The Pooped Troop Read online

  “My mom says softballs aren’t very soft,” he said.

  “Line up!” called Mrs. Peters.

  The Scouts got in a row. Kevin was begging Mrs. Peters to let him pitch.

  “No,” she said. “We have to have a pitcher who is not a Scout.”

  Just then Mr. Peters drove up in the van. He waved to the Scouts.

  “Here is the pitcher now!” said Mrs. Peters.

  “Batter up!” called Mr. Peters as he jumped out of the van and got ready to pitch the ball.

  First he pitched to Patty. “You get three tries,” said Mr. Peters. “If you don’t hit the ball after three pitches, you can go to the end of the line and try again.”

  Patty hit the ball on her second try. Not far, but she hit it.

  Kevin was at the end of the line. “Girls are sissies,” he said. “They can’t hit the ball far.”

  Mr. Peters pitched the ball to Kenny. He hit the third pitch.

  “Just in time,” Tracy snickered.

  Tim hit the ball the first time.

  “Yeah, Tim!” Kevin whistled through his teeth.

  Sonny was up next. He waved the bat in the air and dropped it. “It’s too heavy!” he cried.

  Mrs. Peters handed him a lighter bat.

  Finally Sonny hit the ball. He hit the third pitch.

  Mary Beth was next. Molly gave her a push. But instead of going up to bat, Mary Beth ran around to the end of the line.

  Now Rachel was up to bat. She gave the ball a good whack. It went up and over the swing set.

  “Good for you!” shouted Mrs. Peters.

  Kevin was next.

  “Now watch the champ!” shouted Roger. “Yeah, Kevin!”

  Kevin smiled. He looked sure of himself. He pulled his cap down. He even spit on the ground.

  Whiz! Mr. Peters threw a fast pitch. It flew past Kevin’s bat. The Scouts were quiet. Kevin had missed his first ball.

  Mr. Peters threw the next ball. Kevin swung. Whoosh! The bat went through the air.

  Kevin’s face got red. He spit again.

  Mr. Peters pitched.

  Kevin missed.

  “Strike three, you’re out!” shouted Mary Beth. “You’re out, you’re out, you’re out!” She jumped up and down.

  The girls began to clap.

  The boys booed.

  “Ha, ha, who’s a sissy now!” called Tracy.

  Kevin went to the end of the line. Lisa took her turn and hit the first pitch.

  At last Mary Beth was up at bat. She looked like she was going to cry. But she took the bat and marched up to the plate. She meant business.

  Mr. Peters pitched the ball.

  SMACK! Mary Beth hit it. It flew out over the park fence. Farther than anyone had hit! She dropped the bat and jumped up and down.

  “Good work!” said Mrs. Peters.

  The Scouts cheered.

  Then Molly took her turn. She hit the ball high into the air. It went high and far. But it went behind them. The wrong way.

  The Scouts heard a thud. After the thud came a tinkling sound. Like something breaking. Was it glass?

  “Oh, no,” said Mrs. Peters. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “Uh, oh,” said Lisa.

  The Scouts followed Mr. and Mrs. Peters. They ran past a few oak trees. Soon they found Molly’s ball. On top of some broken glass.

  “A garage window,” said Tim. “Molly broke a window!”

  “Molly’s gonna get it, Molly’s gonna get it!” sang Roger.

  “It wasn’t your fault,” said Mary Beth.

  “It is just one pane,” said Mr. Peters. “It must have broken the glass when it bounced off the pane. We’ll fix that this afternoon.”

  Mrs. Peters knocked on the door of the house and explained everything to the man who answered the door.

  “I thought I heard a noise out in the garage,” he said.

  “We’ll fix it today,” said Mr. Peters.

  “That must have been some home run,” said the man, laughing.

  “A home run the wrong way,” Tim snickered.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Mrs. Peters said to Molly. “You didn’t even know the garage was there.”

  “But what will my mom and dad say?” asked Molly. She had tears in her eyes.

  “I’ll talk to your mom and dad,” said Mr. Peters cheerfully. “Don’t worry.”

  Mary Beth put her arm around Molly. It felt good to have a friend to lean on. It made Molly feel a little better.

  “At least you hit the ball,” said Mary Beth.

  She was right. Molly had hit the ball. And Mary Beth had gotten a hit too. The Fitness Festival wasn’t so bad after all.

  The Scouts went back to the field to finish up. Kevin was the only one who still needed a hit.

  “Batter up!” called Mr. Peters. “Let’s see Kevin hit that ball now. Let’s see him earn that badge.”

  Everyone began to cheer for Kevin. Even the girls.

  “Yeah, Moe! Yeah, Moe! Come on, Kevin, go go go!” yelled Roger.

  Mr. Peters threw the ball. It hit Kevin’s bat and bounced off. Before anyone could argue, Mrs. Peters shouted, “A hit! A hit! Good for you, Kevin!”

  The Pee Wees cheered.

  Kevin threw down the bat and walked away. He didn’t brag. He didn’t yell. He was embarrassed.

  “That wasn’t even a real hit,” said Rachel.

  “I can’t be perfect all the time,” muttered Kevin.

  “Well!” said Mrs. Peters brightly. “Our Fitness Festival is over. Next Tuesday we’ll celebrate at my house. Let’s wear all our badges this time.”

  The Scouts picked up their bats and balls and started home. They walked together.

  “I’m glad the Fitness Festival is over,” said Mary Beth.

  “Me too,” said Molly. “Fitness is a lot of work.”

  “I’m never going to play softball again,” said Rachel.

  “Or do another push-up,” said Tracy.

  “Or do aerobic dancing,” said Tim.

  “I am,” said Sonny. “I have to go with my mom on Saturday.”

  “Too bad for you,” said Molly.

  “It’s okay,” said Sonny. “It keeps me in good shape.”

  CHAPTER

  8

  Pee Wees Forever

  The Pee Wees rested all week. They didn’t ride bikes. They didn’t do push-ups. They didn’t dance. Except Sonny. And they didn’t think of playing softball. Not even once.

  “Next Tuesday we get our badges,” said Lisa on Sunday afternoon. The girls were sitting on Molly’s steps.

  “I can’t wait,” said Mary Beth. “My blouse is going to be full of badges.”

  “We’ll have to put badges on our shorts pretty soon,” said Lisa.

  “Or down our arms!” said Mary Beth.

  “On top of our heads!” shouted Molly.

  “What are you going to bring to the party?” asked Mary Beth.

  “Fruit salad,” said Molly. “Lisa and I are going to make it together.”

  Mary Beth looked hurt.

  “I thought we could make something together, just you and me,” whispered Mary Beth to Molly. “Like when we made cookies for the cookie badge.”

  Mary Beth is jealous, thought Molly.

  “I thought we were best friends,” Mary Beth said into Molly’s ear. “Aren’t we?”

  Molly liked Mary Beth. She missed doing things with her alone like they used to. Mary Beth knew all about Molly’s feelings. And she understood her problems.

  “Well, aren’t we?” Mary Beth demanded.

  “Of course,” said Molly. “How about having a picnic next Wednesday, just the two of us?”

  Mary Beth smiled.

  “But we can all make fruit salad together on Tuesday,” said Molly. “All three of us.”

  “We can make it at my house,” said Lisa.

  “I’ll bring some apples,” said Mary Beth.

  “I’ll bring whatever my mom has in the refri
gerator,” said Molly.

  When the girls left, Mary Beth wasn’t pouting. She was in a good mood again. Molly was glad.

  Soon Tuesday came. It was the day of the Pee Wee Scout meeting. The day of the party!

  At noon Molly and Mary Beth went to Lisa’s house to make the salad.

  “I’ve got peaches,” said Molly. “And a melon.”

  “I brought apples and oranges,” said Mary Beth.

  “We’ve got cherries,” said Lisa. “And bananas.”

  Lisa got out a big bowl. It wasn’t big enough. When the girls tried to put the fruit in it, only four apples fit.

  Lisa looked in the cupboard. The only thing that was big enough was a roaster pan.

  “My mom cooks turkey in this,” she said.

  “It’s just right,” said Mary Beth. She piled all the fruit in it. It came all the way to the top.

  “Something is the matter,” said Molly, frowning.

  “It doesn’t look like fruit salad,” said Mary Beth.

  “It’s so big,” said Molly. “Maybe we have to cut it up.”

  “My mom said we aren’t allowed to use knives,” said Lisa. “She said we might cut ourselves if we used knives.”

  “Where is she?” asked Molly.

  “Just next door,” said Lisa. “She’ll be back any minute.”

  The girls looked at the fruit.

  “I know!” cried Molly. “It needs to be peeled! We can peel the bananas and oranges without a knife.”

  The girls peeled the bananas and oranges. But the melon peel wouldn’t budge.

  “That’s okay,” said Lisa. “Fruit salad is just fruit mixed up. That’s what this is.”

  “The melon looks too big,” said Molly.

  “We’ll put it on the bottom,” said Mary Beth.

  “Now it looks good,” said Molly. “Yum.”

  “Good and healthy,” said Lisa.

  “It’s time for the meeting!” said Mary Beth.

  The girls started for Mrs. Peters’s house. All three of them carried the roaster pan full of fruit salad. It was so heavy. On the way they met the other Scouts.

  Everyone was carrying food.

  Sonny had bran muffins.

  Kenny and Patty had oatmeal cookies.

  “Hey!” yelled Roger. “Is that a turkey?” He pointed to the roaster pan. “Hey, guys, it’s Thanksgiving!”

  “It’s fruit salad,” said Molly.

  Roger looked into the pan.

  “Salad!” he shrieked. “It looks like a grocery store!”

  “Mind your own business,” muttered Lisa.

  When the Scouts got to Mrs. Peters’s house, they were all surprised. In the backyard were rows of chairs. And all their parents!

  “We came to celebrate the Fitness Festival too,” said Mrs. Duff. “And eat some healthful food.”

  The girls set the roaster pan on the table with the other food.

  “That looks very healthful,” said Mrs. Baker, looking into the pan.

  “What a lovely fruit salad,” exclaimed Mrs. Peters.

  “See,” said Lisa to Roger. “Mrs. Peters knew what it was.”

  “I’ll just break up these bananas,” said Mrs. Peters with a little chuckle. “And I’ll trim the melon a bit so we can all get some.”

  Before they knew it Mrs. Peters had made the fruit look more like salad.

  “Look at all this good stuff!” said Molly.

  The table was loaded down with good food.

  Cookies.

  Juice.

  Vegetables and dip.

  All good fitness food.

  “Look!” said Tracy, pointing. “Here comes a bunch of other kids. What are they doing here?”

  When they got closer, the Scouts could see they had blue kerchiefs around their necks. Just like their own red ones!

  “Troop 15,” said Roger. “Those are the guys we creamed in the football game!”

  The blue Pee Wees.

  Mrs. Peters blew her whistle.

  “Welcome to our Fitness Festival,” she said. “Before we eat, we’ll play some games. And after we eat, we’ll give out badges. Have fun!” she added.

  The two Pee Wee Scout troops had fun together.

  They played Duck Duck Goose. Then they played Red Rover with the moms and dads.

  When everyone was worn out from playing games, it was time to eat.

  “I’m not eating that grocery store!” said Roger, pointing to the roaster pan.

  But everyone else did. Before long the fruit salad was all gone. The pan was empty.

  Soon all of the food was gone.

  “I ate about two hundred cherries,” said Molly, spitting out the last pit.

  “What a good dinner,” said Roger’s father, patting his stomach. “That fruit salad really hit the spot.”

  Molly poked Roger in the ribs.

  “Now,” said Mrs. Peters, “it’s time for the Fitness badges.”

  One at a time Mrs. Peters called out each Scout’s name. Everyone clapped as the Scouts went up to get their badges.

  “This one is my favorite badge,” Molly whispered to Mary Beth.

  It said FITNESS BADGE on it in yellow letters. In the middle was a Pee Wee Scout doing some push-ups. The Scout had on a red swimsuit. And hair the same color as Molly’s.

  Molly pinned the new badge on her shorts. Her whole blouse was already covered with badges.

  She felt proud. Some of the things had been hard work. But the Pee Wee Scouts did them anyway.

  “Aren’t we going to talk about good deeds?” whispered Mary Beth to Molly. “I’ve got a good deed to tell.”

  “Save it for next time,” said Molly. “At a regular meeting. This is a party.”

  “I want to tell Mrs. Peters about how you and Lisa helped me hit the ball.”

  “Really?” said Molly.

  That was nice of Mary Beth, thought Molly. She was glad Mary Beth was still her best friend.

  Soon the sun began to set over Mrs. Peters’s garage. Baby Nick fell asleep in his stroller. The grown-ups sat and talked under the birch trees. And the Pee Wees stretched out on the grass to rest.

  Molly and Mary Beth looked for four-leaf clovers.

  Rachel and Lisa looked for the first star of the evening.

  And Sonny and Roger showed the other Scouts all their badges.

  Mrs. Peters stood up. “It’s time for our Fitness Festival to come to an end,” she said.

  The Pee Wee Scouts groaned. No one wanted to leave.

  “But first,” Mrs. Peters went on, “we will make a big, big circle. We’ll say our Pee Wee Scout pledge and sing our Pee Wee Scout song.”

  Both troops of Scouts stood up. The grown-ups did too. They all held hands in a big circle.

  The circle went all the way around Mrs. Peters’s big yard. Around the tables and chairs. Around the trees. Lucky and Tiny barked and chased each other in the middle.

  Lisa stood on one side of Molly. Molly held her hand. Mary Beth was on the other side of Molly. Molly held her hand too.

  When they said the pledge, Molly gave Mary Beth’s hand a squeeze. It was fun to be a Scout. And it was fun to have a best friend.

  Then they sang the Pee Wee Scout song. The singing was loud and strong.

  It gave Molly goose bumps on her arms. It was a good feeling. She wanted to hug everyone. Even Roger!

  As the Scouts and parents started to leave, Mrs. Peters waved good-bye. “Keep fit!” she called.

  The Pee Wee Scouts and their parents waved back as they started for home.

  “Pee Wees forever!” shouted Roger, and everyone laughed.

  (to the tune of

  “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”)

  Scouts are helpers, Scouts have fun,

  Pee Wee, Pee Wee Scouts!

  We sing and play when work is done,

  Pee Wee, Pee Wee Scouts!

  With a good deed here,

  And an errand there,

  Here a hand, there a hand,

>   Everywhere a good hand.

  Scouts are helpers, Scouts have fun,

  Pee Wee, Pee Wee Scouts!

  Pee Wee Scout Pledge

  We love our country

  And our home,

  Our school and neighbors too.

  As Pee Wee Scouts

  We pledge our best

  In everything we do.