“Willa Jean, will you marry me?” sang

Bruce.

Willa Jean stamped her foot. “Not Willa Jean! Miss Mousie.”

Bruce started over. “Miss Mousie, will

39

you marry me?” he sang.

“Yes, if Uncle Rat will agree,” sang Willa Jean.

“Hm-m, hm-m. ”

“Hm-m, hm-m,” hummed all three.

The two nursery-school children looked

to Ramona for the next line. Since she did not remember the words used by Uncle Rat

to give Mr. Frog permission to marry Miss

Mousie, she said, “Sure. Go ahead.”

“OK,” said Willa Jean.“Now we will have

the wedding party.” She seized Bruce and

Ramona by the hand. “Take Bruce’s other

hand,” she ordered Ramona.

Ramona found Bruce’s hand inside the

long sleeve of the old coat. His hand was

sticky.

“Now we’ll dance in a circle,” directed

Willa Jean.

Ramona skipped, Willa Jean pranced,

and Bruce flapped.They danced in a circle, tripping on Miss Mousie’s train and wedding 40

veil and stumbling over Mr. Frog’s flippers until Willa Jean gave the next order. “Now we all fall down.”

Ramona merely dropped to her knees

while Willa Jean and Bruce collapsed in a

heap, laughing. Above their laughter and the sound of the television, Ramona heard the

shouts of the boys outside as they rode their bicycles up and down the street. She wondered how much longer she would have to

wait until her mother came to rescue her.

She hoped she would arrive before Howie’s

parents came home from work.

Willa Jean scrambled to her feet.“Let’s play it again,” she said, beaming, convinced of her beauty in her wedding veil. Over and over the three sang, danced, and fell down.As the game went on and on, Ramona grew bored and

varied the words she used to give Mr. Frog permission to marry Miss Mousie. Sometimes she said, “See if I care,” and sometimes she said,“Yes, but you’ll be sorry.” Willa Jean did 41

not notice, she was so eager to get to the party part of the game where they all fell down in a heap.

Still the game went on, over and over, with no sign of Bruce and Willa Jean’s tiring. Then Beezus came in with an armload of books.

“Hi, Beezus,” said Willa Jean, flushed with laughter. “You can play too.You can be the old tomcat in the song.”

“I’m sorry,Willa Jean,” said Beezus.“I don’t have time to be the old tomcat. I have homework I have to do.” She settled herself at the dining-room table and opened a book.

Ramona looked at Mrs. Kemp, who smiled

and continued crocheting.Why did Ramona

have to play with Willa Jean when Beezus

did not? Because she was younger. That

was why. Ramona was overwhelmed by the

unfairness of it all. Because she was younger, she always had to do things she did not want to do—go to bed earlier, wear Beezus’s out-grown clothes that her mother saved for her, 42

run and fetch because her legs were younger and because Beezus was always doing homework. Now she had to get along with Willa