Henry and Ribsy (3) by Beverly Cleary

Author:Beverly Cleary [Cleary, Beverly]
Language: nld
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780061972201
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 1954-01-13T08:00:00+00:00

Henry stared after them. What’s the matter with them anyhow? he wondered. What did I do to them? Then a thought struck Henry. Could it be? No, it couldn’t. Yes, it must be! Suddenly Henry had a feeling he was no longer the only boy with a chewed-up haircut. “Hey!” he yelled.

Robert and Scooter stalked on.

Why are they acting like that, Henry wondered. It’s not my fault if they have home haircuts. Henry felt he had to know for sure. If he wasn’t the only one with chewed-up hair, things wouldn’t be so bad. “Hey, fellows,” he yelled again and as he yelled, his tongue touched one of his loose teeth. What were a couple of loose teeth anyhow? He made up his mind. “Want to watch me pull my teeth?”

Robert and Scooter hesitated. Then they stopped and turned around.

“I’ve thought of a keen way to pull them,” said Henry, trying frantically to think of an unusual way to get those teeth out of his mouth.

“How?” demanded Scooter, as he and Robert came up to the steps.

“You’ll see,” said Henry feebly. But, he thought, how am I going to pull them? To stall for time, he fished through his pockets and found a piece of string. “Uh…how come you fellows are wearing hats?” he ventured.

“Come on, Robert,” said Scooter. “He said he was going to pull his teeth, but I guess he didn’t mean it.”

“I am too going to pull them.” Henry was determined not to let the boys get away before he found out what had happened. He carefully untangled the string and tried to sound casual. “Did you fellows get your hair cut?” he asked.

“We sure did,” said Scooter, “and it’s all your fault.”

“What do you mean, it’s all my fault?” asked Henry. “What did I do?”

“You know.” Scooter scowled at Henry. “And if you ask me it was a pretty mean trick. As bad as tattling.”

“Worse,” said Robert.

“What mean trick?” Henry demanded. “What are you talking about?”

“Your mother phoned our mothers and told them about the sale of hair clippers, that’s what,” said Scooter. “She phoned just like you told her to. And they both went right over to the clipper sale at the Colossal Drugstore.”

“My mother?” Henry was genuinely bewildered. “My mother phoned your mothers?”

“Honest, didn’t you know about it?” Robert asked.

“Cross my heart and hope to die,” said Henry. Well, so that was what his mother had been thinking about at dinner last night! Leave it to her to think of something. Henry wanted to laugh and shout but he didn’t dare, not with Scooter glowering at him.

“See?” said Robert to Scooter. “I told you it wasn’t his idea for his mother to tell our mothers. I knew Henry wouldn’t do a thing like that and you said he would.”

Henry looked injured. “You’re some friend, thinking I’d do a mean thing like that.”

“Well, maybe you didn’t,” said Scooter grudgingly, “but I bet you haven’t really thought of a way to pull your teeth.”

“I have, too,” said Henry.

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