Spring Sprouts

by Judy Delton

  “That isn’t fair,” said Tracy.

  “Your mom shouldn’t tell you Scout secrets,” muttered Molly.

  “Why not?” said Sonny.

  “Because it’s not fair,” said Mary Beth. “Molly’s right.”

  “Yeah,” said Molly, but Sonny knew the secret anyway.

  Sonny had overalls on. “Because of the surprise,” he said.

  At three o’clock the Scouts rushed out of the school. They dashed to Mrs. Peters’s. Molly was all out of breath when they got there.

  “My garden is up!” she blurted out.

  “So is mine,” said Mary Beth.

  “Mine too,” said Lisa.

  “Wonderful!” said Mrs. Peters, throwing her hands into the air in excitement. “I told you it would be soon!”

  “Mine isn’t up,” said Tim.

  “Maybe you planted the seeds deeper, Tim. It will just take a little longer then.”

  Next Mrs. Peters said, “Now that so many gardens are up, we will all wait to see who brings in the first radish and the first carrot.”

  Molly jumped up and down thinking about that. She was going to talk to her radishes every day. And water them. Soak them. Drown them. They liked water, and she would give them plenty.

  “Now!” said Mrs. Peters. “Today is our surprise!”

  Mrs. Betz was there. She had overalls on too.

  She and Sonny looked like twins.

  A baby-sitter was there too. To take care of Nick. The Scouts sat like statues, waiting for the news.

  “Today,” said Mrs. Peters, “we are going to visit a dairy farm.”

  Roger put his fingers in his mouth and gave a long whistle. Then he frowned. “You mean Dairy Queen?” he asked.

  “No, a dairy farm,” said Mrs. Peters. “Where cows are raised for their milk. The cows give milk and the milk is sold to a milk company and the milk company sells it to stores. First it is sterilized and pasteurized and put into cartons. Some is made into cheese and ice cream. Then your parents buy it.”

  Molly began to get hungry. Ice-cold milk would be good now. Or ice cream. Maybe they would have ice cream at the dairy farm.

  “Milk gives us lots of calcium,” Mrs. Peters went on. “For strong bones. So you can run and play and lift things.”

  Roger flexed his muscles. “I drink lots of milk,” he said. “I’ve got lots of calcium.”

  “So do I,” said Tim.

  “I’ve got more,” said Roger.

  “I’ve got more calcium than all of you,” said Kevin, bending his arms and flexing his muscles.

  Rachel was waving her hand.

  “Mrs. Peters,” she called. “Calcium is good for your teeth too. My dad says so. He’s a dentist.”

  “Milk is very important in our diet,” agreed Mrs. Peters. “I thought it would be fun to see where it comes from.”

  Molly liked to go on trips. She didn’t care where they went. It would be fun to ride on the bus out into the country. Hey, that’s why Sonny and Mrs. Betz were wearing overalls, thought Molly. They dressed like farmers who work in a barn.

  Molly wanted to be the first one on the bus. She would save a seat for her best friend, Mary Beth.

  “Let’s remember our manners,” Mrs. Peters was saying. “And learn as much about dairy farms as we can.”

  “Moooo,” said Molly.

  “Moooo back,” said Kevin.

  It was time for the surprise to begin.

  Cows and Sows

  On the way to the farm, Roger told jokes.

  “If an elephant sits on a fence, what time is it?” he said.

  “Noon,” said Tracy.

  Roger shook his head. “Wrong,” he said.

  “An elephant can’t sit on a fence,” said Rachel. “He’d fall off.”

  “What time? What time?” shouted Roger. “Give up?”

  At last the Pee Wees gave up.

  “Time to get a new fence!” said Roger. “Get it?”

  Most of the Scouts groaned. But Roger laughed out loud.

  Patty giggled a little bit.

  “Look!” shouted Lisa. “Cows!”

  As the bus rumbled down the road, the Scouts could see cows.

  They could see some baby calves too. Grazing in the pastures.

  “Moooo,” said Rachel. “Moooo.”

  “Moooo,” said the cows back to her.

  “They’re answering you,” said Mrs. Peters.

  “Hey, Rachel talks cow talk!” shouted Roger. “Big-cow Rachel!”

  Rachel got up and punched Roger on the arm.

  “I am not,” she said. Her face got red. The redder it got, the more Roger teased.

  “Rachel is a moo-cow!” he chanted. Before long Tim and Kevin joined him.

  Rachel went back to her seat. She sat very quietly. Molly could see tears in Rachel’s eyes. No one else noticed.

  “Are these the cows we are going to visit?” asked Tracy.

  “Not yet,” said Mrs. Peters. “The dairy farm has more cows than this. Hundreds of cows.”

  The bus went up one hill. And down another. “There it is!” called Mrs. Peters. “There is the dairy farm.”

  “Barns are supposed to be red,” said Kenny.

  But this barn was not red. It was gray. And it was not barn-shaped. It was long and low. And huge.

  “Look at those tall castles!” shouted Tim.

  “Those aren’t castles,” said Mrs. Betz. She laughed. “They are called silos. Corn and feed for the cows are kept in those for the winter. The farmers grow corn all summer and fill up the silos every fall.”

  The bus pulled into the farmyard. A sign said ROLLY’S DAIRY FARM.

  Mr. Rolly came out of a farmhouse to meet them. “Welcome to the dairy farm,” he said. He had a round face and a round belly. His overalls were faded. His boots were a little crusty.

  The Scouts tumbled off the bus and shook his hand.

  Roger was still chanting, “Cow-talk Rachel. Moo-moo. Cow-talk Rachel.”

  Mr. Rolly began to tell the Scouts about dairy farming. About how they milked the cows and sent the milk to town each day.

  But Molly kept watching Rachel. She felt sorry for her. It was no fun to be called a cow.

  “Let’s go down to the barn,” said Mr. Rolly.

  Lots of people worked on the farm. Some were out in the fields planting corn. Some were in the barn with the cows.

  “Have you got any other animals?” asked Sonny politely.

  “Oh, we’ve got a sow and some babies,” he said. “And some chickens we keep for eggs.”

  “What’s a sow?” asked Lisa.

  “A sow is a mother pig,” replied Mrs. Peters.

  “That’s a funny name for a pig,” chuckled Tim.

  Now Roger had a new chant. He snuck up behind Rachel. “Sow-cow! Sow-cow!” he sang.

  Rachel ran behind a haystack and began to cry. Molly followed her.

  “He’s mean,” cried Rachel. “I hate him. I’m not a cow. Or a sow. My mom says I’m small and dainty.”

  “He didn’t mean that you’re fat,” said Molly. “He just likes to tease you. Because you get so mad.”

  “I hate him! I want to go home!” said Rachel. She sniffled.

  Molly wondered what to do. She couldn’t tell the others that Roger hurt Rachel. Then they’d think Molly was a snitcher.

  “Come on,” she urged Rachel. “Let’s go back.”

  But Rachel stayed behind the haystack.

  Molly wondered if she should give Roger a big shove. He deserved it!

  When Molly went back to the group, Roger was telling chicken jokes.

  “What is one egg too many?” he asked.

  The Scouts ignored him.

  “Give up?” he called. “Eggstra! Get it? Eggstra!”

  But the Scouts didn’t laugh. They followed Mr. Rolly. And listened to the facts about the dairy farm.

  “The cows are getting ready to be milked,” said Mr. Rolly.

  “This isn’t like m
y grandpa’s barn,” said Mary Beth. “My grandpa’s barn smells icky.”

  “This barn is very clean,” said Mrs. Betz.

  The cows stood in rows.

  Miles of cows.

  Cow after cow.

  Black-and-white cows.

  Each one stood in a little stall of its own. All of the cows were chewing.

  “What are they eating?” asked Sonny.

  “They’re just chewing their cud,” said Mr. Rolly, laughing.

  “Cows always chew,” explained Mrs. Betz.

  Molly watched the cows. Their big brown eyes looked at her as she watched. She kept watching. They kept chewing.

  “Don’t walk too close to them,” warned Mr. Rolly. “A cow could kick, or swish you with her tail.”

  “Look at him.” Sonny pointed. “Look at that guy! He’s got pipes coming out of him.”

  “Not him,” explained Mrs. Betz. “Cows are girls.”

  “All of them?” said Tracy in surprise. “Why aren’t there any boys?”

  “Because boys don’t give milk,” said Mrs. Peters. “These are dairy cows.”

  Rachel came back. Her eyes looked red. “Girls are better than boys,” she said.

  “They are not, are they, Mrs. Peters?” asked Kenny.

  “Well, they are better on a dairy farm,” answered Mrs. Peters, laughing.

  Kenny and the other boys raced around the barn. They shouted, “Boy cows! Boy cows! We want boy cows!”

  “The bull’s out in the pasture,” said Mr. Rolly, pointing. “He’s the only boy on the farm. And he’s mean!”

  “All boys are mean,” said Rachel to Molly. But she was looking at Roger.

  “Uh-oh,” said Molly.

  Rachel was about to start crying again.

  The Yolk on Roger

  What are those things on the cows’ stomachs?” asked Lisa.

  “Those are milking machines,” said Mrs. Peters. “Farmers used to milk cows by hand, but now farms are too big for them to do that.”

  “And the milk company inspects the equipment,” said Mr. Rolly.

  He showed the Scouts how the machines were attached to the cows.

  “Like a vacuum-cleaner hose!” squealed Patty. “Oooh, does it hurt them?”

  “No, that’s the way they work.” Mr. Rolly laughed. “With suction.”

  Pop, pop, pop. Mr. Rolly put the machine on the cow.

  “It looks like it hurts,” Sonny argued.

  Mr. Rolly shook his head. “They like it,” he said, patting one of the cows on the head. “That’s their job, to give milk. This is Bessie.”

  Bessie turned her head and looked at Molly. She had huge brown eyes. She was chewing. Chew, chew, chew.

  “She looks happy,” said Lisa.

  “Milk used to go into a pail. Now it goes right into a sterile tank,” Mrs. Betz explained.

  The Scouts walked up and down looking at the cows and the machines. It was quiet in the barn. Only the sound of cows chewing. And machines humming. It was cool. Cool and clean.

  When the Pee Wees had seen all of the cows, Mr. Rolly took them around and showed them the tanks with milk in them. He took some paper cups and filled them with milk.

  “This is the freshest milk you’ll ever drink,” he said.

  “Fresh calcium,” said Mrs. Betz.

  Mr. Rolly handed every Scout a cup.

  Molly tasted it. It was warm!

  Rachel was going to say yuck! But she changed her mind. Mrs. Peters had warned the Scouts to be polite.

  So Rachel just made a face.

  “It’s hot!” shouted Tim.

  “That’s because it’s right from the cow,” said Mr. Rolly. “It hasn’t had a chance to chill in the tanks yet.”

  “It’s creamy,” said Roger. He finished his and Mr. Rolly handed him another. He was the only Scout who liked warm milk.

  Just then Mrs. Rolly came to the door of the barn with a plate of hot cookies. She was round too. But not as round as Mr. Rolly. She had yellow hair pulled back in a bun.

  The Scouts went outside and sat on the thick green grass. They ate the cookies.

  “Hey,” said Roger, “what happens if an egg falls on your head?”

  The Scouts groaned.

  “The yolk’s on you!” said Roger. “Yolk! Get it?”

  “We get it,” said Kenny. He rolled his eyes.

  Molly laughed a little to herself, even if she was mad at Roger. He told some pretty funny jokes.

  “I’d like to live on a farm,” said Molly to Mary Beth. “I could have a great big garden then. Lots of radishes!”

  “I’d grow watermelons,” said Mary Beth. “Like this.”

  She put her arms out in a big circle to show how big they’d be. “Nice and juicy too.”

  “Yum,” said Molly. “I’d have a pet cow. I’d ride on her back!”

  Molly lay down on the green grass. She looked at the sky. The sun was moving toward the west. It was very peaceful on a farm.

  “Well,” said Mrs. Peters, getting to her feet. “We have been here a long time. It is time to start for home.”

  She and Mrs. Betz counted Scouts. Mrs. Betz frowned. “There are only ten Scouts here,” she said. “I don’t see Sonny.”

  The Scouts looked around. Mrs. Betz was right. Sonny was gone!

  “I just saw Sonny a minute ago,” said Mrs. Peters.

  Mrs. Betz dashed back into the barn. “Sonny! Sonny!” she called.

  She ran up and down the rows of cows. She looked in all the stalls. “He’s not in there,” she cried when she came running out.

  “We’ll find him!” shouted Roger. “Let’s all split up and look in different directions.”

  “That dumb Sonny,” muttered Lisa. “He’s always in trouble.”

  The Pee Wee Scouts spread out.

  They looked behind the farmhouse.

  They looked in the garage.

  And in the shed.

  They called his name over and over. “Sonny! Sonny! Son-neee!”

  But no one answered.

  “What’s behind those trees?” Molly asked Lisa.

  “Let’s look,” Lisa said.

  They ran down a hill to a clump of trees. Soon the girls reached the other side of the little woods. “Hey!” shouted Molly. “There’s Sonny!”

  He was standing beside an animal pen. “Baby pigs!” he said, smiling.

  Soon everyone came running down the hill. Mrs. Betz looked relieved to see Sonny.

  “I found the sow,” said Sonny proudly.

  “Look at those cute baby pigs!” said Lisa. “Their tails are so curly. And they’re so pudgy!”

  “Just like Rachel,” said Roger. “Oink, oink.”

  Rachel turned and walked away. Her head was down. Molly had to do something about Roger. He was hurting Rachel’s feelings too much.

  The Scouts tried to reach in between the slats on the fence. They tried to pet the baby pigs.

  “Look out!” said Mr. Rolly. “The sow is fussy about her babies.”

  “Hey! Look at me!” shouted Roger. He had climbed up on top of the fence of the pigpen.

  It was high. It was narrow.

  Roger put one foot in front of the other like a tightrope walker.

  Rachel wasn’t looking, Molly noticed. She was sitting on the grass with her head in her hands. Feeling bad.

  Just as Molly started to say something to her, the Scouts heard a shriek.

  “Yow-ee!” cried Roger. His left foot slipped from the fence. His arms waved in the air. “Ooooh!” he yelled. “Help!”

  Splat!

  Everyone ran to the fence.

  “Oh, no!” shouted Kevin. “He fell in! Roger fell in the pigpen!”

  The Scouts were so surprised they didn’t know if they should feel sorry for Roger or laugh. There he was, in the mud!

  Roger was covered from head to toe with guck and gook. He had mud all over his arms. And his legs. Even in his hair.

  “Quick!” called Mr. Roll
y. “Climb out of there before the sow comes after you. She’ll think you’re after her babies.”

  “I don’t want her babies!” shouted Roger. “Just get me out of here!”

  The Pee Wees didn’t laugh. They were afraid of the big sow.

  But when Rachel saw Roger covered with mud and slime, she began to laugh loudly. She laughed harder and harder!

  She pointed at Roger and said, “Ha, look who’s the pig now!” She couldn’t stop laughing.

  Mr. Rolly reached in and pulled Roger over the fence.

  “You smell as bad as you look,” said Rachel. “You stink!”

  Roger looked sheepish. He tried to pretend it was a good joke. But it didn’t work.

  “The yolk’s on you this time,” said Rachel. “The yolk’s on you!”

  Rachel had tears in her eyes, Molly noticed. She was laughing and crying at the same time!

  No Badge for Molly

  Mr. Rolly led Roger to the barn. He turned on the hose and sprayed Roger all over. But all the dirt did not come off. Only part of it.

  “My hair is stiff,” said Roger. “And these are my new pants! My mom will kill me.”

  Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Betz tried to wipe Roger off. But they just smeared the mud. On his skin. On his clothes. On his shoes.

  The Pee Wees held their noses.

  “Yuck!” said Tim. “You smell like the pigpen.”

  At last Mrs. Peters herded all the children toward the bus. “We have to get back to town,” she said. “It is getting late.”

  The Scouts thanked the Rollys and got onto the bus.

  Molly sat with Rachel.

  Mary Beth sat with Lisa.

  Roger sat alone.

  He did not tell jokes. He wasn’t laughing and talking. He just sat and looked out the window.

  “Something sure smells in this bus,” said Tracy.

  Even the bus driver was holding his nose.

  “I don’t think Roger will call you names anymore,” said Molly to Rachel.

  “My mom will say that he got a taste of his own medicine,” said Rachel. She laughed.

  Molly felt relieved that Rachel didn’t feel hurt anymore.

  At Mrs. Peters’s house everyone piled off the bus and started walking home.

  “Whew!” said Rachel. “Fresh air!”

  All week long the Scouts worked on their scrapbooks. And they watered their gardens.