Ribsy took a few steps toward Henry. Then he looked back at the other boy.
“Horse meat, Ribsy, horse meat! Here, Ribsy! Here, Ribsy!” At the mention of horse meat Ribsy looked at Henry.
“Here, Dizzy, Dizzy!” Then the boy had an idea. “Here, Ribsy! Here, Ribsy!” he called.
“Hey, you’re cheating!” objected Henry. “I’m supposed to call him Ribsy.”
“There wasn’t any rule about what we should call him.”
“That’s right, Henry,” agreed Scooter.
“Look, he’s turning around!” shouted Mary Jane.
But Ribsy only turned around to chew at a spot near his tail. He bit at the flea, sat down, scratched behind his left ear again, and then stood up. The boys kept on yelling.
With a tired sigh Ribsy sank down on the sidewalk, put his head on his paws, and closed his eyes.
The children groaned. “Don’t go to sleep now, Ribsy!” begged Henry, who was so scared his hands felt cold and damp.
Ribsy opened his eyes and, without moving his head, turned them first toward the strange boy and then toward Henry. “Come on, Ribsy,” they both coaxed.
Slowly Ribsy stood up, and after a backward glance at the stranger, trotted eight squares down the sidewalk toward Henry. He paused, scratched again, and trotted the remaining squares to Henry. Then he sank down with his head on Henry’s foot and closed his eyes again.
Ribsy had chosen Henry!
The children cheered, but Henry couldn’t say a word. He knelt and hugged his dog.
“I knew he’d choose you, Henry,” crowed Mary Jane. “I just knew it all the time.”
“My, but I was scared for a minute,” said Beezus.
The other boy looked so disappointed that Henry couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. “I’m glad Ribsy wants to stay with me,” said Henry, “but I’m sorry you have to lose him. He’s an awfully good dog.”
“I hate to lose him, too, but I guess I can’t complain. It was a fair contest.” The boy threw his leg over his bicycle. “Say, do you suppose I could come over to see him sometimes?”
“Sure. Any time you want.”
“Thanks. I’ll be around soon.” The boy rode off down the street.
The children all crowded around Ribsy to pet him. “I sure am lucky,” said Henry, “but he had me scared for a while.”
“Jeepers, I don’t know what this neighborhood would have done without Ribsy,” said Beezus. “Come on. Now that Ribsy is Henry’s for keeps, let’s think of something we all can play.”
About the Author
BEVERLY CLEARY is one of America’s most popular authors. Born in McMinnville, Oregon, she lived on a farm in Yamhill until she was six and then moved to Portland. After college, as the children’s librarian in Yakima, Washington, she was challenged to find stories for non-readers. She wrote her first book, HENRY HUGGINS, in response to a boy’s question, “Where are the books about kids like us?”
Mrs. Cleary’s books have earned her many prestigious awards, including the American Library Association’s Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, presented in recognition of her lasting contribution to children’s literature. Her DEAR MR. HENSHAW was awarded the 1984 John Newbery Medal, and both RAMONA QUIMBY, AGE 8 and RAMONA AND HER FATHER have been named Newbery Honor Books. In addition, her books have won more than thirty-five statewide awards based on the votes of her young readers. Her characters, including Henry Huggins, Ellen Tebbits, Otis Spofford, and Beezus and Ramona Quimby, as well as Ribsy, Socks, and Ralph S. Mouse, have delighted children for generations. Mrs. Cleary lives in coastal California.
Visit Henry Huggins and all of his friends in The World of Beverly Cleary at www.beverlycleary.com.
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Enjoy all of Beverly Cleary’s books
FEATURING RAMONA QUIMBY:
Beezus and Ramona
Ramona the Pest
Ramona the Brave
Ramona and Her Father
Ramona and Her Mother
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Ramona Forever
Ramona’s World
FEATURING HENRY HUGGINS:
Henry Huggins
Henry and Beezus
Henry and Ribsy
Henry and the Paper Route
Henry and the Clubhouse
Ribsy
FEATURING RALPH MOUSE:
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Runaway Ralph
Ralph S. Mouse
MORE GREAT FICTION BY BEVERLY CLEARY:
Ellen Tebbits
Otis Spofford
Fifteen
The Luckiest Girl
Jean and Johnny
Emily’s Runaway Imagination
Sister of the Bride
Mitch and Amy
Socks
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Muggie Maggie
Strider
Two Times the Fun
AND DON'T MISS BEVERLY CLEARY'S AUTOBIOGRAPHIES:
A Girl from Yamhill
My Own Two Feet
Credits
Jacket art by Tracy Dockray
Jacket design by Amy Ryan
Copyright
HENRY HUGGINS. Introduction copyright © 2000 by Beverly Cleary. Copyright © 1950, renewed 1978 by Beverly Cleary. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub © Edition SEPTEMBER 2009 ISBN: 9780061972232
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