Free Ellen Tebbits by Beverly Cleary

perform, the fifth- and sixth-graders would do folk dances in the gymnasium, and the seventh-and eighth-graders would serve cookies and coffee in the domestic-science room.
    Some of the children from Miss Joyce’s and Mrs. Gitler’s rooms would give a play about the Pied Piper of Hamelin.That gave Ellen an idea. If she and Austine were both in the play, Austine would have to speak to her. If they talked to each other in the play, it would be silly not to go on speaking out of the play, wouldn’t it?
    Then Mrs. Gitler explained that one of the eighth-grade girls would read aloud the story of the Pied Piper while the younger children acted and danced the story in pan-tomime. That would make the play much easier to give, because there would be no lines to memorize.
    Ellen decided she still wanted to be in the play, even if there was no talking in it. It might give her a chance to be near Austine.
    Maybe she could help Austine with her dancing and they would become best friends again.
    Mrs. Gitler said that George was to be the Lord Mayor. Ralph, Ronald, and Otis, if he would promise not to make trouble, were to be town councilmen. Then she read the list of boys and girls who were to be townspeople, those who were to be children, and those who were to be rats.Austine and Linda exchanged smiles when they learned they were both to be children in the play.
    Ellen waited for Mrs. Gitler to read more names, but she said, “The rest of the boys and girls in the play will be from Miss Joyce’s room.”
    Ellen was sure there must be some mistake. Maybe Mrs. Gitler had skipped her name or forgotten to put it on the list. At recess Ellen walked across the playground to her teacher. “Mrs. Gitler, did you forget to read my name?” she asked.
    “I’m sorry, Ellen,” answered Mrs. Gitler. “There weren’t enough parts for everyone.
    Miss Joyce couldn’t use any more townspeople or children, because they all do a Maypole dance at the end of the play when the Piper brings the children back, and there are only twenty-four streamers on the Maypole.”
    Ellen was puzzled. “My mother read me the story and it wasn’t that way. The Piper didn’t bring the children back.”
    “I know,” said Mrs. Gitler, “but this is a creative play and we have changed the story so we can use the Maypole dance at the end.”
    It didn’t seem right to Ellen to change a story out of a book just so there could be a Maypole dance, but she said hopefully, “I take dancing lessons.”
    “We can’t use any more rats, because they dance in pairs,” explained Mrs. Gitler.Then, seeing Ellen’s look of disappointment, she said,“I teach the rats their dance, and I think it might be a good idea to have a substitute in case one of the rats is absent. How would you like to be a substitute rat?” Ellen felt it was better to be a substitute rat than not to be a rat at all. “Would I get to practice?” she asked.
    “You may watch rehearsals and if any of the rats is absent, you may take his place.” At least Ellen would be allowed to watch the others practice. She was sure that somehow she would make Austine notice her.
    During the last period all the boys and girls who were to be in the play went to the auditorium. Miss Joyce took the children and townspeople up on the stage, while Mrs. Gitler gathered her rats on one side of the room to show them their dance. Ellen sat quietly on a folding chair to watch the dance of the rats. It was an easy dance that began with the rats skipping around in a circle holding one another’s tails.
    Otis, who was a town councilman and did not have to dance, wandered down from the stage. “What are you sitting there for?” he demanded of Ellen.
    “I’m a substitute rat,” said Ellen.
    “Aw, whoever heard of a substitute rat?” said Otis, and laughed.“Substitute rat! That’s good.”
    “Oh, you keep quiet,” snapped Ellen.
    “This is a dumb play,” said Otis.
    “It is not,” said Ellen.“Mrs. Gitler