Cathy and Diane shinnied down the drainpipe outside their window and jumped to the ground.
"You see?" Cathy was saying. "If we hadn't busted that little wire, there's no way we could be doing this. Just opening our window would have set off the alarm."
"And we never, never set off the alarm on purpose," the two girls chanted, and laughed.
"Well, we'd better enjoy our freedom while it lasts," giggled Diane. "Tomorrow that special team of SectorWatch experts arrives from Wisconsin. They're sure to find your little broken wire."
Cathy dismissed this. "I can't take these guys seriously anymore. What a bunch of big babies, scared to death of a little noise! Maybe I'll just threaten to set off the alarm and they'll all hightail it to the North Pole!"
"Shhhh!" Diane grabbed her roommate by the arm and dragged her into the shadows of the apple orchard. "Someone's coming!"
They listened as furtive footsteps crunched in the dry leaves. Then a slim silhouette loomed up out of the darkness.
Cathy's brow knit. "It's not Bruno or Boots — too skinny."
Diane whimpered in fear. "Now look what you've done! You've disabled the SectorWatch and this is a real intruder!"
"Hmmm," said Cathy.
"What are we going to do?" Diane squeaked.
"Prepare to defend our school," Cathy declared grimly.
As the figure rounded the corner of the building, she launched herself forward like an NFL linebacker. She hit the intruder just below the knees, knocking his legs out from under him.
Then, as he collapsed to the ground, Diane struck, jumping on the prostrate victim with windmilling arms.
The struggle continued until the girls heard a familiar voice: "But at least I lived on the edge!" The girls froze. " Elmer?" they chorused.
The Macdonald Hall school genius sat up and adjusted his glasses.
"Oh, hi," said Cathy, as though she were greeting someone at a tea party. "What brings you here?"
"I live on the edge now," Elmer croaked. "The edge of what?" asked Diane.
A dry rattle came from Elmer. His throat usually closed up in the presence of girls. But he realized he would have to overcome that.
"I've been timid for too long," Elmer replied in a strong voice that surprised even him. "I've come to meet Marylou Beakman face-to-face."
They looked blank. "Why?"
Elmer turned three shades of red. "That's personal," he said stiffly. "Ooooooooh!" chorused the girls. It came out as a seven-syllable word. "You and Marylou Beakman!" Cathy exclaimed. "Cool!"
"You guys would make the perfect couple!" Diane enthused.
"Well, it's somewhat complicated," Elmer admitted. "I'm not yet one hundred percent sure that Marylou likes me. You see, I sent her two very nice gifts and I never heard from her at all."
Instantly, Cathy was alert. "Gifts? What kind of gifts?"
"Very superior specimens," Elmer replied. "A rare rodent skull and the droppings of the Tasmanian Mountain Sparrow."
It hit the girls at the same time. The threatening packages that had so frightened Marylou and Miss
Scrimmage! The voodoo curse had been no curse at all — just a love token from Elmer Drimsdale!
YOU ARE READING
Macdonald Hall #7: The Joke's on us
Teen FictionBoots' little brother, Edward, has arrived to start his first year at Macdonald Hall. Bruno can't wait to teach him all he knows, but Edward thinks they are "over the hill" and "old men". At the same time, Mr. Sturgeon is thinking about retirement...
