Baseball Pals Read Online Free PDF Page B

Ervie went to Paul Karoski’s house. It was eleven o’clock. Paul should be home, Jimmie thought.
     He wanted Ervie along because even though Ervie was a little guy he was somebody. Jimmie didn’t want to go alone to see Paul.
    He knocked on the front door. His heart beat so loud he could hear it.
    The knob turned. The door opened. Mrs. Karoski stood there, her hair in a bun, a comb pressed into it. Her nose wrinkled up
     as she smiled.
    “Jimmie and Ervie Todd!” she cried. “How are you?”
    “We’re fine, Mrs. Karoski,” Jimmie replied. “Is Paul home?”
    “Paul?” Mrs. Karoski’s smile faded. “Isn’t he at your house?”
    Jimmie shook his head. “No. Isn’t he home?”
    Mrs. Karoski lifted her shoulders. “No! Maybe he went to play with somebody else. I don’t understand what happened to that
     boy. Doesn’t he play with you anymore?”
    Jimmie looked away. “Well—I’ve been busy practicing baseball. I guess he has, too.”
    She looked at him curiously. “Don’t you play for the same team?”
    “No. Paul plays with the Red Rockets. I play with the Planets. That’s—that’s what I wanted to see him about.”
    Mrs. Karoski shrugged. “Well, I don’tknow where he is. If he comes home soon, I will tell him you’re looking for him.”
    “All right, Mrs. Karoski. Thank you.” Jimmie took Ervie’s hand. “Let’s go to the park,” he said. “Maybe he’s there.”
    The park was four blocks away. They walked around the swimming pool, then up the hill to the baseball diamond. Nobody was
     playing ball. Only two or three kids were around.
    “He’s not here,” Jimmie said. “Let’s go to Tiny Zimmer’s house. Maybe he’s playing catch with Tiny.”
    But Tiny said he hadn’t seen Paul all morning. Why didn’t they try some of the other boys’ houses? They went to Mose’s house,
     then to Johnny Lukon’s, then to Billy Hutt’s. They tried every house they thought Paul might possibly go to—but nobody had
     seen Paul.
    “I wonder where he could be, Ervie,” Jimmie said worriedly. “Let’s go home. Maybe while we were gone he came to our house
     to see me!”
    They hurried home.
    “Was anybody here to see me, Mom?” Jimmie asked anxiously.
    Mrs. Todd shook her head. “No. But where have you been? Aren’t you going to eat lunch?”
    “I’m not hungry, Mom,” he said, his heart sinking in despair. “We’ve been looking for Paul Karoski ever since eleven o’clock.
     He’s not home, and he’s not at any of the boys’ houses we’ve been to. I think he’s lost, Mom.”
    “Lost in the city? Don’t worry. He must be somewhere around. Relax, and eat something. It’s after one o’clock.”
    They crunched on toasted cheese sandwichesand drank a glass of milk each, then went outside again.
    Wishy Walters was coming up the walk.
    “Hi, Wishy,” said Jimmie. “Have you seen Paul Karoski today?”
    Wishy thought a moment. “Yes. I saw him this morning.”
    “You did?” Jimmie’s heart cartwheeled. “Where? When?”
    “About ten o’clock. He was getting into a car.
    “Whose car?”
    Wishy shrugged. “I don’t know. I wasn’t close enough to see.”
    Jimmie breathed fast. “What color was it? Maybe that’ll help.”
    Wishy thought again. “Brown. No—blue.”
    “Blue? You sure?”
    “Yes. I’m sure. Blue.”
    “Blue. Blue.” Jimmie repeated the word over and over again, trying to think of someone who owned a blue car.
    It dawned on him. “Don Perkos!” he shouted. “Don has a blue car! And Don is Paul’s cousin! I bet it was his car!”
    He ran to the street corner as fast as his legs could carry him.
    “Jimmie!” Ervie yelled. “Wait for me!”
    “No! You stay there! I’m going to find out if that was Don’s car!”
    When the light turned green, he ran across the street and down the two blocks to where the Perkos family lived. He stopped
     in front of the large front door, half out of breath.
    Mrs. Perkos answered his knock. She was a tall,