Free What a Pair! by Wanda E Brunstetter Page A

pitched came right over home plate. Mattie swung and—
crack!
—the bat hit the ball with such force that it sailed right over the pitcher’s head and landed in the neighbor’s field of drying corn.
    Everyone cheered as Mattie ran around all the bases and made a home run. Russell and Calvin even whistled real loud.
    “Good going!” Stella patted Mattie on the back. “I’m sure glad you’re on our team.”
    “
Danki
,” Mattie said with a grin. Her cheeks were rosy, and her blue eyes sparkled like twinkling fireflies on a hot summer night. It was obvious that she enjoyed playing ball very much.
    Mark was glad his twin sister had made a home run, but oh, how he wished he could play as well as she did. Mattie made that home run look as easy as pie. It just wasn’t right that a girl could play better than her brother.
    John was up to bat next, and he hit a ball that took him to second base.
    Then it was Aaron Stutzman’s turn. He hit the ball on the second swing, and it took him to first base, while John ran quickly and made it to third base.
    “It’s your turn now,” Mattie said, smiling at Mark. Did she know how nervous he felt?
    Mark’s palms grew sweaty as he stepped up to home plate and grabbed the wooden bat. Then, squinting against the glare of the sun, he positioned the bat over his shoulder.
    The first pitch flew past Mark and hit the fence.
    “Strike one!” someone hollered.
    The catcher quickly recovered the ball and threw it back to the pitcher.
    The pitcher threw the ball again, and when it blurred toward home plate, Mark swung with all his might. But he missed the ball, lost his balance, and fell on his back with a groan.
    The girls gasped, and several of the boys laughed. Mark wasn’t hurt, but he sure was embarrassed. He couldn’t believe what had just happened to him.
    Gritting his teeth, Mark clambered to his feet, and more determined than ever, he gripped the bat once again. As he waited for the next pitch, he whispered a little prayer.
Help me to hit this ball, Lord
.
    Whack!
This time he hit the ball with such force that it sailed through the air, just missing the pitcher’s head.
    Mark felt pretty good about that, but he only made it halfway to first base when he got tagged out. That was the trouble when you couldn’t run fast.
    “Hey, brainiac with the carrot top hair,” Aaron Stutzman jeered, “looks like you can’t run any better than you can hit! Maybe you should let your twin sister fill in for you the next time you’re up to bat.”
    Mattie planted both hands on her hips and glared at Aaron. “You shouldn’t make fun of my bruder or call him names.”
    “She’s right,” Russell called from the sidelines where he’d been watching. “Mark just needs more time to practice.”
    Mark’s face heated, and he knew it had turned red. It was bad enough that he couldn’t play well, did his sister and brother have to embarrass him in front of the others by sticking up for him like that? This was not a good way to begin the new school year, and as he walked off the ball field he decided that from now on he’d find something else to do during recess.

    C HAPTER 8    
Poor Twinkles
    “Sure wish I hadn’t played ball during lunch recess today,” Mark told Mattie on the way home from school. “I don’t like playing ball, and I don’t like people laughing at me or sticking up for me when I mess up. If the teacher doesn’t mind, I’m not gonna play that game anymore.”
    “What Russell said was right, you know. You just need to practice more,” Mattie said. “Mom always says that practice makes perfect.”
    “I might practice if I liked playing ball, but I don’t, so what’s the point in practicing?” He nudged Mattie’s arm. “What about you? If you practiced spelling more you might be good at that, too.”
    Mattie’s cheeks turned pink. “You know I don’t like spelling, and I don’t want to talk about this anymore!” She ran quickly ahead of