Prince Amos

THE COOKCAMP,
Gary Paulsen
THE VOYAGE OF THE
FROG
,
Gary Paulsen
THE BOY WHO OWNED THE SCHOOL
,
Gary Paulsen
THE RIVER
,
Gary Paulsen
THE MONUMENT
,
Gary Paulsen
HOW TO EAT FRIED WORMS
,
Thomas Rockwell
HOW TO FIGHT A GIRL
,
Thomas Rockwell
HOW TO GET FABULOUSLY RICH
,
Thomas Rockwell
CHOCOLATE FEVER
,
Robert Kimmel Smith
BOBBY BASEBALL
,
Robert Kimmel Smith

YEARLING BOOKS/YOUNG YEARLINGS/YEARLING CLASSICS
are designed especially to entertain and enlighten young people. Patricia Reilly Giff, consultant to this series, received her bachelor’s degree from Mary-mount College and a master’s degree in history from St. John’s University. She holds a Professional Diploma in Reading and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Hofstra University. She was a teacher and reading consultant for many years, and is the author of numerous books for young readers.

For a complete listing of all Yearling titles,
write to Dell Readers Service,
P.O. Box 1045, South Holland, IL 60473.

Duncan—Dunc—Culpepper was in his room, choosing a tie to go with his new blue suit. “Amos, do you realize that we are about to become a part of history in the making?”

Amos Binder, his best friend for life, was sprawled across Dunc’s bed, pulling little threads out of the bedspread.

“She loves me. She loves me not.”

“Did you hear me, Amos? When we get to the state capitol tomorrow, we’ll be able to witness firsthand how laws are made. It’s really an honor to get to be a page for a senator. While we’re running errands, we’ll
get to see how the whole process works up close.… Amos?”

Dunc walked over and jerked the edge of his bedspread out of Amos’s hand.

Amos scowled. “You made me land on ‘she loves me not.’ “

“You’re ruining my bedspread. Aren’t you even a little excited about getting to go to the state capitol to run errands for the senators?”

“Oh … that.”

Dunc waved his hand in front of Amos’s face. “Earth to Amos. What’s with you today?”

Amos sat up. “Everybody in Mrs. Wormwood’s social studies class is going to the state capitol, right?”

“Right.”

Amos grinned. “Then that means Melissa called me last night.”

Dunc shook his head. “I’m not following you.”

“She knows I’m going.”

“So?”

“So last night she called to tell me she
wanted to sit together on the bus and probably eat all her meals with me, and maybe get closer to me, and—”

Dunc raised one eyebrow. “Wait a minute. Melissa Hansen actually called you and told you all that?”

Amos had been in love with Melissa since the first day he met her in grade school, when he spilled chocolate milk down the back of her dress in the cafeteria.

“Not exactly. But she did call, and that’s the important thing. We can work out the details on the bus tomorrow.”

“What did she say?”

“It’s kind of a long story. My family was in the living room, watching a football game. Uncle Alfred was sitting in his favorite chair. You remember Uncle Alfred?”

Dunc nodded. “The one that picks his feet through his stinky socks?”

“Right,” Amos continued. “Anyway, everybody was in there watching the game. Actually, I was watching my cousin little Brucie. He’s teething now, and he was chewing on Scruff’s tail. It was really a better
show than the TV. Scruff reached around and took a bite out of Brucie. Then Brucie grabbed Scruff’s ear, and—”

“Amos, what did Melissa say?”

“Oh, yeah. Well, the phone rang just as the quarterback snapped the ball. Of course, I always take the shortest route to the phone. Melissa likes me to get it on that all-important first ring.”

Dunc nodded again. Amos had this strange idea that Melissa would hang up if he didn’t get to the phone by the first ring. In the past Dunc had tried to reason with him. Tried to explain that since Melissa Hansen had never once in her entire life called Amos, he couldn’t possibly know what ring she wanted him to answer on. But he couldn’t convince him and had finally given up trying.

“I stepped up onto the coffee table,” Amos went on, “missed all the dips and snacks, and had a clear shot at the phone. My form was excellent, rhythm and timing perfect. My left foot was powering off the coffee table. I was about to hit the core stride when it happened.”

“What?”

“I blocked Uncle Alfred’s view of a touchdown. He grabbed me in midair as I stepped off the table and tossed me into the metal trash can in the corner of the room. It was amazing. You wouldn’t think a man that big could move that fast. He was back in his chair before the announcer finished calling the play.”

“Did you make it to the phone?”

“No. It took my mom almost an hour to pry the trash can off my rear end.”

“Then who talked to Melissa?”

“Little Brucie. But he bit the telephone cord in two before anyone could get to the phone.”

“You never talked to her, but you know she wants to sit with you?”

Amos grinned. “Yeah. Isn’t it wonderful?”

Dunc turned the key in the door of the motel room. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you to sit with Melissa, Amos.”

Amos plopped onto the nearest bed. “Why do teachers always have to make you sit in alphabetical order? It must be something they learn in teacher school. You probably can’t graduate unless you sign something stating you promise to seat every future student alphabetically.”

“Don’t worry. I think you managed to get Melissa’s attention anyway.”

Amos sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“It might have been better if you had just waved from where you were sitting and not stood up in the seat. That way the driver wouldn’t have pulled over and yelled at you.”

“I said I didn’t want to talk about it.”

Dunc continued. “And I really think you went too far when you took your T-shirt off and used it as a flag to signal her.”

Amos rolled over.

“Probably the worst thing was when you crawled under the seats, trying to get to Melissa, and you miscounted and came up under Mrs. Wormwood’s dress. She was really serious about sending you home until I told her you were looking for my contact lens. I hope she doesn’t find out that I don’t wear contacts.”

Amos sat up. “Thank you so much for giving me a review of this morning’s events. You’ve really made me feel so much better. Now I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Melissa thinks I am a complete dweeb.”

Dunc shrugged. “I was just trying to tell you that I think Melissa noticed you. She
probably thinks you’re interesting. Kind of unique. Girls go for guys that are out of the ordinary.”

“You think so?”

“Absolutely.”

Amos jumped off the bed and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?”

“To Melissa’s room. I’m going to try out my John Wayne impressions on her.”

Dunc grabbed his arm. “Hold on. We have to be at the legislative building in ten minutes. Besides, I think you’ve given Melissa enough to think about for one day.”

“Maybe you’re right. I’ll let her take it all in and spring the impressions on her at breakfast.”

Dunc took his suit out. “Aren’t you going to get dressed?”

Amos shook his head. “I think I’ll wear what I have on.”

“Mrs. Wormwood said we have to wear a suit. All legislative pages wear suits and ties.”

“My mom did buy me a suit but we had to have the pants shortened. She gave it to
a tailor at our dry cleaners. That’s when the little switch happened.”

“What switch? Just put on the suit. We’re running out of time.”

“When she went to pick up my suit, the cleaners had made a mistake, and they’d given it to someone else. The only other suit they could find that would fit me was the one Herbie Pittman wore when he played the part of a banana in the summer festival of fruit last year.” Amos pulled a bright yellow suit out of his bag.

Dunc stared at the suit. He tried to think of something positive to say. Nothing came to him.

Amos’s shoulders drooped. “That’s what I thought too. How would it look if I clipped a tie on the front of my T-shirt?”

“It’s a toss-up, but I think you’re stuck with the suit. One thing about it—you’ll be easy to find.”