The Dragon in the Ghetto Caper by Konigsburg E. L

Author:Konigsburg, E. L. [Konigsburg, E. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Childrens, Mystery, Young Adult
ISBN: 9781442439702
Amazon: 144243970X
Goodreads: 11363275
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 1974-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Edie wanted to have Mary Jane’s dragon finished—stuffed and ready—on the Friday before the wedding. By Thursday there was still work to be done, but they had to take time out again. Andy had asked Edie if she were going to use foam rubber or dacron to stuff the dragon, and Edie had replied, “Not a wedding-gift pillow. They’re stuffed with rice, some laurel for smell and a penny for luck.”

“If she doesn’t decorate her sofa with it, she can feed it to the birds.”

“Oh, I hope not,” Edie said. ‘They can get copper poisoning from the penny, I think. Maybe. Maybe birds don’t.”

Sister Henderson was waiting on the corner of Rutgers and Magnolia Boulevard, the very intersection where the Port-A-Let van had pulled in back of them the week before. Sister flagged them down with her umbrella. She scooted into the back seat and said, “Best go to Brother Folk’s place first. He say that he gone haf to carry his auntie to the throat doctor ‘long ‘bout now. Best we start with him and run the run backward this week.”

“But, Sister Henderson,” Edie protested, “that’s so roundabout, and we have to finish the needlepointing before we can do the stuffing.”

“Won’ take too much extra time, an’ doin’ it this-away may jus’ save me from doin’ lotsa time later. Nex’ week, I figgers we be back to normalcy. It’s in the springtime that the Devil rise wit’ the sap. It happen every year.”

After they finished their duly appointed (backward) rounds, they headed toward Brother Banks’s house. As Edie slowed down and signaled that she was about to make the right-hand turn onto the dirt road that led to Banks’s house, Andy spotted a car coming toward them. It wasn’t Brother Maytag’s. It was the gray Plymouth. As the car passed theirs, he saw two men. The man beside the driver rubbernecked to see into Edie’s car as they passed. Edie was concentrating on making her turn and seemed not to notice.

Andy was convinced that the car was the one which had followed them the week before (the Devil’s car). He wondered if Sister Henderson had noticed it. He wanted to ask, but he didn’t want to arouse Edie’s suspicions. He looked back at Sister Henderson, raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes in the direction of the Plymouth. Sister nodded. Andy put his finger over his mouth, indicating to her to say nothing.

Sister Henderson could not read sign language. At least not normal, nonghetto sign language. Because he had no sooner signaled her to be quiet than she blurted out, “Y’know, Andrew, Ah done tole Brother Banks a lot ‘bout you. He be anxious t’ meet you. Howdja like t’ carry the donations on to his place here this afternoon? While you doin’ that, Miz Yakots an’ me c’n run down to the Minute Market an’ pick me up some aspurn. Ah feels a mos’ appropriate long headache comin’ on.”

Edie said, “I’ll take the donations in to Brother Banks.

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