home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- ⌠
- RIBSY BECOMES A MASCOT, BEVERLY CLEARY, P.110-111
- ⌡
- "Never mind, Danny. You showed him, and that is enough." His
- mother spoke sharply before she escaped from the classroom with
- Frisky safe inside the box.
- It was all over. The class slid back into their seats and
- waited to see what Mr. Woody would say about the interesting time
- they had had when they were supposed to be learning arithmetic.
- The principal came to the front of the room and gave Ribsy a
- stern look. Then he faced the expectant class. "Boys and
- girls." Mr. Woody sounded very serious. "Dogs are not allowed
- on the school grounds." The class looked guilty. They all knew
- this, but it was Mr. Woody himself who had called the dog their
- mascot.
- "And I'm afraid I made a mistake in making an exception -"
- Mr. Woody looked once more at Ribsy.
- Now Ribsy looked guilty. He understood he had done
- something wrong, but he was not sure what it was. He thought
- dogs were supposed to chase squirrels and get rid of them.
- "- but this dog looked like such a friendly dog," continued
- Mr. Woody, "and he seemed so well behaved that I overlooked the
- rule."
- Ribsy waved his tail wistfully to show that he did not mean
- to do anything wrong, that he was really a very nice dog.
- "Now we know," said Mr. Woody, "that a dog does not make a
- good mascot and that the rule is right. This should be a lesson
- for all of us. I'm afraid the dog will have to go."
- "Oh-" The class made a sad sound. They loved their mascot
- and did not want him to go. Neither did they want this morning,
- which had been such fun, turned into a lesson in obeying rules.
- When Mr. Woody looked at Ribsy, the dog stopped waving his
- tail and let it droop. He knew he had not succeeded in making
- everything all right again. He hung his head and looked
- dejected.
- "Come on, boy," said Mr. Woody kindly, and took hold of
- Ribsy's collar. "Come along with me."
-