~Chapter 3~
Another Day in Centerville
"Is it "Louis the White" or "Louis the Red" today, Louis?"
"Hey why don't you kids stop picking on me? You know, we're still gonna beat you this year in the city championships.
"The World Famous Logansport Tigers beat you last year because you flubbed that catch. Remember that...catch, I mean error, Louis?"
"Why'd you bring up that darn catch again? Why do you all care, if I flubbed that catch or not? Man you guys are the worst."
"Were going beat you this year for the city championship, you just wait and see" proclaimed Louis as he rode his bike pass Mr. Hicks cornfield, where the old baseball field still stands.
"Yeah, you bet Louis. You ain't gonna beat anybody...nobody...no how. Just because you're some type of town hero does not mean you're any better in baseball than us. Meanwhile what's with the white hair? You know you look like you have been scared by a ghost or something," shouted out a few kids from the Tigers team, who were out practicing getting ready for this year's baseball season.
"Well just so you know I am going by Louis the White right now until my hair changes back to red. Then it will be Louis the Red, and I will beat you guy with either color of hair."
Poor Louis being a town hero for thwarting a horse napping, then saving Christmas last year, and still no respect from some of the neighborhood kids.
Picked on and bullied, all the time.
It just never seemed to end for little Louis.
Other than a few troublemakers in town causing problems, things had mostly settled down for Louis, Molly, and Chug since last Christmas. Louis was back in school for this semester, and found to be as happy as a flower in springtime after all he had made it to the sixth grade, and was right in line this year, to be an honor student. This would be his first time being an honor student. He had been studying all he could and felt that this was his best chance yet. His dad been helping him is his spare time, so this year, his grades were much better.
Miss Trumble the Schoolmaster had given Louis, Molly, and Chug extra assignments, so they could catch up to the other kids, seeing that they had been away for so long on that adventure to the North Pole, to save Christmas last year. All three had done all of their assignments dutifully, and now had finally caught up to the other kids in school.
Miss Trumble has been the sole teacher at Centerville's only schoolhouse for the better part of forty-five years, why she even started to teach some of her past student's kids now.
The medium-sized one room school, on the outskirts of town, which was about a mile from Louis's house, was taken care of by Turk the Blacksmith, and was still in good condition, for being so old.
With all the kids, being back in school now for the spring semester meant the town of Centerville was quiet during the days and most nights. All the kids were found to be studying, and diligently doing their assignments, and special projects for extra credit.
During the weekends, Louis was still very busy. He did his homework in the mornings, and in the afternoons he would strap in Mr. Belvedere the Plow Horse to his plow, and ready the cornfields for planting, with the help of Mr. Beamer and of course with his dad (who had miraculously returned to Centerville on Christmas Eve last year).
Louis had never been so happy lately, except for those Logansport Tigers always picking on him.
His family was back together again.
Captain Parks had been gone for over five years overseas defending his country. With the war now over, most of the service men, and women had returned home to restart their lives. A few friends of Louis's, their fathers had returned from the war as well, but some had not. It was all the talk, all over town for quite some time. Wars always had a very big impact on small towns, and Centerville was no different in that respect.
Charlie the Great White Horse and the Journey to Egypt Page 6