Ramona the Pest Read Online Free PDF Page A

attention to the argument.
    â€œIt is not!” said Ramona. “It’s my ribbon!”
    â€œMiss Binney gave it to me.” Howie was so calm and so sure that he was right that Ramona was infuriated. She grabbed for the ribbon, but Howie held it away from her.
    â€œMiss Binney tied it around my rabbit’s neck so it’s my ribbon!” she said, her voice rising.
    â€œNo,” said Howie flatly and calmly.
    â€œRibbons aren’t for boys,” Ramona reminded him. “Now give it to me!”
    â€œIt isn’t yours.” Howie showed no excitement, only stubbornness.
    Howie’s behavior drove Ramona wild. Shewanted him to get excited. She wanted him to get angry. “It is too mine!” she shrieked, and at last the mothers turned around.

    â€œWhat’s going on?” asked Mrs. Quimby.
    â€œHowie has my ribbon and won’t give it back,” said Ramona, so angry she was near tears.
    â€œIt isn’t hers,” said Howie.
    The two mothers exchanged glances.“Howie, where did you get that ribbon?” asked Mrs. Kemp.
    â€œMiss Binney gave it to me,” said Howie.
    â€œShe gave it to me, ” corrected Ramona, as she fought back tears. “She tied it on my rabbit’s neck, so it’s my ribbon.” Anybody should be able to understand that. Anybody who was not stupid.
    â€œNow Howie,” said his mother. “What does a big boy like you want with a ribbon?”
    Howie considered this question as if his mother really expected an answer. “Well…I could tie it on the tail of a kite if I had a kite.”
    â€œHe just doesn’t want me to have it,” explained Ramona. “He’s selfish.”
    â€œI am not selfish,” said Howie. “You want something that doesn’t belong to you.”
    â€œI do not! ” yelled Ramona.
    â€œNow Ramona,” said her mother. “A piece of ribbon isn’t worth all this fuss. We haveother ribbons at home that you can have.”
    Ramona did not know how to make her mother understand. No other ribbon could possibly take the place of this one. Miss Binney had given her the ribbon, and she wanted it because she loved Miss Binney so much. She wished Miss Binney were here now because her teacher, unlike the mothers, would understand. All Ramona could say was, “It’s mine.”
    â€œI know!” said Mrs. Kemp, as if a brilliant idea had come to her. “You can share the ribbon.”
    Ramona and Howie exchanged a look in which they agreed that nothing would be worse than sharing the ribbon. They both knew there were some things that could never be shared, and Miss Binney’s ribbon was one of them. Ramona wanted that ribbon, and she wanted it all to herself. She knew that a grubby boy like Howie wouldprobably let Willa Jean drool on it and ruin it.
    â€œThat’s a good idea,” agreed Mrs. Quimby. “Ramona, you let Howie carry it halfway home, and then you can carry it the rest of the way.”
    â€œThen who gets it?” asked Howie, voicing the question that had risen in Ramona’s thoughts.
    â€œWe can cut it in two so you each may have half,” said Mrs. Kemp. “We’re having lunch at Ramona’s house, and as soon as we get there we’ll divide the ribbon.”
    Miss Binney’s beautiful ribbon chopped in two! This was too much. Ramona burst into tears. Her half would not be long enough for anything. If she ever got a two-wheeled bicycle, there would not be enough ribbon to weave through the spokes of a wheel. There would not even be enough to tie up Chevrolet’s hair.
    â€œI’m tired of sharing,” said Howie. “Share,share, share. That’s all grown-ups ever talk about.”
    Ramona could not understand why both mothers were amused by Howie’s words. She understood exactly what Howie meant, and she liked him a little better for saying so. She had always had a guilty feeling she