Otis Spofford (9 page)

“Otis,” said Bucky, “how could you forget your shoes?”

This made the girls scream with laughter.

“Aw, cut out the funny business.” Otis was too tired to think about washing the girls’ faces with snow. All he wanted to do was sit right where he was. “You give me my shoes.”

“So long as you said you were sorry you cut my hair, you can have them if you promise to stop teasing me,” said Ellen.

“And cross your heart and hope to die and stew and fry,” added Austine.

Otis was silent. Girls!

“Well, come on, Austine,” said Ellen. “I guess he doesn’t want his shoes back.”

“I guess not,” agreed Austine, starting to walk away.

“Hey, wait a minute,” begged Otis. “I’ve got to have them.” Then he thought of something. Quickly he thrust one hand behind his back.

“Are you going to stop teasing me?” Ellen demanded.

Otis didn’t want to say it. “Okay,” he muttered.

“And cross your heart and hope to die and stew and fry,” repeated Austine firmly.

“’S m’ heart, hope to die ’n’ stew ’n’ fry,” Otis mumbled.

The girls handed him his shoes and boots. Then they burst into a fit of giggles and started down the street.

“Are you really going to stop teasing Ellen?” Bucky wanted to know.

Otis grinned and said, “I’ll still tease her all right, but after today I won’t tease her as
much
.” He looked at the girls, whose shoulders were shaking with laughter. “Hey, Ellen!” he yelled. “Look!” The girls turned and Otis held up his right hand with two fingers crossed. “I had kings all the time!” he shouted.

BEVERLY CLEARY
is one of America’s most popular authors. Born in McMinnville, Oregon, she lived on a farm in Yamhill until she was six and then moved to Portland. After college, as the children’s librarian in Yakima, Washington, she was challenged to find stories for non-readers. She wrote her first book,
HENRY HUGGINS
, in response to a boy’s question, “Where are the books about kids like us?”

Mrs. Cleary’s books have earned her many prestigious awards, including the American Library Association’s Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, presented in recognition of her lasting contribution to children’s literature. Her
DEAR MR. HENSHAW
was awarded the 1984 John Newbery Medal, and both
RAMONA QUIMBY, AGE
8 and
RAMONA AND HER FATHER
have been named Newbery Honor Books. In addition, her books have won more than thirty-five statewide awards based on the votes of her young readers. Her characters, including Henry Huggins, Ellen Tebbits, Otis Spofford, and Beezus and Ramona Quimby, as well as Ribsy, Socks, and Ralph S. Mouse, have delighted children for generations. Mrs. Cleary lives in coastal California.

Visit Beverly Cleary on the World Wide Web at www.beverlycleary.com.

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FEATURING RAMONA QUIMBY
:

Beezus and Ramona

Ramona the Pest

Ramona the Brave

Ramona and Her Father

Ramona and Her Mother

Ramona Quimby, Age 8

Ramona Forever

Ramona’s World

FEATURING HENRY HUGGINS
:

Henry Huggins

Henry and Beezus

Henry and Ribsy

Henry and the Paper Route

Henry and the Clubhouse

Ribsy

FEATURING RALPH MOUSE
:

The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Runaway Ralph

Ralph S. Mouse

MORE GREAT FICTION BY BEVERLY CLEARY
:

Ellen Tebbits

Otis Spofford

Fifteen

The Luckiest Girl

Jean and Johnny

Emily’s Runaway Imagination

Sister of the Bride

Mitch and Amy

Socks

Dear Mr. Henshaw

Muggie Maggie

Strider

Two Times the Fun

AND DON’T MISS BEVERLY CLEARY’S AUTOBIOGRAPHIES
:

A Girl from Yamhill

My Own Two Feet

OTIS SPOFFORD
. Copyright © 1963 by Beverly Cleary. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

EPub © Edition SEPTEMBER 2009 ISBN: 9780061972294

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