and opened to the first page. The Book of Great Discoveries Made by Iva Honeysuckle . What great discoveries? She hadnât found Braddockâs gold. Her great discovery summer was a total flop. She hadnât gotten her picture in The Uncertain Star. Andâ¦she had let her great-grandfather down.
âIn here! Hurry!â
Lily Pearl shoved through the tent flap. Howard scuttled in behind her with Lily Pearlâs Halloween trick-or-treat pail.
âWhat are you brats doing?â Iva said, crowded against Sweetlips.
âWe had pork chops for supper,â Lily Pearl said, as if sheâd endured a hideous crime. âTime and again I told Mama how much I hate pork chops, but she will not listen . So Iâm leaving home.â
âWhat about you?â Iva asked Howard. âYou like pork chops.â
âHe goes where I go,â Lily Pearl stated. She took the pumpkin pail and unpacked five menâs handkerchiefs, her motherâs rhinestone bracelet, and one Blue Green crayon.
Iva pounced on it. â You stole my crayon! And whatâre you doing with Daddyâs handkerchiefs?â
âThey pack nice,â Lily Pearl said. âWe can hide in here, canât we?â
âNo. Howard, get off my National Geographic magazine. Itâs very old.â
Outside, something screeched, like two cats fighting on a back fence.
â Found a peanut, found a peanut, found a peanut just now. Just now I found a peanut, found a peanut just now. â
The tent flap flipped back. Arden and Hunter poked their heads in, singing, â It was rotten, it was rotten, it was rot-ten just now. Just now it was rotten, it was rot-ten just now. â
âGo away !â Iva exclaimed.
âWeâre joining your little campout,â Arden said. âWe even brought marshmallows.â
âTake them back,â Iva said. âYouâre not invited.â
âWill you tell ghost stories?â Lily Pearl asked. âHoward and me love to be scared.â
â Ate it anyway, ate it anyway, ate it a-nyway just now. Just now I ate it anyway, ate it a-nyway just now. â
âShut up that stupid song!â Iva said, pushing Ardenâs face.
Arden slapped Ivaâs hand away. âItâs a camp-out song.â
âAnd we sing it real good,â said Hunter.
â Got a stomachache, got a stomachache, got a sto-machache just now. Just now I got a stomachache, got a sto-machache just now. â
Iva had a stomachache listening to them. âGet out just now!â
âYou should be glad Mama even let you camp out,â Arden said. âYou left Daddyâs tools all over town. Cazy Sparkle found them and sold them at her yard sale. Mama had to buy back our own tools.â
âI spent the whole day cleaning the shed,â Iva said. âMy punishment is over.â
But it wasnât.
Arden and Hunter continued to sing. â Called the doctor, called the doctor, called the doc-tor just now. Just now I called the doctor, called the doc-tor just now.â
âIf you donât get out, youâre going to need a doctor!â Iva felt like running away herself. Why couldnât she have five minutesâ peace?
âI want a marshmallow,â Howard said.
Arden stopped caterwauling. âHunt, you know that girl in our class, Burgin Clatterbuck? Her mother makes marshmallows from scratch. She uses Knox gelatin.â
Hunter wrinkled her nose. âEwww.â Then she joined Arden in the next chorus.
â Died anyway, died anyway ââ
Iva stuffed the handkerchiefs and rhinestone bracelet back in Lily Pearlâs pumpkin pail, and thrust it at her. âGet out, everybody. Right now !â
Arden and Hunter backed out, laughing. Lily Pearl crawled out in a huff, Howard crabbing behind her.
âIâm never running away to your house again,â Lily Pearl flung at Iva.
âMe neither!â Howard ran to catch up
Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley