The Boys Start the War (14 page)

C
aroline was beginning to wonder how much longer she had to roll around the floor of the shed with marshmallow on her lips before her sisters came after her.

It was entirely by accident that she had discovered the marshmallow foam. Once she found that the boys had padlocked the door, she had popped a marshmallow into her mouth for energy, then realized how thirsty she was. Sloshing the marshmallow sauce around in her mouth, she was thinking that if she ever had to play the part of a madwoman, she could use marshmallow foam. And it didn’t take long to decide what to do when the boys came again to check on her. All she had to do to make
that
happen was be quiet.

Little snatches of conversation came from the steps across the yard. “They
have
to take her.…” “I’m not touching her.…” “We’re responsible.…”
Caroline decided that if she didn’t need a drink of water so much, she could probably hold out for another couple of hours.

The next thing she heard was the sound of a car pulling in the drive, but even before it stopped, the back door slammed and she heard Jake say quickly, “They’re coming! Beth and Eddie are on the way.”

What should she do now, she wondered. This could be her grandest performance yet. Should she go on pretending to be rabid, so that Beth and Eddie had to carry her home? Or should she wait until her sisters opened the door of the shed, and then they could all have a big laugh together? Or maybe she could make a grand entrance now, by herself, and—

“
Three
bushels of apples.” she heard Mrs. Hatford saying. “They were the best I’ve seen in a long, long time. And I don’t want to hear any complaining. You didn’t want to help pick them, so you can certainly help peel them. Won’t do you one bit of harm.”

She had better wait until the parents had gone inside, Caroline thought Mrs. Hatford might figure out right away what was on her lips, and she didn’t want to reveal the joke until Beth and Eddie were there.

The back door slammed as Mr. and Mrs. Hatford went inside. Three minutes later there came the crunch of footsteps on the gravel drive, and the sound of girls’ low voices. Caroline could
hardly keep from laughing out loud, and when Eddie opened the door of the shed at last, Caroline was sitting on the floor grinning, a marshmallow perched on her head.

The three burst out laughing.

“I
told
you it was probably marshmallow,” said Beth. “I
knew
she couldn’t get that sick in two hours.”

“Oh, Eddie,” Caroline shrieked happily. “It was my best performance. They thought I was rabid! They thought I was mad! They were even afraid to touch me.”

“Did you know they called three times trying to get us to come and get you?” Beth giggled.

“And you know what we made them say?” asked Eddie. “Your faithful, obedient servant.”

The girls howled.

They turned and started back across the yard. Josh and Jake were still on the steps with Peter, their faces pink with embarrassment.

Just then the back door opened and out stepped Mrs. Hatford, carrying a huge pan of apples, Mr. Hatford was behind her, carrying one of the bushels.

“Hello, girls,” she called cheerfully.

Caroline, Beth, and Eddie stopped dead in their tracks.

“Wally just told me you were coming,” Mrs. Hatford went on. “How nice of you to volunteer! I
think we could do that right here in the yard, don’t you?”

The girls stared in astonishment, then gave a low moan as Wally, paring knives in hand, came down the back steps with a smile wide as Christmas.

The Boys Start the War

Just when the Hatford brothers are expecting three boys to move into the house across the river where their best friends used to live, the Malloy girls arrive instead. Wally and his brothers decide to make Caroline and her sisters so miserable that they’ll want to go back to Ohio, but they haven’t counted on the ingenuity of the girls. From dead fish to dead bodies, floating cakes to floating heads, the pranks continue—first by the boys, then by the girls—until someone is taken prisoner!

The Girls Get Even

Still smarting from the boys’ latest trick, the girls are determined to get even. Caroline is thrilled to play the part of Goblin Queen in the school play, especially since Wally Hatford has to be her footman. The boys, however, have a creepy plan for Halloween night. They’re certain the girls will walk right into their trap. Little do the boys know what the Malloy sisters have in store.

Boys Against Girls

Abaguchie mania! Caroline Malloy shivers happily when her on-again, off-again enemy Wally Hatford tells her that the remains of a strange animal known as the abaguchie have been spotted
in
their area. Wally swears Caroline to secrecy and warns her not to search by herself. But Caroline will do anything to find the secret of the bones.

The Girls Revenge

Christmas is coming, but Carolitie Malloy and Wally Hatford aren’t singing carols around the tree. Instead, these sworn enemies must interview each other for the dreaded December class project. Caroline; as usual, has a trick up her sleeve that’s sure to shock Wally. In the meantime, Wally and his brothers find a way to spy on the Malloy girls at home. The girls vow to get revenge on those sneaky Hatfords with a trap the boys won’t soon forget.

A Traitor Among the Boys

The Hatford boys make a New Year’s resolution to treat the Malloy girls like sisters. But who says you can’t play tricks on sisters? The girls will need to stay one step ahead of the boys and are willing to pay big-time for advance information. Homemade cookies should be all it takes to make a traitor spill the beans. In the meantime, Caroline is delighted with her role in the town play. Don’t ask how Beth, Josh, and Wally get roped into it—just wait until showtime, when Caroline pulls her wildest stunt yet.

A Spy Among the Girls

Valentine’s Day is coming up, and love is in the air for Beth Malloy and Josh Hatford. When they’re spotted holding hands, Josh tells his teasing brothers that he’s simply spying on the girls to see what they’re plotting next. At the same time, Caroline Malloy, the family actress, decides she must know what it’s like to fall in love. Poor Wally Hatford is in for it when, she chooses him as the object of her affection!

The Boys Return

It’s spring break, and the only assignment Wally Hatford and Caroline Malloy have is to do something they’ve never done before. Wally’s sure that will be a cinch, because the mighty Benson brothers are coming. It will be nonstop action all the way. For starters, the nine Benson and Hatford boys plan to scare the three Malloy sisters silly by convincing them that their house is haunted. Meanwhile, everyone in town has heard that there’s a hungry cougar on the prowl. When the kids decide to take a break from their tricks and join forces to catch the cougar, guess who gets stuck with the scariest job?

The Girls Take Over

The Hatford boys and the Malloy girls are ready to outdo each other again. Eddie is the first girl ever to try out for the school baseball team. Now she and Jake are vying for the same position, while Caroline and Wally compete to become class spelling champ. As if that’s not enough, the kids decide to race bottles down the rising Buckman River to see whose will travel farthest by the end of the month. Of course, neither team trusts the other, and when the girls go down to the river to capture the boys’ bottles, well… it looks as if those Malloy girls may be in over their heads this time!

Boys in Control

Wally Hatford always seems to get a raw deal. The rest of the family goes to the ball game, and he has to stay home to watch over a yard sale. Caroline Malloy writes a silly play for a school project, and he gets roped into costarring in it with her! Things are looking down, especially when the Malloy girls stumble across an embarrassing item from the boys’ past. But Wally finally gets his chance to turn the table on the girls’ scheme and prove who’s really in control. Boys rule!

Girls Rule!

The rivalry between the Malloy sisters and the Hatford boys is heating up! The kids have two weeks to earn money for a fund-raising contest. All those who collect twenty dollars or more for the new children’s wing at the hospital can be in the annual Strawberry Festival Parade or get lots of strawberry treats. The only place Caroline wants to be is on the Strawberry Queen’s float. How will she earn the money
in
time? Do the Hatfords have moneymaking secrets they’re not telling the girls?

Boys Rock!

Wally Hatford dreams of long lazy days far away from school and Caroline Malloy. But Wally, the best speller among the Hatford brothers, gets roped into helping them with a summer newspaper project that will earn the twins school credit. What does that get Wally? When he hears scratching noises coming from Oldakers’ bookstore cellar, Mr. Oldaker trusts him to keep a secret that could turn into a scoop for their newspaper. Wally worries that the secret may be too scary to keep to himself. What’s worse, the Malloy girls have homed in on the newspaper. If there’s one person Wally won’t spill his secret to, it’s nutty Caroline Malloy. No matter what it is!

Published by Yearling, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books a division of Random House, Inc., New York

Copyright © 1993 by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law. For information address Delacorte Press.

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eISBN: 978-0-307-51485-1

January 2002

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