Mystery Mutt
Authors: Beverly Lewis
Mystery Mutt
Copyright © 2000
Beverly Lewis
Cover illustration by Paul Turnbaugh
Cover design by the Lookout Design, Inc.
Text illustrations by Janet Huntington
Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. The “
NIV
” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.
Ebook edition created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwiseâwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
eISBN 978-1-4412-6080-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
To
Wesley Harris,
who sends me wonderful
letters and likes
reading this series.
CONTENTS
ONE
It was three days before New Year's Eve. Things were popping on Blossom Hill Lane.
Stacy Henry was buzzing with an idea. Her real cool idea had started out teeny-weeny. But during the Cul-de-sac Kids club meeting it grew. And grew.
And grew!
She couldn't keep it to herself any longer.
“Let's do something really fun for the New Year,” she suggested.
“Yay!” the girls shouted.
“Like what?” Jason Birchall spoke up.
Stacy twirled her hair. “It's that time of year, isn't it?”
“What're you talking about?” asked Jason, pushing up his glasses. “
What
time of year?”
“I'll give you three guesses, but only three.” She squeezed in next to Abby Hunter in the president's seatâa bean-bag chair.
Abby was the president of the Cul-de-sac Kids club. A neighborhood club with nine members. Each club member lived on Blossom Hill Lane, which was really a dead-end street. A cul-de-sac, shaped like aU.
Abby grinned. “I like guessing games. Who wants to guess first?”
“I will!” Dee Dee Winters stood up. She pulled up her knee socks. Then she put her finger on her lip. “My guess is it's time to go group sledding.
That's
really fun!”
Stacy nodded her head. “You're right,
going sledding together is lots of fun. But that's not what I was thinking.”
“Who's next?” asked Abby. “This is the second guess, remember.”
Dunkum Mitchell raised his hand. “It's time to think about the New Year? Maybe write down some goals or something. That's my guess,” he said.
Stacy looked at Abby and whispered, “He's almost got it.”
Abby grinned at Dunkum. “Stacy says you're real close. Wanna guess again?”
Dunkum, whose real name was Edward, shook his head no. The kids nicknamed him Dunkum because he was tall. So tall he could dunk a basketball. Every time . . . almost.
“OK,” said Stacy. “Since Dunkum nearly guessed it, I'll tell my idea.”
The kids leaned forward. Their eyes were big as bowls.
“I want to make some changes in myself,”
Stacy said. “Like grown-ups do every New Year.”
“Oh, no. Not grown-up stuff!” Jason complained. He rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue. “That's so dumb.”
Eric Hagel frowned at Jason. “Don't say âdumb.' It's not cool. Besides, Stacy's idea might be more fun than you think.”
CarlyâAbby's little sisterâgrabbed Dee Dee's hand. They were best friends. “I don't care what Jason says. I wanna make some changes for the New Year, too. Just like Stacy.”
“What kinda changes?” sneered Jason.
Stacy said, “Things like asking God to help make me kind and loving. Good changes like that.”
Jason clutched his throat when she said “loving.”
Yikes!
Stacy worried that a full-blown fit was coming.
Quickly, Abby called the meeting to order again. “I like Stacy's idea, too. Keep talking,” she told Stacy.
“Can we name the fruits of the Spirit?” asked Stacy.
Lots of hands went up.
All but Jason's.
Stacy was pretty sure he could say them, too. Jason was just being a pest. But that was normal for him.
“How many fruits of the Spirit are there?” Stacy asked.
“That's easy. Nine!” Dunkum said.
“I almost say that,” Shawn Hunter said in broken English.
Shawn was Abby's adopted brother. Their little brother, Jimmy, was nodding, too.
“We know lots of fruit from Bible,” Jimmy piped up. “American mother teach us.”
Abby's eyes were shining. “Shawn and Jimmy are right. And I think we
all
know the fruits of the Spirit.”
“Can we say them?” Stacy asked,
searching for some chalk. “Or maybe we can write them on the chalkboard.”
“Good thinking!” replied Abby.
“When we're finished, we'll pick some fruit,” Stacy said, smiling. “Each of us can choose a different fruit for the year.”
“But we won't eat it,” Carly joked.
Dunkum was laughing. “Not unless you want a mouthful of joy or peace.”
Dee Dee smirked at Jason. “I think one of us needs the
full-meal deal
!”
Some of the kids snickered.
But Stacy was quiet. She held the board while Abby wrote the nine fruits of the Spirit.
One at a time, the Cul-de-sac Kids called them out:
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control
TWO
“I want more patience!” hollered Dee Dee Winters. “And I want it now!”
Stacy chuckled about Dee Dee's choice. It was perfect.
“I pick self-control,” Jimmy decided.
Shawn nodded but didn't laugh. “Little brother pick very good fruit,” he said. “I pick loveâjust like Stacy.”
Stacy felt her face grow warm. Shawn was looking at her. “Who's next?” she asked.
Carly's hand flew up. “Patience sounds good for me, too.” She looked at Dee Dee.
“I wanna match my best friend,” she said.