Snaggle Doodles (4 page)

“Now,” said Mrs. Kara. “How will you make your place mat pretty?”

“I'm going to make a flower,” said Linda.

“I'm going to write my name,” Beast said.

Emily thought about writing her name too.

Then she had a wonderful idea.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

She could picture Ms. Vincent's kitchen table.

Ms. Vincent was having supper.

Ms. Vincent was still wearing her wedding veil.

Snaggle doodles, Emily thought. This idea was going to be the gieatest. She grinned.

Ms. Vincent had a pink place mat under her plate.

Her name was written on it.

Emily frowned a little.

What was Ms. Vincent's first name?

She poked Beast.

Beast turned around.

He was trying to get his wool into the needle.

“What's Ms. Vincent's first name?” Emily asked.

Beast looked up at the ceiling. “Sally, I think.”

“Sally?”

“Right.”

“I used to know how to spell that,” Emily said. “But now I can't remember.”

“Spell what?” Matthew asked. “I'm a great speller.”

“Sally,” Emily said.

“Easy,” said Matthew. “S-a-1 …” He stopped to think. “It has to have an
e
on the end.”

Emily sucked on her blue wool.

She made it into & nice point.

Then she stuck the wool through the needle.

She squinted her eyes.

She stared at the pink square.

She'd put S-A-L-E across the middle.

Then maybe she'd put a flower on it too.

Emily stabbed her needle into the square.

It was going to be a wonderful wedding present.

It was getting close to the wedding.

Ms. Vincent was absent today.

She was buying wedding shoes.

Emily was glad.

She could work on her S-A-L-E place mat.

She wouldn't have to hide it.

She took it out of her desk.

The
S
was finished.

So were the
A
and the L.

They looked a little wiggly.

One of the
A
legs was longer than the other.

But it was pretty good;

She looked at it for another minute.

It was more than pretty good. It was excellent.

Snaggle doodles excellent.

She was ready to start on the
E.

“Inventing time,” Ms. Rooney said.

Emily went back to the science table.

She took her place mat with her.

“Did anyone think of anything?” Linda asked.

“I forgot to think again,” Matthew said.

“Me too,” said Alex.

Emily made a long stick line for the £s back. “I thought you were thinking,” she said. “I thought we didn't have to think.” She made a fresh face at Linda.

Linda shook her head. “I'm not thinking by myself anymore.” She made a fresh face back at Emily.

Matthew picked up the flashlight.

He turned it on and off.

“That's good,” he told Linda. “You were getting too bossy.”

“Bossy as a sock worm,” Alex said.

He and Matthew began to laugh.

“I told Ms. Vincent” Linda said.

Emily put down her place mat. “You mean you're a tattletale?”

“We've got some leader,” Alex said.

Linda shook her head again. Her hair went flying around. “Not that way,” she said. “I told her I didn't know how to be a leader. I told her we couldn't get started.”

“Whew,” said Matthew. “I'm glad you didn't say it was my fault.”

Emily swallowed. “It was your fault a little bit. You and Alex keep fooling around.”

Alex knelt up on his chair. “I'm not fooling around anymore,”

“Listen, Emily,” said Matthew. “You didn't do anything either. All you keep saying is snaggle doodles.”

“That's right,” said Linda.

“That's right,” said Alex.

Emily put her place mat down. She wanted to
yell snaggle doodles at all of them. She wanted to go back to her seat.

She sighed. “I guess you're right,” she said.

Linda twirled her hair around. “Ms. Vincent said it's hard to work together,” Linda said. “She said the leader shouldn't be bossy.”

“That's true,” Emily said.

Linda looked at her. “She said we have to work together.”

“Linda's right,” Alex said.

“That's what I'm thinking,” Emily said.

For a moment nobody said anything.

They looked at the things on the table.

“A cereal box,” Linda said.

“With POW on the front,” said Emily. “What could we do with it?”

“Too bad there isn't any cereal in it,” Matthew said.

“No fooling around,” Alex said.

“What else have we got?” Emily asked.

“The flashlight,” said Matthew.

“This tool thing,” Emily said.

“That's a wrench,” said Matthew. “I asked my father.”

He held it up.

“See,” he said. He picked up a white plastic cup. “I can stick this cup in the wrench. Tighten the screw.”

Emily looked.

The wrench was holding the cup tightly.

“Loosen the screw,” said Matthew, “the cup drops out.”

“Looks like a robot,” Linda said.

“We've got robot socks,” said Alex.

“And a red belt for him to wear,” said Emily.

“And a cereal box for his stomach,” Matthew said.

They looked at each other.

“Terrific,” said Linda. “A robot. He'll have
a wrench for a hand. He'll be able to hold things…”

“Like a flashlight,” said Matthew, “and a dog's mask.”

“And a pink balloon head,” said Emily. “Snaggle doodles wonderful.”

“What's thiá for?” Alex held up the S-A-L-E place mat.

“That's not for the robot,” Emily said. “That's for a present. It has Ms. Vincent's name on it.”

“Pam?” asked Linda.

“No. Can't you see?” Emily took the place mat. She held it up.

“That says S-A-L …” Linda frowned. “I can't …”

“Zs goes on the end,” Emily said. “Sa-le.”

Linda shook her head. “Two l's and a
y
for Sally. Besides, Ms. Vincent's name is Pam.”

“But Beast said …” Emily began.

“Beast made a mistake,” Linda said. “Sally is Mrs. Miller's name.”

Emily swallowed, Mrs. Miller. The worst substitute teacher in the school.

Alex and Matthew started to laugh.

“Emily's making a place mat for Miller the Killer,” Matthew said.

Emily rolled the place mat up. She put it in the drawer of the science table.

She made believe she was laughing too.

She began to put the belt around the robot's stomach.

She didn't say another word.

She didn't want everyone to know she was ready to cry.

Everyone was running around the classroom.

Matthew had chocolate all over his face.

Beast was drinking Kool-Aid out of a paper cup.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, was Ms. Vincent's wedding day.

Emily took a bite of cake.

Linda Lorca's mother had made it.

It was wonderful.

Ms. Vincent would probably ask Linda to go to the wedding.

And Linda Lorca's mother too.

Emily sighed. She looked over at the reading table.

Presents were piled on top.

Ms. Vincent had opened them right after lunch.

Linda really did have a great present.

It was a white vase.

It had a yellow rose on one side.

Emily had a present for Ms. Vincent too.

Her mother had bought it.

It was a bowl for potato chips.

It was green.

And ugly.

Just then Ms. Rooney clapped her hands. ‘Time to show your inventions.”

Emily went to the science table.

Linda pulled the cover off the robot.

He had a fat pink head.

Linda had drawn two blue eyes.

Alex had made a red Magic Marker smile.

The robot's wrench arm was holding a white paper cup.

“This is the Snaggle Doodles Robot” Linda said. “He can hold things by himself.”

‘That's a terrific name,” said Ms. Vincent.

“It was Emily's idea,” Linda said.

“What does it mean?” Ms. Rooney asked.

“Being happy,” Emily said. “Or mad … or anything you want it to.”

“Wonderful,” said Ms. Vincent.

Everybody clapped.

Then Jason's group showed their invention. It was a tree.

A paper tree.

Wayne's group had a tree too.

It was a plate tree.

“Excellent work,” Ms. Rooney said. “Everyone tried hard.”

Ms. Rooney looked at Ms. Vincent. “Time for the surprise, I think.”

Ms. Vincent went to the front of the room.

Her face was pink. She was smiling.

“I spoke with Mr. Mancina, the principal,” she said. “And then I spoke with Ms. Rooney.”

Suddenly Emily knew what Ms. Vincent was going to say.

She crossed her fingers.

She crossed her toes.

“Everyone is invited to the church,” said Ms. Vincents Please come to my wedding

Ms. Rooney was nodding her head. ‘Til bring the whole class.”

“Wow” said Beast. “No math tomorrow. No spelling.”

“I'll have to get a new dress this afternoon,” Dawn said.

Emily smiled. She'd wear her best dress. And her shiny black shoes. She hoped she could find them in her closet.

Tomorrow would be a perfect day.

She was finally going to a wedding.

Their invention was the best.

If only she had had a good present for Ms. Vincent.

She took another piece of cake.

Linda and Alex and Matthew were standing around the robot.

She went over to them.

‘
‘Hey,” Linda said suddenly.

She looked at Emily.
“I
just thought of something.”

“Linda's always thinking of things,” Matthew said.

Linda looked around. “It's a secret, though.”

Emily moved a little closer.

Linda pulled something out of the science table drawer. “Wait till you hear this idea, Emily,” she said. “It's the greatest.”