And then the lights came on. Everyone cheered, even Caroline, who had had her sad story cut short. The furnace clicked on, and so did the refrigerator.
“Ya-hoo!” yelled Peter, throwing off his blanket and hopping around.
The phone rang, and this time Eddie answered.
“I found your mom,” came Mr. Hatford's voice. “Her car went off the road into a ditch, but she's fine. We're on our way. Don't know what time we'll get there, but I've got a Thermos of coffee with us, and we'll be all right.”
“Hooray!” everyone yelled when they heard the news. Caroline didn't think she had ever felt more relieved or happy. She reached for the closest person to hug, discovered it was Wally, then dived down in her blanket again.
There was the sound of a truck pulling into the Malloys’ driveway. The girls ran to the door and turned on the porch light, then swarmed around their father as he came inside, waving a thank-you to the driver of a pickup.
“Mom's okay! Mr. Hatford found her, and they're on their way home!” Caroline told him, hugging him hard.
Mr. Malloy's face sagged with relief. “Well, that's the best news I've had all day. You must have thought I was lost too. I waited an hour but couldn't find a ride home, so I set out on foot, and it was one adventure after another. People were stuck all over the place. Finally a pickup truck of Fered me a ride, and darned if we didn't get stuck.”
He stomped his feet and took off his coat.
“Hi, guys,” he said to the Hatfords. “I hear your dad's a hero.”
Wally grinned. “He's used to stuff like this. Mail carriers have to go out in all kinds of weather.”
“Well, I'm mighty grateful to him. It's going to take some time for the weather bureau to live this storm down. What was supposed to be light snow turned out to be a full-fledged blizzard and no one was prepared.” He looked around the kitchen. “Why don't you fellas stay till your folks get home? We'll husde up something for dinner.”
“No, we'll be fine,” said Jake. “Maybe we'll go home and make dinner for Mom.”
“Be sure to make her some brownies!” Caroline said mischievously.
The girls chattered on about what had happened that day, but when they stopped for breath, they realized that the boys had put on their coats and were getting ready to leave. Somehow everything seemed different now, Caroline thought. The light was so bright, the kitchen so cheery, the boys so … so fan Strangely fat and cheerful! They looked like overstuffed furniture, in fact.
“Thanks for coming over,” Beth said as she opened the door for them. “I mean it.”
And from behind her, Caroline squeaked, “With you by my side, Elmer, we can do anything!”
Everyone grinned, and Wally added, “Annabelle, I never thought I'd amount to much, but when I met you, everything changed!”
“Cut it out,” said Josh, turning red, but he was smiling too.
“I'm outta here,” said Jake, and his brothers followed him out the door.
The girls went back inside, laughing. For the first time since they'd gotten home that day they actually felt like laughing. For the first time that afternoon they were actually hungry.
“Let's heat up the cocoa again,” said Caroline.
“Cocoa and cookies,” said Beth. She lifted the lid on the cookie jar.
It was empty—totally empty. No lemon squares, no chocolate clusters, no oatmeal raisin, no butterscotch bars. Not one cookie. Not even a crumb.
“Nothing!” said Eddie.
“But hardly anyone was eating!” said Caroline. “No one was hungry!”
“Three dozen cookies! Gone!” cried Beth.
“As soon as those guys found out everyone was safe, they started stuffing themselves!” said Eddie. “All the time we were talking to Dad, they were squirreling away cookies in every pocket they own! They were stuffing cookies up their sleeves, I'll bet!”
“That's boys for you,” said Mr. Malloy from the next room.
“This means war!” said Caroline.
“Ha! It never stopped!” said Eddie, her eyes full of excitement. “Just wait till they see what's coming next!
Read all about the Hatford boys and the Malloy girls.
The Boys Start the War
Just when the Hatford brothers are expecting three boys to move into the house across the river where their best friends used to live, the Malloy girls arrive instead. Wally and his brothers decide to make Caroline and her sisters so miserable that they'll want to go back to Ohio, but they haven't counted on the ingenuity of the girls. From dead fish to dead bodies, floating cakes to floating heads, the pranks continue—first by the boys, then by the girls— until someone is taken prisoner!
The Qirls Qet Even
Still smarting from the boys’ latest trick, the girls are determined to get even. Caroline is thrilled to play the part of Goblin Queen in the school play, especially since Wally Hatford has to be her footman. The boys, however, have a creepy plan for Halloween night. They're certain the girls will walk right into their trap. Little do the boys know what the Malloy sisters have in store.
Boys Against Qirls
Abaguchie mania! Caroline Malloy shivers happily when her on-again, off-again enemy Wally Hatford tells her that the remains of a strange animal known as the abaguchie have been spotted in their area. Wally swears Caroline to secrecy and warns her not to search by herself. But Caroline will do anything to find the secret of the bones and finds out the hard way that she should have listened.
The Qirls’ Revenge
Christmas is coming, but Caroline Malloy and Wally Hatford aren't singing carols around the tree. Instead, these sworn enemies must interview each other for the dreaded December class project. Caroline, as usual, has a trick up her sleeve that's sure to shock Wally. In the meantime, Wally and his brothers find a way to spy on the Malloy girls at home. The girls vow to get revenge on those sneaky Hatfords with a trap the boys won't soon forget.
A Traitor Among the Boys
The Hatford boys make a New Year's resolution to treat the Malloy girls like sisters. But who says you can't play tricks on sisters? The girls will need to stay one step ahead of the boys and are willing to pay big-time for advance information. Homemade cookies should be all it takes to make a traitor spill the beans. In the meantime, Caroline is delighted with her role in the town play. Don't ask how Beth, Josh, and Wally get roped into it—just wait until showtime, when Caroline pulls her wildest stunt yet!
A Spy Among the Qirls
Valentine's Day is coming up, and love is in the air for Beth Malloy and Josh Hatford. When they're spotted holding hands, Josh tells his teasing brothers that he's simply spying on the girls to see what they're plotting next. At the same time, Caroline Malloy, the family actress, decides she must know what it's like to fall in love. Poor Wally Hatford is in for it when she chooses him as the object of her affection!
The Boys Return
It's spring break, and the only assignment Wally Hatford and Caroline Malloy have is to do something they've never done before. Wally's sure that will be a cinch, because the mighty Benson brothers are coming. It will be nonstop action all the way. For starters, the nine Benson and Hatford boys plan to scare the three Malloy sisters silly by convincing them that their house is haunted. Meanwhile, everyone in town has heard that there's a hungry cougar on the prowl. When the kids decide to take a break from their tricks and join forces to catch the cougar, guess who gets stuck with the scariest job?
The Qirls Take Over
The Hatford boys and the Malloy girls are ready to outdo each other again. Eddie is the first girl ever to try out for the school baseball team. Now she and Jake are vying for the same position, while Caroline and Wally compete to become class spelling champ. As if that's not enough, the kids decide to race bottles down the rising Buckman River to see whose will travel farthest by the end of the month. Of course, neither team trusts the other, and when the girls go down to the river to capture the boys’ bottles, well… it lo
oks as if those Malloy girls may be in over their heads this time!
Boys in Control
Wally Hatford always seems to get a raw deal. The rest of the family goes to the ball game, and he has to stay home to watch over a yard sale. Caroline Malloy writes a silly play for a school project, and he gets roped into costarring in it with her! Things are looking down, especially when the Malloy girls stumble across an embarrassing item from the boys’ past. But Wally finally gets his chance to turn the tables on the girls’ scheme and prove who's really in control. Boys rule!
Qirls Rule!
The rivalry between the Malloy sisters and the Hatford boys is heating up! The kids have two weeks to earn money for a fund-raising contest. All those who collect twenty dollars or more for the new children's wing at the hospital can be in the annual Strawberry Festival Parade or get lots of strawberry treats. The only place Caroline wants to be is on the Strawberry Queen's float. How will she earn the money in time? Do the Hatfords have moneymaking secrets they're not telling the girls?
Copyright © 1999 by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
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