The Happy Hollisters and the Mystery of the Totem Faces
CHAPTER 1Mud-ball Tricks Help Come quick Sue Hollister cried to her older brothers and sisters Th ey’re throwing mud at the wooden faces Dark-haired Sue who was only four pedaled her tri cycle furiously into the driveway of her home Hearing her cry two boys dashed around the corner of the big white house What’s the matter Sis demanded the older one named Pete He was a handsome twelve-year-old with a blond crew cut and a friendly smile Joey and Will are hitting the pole with mud balls and spoiling all the faces Please do something Sue begged Th e other boy seven-year-old Ricky who had tou sled red hair and freckles all over his face asked Is this for real Or are you spoofi ng No Honest Sue insisted turning her tricycle around and starting to pedal I’ll show you Where are Joey and Will doing this Pete asked mystifi ed as he and Ricky ran after her On Mr Tompkin’s lawn 7
Inside the Hollister house two girls had heard the commotion and rushed outside Th e taller one Pam Hollister had fl uff y golden hair and a sweet face She and her six-year-old sister Holly ran down the steps Th e younger girl’s fl ying pigtails and impish grin stamped her as the family tomboy Wait for us Pam called Together the children who had just fi nished eating supper followed Sue down the street and around the corner Suddenly they saw a strange sight In the center of the Tompkins broad lawn stood a thick wooden pole about six feet tall It was carved with curious-looking animal faces and topped by a bear’s head Th e fi gures brightly painted in red blue green and yellow were smudged with blobs of mud Make those mean boys stop Sue demanded point ing Standing at the curb with a carton of mud balls were two boys Pete’s age Joey Brill and Will Wilson Right now they were looking defi antly toward the door of the house where a gray-haired man waved his arms angrily Go away cried the man whom the Hollisters had never seen before Leave my totem pole alone Joey smirked Taking aim with another mud ball he Splat It hit the bear’s head slung it Splat It hit the bear’s head Splat Bull’s eye Will cried roaring with laughter Pete ran up to Joey his fi sts clenched Th e man says Th e bully glared Oh butting in again You stay out Stop so why don’t you of this 8
