Henry and Ribsy (9 page)

“Come on, let's see how much it weighs,” suggested Mr. Grumbie.

Mr. Huggins helped Henry hang his fish on the scales. Henry held his breath until the hand spun around and stopped at twenty-nine pounds.
Twenty-nine pounds!
“Wow!” said Henry in a hushed voice.

Ribsy ran around the fish, barking. All the fishermen began to talk at once. “Wait a minute till I get the camera out of the car,” said Mr. Huggins. “I want a picture of this.”

Henry stood proudly beside his catch while the man who had helped him told the story of how he caught the salmon all over again to the men who had just returned from the river.

Then Henry saw Mr. McCarthy and Scooter getting out of a boat at the foot of the steps. He noticed that Mr. McCarthy carried two silverside salmon. Scooter carried a lunch box.

Henry tried to look casual as Scooter and his father climbed the steps. “Hi, Scoot,” he called, as Mr. Huggins returned with the camera.

“Stand close to the fish,” said Mr. Huggins. He did not need to tell Henry to smile.

Henry grabbed Ribsy and made him stand at his feet. “If Ribsy hadn't barked at the salmon, I wouldn't have seen it,” he explained. Ribsy kept his eye on the salmon and growled deep in his throat.

“Did you catch that fish?” demanded Scooter, as the camera clicked.

“Sure,” said Henry.

“With his bare hands,” put in the man who helped Henry. “Never saw anything like it. Just waded in and tackled it with his bare hands.”

“How do you like that!” muttered Scooter. “A chinook!”

“Come on, Henry,” said Mr. Huggins, as he lifted the salmon off the hook. “You'd better get out of those wet clothes and wrap up in the auto robe.”

“OK, Dad. So long, Scooter. See you around,” Henry called, as he started toward the car. He felt sorry for Scooter standing there with his lunch box in his hand. It must be tough to fish all day and not catch anything.

Barking at the salmon, Ribsy trotted after Mr. Huggins. “Good old Ribsy,” said Henry. Then he began to sing at the top of his voice:

BEVERLY CLEARY
is one of America's most popular authors. Born in McMinnville, Oregon, she lived on a farm in Yamhill until she was six and then moved to Portland. After college, as the children's librarian in Yakima, Washington, she was challenged to find stories for non-readers. She wrote her first book,
HENRY HUGGINS
, in response to a boy's question, “Where are the books about kids like us?”

Mrs. Cleary's books have earned her many prestigious awards, including the American Library Association's Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, presented in recognition of her lasting contribution to children's literature. Her
DEAR MR. HENSHAW
was awarded the 1984 John Newbery Medal, and both
RAMONA QUIMBY, AGE
8 and
RAMONA AND HER FATHER
have been named Newbery Honor Books. In addition, her books have won more than thirty-five statewide awards based on the votes of her young readers. Her characters, including Henry Huggins, Ellen Tebbits, Otis Spofford, and Beezus and Ramona Quimby, as well as Ribsy, Socks, and Ralph S. Mouse, have delighted children for generations. Mrs. Cleary lives in coastal California.

Visit Henry Huggins and all of his friends in The World of Beverly Cleary at www.beverlycleary.com.

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