladybugs you can catch. Take them out in the woods and let them go—whatever. But keep them away from the house.”
Peter immediately started cupping his hands over the ones he found on the wall.
Caroline was sobbing. “I don't want to sleep in here,Mother,” she wailed. “They'll get in my hair and crawl in my pajamas.”
Wally laughed out loud. He couldn't help it.
“Never mind her,” Mrs. Malloy said quickly. “Caroline, we are lucky to have a roof over our heads, the fix we're in. Ladybugs aren't going to hurt you one bit.” But Caroline went on weeping, and the vacuum went on sucking up bugs, and Peter kept trying to catch some and put them in a jar. Wally thought this was one of the best evenings he'd ever seen.
Mr. Malloy called from Ohio later, and after Mrs. Malloy had talked with him, she told the others that the electricity still had not come on in their house, but that the power company expected to have power restored to everyone in two more days.
“They are trying to restore electricity to nursing homes and hospitals first,” she explained. “Houses, I guess, will be last on the list.”
“We're glad to be able to do this for you, Jean. Stop worrying,” Mrs. Hatford told her.
The heat wave broke the next day in West Virginia. Temperatures dropped from the hundreds to the eighties, and Wally knew that if he tried to fry an egg on the sidewalk now, it would sit there undisturbed all day.
Everyone felt better now that the air was more bearable, and Wally was determined to be as kind as he could to the girls for the last days they were there. When he went to breakfast, however, and saw Carolinewith her hair plastered to her head like an onion skin, he stared, impolite or not.
“She tied a scarf around her head all night,” Beth explained, trying not to laugh. But Wally and Jake and Josh and even Peter giggled in spite of themselves.
With the thought that the Malloys would be leaving soon, everybody seemed more relaxed. Beth made a double batch of chocolate chip cookies for Peter and his brothers. Mrs. Malloy drove to a market for sweet corn, and Caroline and Eddie picked tomatoes and green beans for dinner from Mrs. Hatford's garden.
Everyone seemed to be in a good mood at dinner. Mr. Hatford had finished his rounds early, Mrs. Hatford had been pleased to find dinner cooking when she came home from the hardware store, Peter had been busy collecting more ladybugs, and Jake and Eddie had sat down and played cards without any bickering.
“Now, this is what a summer evening should feel like!” Mr. Hatford said, reaching for another ear of corn, and at that exact moment there was a huge Ka-boom that shook the house.
Wally almost leaped out of his skin. Peter dropped his fork, and several voices at once cried, “What was that ? ”
Because Tom Hatford was a part-time sheriff's deputy, he had a two-way radio, and immediately he leaped to his feet and rushed to turn it on. He stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the diningroom, listening to the static and the excited voices and confusion coming from the speaker.
“Ray? … Ray?” Mr. Hatford kept saying. “What have we got? What exploded?”
And finally an answer: “I don't know, Tom. Larry says he sees smoke coming from east of town, and we've got a car on the way…. Wait a minute! It's the coal mine, Larry says. Son of a gun, we got a call coming in saying there's been an explosion at the old coal mine!”
Wally stared at his brothers, then at the girls.
“Why would anyone have done that?” Mrs. Hatford said. “Why, nobody's used that mine for years!”
“Who would do it—that's what we want to know,” said Mr. Hatford, grabbing his keys and rushing for the door.
The
“The ladybugs would have come whether you were here or not, Jean,” Mrs. Hatford said. “But they can really be a pain.”
“Tell you what, Peter,” his father said. “I'll give you a nickel for every dozen ladybugs you can catch. Take them out in the woods and let them go—whatever. But keep them away from the house.”
Peter immediately started cupping his hands over the ones he found on the wall.
Caroline was sobbing. “I don't want to sleep in here,Mother,” she wailed. “They'll get in my hair and crawl in my pajamas.”
Wally laughed out loud. He couldn't help it.
“Never mind her,” Mrs. Malloy said quickly. “Caroline, we are lucky to have a roof over our heads, the fix we're in. Ladybugs aren't going to hurt you one bit.” But Caroline went on weeping, and the vacuum went on sucking up bugs, and Peter kept trying to catch some and put them in a jar. Wally thought this was one of the best evenings he'd ever seen.
Mr. Malloy called from Ohio later, and after Mrs. Malloy had talked with him, she told the others that the electricity still had not come on in their house, but that the power company expected to have power restored to everyone in two more days.
“They are trying to restore electricity to nursing homes and hospitals first,” she explained. “Houses, I guess, will be last on the list.”
“We're glad to be able to do this for you, Jean. Stop worrying,” Mrs. Hatford told her.
The heat wave broke the next day in West Virginia. Temperatures dropped from the hundreds to the eighties, and Wally knew that if he tried to fry an egg on the sidewalk now, it would sit there undisturbed all day.
Everyone felt better now that the air was more bearable, and Wally was determined to be as kind as he could to the girls for the last days they were there. When he went to breakfast, however, and saw Carolinewith her hair plastered to her head like an onion skin, he stared, impolite or not.
“She tied a scarf around her head all night,” Beth explained, trying not to laugh. But Wally and Jake and Josh and even Peter giggled in spite of themselves.
With the thought that the Malloys would be leaving soon, everybody seemed more relaxed. Beth made a double batch of chocolate chip cookies for Peter and his brothers. Mrs. Malloy drove to a market for sweet corn, and Caroline and Eddie picked tomatoes and green beans for dinner from Mrs. Hatford's garden.
Everyone seemed to be in a good mood at dinner. Mr. Hatford had finished his rounds early, Mrs. Hatford had been pleased to find dinner cooking when she came home from the hardware store, Peter had been busy collecting more ladybugs, and Jake and Eddie had sat down and played cards without any bickering.
“Now, this is what a summer evening should feel like!” Mr. Hatford said, reaching for another ear of corn, and at that exact moment there was a huge Ka-boom that shook the house.
Wally almost leaped out of his skin. Peter dropped his fork, and several voices at once cried, “What was that ? ”
Because Tom Hatford was a part-time sheriff's deputy, he had a two-way radio, and immediately he leaped to his feet and rushed to turn it on. He stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the diningroom, listening to the static and the excited voices and confusion coming from the speaker.
“Ray? … Ray?” Mr. Hatford kept saying. “What have we got? What exploded?”
And finally an answer: “I don't know, Tom. Larry says he sees smoke coming from east of town, and we've got a car on the way…. Wait a minute! It's the coal mine, Larry says. Son of a gun, we got a call coming in saying there's been an explosion at the old coal mine!”
Wally stared at his brothers, then at the girls.
“Why would anyone have done that?” Mrs. Hatford said. “Why, nobody's used that mine for years!”
“Who would do it—that's what we want to know,” said Mr. Hatford, grabbing his keys and rushing for the door.
The
Similar Books
