FIVE FALL INTO ADVENTURE by Enid Blyton

05 RAGAMUFFIN JO

George was most astonished at Dick. How very shocking to see who could spit damson stones out the farthest.

"It's all right," said Julian to her in a low voice. "You know how good Dick is at that sort of game. He'll win - and we'll send the girl scooting off, well and truly beaten."

"I think you're horrible, Dick," said George, in a loud voice. "Horrible!"

"Who used to spit cherry-stones out and try and beat me last year?" said Dick at once. "Don't be so high-and-mighty, George."

Anne came slowly back from her pool, wondering why the others were up on the rocks. Damson stones began to rain round her. She stopped in astonishment. Surely - surely it couldn't be the others doing that? A stone hit her on her bare arm, and she squealed.

The ragamuffin girl won handsomely. She managed to get her stones at least three feet farther than Dick. She lay back, laughing, her teeth gleaming very white indeed.

"You owe me an ice-cream," she said, in her sing-song voice. Julian wondered if she was Welsh. Dick looked at her, marvelling that she managed to get her stones so far.

"I'll buy you the ice-cream, don't worry," he said. "Nobody's ever beaten me before like that, not even Stevens, a boy at school with a most enormous mouth."

"I do think you really are dreadful," said Anne. "Go and buy her the ice-cream and tell her to go home."

"I'm going to eat it here," said the girl, and she suddenly looked exactly as mulish and obstinate as George did when she wanted something she didn't think she would get.

"You look like George now!" said Dick, and immediately wished he hadn't. George glared at him, furious.

"What! That nasty, rude tangly-haired girl like me!" stormed George. "Pooh! I can't bear to go near her."

"Shut up," said Dick, shortly. The girl looked surprised.

"What does she mean'?" she asked Dick. "Am I nasty? You're as rude as I am, anyway."

"There's an ice-cream man," said Julian, afraid that the hot-tempered George would fly at the girl and slap her. He whistled to the man, who came to the edge of the rocks and handed out six ice-creams.

"Here you are," said Julian, handing one to the girl. "You eat that up and go."

They all sat and ate ice-creams, George still scowling. Timmy gulped his at once as usual. "Look - he's had all his," marvelled the girl. "I call that a waste. Here, boy - have a bit of mine!"

To George's annoyance, Timmy licked up the bit of ice-cream thrown to him by the girl. How could Timmy accept anything from her?

Dick couldn't help being amused by this queer, bold little girl, with her tangled short hair and sharp darting eyes. He suddenly saw something that made him feel uncomfortable.

On her chin the girl had a big black bruise. "I say," said Dick, "I didn't give you that bruise yesterday, did I?"

"What bruise? Oh, this one on my chin?" said the girl, touching it. "Yes, that's where you hit me when you sent me flying. I don't mind. I've had plenty worse ones from my Dad."

"I'm sorry I hit you," said Dick, awkwardly. "I honestly thought you were a boy. What's your name?"

"Jo," said the girl.

"But that's a boy's name," said Dick.

"So's George. But you said she was a girl," said Jo, licking the last bits of ice-cream from her fingers.