Iggie's House by Judy Blume Read Free Book Online Page B

binoculars to his eyes. He moved them around and adjusted the focus. “Boy! These are really powerful!”
    â€œI know it.” Winnie agreed. “Iggie gave them to me for my birthday last year. They used to belong to her uncle who’s in the Marines. Here, give them to me a minute and I’ll show you something.” Glenn handed them to her. Winnie stood up and waved her free hand around, while holding the binoculars in the other. “Points of interest up and down Grove Street are …” she announced in a deep and dramatic voice.
    â€œNumber one: The man who lives behind here and three doors down. I forget his name, but he mows his lawn in a red bathing suit every week. On Thursdays, I think. And he’s real fat and his belly jumps all around when he pushes the mower. He’s not out today … too bad!
    â€œNumber two: Pay attention please, Herbie Garber.” Herbie took his fingers out of his mouth and looked at Winnie, who then continued her speech.
    â€œThree doors down and on the right. Mrs. Axel’s yard. Completely fenced in. Nobody knows what Mrs. Axel does all day in her fenced-in yard but me and Iggie. You want to know? Well, she sunbathes in there. Sunbathes and talks on the phone. She’s got this outside phone connection and she gabs, gabs, gabs all day long. You know what she wears? A towel! That’s it. Just a towel and the telephone. That’s Mrs. Axel!”
    Winnie turned and faced the other way. Shepointed with one hand as she peered through the binoculars. “Number three: Billy Mesler. One and a half years old. We just discovered him this summer. He climbs out of his playpen which is in the middle of his yard. He crawls into the flower beds and eats. He eats flowers, dirt and stones. Sometimes all three at once. Mrs. Mesler comes outside screaming when she discovers Billy is out of his playpen. She finds him eating dirt and stuff and then she starts to cry. She picks him up, washes out his mouth, puts him back into his pen and pretty soon the whole thing starts over again.”
    â€œYou sure do know a lot about what goes on around here!” Glenn said.
    â€œYes, I sure do!” Winnie agreed.
    The back door slammed and Tina and Woozie came out. “Hello down there,” Winnie called to them.
    â€œHi Winnie,” Tina answered. “Come on down here for a second. I want to show you something.”
    Winnie handed her binoculars to Glenn, instructing both boys to be very careful with them, but to holler if they saw anything special. She climbed down the rope ladder and ran over to Tina and Woozie who were still standing by the back door. She bent down to scratch Woozie behind the ears but backed away. “Yick! What’s the matter with him. He smells funny and his fur’s all sticky!”
    â€œThat’s what I wanted to show you. It’s this stuff called
No-Shed
. Daddy got a bottle of it for Woozie ’cause his fur is shedding all over the house already and we’ve only had him one day! So I rubbed it all over him. And now look—he’s a mess! What do you think?”
    â€œI think you’re right. He’s a mess. You better ask your father about him,” Winnie suggested.
    Tina yelled into the house. “Daddy, could you come out for a second?”
    â€œWhat is it now Tina?” a deep voice called up from the basement.
    â€œIt’s Woozie, Daddy. I think he needs you!” Tina hollered.
    Winnie heard heavy steps coming up from the cellar. Then Mr. Garber appeared, looking both hot and tired.
    â€œDaddy, this is Winnie, from down the street,” Tina said, still staring at her dog.
    â€œHello Winnie,” Mr. Garber said, glancing from Winnie’s face to Woozie’s sticky fur.
    â€œHi Mr. Garber,” Winnie answered as Tina’s dad bent down to inspect Woozie.
    â€œWhatever happened to him?” Mr. Garber asked, looking up at Tina, from where he