The Judy Moody Star Studded Collection - Megan Mcdonald [20]
“Stink, nobody is going to buy that stuff,” Judy told him.
“Yeah, right,” said Stink. “And they’re going to buy air?” he said, pointing to Judy’s empty table.
“You’ll see,” said Judy. “I have something better than junk.” She covered her table with a midnight blue tablecloth that looked like velvet. She put up a sign:
Then she set her magnifying bug-box in the middle of the table. Inside was — ta da! — the FAMOUS cherry pit.
Judy added one more line to her sign:
5¢ A LOOK
She could hardly sit still. She wondered how long it would take the newspaper people to come take her picture with the two-hundred-fifty-year-old cherry pit.
Little kids put a nickel in the can and said, “Wow, is that REALLY from George Washington’s cherry tree?”
“I cannot tell a lie,” said Judy. “It is!”
“Where’d you get it?” they asked.
“It’s been in the family forever.”
“Forever since last week,” said Stink. Judy turned on him with her stinging caterpillar look.
“How do you know it’s really George Washington’s?” they asked.
“Just look,” said Judy. She opened the lid and lifted out the cherry pit. “It says GW right here. See?”
“Let me see,” said a girl named Hannah. She showed her little brother. “GW. It’s just like M&M’s.”
“M&M’s!” said the boy, and popped the pit into his mouth.
“Ricky, NO!” said his older sister. But it was too late.
“Spit!” said Judy.
“Spit it out, Ricky!” said Hannah.
Ricky gulped!
“Oh, no! Did he swallow it?” asked Judy. “Stick your finger in his mouth. Is it still in there?”
“It’s gone,” said Hannah. “Say you’re sorry, Ricky.”
“M&M’s. Yum,” said Ricky.
“This is the pits,” said Judy. “Now what am I going to do when the newspaper comes?”
“Duh. Make another one?” said Stink.
Judy groaned. Judy moaned. In one gulp, that kid had swallowed her famous two-hundred-fifty-year-old George Washington cherry pit. In one gulp, Ricky the neighbor kid had swallowed Judy Moody’s ticket to fame.
The only picture of that cherry pit would be an X-ray.
Stink counted his garage sale money at the kitchen table. Clink. Clink. CLINK.
“Stink, you’re counting that money out loud on purpose,” said Judy.
“I can’t help it!” said Stink. “Mom, tell her. Money makes noise. When you have so much of it.” He grinned.
Judy crumpled up the newspaper that had their garage sale ad in it. She stuffed it angrily into the trash.
“Recycle, please,” said Mom.
“Whoa,” said Stink. “The recycle queen put paper in the trash?”
“Can I use it to line Mouse’s litter box?” asked Judy.
“Good idea,” said Mom.
Judy uncrumpled the paper and spread it on the floor to flatten it.
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL! . . .
GARAGE DOOR SALE! . . .
FAMOUS PET CONTEST! . . .
KISS BAD BREATH GOOD-BYE!
Wait! Did that say famous? Judy went back and read it again:
Judy could not believe her eyes. “Where’s Mouse?” she asked.“Upstairs,” said Mom.
“Here, Mousey, Mousey,” Judy called. Mouse came down the stairs and strolled into the kitchen, looking for some lunch.
Judy scooped up her cat and kissed her on the nose: “Mww, mww, mwww. You, the best, most wonderful cat in the whole wide world with tuna fish on top, are going to make me famous!”
Visions of blue ribbons and certificates with fancy writing danced in her head. “And I get my picture in the paper.”
“Hey,” she said to her family, “does anybody feel like a piece of toast?”
When Judy hurried into Fur & Fangs with Mouse and Stink that Saturday, it was packed.
Clutching a piece of bread, she said, “Everyone in the entire state of Virginia must own a pet that can do a trick. Hey, there’s Frank!”
“And there’s Rocky,” said Stink.
“You guys! Frank! Rocky! Over here!” Judy called.
Frank’s dog, Sparky, sniffed a purple dog bone. Sparky sniffed Judy’s ankle. Sparky sniffed a ferret.
“What trick does Sparky do?” Stink asked Frank.
“He jumps through a Hula-hoop,