Jasper John Dooley, Left Behind by Caroline Adderson, Ben Clanton Read Free Book Online Page B

asked.
    â€œNan’s coming back.”
    They walked past the alley, around the corner, then down Ori’s street. Ori’s dad was in the yard mowing the lawn. He shut the mower off when he saw them and came to shake hands with Dad across the fence. Jasper noticed that his thumbnail
was black. It made him feel sick, and he clutched his Band-Aids again.
    Ori’s dad invited Jasper’s dad inside to see the renovation. “Ori’s in the backyard,” he said, ruffling Jasper’s hair. “Go see what trouble he’s getting up to.”
    Jasper crept around the side of the house. Ori was working on the cruise ship by himself with his back turned. Jasper watched him tap a nail in until it could stand up by itself. Then he lifted the hammer with both hands. When he brought it down, he missed the nail completely. He wasn’t even close.
    â€œOri,” Jasper called.
    Ori looked over his shoulder. As soon as he saw Jasper, he leapt up and ran and hid behind the mountain of wood.
    â€œI washed my thumb,” Jasper called, but Ori still wouldn’t come out. Jasper felt a great gush of
pththth
. He buckled over, holding his Band-Aids tight. Then Dad called to him.
    When Jasper and Dad got home again, they took off their shoes and tiptoed inside, down the hall and to the kitchen, without making any sound.
    The cheese was gone, but Hammy wasn’t in the cage.
    â€œThat is one smart hamster,” Dad said.

Chapter 11

    That night they made a trail of cracker crumbs. In the morning the crumbs were gone but Hammy was still on the loose. Dad looked in the fridge for something else hamsters might like to eat. He opened some containers. “Why are there so many empty containers in the fridge?” he asked.
    â€œThey’re not empty!” Jasper said. “Close them! Quick! That’s Nan’s air!”
    â€œHow about raisins?” Mom said. “Everybody likes raisins.”
    After breakfast they made a trail of raisins. Then Mom suggested they all go out again. “Let’s go to the library. Let’s get some advice.”
    They rode their bikes to the library and locked them in the rack out front. Inside, they went over to the desk where the librarian sat like a hen on a nest. Jasper asked her, “Do you have a book called
How to Be Smarter Than a Hamster
?”
    â€œLet me check.” She looked on the computer. “I’m sorry. We don’t. But we have one called
Caring for Your Hamster
.”
    The librarian was nice. She led them to the shelf where the book was. Jasper, Mom and Dad sat down to read. The book said hamsters liked to eat hamster food. It didn’t have any advice on what to do when your hamster is on the loose.

    Jasper put his hands over his Band-Aids and moaned.
    â€œWhat’s wrong, Jasper?” Mom whispered. “Are you sick?”
    â€œWhat if Hammy never comes back?”
    â€œDon’t worry, son,” Dad whispered. “We’ll find him.”
    â€œWhat if Nan never comes back!” Jasper wailed.
    â€œShe’s coming back tomorrow,” Mom said in a hushed voice.
    â€œ
Tomorrow?
”
    â€œYes. Tomorrow.”
    â€œBut we’re not finished the cruise ship!”
    People were looking at them. Old people frowned and made snapping noises with the newspapers. Kids looked up from their picture books and giggled. Over at the desk, the nice librarian clucked.
    â€œYou can work on it this afternoon,” Mom said.
    â€œI can’t! Ori doesn’t want to build it with me anymore!”
    Mom put her fingers to Jasper’s lips. “Why not?”
    Jasper whispered now. He didn’t want anybody to hear. “Because I blacked my thumb and waved it in his face and made him sick.”
    â€œWhy did you do that?”
    â€œBecause he was being bossy! He said he was the boss!”
    Mom said, “I think Hammy needs a little more time to get back in his cage. Why don’t we