What a Pair! Read online

  Determined to find at least one suitable insect for the spider, Mark left the barn and walked around the yard for a bit. The wind had begun to blow, but the sun was still out. It didn’t take long until he spotted a grasshopper that had jumped out of the weeds and onto the wagon wheel propped against the barn.

  Walking slowly toward the wheel, Mark leaned in carefully and made a quick grab for the bug. He knew he’d caught it when he felt the jagged legs of the grasshopper looking for an escape inside his cupped hands.

  Once Mark was back in the barn, he climbed up into the hayloft and studied the web. Even though it hung just over from the loft, it was close enough for Mark to throw the bug in and watch what would happen next.

  Mark had always liked investigating things, so he intently watched as the insect stuck fast to the spider’s web and began to squirm. Mark had the perfect perch there in the loft. In fact, he was almost eye level with the web. It was like having a front-row seat.

  In no time at all, the spider apparently felt the vibration of the web and moved in to claim its prey. Mark watched in fascination as the spider quickly spun some of its webbing around the grasshopper, and then went back to its original task of building and repairing other parts of the web.

  I suppose that old grasshopper will get eaten sometime later, Mark thought, giving the spider one more glance before climbing back down the ladder. After he’d taken a seat on the bale of straw again, he took his wooden yo-yo out of his pocket and played with that awhile. He was getting pretty good with the different tricks he could do with the yo-yo, especially the one called “walking the dog.”

  It wasn’t long before Mark became tired of playing with the yo-yo. “Sure wish there was something really fun to do,” he mumbled. Wish Mattie would come out here to play. I’ll bet she would have freaked out watching that sly old spider trap the grasshopper in its web. But boy, I sure thought it was neat.

  Mark was glad it was still summer, and they wouldn’t have to go back to school for a few more weeks, but for the last several days he’d become bored. If he told Mom or Dad that, they’d probably find some job for him to do around the house or yard, so he guessed it would be better if he just sat here—even if he was really bored.

  Meow! Meow! Mark’s cat, Lucky, rubbed against his leg.

  Mark reached down and rubbed a spot behind Lucky’s silky ears.

  The big, fluffy gray cat started to purr and leaned in closer for more attention.

  Any other time Mark would have enjoyed petting Lucky and listening to her purr. Not today, though. Mark wasn’t in the mood for sitting and petting. He wanted to do something fun and daring, and it was always better if you had someone to share the excitement with.

  Lucky took a few steps, like she was going to walk away, but then she dropped to the floor and rolled over onto her back. Lying there with all four feet in the air, she looked at Mark as if to say, “Aren’t you going to rub my big belly?”

  Mark gave the cat a couple of pats. “That’s all you get for now, Lucky.”

  Lucky let out a pathetic meow—and plodded away, her belly almost dragging on the cement floor. In another week or so she’d give birth to a batch of kittens, and Mark could hardly wait. He hoped Mom and Dad would let him keep at least one. New kittens were always so cute and a lot of fun.

  Glancing around the barn, Mark spotted a big black umbrella leaning against the wall near the door. Dad used it to escort Mom out to the buggy whenever it was raining real hard.

  Bet that old umbrella would make a good parachute, Mark thought. He’d never seen a real parachute, except for a picture of one he’d discovered in a magazine at the dentist’s office. The umbrella was a lot smaller than a parachute, of course, but with the way the wind was blowing outside, he figured the umbrella would work just as well.

  Mark mulled things over in his head a few more minutes; then he jumped up, ran across the room, and snatched the umbrella. After looking it over real good he realized that it was almost like new and didn’t have any holes in it. I bet four people could fit under this big umbrella with no trouble at all. Hmm … I wonder if I could talk Mattie into using it as a parachute. Think I’ll go ask.

  Mark leaned the umbrella against the bale of straw and hurried out the door, ducking, as two swallows flew swiftly out of the barn. “Hey Mattie,” he hollered, startling his twin sister and causing her to jump when he squatted down beside her. “Wanna play a new game with me? It’s one we haven’t played before, and I promise it’ll be exciting and a lot of fun.”

  “The last game we played sure wasn’t fun. Not for me, anyways.” Mattie slowly shook her head. “I sure don’t need any more excitement like that.”

  “I’m sorry about all that. I promise this game will be different, ‘cause it’s the most exciting game we’ve ever played.”

  Mattie, looking a bit more interested now, said, “What’s the name of this game?”

  “It’s called ‘flying high.’ ”

  Mattie’s forehead wrinkled as her eyebrows pulled together. “I’ve never heard of a game by that name.”

  “That’s ‘cause it’s a new game, and we’ve never played it before.”

  Mattie shook her head. “No thanks. I don’t think I want to play another one of your games.”

  “But this game is different.” Mark gave Mattie’s arm a little tug. “Come on, Mattie. You’ll see—it’ll be lots of fun!”

  “Oh, all right, but this game had better not get me in trouble like the last one did.”

  “I’m sure it won’t.” Mark pulled Mattie to her feet, took hold of her hand, and they ran into the barn.

  “Wait right here while I get the parachute,” Mark said. He glanced up at the rafters near the loft. “Oh, and while you’re waiting, check out that spider up there and see if it ate the grasshopper I threw into its web awhile ago.”

  Mattie tipped her head and looked up at the loft. “I’m not sure I want to see any spider eating a bug. That’s pretty disgusting.”

  “No, it’s not. It was interesting how that spider spun a web around the grasshopper. It happened so fast, you wouldn’t believe it.”

  Mattie looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Well I’m not interested in seeing anything like that, but what about this parachute you mentioned? We don’t have a parachute, Mark.”

  “Jah, we do. It’s right there.” Mark pointed to the umbrella, propped against the bale of straw he’d been sitting on earlier.

  “That’s not a parachute; it’s an umbrella,” Mattie said.

  “I know, but I’m sure it’ll work like a parachute. I checked it over real good, and there are no holes in it either.”

  Mattie shook her head. “Don’t be silly, Mark. We’re not going to be jumping out of an airplane, and even if we were, we wouldn’t use an umbrella for a parachute.”

  “I realize that,” Mark said. “We’ll be jumping off the roof of the chicken coop.” He grinned widely. “You can go first, and then I’ll give it a try.”

  Mattie’s blue eyes widened, and she blinked a couple of times. “No way! I’m not jumping off any roof, and neither should you. That would be dangerous!”

  “We won’t get hurt. We’ll have the umbrella to slow down our fall. Besides, think how much fun it’ll be to float down to the ground. I’ll bet it will feel just like we’re flying. Better yet, we’ll have a soft landing because we’ll be jumping into that pile of hay Dad put on the back side of the coop the other day.”

  Mattie shook her head a little harder this time. “I am not jumping off the roof of the chicken coop! If you think Mom was mad about the flowers, think how upset she’ll be if she finds out that we jumped off the roof of the chicken coop. Besides, why would you want to risk hurting yourself? And another thing … Why would you want me to go first?”

  “Slow down, Mattie. You’re getting all worked up for nothing.” Mark shrugged and then put his hands on his hips. “But suit yourself if you don’t wanna try it. I’m not gonna get hurt, and you’r
e the one who’s gonna miss out on knowing what it’s like to fly. Besides, no one can see us from up there, so we won’t get caught either.”

  “Mark, you really oughtta think things through before you try such a stunt. I don’t wanna know how to fly. Birds fly; people walk, and I’m not a bird.” Mattie scowled at him.

  “I’m not a bird either, but I am gonna find out what it feels like to be one, and since we’re twins, I think you should try it, too. Just imagine what our friends will say when they learn what we can do.”

  “No way! I don’t care what anyone says—I am not crazy enough to jump off the roof and probably end up getting hurt. But if you want to do something so foolish, then go right ahead.”

  “Will you at least climb up on the roof of the chicken coop with me?” Mark asked.

  “I suppose I can do that, but only to watch.”

  Mark hurried to get the umbrella and then he handed it to Mattie. “Here, hold this while I get the ladder so we can climb on top of the chicken coop.”

  “This is really dumm,” Mattie mumbled as she held on to the umbrella and followed Mark out of the barn and over to the chicken coop. “Jah, it’s really a dumb idea.”

  When Mark set the ladder in place and climbed onto the roof, she mumbled even louder, “If Mom and Dad find out about this, you’ll be in big trouble—and I’m worried that you’ll get hurt.”

  “They won’t find out. Mom went over to Grandpa and Grandma Miller’s to pick up Ada and Perry, remember? And Dad and Ike are way out in the field today fixing fences,” Mark called over his shoulder. “And quit talking about me getting hurt, ‘cause I’m sure I won’t.”

  “What about Calvin or Russell? If they see us, they’re sure to tell Mom or Dad about this.”

  “No they won’t. They’re selling produce from our roadside stand today, so none of them can even see what we’re doing.”

  “Oh, that’s right. Still … I don’t know about this crazy notion you have.”

  “Will you relax? I’ll be fine, really.” He figured once he’d shown Mattie how much fun flying could be, she’d want to give it a try, too.

  When Mark stepped onto the roof of the chicken coop, he looked down to be sure the stack of hay was still there. Sure enough, the hay was right where Dad had put it earlier this week.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to fly like a bird?” he asked Mattie, who now stood beside him, eyes wide and looking really frightened.

  She shook her head. “It’s gotten awfully windy, and I still don’t think you should do this, Mark.”

  “The wind is exactly what we need.” Mark held out his hand. “Just stop talking and give me the umbrella.”

  Mattie handed it to Mark, and just as he opened it up—woosh!—a big gust of wind almost lifted him off his feet.

  Mark wobbled, and the wind pushed him back … back … back, toward the other side of the roof.

  “Look at me! I’m fly … ing high!” Mark shouted as another gust of wind lifted him straight up. And then he was falling … down … down … down … until—splat!—he landed in something soft and squishy, but he knew right away that it wasn’t hay.

  “Phew! What is that horrible odor?” He slowly exhaled and opened his eyes. “Oh no! I’ve landed in a pile of stinky manure!”

  CHAPTER 2

  A Hard Lesson

  Mattie looked down at Mark and gasped when she saw him sitting in the middle of the manure pile. “Oh Mark, are you okay?” she hollered.

  “No, I’m not okay! I just landed in manure!”

  “Are you hurt?”

  “I—I don’t think so.” As Mark stepped out of the manure pile, lifting one foot, and then the other, it made a squishy sound. “Nothin’ seems to be broken. But I’m sure a big mess. And, phew!—this malodorous stuff really stinks!”

  Mattie plugged her nose. She might not know what malodorous meant, but even from up here on the roof of the chicken coop she could smell the stench. “I’ll be right there!” she shouted down to Mark.

  Mattie scurried down the ladder, and raced around to the other side of the coop. Poor Mark stood there, slowly shaking his head. He really was a mess. Globs of gooey manure clung to his shirt and pants, and some of it was stuck between his bare toes.

  “You look baremlich,” she said, trying not to laugh.

  “I know I look terrible, and I feel just as bad. Guess I’d better get in the house and take a shower right away, before Mom gets home and Dad and Ike come in from the fields,” Mark said.

  “Huh-uh! No way! You’ll track manure into the house. Better let me wet you down with the hose first.”

  Before Mark had a chance to respond, Mattie raced across the yard and turned on the hose. Then she dragged it back through the grass and aimed it right at Mark, blasting his shirt, pants, and bare feet with plenty of water.

  “Hey, that’s really cold!” Mark jumped up and down.

  “Of course it’s cold. It’s water from the hose, so what did you expect?” Mattie shot another stream of water at her brother while trying to stifle a giggle. “If you don’t hold still, I’ll never get all that manure washed off!”

  Mark continued to hop up and down as she pelted him with more water. “Ye-ow! Think I’m gonna freeze to death!” he hollered.

  “Oh, don’t be such a boppli.“

  “I’m not a baby, and I bet you’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  “‘Course not.” Well, maybe a little, Mattie thought. “Just hold still!”

  Mark rushed toward Mattie, grabbed the hose from her hand, and turned the water on her.

  “Absatz! Absatz! That’s really, really cold!”

  “I’ll stop when you promise not to spray me with any more water.” Mark looked down at his clothes. “Most of the manure’s off anyways, and I’m sick of bein’ cold. Thanks to you, I have goose bumps on top of goose bumps!”

  “You’d better get in the house and take a shower now,” Mattie said, smiling. “You’ll warm up then.”

  Mark shook his head. “I ain’t gonna drip water on Mom’s clean floors, so I’d better stay out here in the sun and dry off first, before I go in the house to take a shower.”

  “Aren’t, Mark.”

  He tipped his head to the right. “Aren’t Mark, what?”

  She tipped her head to the left. “Huh?”

  “I don’t know. You said, ‘aren’t Mark,’ and I just asked, ‘aren’t Mark, what?’ ”

  She shook her finger at him, the way Mom often did when she was scolding one of her seven children. “Stop trying to confuse me. The reason I said ‘aren’t’ is because you said ‘ain’t,’ and ain’t isn’t good English.”

  Mark grunted. “Now you’re confusing me.”

  “No, I’m the one who’s confused, and I think—”

  Mattie’s words were halted by the clip-clop sound of horses’ hooves approaching in the distance. She glanced at the road, then back at Mark. “Uh-oh. You’re in big trouble now. Mom’s home.”

  The wind had calmed down to just a breeze, and as the horse and buggy got closer, Mattie watched Mom push a strand of auburn hair back under her black outer bonnet that had blown loose.

  Mark raced for the house. Mattie was right beside him. They’d only made it halfway there when Mom, who had just pulled her horse and buggy up to the hitching rail near the barn, hollered, “Absatz!”

  Mark screeched to a stop, and when Mattie bumped into his back she plugged her nose. “Phew! You sure do schtinke!”

  “I wouldn’t stink if that gust of wind hadn’t pushed me to the wrong side of the chicken coop.”

  “I know, and when it lifted you into the air, I was really scared.”

  “Not me. I wasn’t scared till I landed in that pile of manure.”

  “Phew! What’s that awful smell?” Mom asked as she approached the twins. Three-year-old Ada and five-year-old Perry held on to her hands. Mom looked at Mark’s clothes, where a few blobs of manure still clung, and frowned. “What have you been doing
? Have you two been up to mischief again?”

  “Not me,” said Mattie. “Mark sort of—well, he landed in the manure pile when he was seeing if he could …”

  Mom’s eyebrows shot up as she stared at Mark. “What on earth is your sister talking about? Why would you be playing in a pile of smelly manure?”

  “I wasn’t playing in it, Mom. I was trying to show Mattie how to use Dad’s big umbrella as a parachute, so we climbed onto the roof of the chicken coop, and—”

  “The wind came up and pushed Mark backward,” Mattie said, finishing Mark’s sentence. “Then another gust of wind lifted him into the air, and when he came down, he landed in the pile of manure.”

  Perry started to laugh, but Mom’s mouth dropped open, and her blue eyes widened in disbelief. “You—you did what?”

  “Well, I thought I could fly, and since there was hay on the ground where I was gonna jump, I didn’t think I’d get hurt.” Mark paused and gulped in some air. “I—I sure didn’t think the wind would push me over to the other side of the roof, or that I’d end up landing where the pile of manure was.”

  Mom’s frown deepened, and she let go of Perry and Ada’s hands so she could shake her finger at Mark. “You ought to know better than to do something so foolish and dangerous. Why, you could have been seriously hurt!”

  Mark hung his head, feeling really foolish. Mom was right, he could have gotten hurt. “Sorry, Mom,” he mumbled. “I know it was dumm and I’ll never do it again.”

  “I should say not,” Mom said with a click of her tongue. She pointed to the house. “Now get inside and take a shower. Oh, and put your smelly clothes in a plastic bag. I don’t want them stinking up the other clothes in the laundry basket.”

  “What about the umbrella?” Mark asked. “It’s still in the manure pile, and I—I think it’s broken.”

  “Just leave it there for now. I’ll have your daed take care of it,” Mom said. “But of course, if it is broken, you’ll need to buy a new one.”