Free Henry and Beezus by Beverly Cleary

any good, anyway,” Henry heard someone say. “It had only one wheel.”
    Six dollars for a bike with one wheel! “I wonder how much a bike with two wheels is going to cost,” Henry said to Beezus.
    â€œMaybe the people with the most money will get bicycles and go home, and then the kids who haven’t much will have a chance,” suggested Beezus.
    â€œI guess I’ll stick around and see,” said Henry. The next item the auctioneer held up was a Taylor-tot. Henry was disgusted. The paper hadn’t said anything about Taylor-tots.
    â€œStop fussing, Ramona,” said Beezus. “I know you can’t see anything, but pretty soon Henry will get a bike and we can go home.”
    Ramona began to pound Ribsy’s back with her fist. The dog looked around for a way to escape, but there were too many people.
    â€œCut it out, Ramona,” ordered Henry.
    Then a strange woman standing behind Henry spoke. “No, no, little girl. Mustn’t hit the doggie. Love the doggie.”
    Ramona stared at the woman. Then she threw both arms around Ribsy’s neck and squeezed as hard as she could. Ribsy struggled.
    â€œHey, you’re choking him,” objected Henry, as Beezus pried her little sister loose from the dog.
    â€œI want to go home,” said Ramona.

    â€œAfter while,” answered Beezus crossly.
    Henry saw that he had better start bidding on a bike. If Ramona wanted to go home, they would probably have to go home. Next a bicycle was sold to a boy who bellowed, “Seven dollars and sixty-four cents!” A battered tricycle went for a dollar. Another bicycle sold for five dollars to a boy who got his friends to yell with him, so he could be heard above the crowd. The boy behind Beezus had bid seven dollars, but the auctioneer didn’t hear.
    Henry saw that, with so many people shouting and waving their hands and the auctioneer trying to sell the bicycles as fast as he could, it was more important for a boy to make himself heard above the crowd than to have a lot of money to spend.
    If only there were some way he could make the auctioneer hear him! Henry jumped as high as he could for a glimpse of the next bicycle. The handlebars were missing, but he was sure that if he got it, he could find a pair of old handlebars somewhere. “One dollar!” he yelled at the top of his voice. His words were lost in a chorus of bids.
    â€œI’ll help you yell,” said Beezus.
    â€œTwo dollars!” they shouted together. The auctioneer did not hear them.
    Just then there was a lull in the noise of the crowd and Ramona’s voice rang out. “I’m going to throw up,” she announced.
    Instantly everyone standing near her managed to move a few inches away. Ribsy used the extra space to sit down and scratch.
    â€œBeezus, don’t just stand there. Do something.” Henry was thoroughly alarmed. Leave it to Ramona to get sick just when he had figured out the way the auction worked.
    Beezus calmly handed Ramona another animal cracker. “Oh, don’t pay any attention to her,” she said.
    The lady behind Henry tapped Beezus on the shoulder and asked, “Don’t you think you had better take your little sister home?”
    â€œShe’s all right. She just says that when she wants her own way,” Beezus explained. “Come on, Henry, I’ll help you yell again.”
    â€œI’m going to throw up,” screamed Ramona.
    Henry was relieved that Ramona was really all right, even if he had missed another chance to bid. The lady was not so sure. Again she tapped Beezus on the shoulder. “I think you’d better take your sister home. Maybe she isn’t feeling well.”
    Ramona beamed. Beezus and Henry exchanged unhappy looks. It looked as if Ramona was going to get her own way. She usually did.
    â€œCome with me,” said the lady firmly. “I’ll help you through the crowd.”
    â€œHonestly,