Henry and Ribsy (Henry Huggins #3)(13)

“Wow!” exclaimed Robert, keeping a firm grip on Ribsy’s collar. “Look at that hair!”

“Scooter McCarthy, you give me that hat!” Henry tried to grab it, but Scooter held it out of reach.

“What happened, Henry?” Robert asked. “Did you cut your own hair?”

“Aw, keep quiet,” said Henry.

“It looks as if something had been chewing on it!” Scooter stopped and laughed. “Look at it. Did you ever see anything so chewed?”

Beezus, who was trying to stuff the melting remains of the butter back into the box, looked at Henry. “I know what happened. His mother cut his hair, that’s what. I can tell, because my mother cuts my hair and she never gets the bangs straight.”

“Is that what happened?” Scooter demanded, as he spun Henry’s hat around on his finger.

Henry kicked at a tuft of grass. He was too miserable to answer.

“Boy, she really fixed you,” said Scooter, laughing harder than ever. “Look at those nicks in back. And the way it sticks out over your ears.”

“I’m glad my mother doesn’t cut my hair,” said Robert. “I wouldn’t want to go around looking like that.”

“Wait till the kids at school see it,” said Scooter. “I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.”

“It does look pretty awful,” said Beezus, as she tried to hang onto her little sister’s greasy fingers. “I guess it’s easier to cut girls’ hair.”

Henry did not have a thing to say. He knew how awful his hair looked.

At last Mrs. Huggins came out on the porch. “Henry, dinner is ready,” she called.

Henry caught the sailor hat as Scooter tossed it to him. “Come on, you old dog,” he said to Ribsy as he climbed the front steps. “Look at all the trouble you got me into just because I was trying to keep you out of trouble. Now what am I going to do?”

Ribsy’s ears and tail drooped as he followed Henry into the house.





4


Henry’s Canine Teeth




That evening, when Henry wore his sailor hat to the dinner table, he noticed his mother glance at him and then look at his father. She looked as if she was going to say something, but instead she sighed and was silent.

“You’re looking pretty gloomy,” remarked Mr. Huggins, as he filled Henry’s plate.

“Yeah,” said Henry. “Don’t give me much to eat. I’m not very hungry.” Henry was careful to bite with his solid front teeth. He couldn’t take chances with his loose teeth. He had to have them to show off to people who started making fun of his hair.

“I’m afraid the boys were giving him a bad time about his hair,” exclaimed Mrs. Huggins.

“Would you feel better if you went to the barber to see what he could do about it?” asked Henry’s father. “A short crew cut might help.”

“Well, maybe, but I don’t think anything would help very much,” said Henry. He wiggled first his right tooth and then his left tooth.

“I wonder if…” began Mrs. Huggins and paused.

“If what?” Mr. Huggins asked.

“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking.” Mrs. Huggins suddenly smiled at Henry.

Henry wiggled his teeth and wondered what his mother was thinking about. He hoped it wasn’t anything like another home haircut.

“Really, Henry,” said his mother, “you shouldn’t go around with your teeth flapping that way.”

“Aw, Mom, they don’t flap,” protested Henry. “They just wiggle.”

“I see by the paper that old teeth left under pillows are turning into quarters instead of dimes, because the cost of living has gone up,” said Mr. Huggins.

Henry grinned. He knew it was really his father who had always taken away his old teeth and left the dimes under his pillow. But right now, much as he could use two quarters, he needed two loose teeth more.

The next morning Henry examined his hair in the mirror. He could not see that it had grown any, so he put on his sailor hat and moped around the house. He tried drawing a face on an electric lightbulb with colored chalk. When he found the face did not shine through the shade the way he had planned, he felt even gloomier. He stood with his nose pressed against the front windowpane until Ribsy scratched at the door and asked to be let out.

Henry followed his dog out the door and sat down on the front steps. Gloomy as he felt about his hair, he didn’t want to risk losing that fishing trip by giving Ribsy a chance to get into trouble with the neighbors. While he kept his eye on Ribsy, he could not keep from poking first his right tooth and then his left tooth with his tongue. They were looser all right. He discovered he could poke the two teeth out between his lips so they felt like little tusks.

As Henry experimented with his teeth, he happened to glance up Klickitat Street. Then, thinking he must be seeing things, he jumped up and stared. Robert and Scooter were walking toward him, both of them wearing sailor hats with the brims turned down over their eyebrows!

Well, how do you like that, thought Henry. Wearing sailor hats just to make fun of me. A couple of fine friends they turned out to be. Well, they weren’t going to get a chance to tease him. “Come on, Ribsy,” he said. “Let’s go in the house before they see us.”