Philip Hall Likes Me. I Reckon Maybe. by Greene Bette

Author:Greene, Bette [Greene, Bette]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult, Childrens, Historical, Contemporary
ISBN: 9781101128053
Goodreads: 9762538
Publisher: Puffin Books
Published: 1974-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

The Pretty Pennies picket

July

I no sooner set the ice-cold pitcher of lemonade on the porch when I saw the Blakes’ green pickup truck stirring up the dust as it traveled down our rutty road. “Ma,” I called through the screen door. “Bring out the cookies! The Pretty Pennies are a-coming.”

Right away the door opened, but it wasn’t Ma. It was Luther wearing a fresh white dress shirt and the blue pants from his Sunday suit. While Susan, Esther, and Bonnie jumped off the truck’s back platform, Luther didn’t hardly pay no never mind. It wasn’t until Ginny the gorgeous climbed down that Luther, wearing a very pleasant expression, took a couple of giant steps toward her and asked, “How y‘all getting along, Ginny?”

Ginny didn’t get a chance to answer ‘cause the one girl who folks say was born into this world talking answered my brother’s question. “Fried to a frizzle,” said Bonnie Blake. “And that lemonade yonder looks mighty refreshing.”

After the lemonade was drunk and the cookies eaten, I performed my duties by rapping on the floor of the porch and saying, “This here meeting of the Pretty Pennies Girls Club is now called to order.”

“Trouble with this club,” said Bonnie without waiting until we got to new business, “is that we never do nothing but drink lemonade and talk about the boys in the Tiger Hunters’ Club.”

Heads bobbed up and down in agreement.

Bonnie smiled as though she was onto something big. “What this club needs is somebody with new ideas about things that are fun doing.”

Then Ginny did something unusual. She found that one sliver of a moment which Bonnie wasn’t cramming with words and said, “We just go from one meeting to the next meeting without ever doing anything. Reckon we could use a new president.”

Even before Ginny’s words were being applauded, I knew there was some truth to be found in them. We do just sit around gabbing—which is fun—but it was the same amount of fun before I got the idea that we had to become a club. “Philip Hall and the Tiger Hunters ain’t the only ones can be a club!” And it was also me that told them how it was a known fact that clubs have more fun than friends. Suddenly I felt ashamed of myself for having promised more than I delivered, but mostly I felt angry with the Pretty Pennies, who were fixing to dump their president without as much as a “begging your pardon.”

I looked up at the porch ceiling, looking for something like a good idea waiting to bore through my brain. Well, I looked, but I didn’t see nothing but ceiling paint. So I closed my eyes and sure enough something came to me. I waved my hands for quiet. “It so happens that I do have a wonderful idea, but I was waiting to tell y‘all about it.”

Bonnie began, “Is it fun? ‘Cause I got me plenty of chores to do at home so if it’s—”

I broke right in.

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