The Secret of the Scarecrow Read Online Free PDF Page A

said.
    â€œYeah,” George agreed. “I have a feeling we’ll find a lot more than tools.”
    Luckily Kevin had left the shed door open, so the girls slipped inside.
    â€œWhere are you, Autumn?” Bess called. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
    They found gardening tools, a lawn mower, bags of planting soil, and more hay scattered on the floor. But where was Autumn?
    â€œLook!” Bess suddenly cried.
    She pointed to a row of metal shelves against one wall. On one of the shelves was a long cardboard box. Written on the side were the words: “Most Awesome Mascot in the World!”
    â€œThat box is big enough to fit Autumn,” George said. “I’m looking inside.”
    Nancy, Bess, and George moved toward the shelf. Suddenly the box began to wiggle. The sounds of scratching and bumping came from inside too!
    â€œYou guys.” Bess gulped. “If Autumn is in there . . . she’s alive.”
    George led the way as the girls inched toward the shelf. Reaching up, George pulled at the box only to have it tip on its side. Bess shrieked. Clumps of hay began to drop out of the box all over the girls!
    â€œEwwww!” Nancy cried.
    But that wasn’t all. After a shower of hay came something big, fat, furry—and definitely alive.
    â€œIt’s a giant rat!” Bess shrieked.
    The creature dropped off Bess’s shoulder onto Nancy’s foot. She was about to scream too when she realized it wasn’t a rat at all. In fact, it looked just like one of their class pets.

    â€œIt’s a guinea pig, you guys!” Nancy said with a smile. She gently picked it up when the boys charged into the shed.
    â€œWhat are you doing with our mascot?” Peter demanded.
    The startled guinea pig leaped out of Nancy’s hands, landing on the floor. He kicked up his feet before ricocheting around the shed.
    â€œGet him!” Kevin cried.
    The kids scrambled around the shed trying to catch the guinea pig. Heads bumped. Tools crashed to the floor. But the guinea pig was too fast to grab!
    â€œWe thought you wanted a scarecrow as amascot,” Nancy shouted as the chase went on.
    â€œWe did!” Quincy shouted back. “But not a girlie-girl one like that Autumn.”
    â€œSo my mom bought me Vinnie,” Kevin said. “Guinea pigs make awesome mascots when they’re not making a mess.”
    â€œGotcha!” George said as she grabbed the guinea pig. She handed him to Kevin, who put him right back into his box.
    â€œIf Vinnie’s so awesome,” Bess said, “why is he living in a stinky cardboard box?”
    â€œHe won’t be there for long,” Peter said.
    â€œMy dad is building an awesome guinea pig habitat,” Kevin explained. “It’s going to have tunnels and caves—even a slide.”
    â€œHe deserves it,” Quincy said. “We already won a game today thanks to Vinnie.”
    Nancy believed the boys about their new mascot. But could they have still stolen Autumn?
    â€œWhat time was your game?” Nancy asked.
    The boys seemed surprised at the question.
    â€œNine thirty,” Quincy answered. “But wewere in the park warming up at nine.”
    â€œWhy do you want to know?” Kevin said, raising an eyebrow. “And why were you snooping in my dad’s shed?”
    â€œAre you spies for the girls soccer team?” Quincy demanded.
    Nancy shot Bess and George a sideways glance. If they told the boys they were looking for Autumn, they’d know she was missing.
    â€œWe were looking for hay!” George said quickly.
    â€œAutumn is way too skinny,” Bess said. “She needs fattening up.”
    Nancy scooped up a handful of hay and said, “This is all we need, thanks.”
    Nancy, Bess, and George left the shed in a hurry.
    â€œIf the boys were at the park at nine, they couldn’t have been at Bess’s house stealing Autumn,” Nancy