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PUBLIC LIBRARY

FORT WAYNE AND ALLEN COUNTY, IND. ALLEN COUNTY EXTENSION DEPT. ANTHONY 3333

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Digitized by the Internet Archive in

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http://www.archive.org/details/somebodycalledboOOgard

SOMEBODY CALLED BOOIE

SOMEBODY By

LILLIAN GARDNER Pictures by

AAA

UwWvVM^flV

DON

SIBLEY

CALLED BOOIE

FRANKLIN WATTS, INC. NEW YORK

By From Bobcat Sal Fisher,

The

to

the

same author

Wolf

Brownie Scout

Oldest, the Youngest, and the

One

in the

Middle

SECOND PRINTING Copyright 1955 by Franklin Watts, Inc. Printed in the United States of America by Polygraphic Co. of America, Inc. Library of Congress Catalog Card

Number: 55-5409

GO.

11

For BILL,

from

whom

I

am

still

learning

about boys, and about eyeglasses


Booie Baker had made up his mind that he

was going to be an athlete when he grew up.

He

could swim like a

than any other boy

fish,

who

he could run lived

faster

on Woodland

Hill,

and he was a

skates in winter

When

real

and

champ on

roller skates all

Booie and

his friend

skates

— ice

year round.

Butch got

their

two-wheel bicycles, Booie was riding easily while Butch was

still

ing his bike uphill.

made

stilts,

wobbling a

When

his

Booie learned the

little

and walk-

Cub Scout den trick of

walking

on them right away. Soon he was teaching the other boys.

was stuck

And whenever

in a tree,

who went up like a

after

a kite or toy plane

Booie was always the one it,

because he could climb

monkey.

Booie was sure he'd be an athlete when he

grew up. That

is,

he was sure

of Butch's eighth birthday.

until the

morning

It

was a Saturday, and Booie and

sister

his older

Martha were eating breakfast when they

heard someone banging on the back door.

Booie yelled

"Come on

in!"

and Butch ap-

peared, with a big grin spread across his face.

"Look! ball !"

My

dad gave

he shouted.

me

a regulation soft-

He

Then he

held out the ball proudly.

his other

"And

lifted

arm up high. how's

this for a neat bat?"

he asked,

grinning even more broadly. "Hurry up, Booie. Let's

go

try

them out!"

Booie knew

how much Butch wanted

to try

out the birthday presents, but baseball wasn't his favorite

game. In

liked least, because as

he was

fact,

fall.

was the game he

he wasn't a

at other sports.

play only that

it

bit

He had

Every noon

good

at

it,

started to

after lunch

and

often after school the older boys played in the

school playground. Second graders watched

and were allowed to chase

balls.

got a chance to play once

in a while,

Third graders but only

4

V

when

there weren't

enough

older boys to

up a team. Booie and Butch had

make

just started in

the third grade.

Booie had been

few games.

in a

good pitching arm and was

never could hit the

Butch had

own

thought,

if

ball

a

a fair catcher. But

somehow he his

He had

ball.

Now

and bat Maybe, Booie !

they practiced a

lot

together he

could get to be as good at baseball as he was at skating,

swimming, and riding a

But Butch was getting

bike.

tired of waiting for

Booie to make up his mind.

"Well, how about

it,

Booie?" Butch asked.

U I want to get going. Are you coming?" 6

"Sure, get

my

play," Booie told

I'll

Butch. "Ill

mitt."

But as soon as they went out they saw Ricky

Ned and Ted,

and Jim, and

who

lived

all

were standing

on Woodland in front

in

middle of the group was a

grader.

new

A

new family had

there just the day before.

a stranger.

He

looked

tall

like

and

bat,

In the

red-headed boy, a fifth or sixth

Everybody crossed over to

ball

They

Hill, too.

of the house right across

the street from Booie's.

moved

the Tucker twins,

see Butch's

and the new boy came along.

"Let's start a game," the red-headed boy said.

"Where do you 7

play around here?"

"Over

at the school.

We'll show you, Red,

Ricky said eagerly. 8

It

was easy to see that Ricky liked the new

boy, Red. But Booie wasn't so sure that he

9

was going to

how good

like

him.

Red hadn't

Booie was at swimming and skating,

climbing and bicycle riding. just as

if

He

he were any other

didn't like that at like the idea

boy, since at.

yet heard

it

all.

treated Booie kid.

Booie

Even more, Booie

didn't

little

of playing baseball with the

new

was the one sport he wasn't good

Booie wished Butch and he could get away

by themselves to

practice for a while before

he played with Red. But he went along with the others.

Booie was a at bat.

Red

fielder

when

hit the ball so

it

was Red's turn

hard that Booie had

to run to the other end of the playground to

10

get

it.

Booie wished, as he had never wished

for anything before, that he could hit like that.

In

no time

at all

it

was Booie's turn

at bat.

"

He swung up, the

the bat a couple of times to

way

whistled a

warm

the older boys always did, and he

little.

"Ready?" asked Red, who was

pitching.

Booie nodded.

Red threw

a fast, straight

ball.

Booie swung hard and missed. "If the sun wasn't in

my

eyes and

wind wasn't so strong," Booie plain,"

I

might have

But Red wasn't

up

if

the

started to ex-

—

listening.

He was

winding

for the next pitch.

Booie missed again.

"What's the matter? I'm throwing them right to you,"

Red

said.

12

*

f\

"But

—"

"No

ifs,

Booie began. ands, or buts!"

member, one more

strike

Red

said.

"Just

and you're out."

Once more Red pitched Booie straight ball.

Once more Booie

my

"Gosh,

a

good

missed.

kid sister can hit a ball better

than you can,"

your name

re-

Red

said.

"What

did

you say

is?"

"Booie," said Booie.

Red

grinned.

"What He and

kind of a

name

is

that?" he asked.

turned his head toward the other boys

said,

"Boy! He sure

who would

hits like

somebody

be called Booie!"

14

Booie didn't say anything more.

mad he

felt like

crying and he

But he didn't do

either.

He was

so

felt like fighting.

He handed Butch

the

bat.

"Here.

He

Pm tired of playing," he said.

ran to the part of the playground where

other boys and

girls

were oh the swings and

slides.

In a minute they

asking

if

stunts stunts,

all

crowded around,

Booie would show them

how

to

on the jungle gym. Booie was good

do at

and he was a good teacher, too.

Swinging on the bars and thinking up new stunts for the other boys

forgot a

little

of his hurt.

and

girls to try,

he

The

rest

pleasantly.

When called to

to

of the morning passed quickly and

This

is

really fun,

thought Booie.

he started home for lunch, Butch

him

to wait. All the boys walked back

Woodland

Hill together.

wWhat's

your right name, Booie?" Red

asked.

"Richard Allen Baker,

name," Booie

just like

my

father's

said.

"How come

they

call

you Booie?" Red

asked then.

Booie didn't

feel like explaining to

had happened soon his sister

Martha

two years

old,

after

first

and

called

him

that.

Then

he was born, when

him u Boo Boo,"

try-

Soon the whole family the nickname got short-

ened to Booie. He'd been Booie ever friends never

It

saw him. She was only

called

ing to say "Baby."

Red.

thought about

it,

since.

His

and neither did 18

Booie.

Or rather, neither

However, instead of

did Booie until today.

Red

telling all this to

he started talking to the others about the

birth-

day party Butch was having that afternoon.

On

the next

Monday morning

ing class the school principal third grade.

and a all

girl.

came

With him were

a

spell-

into Booie's

woman,

a boy,

Their red hair told Booie they were

one family.

The

during

The boy was

Red.

principal introduced the

woman and

the girl to Miss Carter, Booie's teacher.

"Barbara

"Here

will

be

in

your group," he

are her records.

Hoffman and Red

Now

Pll

said.

take Mrs.

upstairs."

20

So

this

was the

sister

who

could hit a

better than he could, Booie thought.

ball

Maybe

she thought she could ride a bike better, too,

and skate

better!

Maybe

he'd

show

summer came, who could swim 21

her,

better!

when

— Miss Carter gave Barbara a seat right next to Booie's. After spelling,

when they were hav-

ing their milk as they always did in the middle of the morning, Miss Carter introduced every-

body

to the

"This

is

new

girl.

Butch Roberts," she

neighbor of yours,

I

think.

He

"He's a

said.

lives

on

Wood-

land Hill, too."

Butch

said hello,

and then

it

was Booie's

turn.

"Here's another neighbor," said.

"Barbara, this

is

Miss

Booie Baker."

Barbara clapped her hand over her too

late.

Carter

mouth

There had been a sound she couldn't

stop in time.

It

was a giggle

— just

one

22

little

giggle,

before

stopped

it.

Maybe

it

But

her it

hand over her mouth

was a giggle

just the same.

was because of Booie's nickname,

maybe because she had heard he or

couldn't bat,

maybe because of both! Booie didn't look at Barbara

the morning. front of

the rest of

Even when she walked home

him and Butch

tended he didn't see her.

*3

all

at

in

lunchtime he pre-

had

In the playground after lunch, Butch his

new

ball

and bat and they started a game

for third graders.

Butch and

Ned Tucker

were

captains and they chose sides. Booie thought

Butch would pick him second or third,

before

it

was

glad the warning

his turn

up

upstairs to be

doctor. Barbara line,

last to

bell

be

rang

at bat.

That afternoon Miss Carter would go

Not

but he didn't.

Booie was the

either.

He was

picked.

first,

said their class

examined by the school

was right

in front

of Booie in

but he didn't even look at her.

The off her

school nurse checked each pupil's list

"This

is

as

he went

in to see

name

the doctor.

Booie Baker," Miss Carter told the

24

when

nurse

it

was

"Did you say

his turn to see the doctor.

Booie Baker?" the nurse asked.

"Richard Allen Baker," Miss Carter explained.

The

u Booie

is

his

nickname."

nurse didn't giggle as Barbara had done

in class.

But for

just

one moment there was a

look on her face that made Booie wish he were called

Red

or Butch or anything at

all

except

Booie.

Then

she said pleasantly,

"Come

right along

with me."

The own

school doctor did

doctor did

little stick

in

all

the things Booie's

check-ups.

for looking

down

He

used a

flat

Booie's throat, and

a special kind of flashlight for looking in his

26

FMfUps server

4

nose and

ears.

The

doctor listened to Booie's

heart with a stethoscope. to read the letters

Then he

asked Booie

on a printed card way down

the other end of the room, while he covered

up

first

one eye and then the other.

It

took only

a few minutes and Booie's turn with the doctor

was 27

over.

When

anyone new came to the Brookdale

School everyone always person

feel

tried to

make

the

welcome. Booie expected his

to be nice to Barbara.

new class

But what surprised him

was how quickly Barbara seemed to

feel

at

> Aft?

home. Even her

first

week

in

town she joined

a Brownie troop. She brought girls from class

home

for lunch.

the other

girls,

And

Booie often saw her with

streaking past

him on

skates

or whizzing by on her bike. She tried to be

friendly to Booie, too, as they sat next to each

other in school. But Booie kept remembering the

way

she had giggled, and he couldn't be

nice to her.

Saturday morning when Booie was climbing into his favorite western jeans his father stuck his

head

in

the door.

"Hold everything," he

said.

school clothes today, Booie.

going to the

"Wear your

You and

I

are

city."

u What for?" Booie asked. u To see Dr. Stone,"

my

eye doctor.

We

that they think

checked.

I

made

his father said.

"He's

had a report from school

we should have your

eyes

a date with Dr. Stone for this

3°

xjfrrt^.

morning.

Then

we'll

maybe look around

"Look around"

have a hamburger and

the department store." usually

meant a present,

Booie knew.

a My eyes are okay," he we're going, because

I

said.

"But

Pm

glad

love to eat out."

Dr. Stone put queer big eyeglasses on Booie to test his eyes.

that were

room.

He

He

asked him to read

on the wall

at the other

letters

end of the

kept changing around the glass part

of the big eyeglasses and asking questions

about if

how

he read

close Booie sat to the

set

and

in bed.

Then suddenly something pened.

TV

As

very strange hap-

a special glass slipped into place,

3*

Booie saw wonderfully clearly than he had ever seen before letter

in his life

clearly !

Every

on the wall became blacker and sharper!

"Hey!" Booie fine

— more

cried in surprise. "I can see

now!"

"Of course you can."

Dr. Stone laughed and

turned to Booie's father. "He's just nearsighted like

you, that's

all,"

he

"Nothing

said.

to

worry about."

And

to

Booie he

said,

"That's the way

you're going to see everything

all

the time as

soon as you have your glasses." "Glasses?" Booie gasped.

"You mean

eye-

glasses?"

"That's right," Dr. Stone

said.

"They'll be

34

made out

of a special kind of glass that won't

break, not even

when you play

baseball."

"I won't wear them!" Booie shouted.

'%

01/11001

!" don't want any old eyeglasses

"Let's have our hamburgers now," his father said.

"And maybe some

That

part

chocolate

ice

cream."

was fun. But then they had to

take Dr. Stone's eyeglass prescription to an-

other doctor.

He

on Booie

until

the right

size.

kept trying eyeglass frames

he found some that were

He

would be ready

told

in a

just

Mr. Baker the glasses

week. But Booie wished

they would never, never be ready.

At six

Martin's department store they went up

long escalators to the toy department. Booie

35

^

had a hard time deciding what he wanted. There were

all

sorts of things that

he would have liked

to own. But finally he picked a pistol that

looked just

like a

new kind of water cowboy's gun.

Booie acted grumpy, of course, when they

went back for day. But he

his glasses the following Satur-

had to admit to himself that when

he wore the glasses everything looked bright

and

clear.

And

he saw things that he had

never even noticed before. For the

saw a

first

time he

bird's nest in the tree outside his bed-

room window, and

a tiny green leaf in the pat-

tern of the dining

room

wallpaper.

All

new

week end he wore the glasses and noticed

things.

the glasses so

much

But of course he grumbled about

all

at

the while.

didn't

mind them

home. Wearing them to school

Monday morning

He

He

worried him, though.

didn't really expect

Booie dressed for school

it

to work, but

Monday he

when

buried

the glasses under a pile of handkerchiefs in his

top drawer. Before he had even finished his

orange juice his mother noticed that he wasn't wearing the eyeglasses. "Booie, where are your glasses?" she asked. "I can't find them," Booie said.

But he knew his mother would find them.

39

!

And

of course she did. Mrs. Baker marched

upstairs

and was back with the eyeglasses

before he was half through his cereal. Booie couldn't keep from grinning as she tucked

them around

his ears.

" Before long," she to

them

said, "you'll

you'll forget to take

be so used

them off

at bed-

time!"

But that morning, walking to school, Booie

was sure everybody was staring at him.

remembering how about

his

it

nickname.

his glasses,

felt

If

He kept

when Barbara giggled

anybody giggled about

he told himself, he was going to

throw them away Or !

really lose

them 40

Miss Carter had a rule that everybody had to take his seat after the warning bell.

was last

all

right to

bell

rang.

draw or read or

But

it

talk until the

That morning Barbara was

drawing a picture, and she asked Booie

if

she

could borrow his red crayon. She looked right at

him when he handed

it

to her.

He

waited for

her to giggle or to say something about the

But she didn't even seem to notice

glasses.

them.

"Booie," she

said,

"could

I

tell

you some-

thing?"

Booie just grunted.

about

"It's

when

I

my

day here

first

in this school,

giggled," Barbara said. "Could

I

tell

you why?" Booie didn't say anything. Barbara looked

unhappy, but she went on. "It's

something that

about," she

and well

I

said.

I

don't like to talk

"You see, when Red was little

was a baby he couldn't say Barbara very

and he

family,

called

and even

me all

Baba.

my

Then my whole

school friends back

44

where we used to

me

live, called

hated that nickname. So when I

didn't

calls

me

tell

anyone about

Barbara."

Booie looked up then.

45

it.

Baba.

I

we moved

Now

just

here

everybody

"Your

family, too?" he asked.

Barbara nodded.

"My

family especially.

promise, because

my new

if

made them

I

they didn't

friends here

would

I

all

was afraid

all

using that

start

nickname. Your nickname, Booie, reminded

me

of Baba and that was

didn't

mean

to

make you

"It's all right," ter

Booie

why

feel

said.

laughed.

I

I

bad."

He felt much

bet-

about Barbara.

To new

his great surprise

Booie found that his

eyeglasses didn't bother

during that

first

him a

bit,

even

day he wore them to school.

In fact, the blackboard

seemed so

everything Miss Carter wrote on

it

close that

just

popped

46

!

right out at him. Booie his

work

done

it

better

and

found he was doing

faster

than he had ever

before.

The same

thing happened

went outdoors to play one threw him a

ball

at recess.

Booie saw

Everything seemed so closer that suddenly

when

much

the class

When

it

very

some-

clearly.

brighter

and

he found himself the best

catcher in the third grade

Butch took

new

his

ground that day

ball

and bat to the play-

Red was

after lunch.

standing

around with some of the older boys, but none of them had a ball and bat.

u Do you want to get

in a

game with us?"

Red asked Butch. Butch looked

no when Red gave them a chance to

ally said

play.

Booie usu-

at Booie, because

But today Booie

felt

good

after his luck

at recess.

"Sure," he It's

our

ball

said, "if

and

Butch can be a captain.

bat, so

our side

is

up

at bat

first."

Butch and Red chose Booie

first.

Booie was

sides, first

and Butch picked

man up

at bat.

48

He whistled a little and gave of practice swings.

the bat a couple

Red was

pitching,

and

Booie noticed that he could see him better than

he ever remembered seeing any pitcher on that baseball diamond.

u Ready?" Red asked. u<

Sure," Booie said.

Red

pitched the

crack as

ball.

There was a sharp

Booie connected.

through the

air,

far

ball

sailed

high over Red's head, and

over the raised arms of the

came down and

The

fielder.

rolled along the

Then

it

ground to the

end of the playground.

By

this

time Booie was halfway to second

base, running at top speed.

49

-*^..-^

Oh

hooray

!

I

really

walloped

it

w(1

^

•^V*-** , »»»«*MU«Ul*" «M,l**t

that time, he

thought. "It's a

A

homer!" Red shouted.

moment

plate.

later

Booie dashed across

home

Butch pounded him on the back and

5°

^S«& ll

A^ Uk .u<_ywW"

^

'***"»tf**^^ ^»*»m*v>

the boys on his team

all

crowded around,

cheering, and proud of Booie.

"I

knew you could do 5

1

it!"

shouted Butch.

"What's happened

"That was

terrific,

Through see

his

to

you?" Red

yelled.

Booie !"

new

eyeglasses

Booie could

Red's friendly face, looking very near

though

half the infield

The warning

bell

was between them.

rang.

As Booie walked

toward the school with Red and Butch he

membered how Red had once

re-

called his sister

Baba because he couldn't say her name.

"My

right

name

"From now on

I

is

Dick," he said suddenly.

want everybody to

call

me

Dick."

"But Booie,"

the

gang

Butch

said.

all

is

used to calling you

"What's the

idea

changing?" 52

of

"And

your name

if

father's, like

you

told

is

me

the same as your once, won't

you get

mixed up?" Red asked.

"No

ands, or buts!" Booie said. "I just

ifs,

want to be

called

Dick from now on. Okay

with you?"

"Sure,"

Red

agreed.

Butch nodded, too. Barbara was already

took

his.

The

in

last bell

her seat

when Booie

rang and Miss Carter

passed out paper for arithmetic. Boole Baker, Booie started to write carefully in

the upper left-hand corner where they always

put their names.

54

Ui

Can

I

borrow your eraser for a minute?"

he asked Barbara.

She handed 55

it

to him,

and he erased

Booie.

Dick Baker, he wrote. looked just

right.

she smiled.

It

grinned back.

It

He showed

looked good. it

It

to Barbara and

was a nice friendly

smile,

and he