Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine by Jay Williams, Abrashkin Abrashkin Read Free Book Online

Philips was just leaving school when, to his astonishment, Irene stopped him.
    â€œHello, Eddie,” she said, in a voice that oozed honey.
    â€œH-hello,” he said, staring.
    â€œI wondered if you’d like to carry my books today?”
    â€œWell, gee… sure.”
    He took them from her, looking a little surprised.
    â€œYou aren’t going around with Danny Dunn any more?” he asked.
    â€œOh, him.” Irene shrugged and pouted. “He never talks about anything but his old science stuff. I like a boy who’s interested in lots of things.”
    They walked down the street past the drugstore, and Eddie never noticed Joe and Danny peering at him from inside.
    Danny glanced up the clock on the wall. “She should just be telling him how smart he is,” he remarked.
    Joe set his watch. “If we’re right, it won’t be long now.”
    Irene and Eddie had turned into Elm Street and were passing the gas station. “I thought the way you answered Miss Arnold’s question about Abraham Lincoln was just wonderful,” Irene cooed. “You must do an awful lot of studying at home.”
    â€œNah. I don’t have to do much. Most of this stuff is pie for me,” Eddie boasted.
    â€œIsn’t that wonderful!” Irene sighed, and fluttered her eyelashes in what she hoped was a Mata Hari manner.
    They turned into Maple Street. They were passing the vacant lot where the boys sometimes practiced baseball. Irene stopped walking and looked sweetly at Eddie.
    â€œYou know, Danny has been helping me with my homework,” she said. “But maybe I’ll let you help me, instead, since you know the subjects so well and can do them so easily.”
    â€œSwell!” said Eddie. He added, with a grin, “And I won’t need any machine, either. I can do it standing on my head.”
    At the word “machine” Irene, still smiling, reached out and took hold of her books. “Oh, can you?” she said.
    There was a wide, deep mud puddle at the edge of the lot. With all her strength she gave Eddie a sharp, sudden push in the chest. He lost his balance and toppled backward with a yell of alarm. He landed square in the middle of the puddle.
    â€œTry standing on your head in that, you—you sneak!” Irene snapped.
    Danny and Joe, who had been hiding behind an automobile on the other side of the street, stepped out.
    â€œOur timetable worked out fine.” Danny chuckled. “That was right on the button.”
    Then he crossed the street and took Irene’s books.
    Eddie, spluttering and dripping, glared up from the puddle. “You planned this,” he howled at Dan. “She didn’t really want me to walk her home, or—or anything!”
    â€œThat’s right. I planned it,” Danny said. “And when Irene pushed you into the puddle we knew you’d given yourself away. So you spied on us and found out about the computer, eh? And you ran to tell Miss Arnold. Well, from now on keep your nose out of our business, see?”
    â€œYeah,” Joe put in. “We’re working on an automatic nose nipper.”
    Eddie was too furious to reply. Irene turned her back on him and walked off between Joe and Danny.
    Eddie scrambled out of the puddle with great difficulty. A few moments later, as he was trying to wipe the mud from his face, George Bessel came along with his hands in his pockets.
    â€œHey, Eddie!” he called. “What you doing? Making mud pies is for little kids.”
    â€œBoy! Are you comical,” Eddie snarled.
    â€œNo kidding, what are you doing?”
    â€œFlying over the Rockies in a balloon.” Eddie wrung out his handkerchief and jammed it into his pocket. “Danny Dunn got me into this. That’s what happened. But I’ll get even with him.”
    â€œHow?”
    â€œI’ll mess up that machine of his so that he’ll never do any more homework on it. I’ll