Free What a Pair! by Wanda E Brunstetter Page B

him.
    That was fine with Mark. With the way he felt about the baseball game, he’d rather walk by himself anyway.
    Trudging along with his head down and shoulders slumped, he stopped to dig the toe of his boot into the dirt. When he spotted a ground beetle moving slowly through the dirt, he squatted down and studied it for a few seconds. Ground beetles were often found under rocks, twigs, or tree stumps, and they were big and black. Burying beetles were another type of interesting bug, but they had spots on their backs, kind of like ladybugs. Beetles, spiders, grasshoppers, and other insects didn’t bother Mark at all, but he sure didn’t like snakes. In fact, he disliked snakes even more than he disliked Mattie’s yappy little dog.
    “Hey Mark, what are ya lookin’ at?” Aaron Stutzman called as he walked up behind Mark and tapped his shoulder.
    “Nothin’ much,” Mark mumbled. “Just watchin’ a big fat beetle.”
    “Well, if ya watched the ball as hard as you’re starin’ at that bug, ya might be able to hit better.” Aaron snickered. “Maybe you should get your twin sister to teach you how to run faster, too.”
    Mark clenched his fingers so tightly that his nails dug into the palms of his hands. He didn’t need the reminder that Mattie could play ball better and run faster than he could, and he was relieved when Aaron went on his way.
    Farther down the road, Mark found a flat rock with red stripes running through it, so he stuck it in his pocket. It would look good with some of the other unusual rocks he’d collected and put in a glass jar in his room. Then he rose to his feet and continued his walk toward home. He was almost there when he spotted a teenage boy riding up the road on his fancy black-and-silver bicycle. Oh, how he wished he had a bike like that. If he’d been riding a bike instead of walking he could have pedaled right on past Aaron when he’d started making fun of him. And if he had a bike, that would get him home really quickly like his brothers Russell and Calvin.
    When Mark entered his yard a short time later, he saw Mattie on the grass playing with Twinkles.
    “Sit, Twinkles! Sit!” Mattie snapped her fingers and pointed to the mutt.
    Woof! Woof!
Instead of sitting, Twinkles darted across the lawn and nipped at Mark’s pant leg.
    “Get away from me, you annoying
hund
!” Mark shouted. He was in no mood for this today. “Go find someone else to pester.”
    “Don’t be nasty to my dog. Twinkles only wants you to pet her,” Mattie said.
    “Well, she has a funny way of showing it,” Mark grumbled.
    “You know something?”
    “What’s that?”
    “Twinkles is a good dog, and she doesn’t nip at anyone but you.” Mattie frowned. “I think it’s because she knows you don’t like her.”
    Mark bobbed his head. “She’s right about that, and I don’t feel like petting her right now.”
    “I’m going inside to see if Mom will fix me a snack.” Mattie turned and hurried into the house.
    Woof! Woof!
Twinkles nipped at Mark’s pant leg again, this time tearing a small hole in it.
    “That’s it! You’re going in your dog pen!” Mark bent down, scooped Twinkles into his arms, and marched over to the dog pen. After he’d put Twinkles inside, he slammed the gate shut with a bang. “There, that oughta teach you for ripping my pants!”
    When Mark entered the house, he found Mattie and Mom sitting at the kitchen table eating cheese and apple slices, and they each had a glass of milk.
    “Wash your hands, and have a seat at the table,” Mom said, motioning to an empty chair. “Mattie’s been telling me about her first day back at school, and I’d like to hear how your day went, too.”
    Mark grunted. “It was baremlich.”
    “Why was it terrible?” Mom asked, raising her eyebrows.
    Mark washed his hands and took a seat at the table; then he told Mom all about his day.
    “I’m sorry.” Mom ruffled Mark’s hair. “I’m sure tomorrow will go better, and