Free The Gypsy Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

some shampoo, and we could give him a good scrubbing,” she said. “It would be good for him.”
    “No, it’s too cold,” Marshall said. “And bears hate to take baths.”
    Melanie giggled. “How do you know? How do you know that bears hate to take baths, just because you do?”
    “I know.” Marshall frowned fiercely. “They hate it. Bear told me.”
    April laughed, but she couldn’t help being a little bit on Marshall’s side. Even though it was a warm morning for New Year’s Day, it didn’t seem warm enough to make an outdoor bath with cold water very much fun. So it was two against one, and Melanie was about to give up on the idea when Ken Kamata suddenly burst through the gate. His face was flushed, and he seemed to be breathing hard as if he’d run a long way.
    “Hey, Kamata. What’s up?” April said.
    Ken looked around. “Is Tobe here?” he asked.
    April made a gesture that meant it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t.
    “Yeah, I guess not.” Ken took a deep breath and then shrugged. “Okay,” he said, “so what’s up with you? What are you guys doing?”
    So they told him. All about the bath argument and who had been on which side and why.
    “Yeah, I guess it is pretty cold for an outdoor bath,” he said.
    “You could help us,” Melanie said. “If you helped, we’d get done faster.”
    For a second or two it looked as if Ken might be going to say yes. “Well,” he said, “I guess I could …” But then he shook his head. “No. I’ve got to get right home. I’m trying to find … That is, I’m kind of—I’m expecting a phone call.” He thought for a minute before he added, “Hey. You could bathe him at our house.”
    April and Melanie were amazed. “At your house?” April asked. “But I thought you said your mom was allergic.”
    “She is. But she’s working at my dad’s office right now.” He grinned and added, “All day. They always work all day on New Year’s getting the books all up-to-date. My dad says it’s a Kamata tradition.” He stood back and studied Bear thoughtfully before he nodded. “Yeah, I think he’d fit. See, there’s this extra-big stationary tub in my mom’s laundry room.”
    The next question was how they were going to get clear to the Kamatas’ house without being seen by anyone they knew. At least by anyone who knew them well enough to ask embarrassing questions like whose dog was that and where did they get it. But then Ken pointed out that theycould stay in the alleys as far as Norwich Avenue and then cut across the vacant lot to Elm. “And you’re almost there,” he finished.
    After that there was only the problem of a leash, which Melanie solved by offering to go home for a long skinny piece of jump rope.
    While Melanie was gone, Ken decided to run home by himself. He said it was just so he could get the laundry room ready, but April had a feeling he didn’t want to risk being seen by anyone he knew. He was just plain panic-stricken that one of his macho-type sixth-grade buddies would see him walking with two girls, a little kid, and a weird-looking dog. All she said was, “Okay. See you there in a few minutes.” She thought about adding, “You chicken!” but at the last moment she decided against it.
    So Ken took off down the alley, and April kept an eye on Marshall and Bear and congratulated herself on getting better at making last-minute decisions not to say stupid things. It wasn’t long before Melanie showed up with the rope and a big bottle of Marshall’s baby shampoo.
    The laundry room at the Kamatas’ was pretty impressive. Like the rest of the house, it was extra-large and equipped with all the latest stuff. The stationary tub was definitely king-sized, and Ken really had gotten things ready. There was a big bunch of beach towels stacked on the dryer, and Ken was already running the water when the rest of them came in the back door. So the bath was ready for Bear, but it soon became obvious Bear wasn’t ready