The Intrepid Canadian Expedition by Jeff Brown Read Free Book Online Page A

shook his head. “Just stay here with me until that fellow’s father comes, all right?”
    “Of course,” Stanley promised. “I won’t leave you.”

2
Arthur’s Accident
    “Ah! Just breathe this fresh Canadian air, Harriet!” marveled George Lambchop to his wife. “I feel like a new man!”
    Before Mrs. Lambchop could reply, a boy on a snowboard slooshed to a stop in a cloud of sparkling snow in front of them. “Are you Arthur and Stanley Lambchop’s parents?” the boy asked.

    “Oh, dear,” Mrs. Lambchop fretted. “Is everything all right with the boys?”
    “Arthur’s had an accident. Follow me.”
    Mr. and Mrs. Lambchop hurried to follow the boy. In the lodge, they were alarmed to see Arthur on a couch, looking quite pale. His ankle was the size of a cantaloupe. A man in a white coat was bending over him, while Stanley looked on anxiously.
    “Good gracious!” Mrs. Lambchop cried, flying to her son’s side. “Are you all right, dear?”
    Arthur winced. “It hurts a lot,” he admitted. “But the doctor says it’s just a bad sprain.”

    At this, the man in the white coat straightened and shook hands with the Lambchops. “The boy’s lucky,” he said. “He’ll have to stay inside and heal for a few days, but then he’ll be good as new.”
    “Stay inside ?” Arthur cried. “No fair! Stanley and I have tickets for the World Snowboarding Championships this afternoon!”
    “Out of the question, I’m afraid, young man.”
    Arthur slumped down with a groan, and the doctor turned back to Mr. and Mrs. Lambchop. “I’m Doctor Dave, by the way. It was my boy, Nick, who fetched you.”
    “Thank you so much for tending to our son,” Mr. Lambchop said. “Perhaps we should give a call to Doctor Dan, the boys’ regular doctor back home, to let him know what’s going on….”
    “Doctor Dan? Not Doctor Dan ofAmerica by any chance?”
    When the Lambchops nodded, Doctor Dave smacked his forehead. “Well, it’s a small world indeed!” he exclaimed. “Doctor Dan and I were roommates in medical school. What a cutup! And he’s still got quite a sense of humor. Why, not long ago he wrote to say he was treating a most unusual case—Sudden Flatness Syndrome. As if anyone would believe he’d run into that!” Doctor Dave chuckled as he packed his bag. Mr. and Mrs. Lambchop looked at each other in confusion. “Our son Stanley is—” began Mr. Lambchop.
    Doctor Dave ignored him and turned to Arthur. “Remember—complete bedrest, and get lots of exercise. Stay inside and breathe plenty of fresh air. Keep the leg up, and soak it in ice water—as hot as you can stand it.”
    “Hot ice water? Exercise and bed rest? I’m confused!” began Mrs. Lambchop.
    “Perfectly natural,” Doctor Dave said kindly. “Don’t worry about it. After all, you’re not a doctor.” And then he left.
    Stanley couldn’t stand to see Arthur looking so glum. “I’ll stay with you,” he said. “We can play checkers.”
    Arthur heaved a big sigh. “No, you go. One of us might as well be there.” He took a ticket out of his ski pants and held it out. “And take that boy Nick in myplace. To thank him for helping me.”
    Stanley was moved by his younger brother’s good sportsmanship. And, as he left to find Nick, he thought maybe this was just the opportunity he needed: Flat or not, he would make a new friend today!

3
Up, Up, and Away!
    When Stanley and Nick arrived at the course, they noticed that most of the crowd was huddled near the bottom of the run. “The wind’s picked up,” said Nick. “It’ll make for some fantastic boarding. But I wish we could get to the top to watch.”

    “Stay behind me and we’ll fly right up,” Stanley told Nick. With the wind at his back, Stanley towed his new friend to the start line.
    “Thanks!” said Nick. “We’ll have the best view in the place!”
    The competition began and Nick was right—the conditions were perfect for some astonishing snowboarding.
    “Did