The Witch Family Read Online Free PDF Page B

other little witch girls were already saying that she would probably have to stay back in school this year, she was such a "nope." Despite being witches, they said "dope" the way Amy did—"nope." As the lessons went on, however, they were forced to change their tune, for Little Witch Girl proved to be very bright.
    "First lesson," said the witch teacher, clapping her hands. "Arithmetic," she said. "Do the one and one," she told Little Witch Girl.
    Little Witch Girl said,
"One and one is nothing.
Two and one is one.
Three and one is two..."
    "Right," said the teacher. "She knows it all."
    Witches subtract, you see, when we add. And they add when we subtract. They say, "Two take away one is three!" Little Witch Girl got all her numbers right. The other little witch girls did not like this, and held a consultation with heads together. They made a plan. Soon they had a chance to put it into effect.
    "Second lesson," said the witch teacher. "Exercise!" she said.
    The little witches hopped off their copy stools. The exercise was to stomp ten times around the room, exhale and inhale twenty times, stomp ten times around the room again, this time in the other direction, and then stomp back to their copy stools. Stomping was a favorite game of the little witches. One witch was always chosen to stand in the middle of the room and direct the game, and each one wanted to be the stomp director. "Choose me! Choose me!" they all screamed now. But Teacher chose the new little witch girl.
    "She'll see what the stomp game is like," said the others, and commenced the stomping. Instead of stomping around the room, they stomped around Little Witch Girl, coming closer and closer to her with each round, stomping right up to her and making a little tish sound at her with their tongues, because she was new, and then stomping away again. This game was refreshing to the little witch girls, but it was very unpleasant to Little Witch Girl herself. However, all through the stomping, Little Witch Girl held tight to the hem of her cloak where a certain important rune was folded up in a wad. She knew the rune by heart, but she liked, nevertheless, to feel it for added courage. So she stood staunch and firm and did not flinch.
    "Spelling, next lesson," said the teacher, who had enjoyed the stomping show and had not interfered. To herself she had to admit that, so far, the new pupil had shown herself to be not only bright but brave.
    The little witch girls made ready to spell.
    "Spell hurly-burly," said the teacher to the little witch girl.
    Little Witch Girl spelled it "hulie-bulie," so she got it wrong. This was the only word that she spelled wrong, however, so she was good in this subject also. "Someday," the teacher promised her, "we shall have a spelling bee."
    "I have one already," said the little witch girl without thinking.
    "Rude. Stand in corner with hat off for five minutes," said the teacher.
    Of course, the teacher did not realize that the little witch girl was referring to Malachi, and Little Witch Girl had more sense than to explain. She bore her punishment unflinchingly. During this five minutes the other little witch girls were permitted to stomp again. This teacher believed in plenty of exercise.
    Again the little witch girls stomped up to Little Witch Girl, and they pulled her long, light hair, and they said they did not like her hair because it was not spiky and black. They tweaked her nose, and they stepped on her toes, trying to make her say, "Ee-eek!" She did not say "Ee-eek!" She remained staunch, and she still did not flinch. But she had had enough of the stomping. Very quietly, she whispered, "Malachi, oh, Malachi," and the rest of the rune.
    "Ow, ow!" said the first stomping witch girl. "Something has bitten me."
    The same thing happened to each stomping witch girl, and they stopped stomping and tweaking and saying, "Tish!" in Little Witch Girl's face immediately.
    "Teacher," complained Olie. "Something bit me!"
    "And me," said