Stella by Starlight By Sharon M Draper-pdfread.net

songs we’ll sing that night. A new one. And”—she gave a sly smile
—“we’ll do some arithmetic at the same time!”
Math and music? Stella looked to Carolyn, who made a don’t ask me
face.
Mrs. Grayson walked over to the piano and started lifting the lid.
Before it was even all the way up, she let out a screech. Everyone jumped
up. “I do declare!” Mrs. Grayson exclaimed, staggering backward as two
fat frogs leaped from the piano. “Good gracious, my Lord!”
Henrietta, whose desk, like Stella’s, was close to the piano, leaped away
screaming. Johnsteve and Hugh and Carolyn were already on the floor,
scrambling under seats, trying to catch the frogs. Randy had both hands
up high in the air, yelling, “It wasn’t me!” Everyone else looked about
ready to pop with held-in giggles, but the look on Mrs. Grayson’s face was
a thunderstorm.
“Which of you boys did this?” she demanded. “Johnsteve? Tony?”
Tony shook his head, sputtering, “We didn’t do it. Honest.”
“You Spencer boys?”
Herbert held one of the squirming, leggy frogs in one hand. Hugh held
the other. Their eyes were wide with innocence. Herbert spoke up first.
“We didn’t bring no frogs in here, miss. But can we keep ’em?”
That stopped Mrs. Grayson short. “Keep them? For pets?”
“No, M’am,” Hugh answered. “For to eat. My sister Hannah can put
’em in some stew!”
Mrs. Grayson’s eyes finally softened. Herbert was awfully thin and
hungry-looking. Stella hoped Mrs. Grayson would say yes.
“Do what you want with them, boys. Put them in those old Mason jars
over there, poke a few holes in the top. Mind now that they don’t get loose
again.”
As Herbert and Hugh hurried off, Mrs. Grayson turned to the rest of
the class. “I still need to know which young man hid frogs in my piano!
Jojo, was it you?”
“No, M’am. I promise,” Jojo replied. “But you gotta admit—it was
kinda funny.”
Mrs. Grayson did not look amused.
Stella looked around, as curious as her teacher. Finally one small hand
went into the air.