"I'm ready," the girl announced. She stood with her foot straddling the line and hitched her skirt up to her knees. To Jeb's amazement, she was wearing a pair of britches and a shirt under her dress.  "I won't take off my dress now.  I'll wait until we start the games," the girl said modestly.
This remark fired Jeb up so high that he clenched his teeth and muttered, "Dumb girl! I'll beat you if I have to run all day to do it."
    Maybe running all day would have helped Jeb beat the girl, but he wasn't so sure. In this race she ran mighty fast. She ran too fast! Even running with the handicap of her skirts around her knees, the girl crossed the finish line several inches ahead of Jeb. But she didn't rub in her victory.  She just dropped her skirts, dusted them off, and said, "Wait, I'll be back in a minute."
   She came back wearing her shirt and britches and from then on, she played with the boys. Al played ball so well that soon the boys included her in all of their games. Some of them thanked Jeb for getting her to run in races. When they won the racing medal from Centerville School with the help of her thirty yard dash, the boys chose Al captain of the team. Secretly Jeb was proud of Al and his chest swelled when he thought about how he discovered her. Al promised him not to be a girl very often.
    Al wasn't a girl very often, but Molly was a girl all of the time. She finished her poem and sat down, smiling to show off her dimple and swishing her skirts. Jeb stuck out his tongue at the back of her head.  "Girls!" he complained.
   "Thank you, Molly," Miss Snider said. "That was an excellent recitation." She paged through her book. "Tomorrow, Alberta Jenkins will recite "The Barefoot Boy," by John Greenleaf Whittier." Jeb stared at Al. How had she gotten herself into this one? 
   "Would you like to take the book home tonight and practice, Alberta?" Miss Snider asked.
   "Yes, Miss Snider," Al said.  

   Al looked pale and swayed on her feet like she was dizzy. Jeb got up to help her, but she managed to stumble back to her seat. Jeb was stunned. How could Al, the champion runner, and
Alberta Jenkins, the girl, be the same person?  This girl didn't walk with Al's bouncy steps. She didn't grin like a coon and her eyes didn't snap fire. This Alberta crept like a rabbit, and acted as timid as a rabbit. After school, Jeb cornered Al on the playground.
   "Why didn't you tell me your name is Alberta?" he demanded. 
      "Would you tell me if your name was Alberta? And I did tell you, the first day of school.  Can I help if it you were so busy fighting with Big Jack that you weren't listening?" 
    "Why did you have to pick a dumb poem to say like the rest of the girls?" Jeb demanded.
     Al sighed.  "I had to pick one.  Miss Snider wouldn't let me hit fly balls or do cartwheels instead.
    Jeb understood now. Al wasn't being a girl on purpose. They were forcing being a girl on her like they forced him to take a bath every Saturday night.
     Al and Jeb walked in silence for awhile, then she said, "Jeb?" 
   "Yeah, Al?"
    "I'm all fluttery about saying a poem in front of everybody."    
     Jeb knew how she felt. Next week the boys were supposed to recite and he wasn't looking forward to it. "I'll keep my fingers on both hands crossed for you," he told Al.
  "Thanks, Jeb. My Pa says I have to wear my Sunday dress, too, and that's going to be awful. The fellas will make fun of me and Hattie Daniels will turn up her nose higher than ever." 

   Jeb sighed. Al's problem seemed more complicated than his. Reciting in class was bad enough but being a girl on top of that was enough to make a person run in circles like Corey's dog Bowser did when he chased his tail. Jeb got an idea. "Let's go down to the creek and swim. Are you wearing your britches and shirt under your dress?"
     "You betcha. Come on, I'll beat you." 
   They swam until the sun sinking over the edge of the prairie told them chore time had arrived. "See you tomorrow," Jeb called as he started for home.
     Tomorrow had come too fast, Jeb thought as he slid into his seat the next morning. He hoped Al had practiced last night. He looked over at her to grin encouragement, but her seat was empty. Was she going to play hooky today to get out of reciting? Then the door opened quietly and someone tiptoed inside. Startled, Jeb took a second look. The latecomer was a girl. Her hair flowed in ripples down to her waist and glinted in the sunshine. The girl wore a fancy dress with ruffles and its blue color matched her eyes. This girl had a pink hair bow fastened to her curls. The bow sat at an angle like the wind had blown it while she ran to school. This had to be a new girl. Jeb had never seen her before.
   "I'm sorry I'm late, Miss Snider. Chores took me longer this morning," the girl mumbled.
    "I'm not going to mark you tardy this time, Alberta, but don't let it happen again," Miss Snider said.
    As Al crept to her seat, someone snickered. Jeb looked around and saw that it was Big Jack.  "I'll settle with him at recess," Jeb promised himself.

    "That will do, Jack," Miss Snider said. Big Jack didn't make any more noise. Miss Snider heard the lessons of the three lower grades. Next, the fourth grade came to recite.  Jeb watched Al peeking in her book and moving her lips. He hoped that she had practiced last night and he crossed the fingers on both of his hands for her like he had promised.  "Good luck, Al," he whispered.
     Al marched to the front of the room. She ducked her head in a stiff bow and this caused the
loose hair bow to flop over one eye. All of the girls giggled, and Al blushed and straightened it. She said stiffly..."Blessings on thee little man..."  
    Jeb knew that Al wasn't using her ball playing voice.  She sounded like a chick cheeping to its mother. Soon the snickers and whisperings of the children drowned her out.  Miss Snider rapped on her desk with her ruler. "Children!"  said Miss Snider sharply.
     The noise died down.  Al's flush deepened, but she went on. Jeb knew that she'd rather fight Big Jack or swim the creek four times without stopping than to do this. He wanted to jump up and own and shout, "Hasn't she said enough of that dumb poem?" 
       Suddenly, everyone laughed. Jeb stood up to see what they were laughing about. Three seats ahead of them, Big Jack had taken his shoes off and was wiggling his toes back and forth. On his slate he had written, "I'm a bare foot boy." He passed it around for everyone to read. Al stopped reciting and stood there looking like a thunder cloud ready to rain.  Jeb thought she might punch Big Jack in the nose, but instead she picked up her skirts.  "I think you're all mean and hateful," she said. Tears streamed down her face. She turned and ran out the door.
    Miss Snider hurried after her. 

   Jeb walked over to Big Jack's desk. "That wasn't a very funny joke."
   "Haw, haw.  It was a real funny joke!" Big Jack sneered.
   "You didn't have to start all of that trouble for Al," Jeb said.
     "Yeah? What's a little runt like you going to do about it?" Big Jack snarled. 
   Jeb looked up at him.  "You're nothing but a big bully and I'm going to make you leave Al alone!" Jeb's stomach and knees felt wobbly, but he was going to show Big Jack.
     Big Jack jumped from his seat and rushed at Jeb like a bull charging a red flannel shirt.  "I'll
show you a thing or two, you little runt."
     Elmer shouted, "Cut it out you two. Here comes Miss Snider!" 
    Big Jack sank back into his seat. "I'll get you after school," he growled. 
    Jeb's heart pounded. Big Jack's fists were as big as his Ma's sadiron. He knew he couldn't back down from Big Jack, though.
     "I know how we can tell Al we're sorry," Jeb whispered to Molly Adams.  
     "How?" she whispered back.
     Jeb told her and everybody else and they all thought his idea would work. Only Big Jack scowled and shook his head "no." They all took off their shoes and socks and waited for Al and Miss Snider to come back into the room. Jeb heard a step at the door, but only Miss Snider stood there.  He couldn't see Al at all. 
      Jeb raised his hand.  "Where's Al, Miss Snider?"

      "I couldn't find her." Miss Snider's dress looked wrinkled like she had walked a long way in the hot sun. "I looked all around the school house and walked as far as the creek, but I didn't see her." Miss Snider sank into her chair.
    Jeb raised his hand.  "Miss Snider, can I go after her?  I have a notion where she might be."
    "Don't be gone too long, Jeb."
     Jeb raced along the path to the creek.  A thicket of plum bushes grew along the steep bank, their roots curving outward to form a tangle of roots and branches. Under this tangle was a tiny cave that Jeb and Al had discovered one day when they were exploring the creek bank. Jeb thought Al might have chosen the cave to hide in. He got down on his hands and knees and crawled into the cave. "Are you in there, Al?"
 He thought he heard a hiccough.  "Come on Al, you can talk to me.  I didn't make you cry."
   In the dim light, Jeb saw Al sit up. Her blue dress was streaked with dirt.
    "You didn't make me cry, but they did." She sniffed. "They were horrible to me. I'm going to beat up every single one of them. Will you help me, Jeb?"
   Jeb sat beside her. "If we beat them all up today, they'll tease you again tomorrow. Does that mean we have to beat them up every day?"
    "That would be a lot of work," Al admitted. She brushed some dirt off her dress.  "If I ruin more dresses, Pa's going to tan my hide black and blue."
   "Then you'd better come out of the mud," Jeb said. He held out his hand to her. He and Al crawled out and blinked in the bright sunshine. Jeb stared at her. "You did get your dress muddy."
Al glared at him. Jeb said, "I'll help you brush it off and it'll be good as new."

   "I don't want to wear my dress anymore. It's too dirty." Al reached down and pulled the dress over her head. She had on her britches and shirt under the dress. She stuffed the dress in the bushes. "I'll get it tonight on the way home from school."  
       Jeb grinned at her. "You sure know how to figure things out, Al." 
     "I didn't want to wear this dress today, but Pa made me. He says he wants me to dress like a lady. He thinks then maybe I'll act like one."
   "My Pa doesn't care what my Ma's dresses look like. He says she's the one that makes them pretty," Jeb told Al.
    "My Ma's dead." Al looked away from Jeb but she had tears in her voice. "I don't even remember her, so how should I know what a lady acts like? If they all act like Miss Snider, maybe I'll be one someday.  I don't want to be one now.  I like to play ball too much and I ain't never seen Miss Snider play ball."              
  "Maybe she will someday," Jeb said.  
   They arrived at the school house. Al hung back and Jeb knew that she didn't want to face the room full of eyes again. He opened the door and shoved Al in ahead of him.  "We're back Miss Snider."
    After Al sat down, Jeb bent over and took off his shoes and socks. "Look Al!" Jeb pointed to all of the children with their shoes and socks off.
    "Creeping catfish!" Al laughed. "Thanks everybody."

    Miss Snider rapped for order. "I hope you all will remember what happened today whenever you're tempted to make fun of someone," she said. "Now Alberta will finish her recitation."           Al finished her recitation in her britches and shirt and  nobody laughed. The afternoon got so busy that Jeb forgot about Big Jack and the fight they were supposed to have after school. Then Big Jack passed Jeb his slate. On it he had written, "Bet you're too yellow to stick around after school."     
 Jeb's hands shook so hard the chalk squeaked but he wrote, "See you after school." He passed the slate back to Big Jack. Jeb asked permission to wash the blackboard so that he would have a reason to stay after school.
     "Please lock the door when you leave, Jeb," Miss Snider said when she left.
     "Yes, Miss Snider," Jeb answered, turning to the blackboard. It didn't take very long to wash and when he finished, he peeked out the window. He didn't see Big Jack, but his note hadn't sounded like he planned to pass up this fight. Jeb took a deep breath. He opened the door and stepped outside. As he closed the door, he heard Big Jack say, "Are you stalling, yellow belly?"        "I had to practice first," Jeb said. 
"You'll need it." Big Jack laughed and put up his fists. "Come on runt. Let's get this over with."
   Jeb came in swinging, although he knew that he'd lose in the end. He led with his right as best he could and ducked Big Jack's hammy fists. Then Big Jack hit out at him and he didn't duck in
time. The punch caught him under his right eye. "That smarts," Jeb groaned.
    "I sure got you a good one. It's turning black and blue already," Big Jack gloated.
     "So what.  I ain't giving up yet," Jeb puffed.
    Jeb kept fighting even when Big Jack twisted his arm behind him and demanded, "Holler uncle!" 
   "Not until you promise to stop making trouble for Al," Jeb gasped.

   Big Jack only twisted harder. Jeb gritted his teeth and hung on. Suddenly Big Jack bellowed, "Ow!" and dropped Jeb's arm.     Jeb glanced around to see why Big Jack had let go of him so suddenly.  Big Jack rubbed his bottom. "You stabbed me, you little runt. Now you're really going to get it!"
    Jeb braced himself for Big Jack's attack. Instead of lunging for Jeb, Big Jack yelled and grabbed the back of his leg. "Owwww, you did it again.!"
    Jeb scratched his head. If he wasn't stabbing Big Jack, who was? He looked around again and there stood Al peeking from around the corner of the school house. She put her finger to her lips in a "shhh" sign.
    "Are you ready to give up or do you want more?" Jeb asked Big Jack.
  "I'll get you this time!" Big Jack advanced toward him with his huge fists ready. But again before Big Jack could hit Jeb, the mysterious thing stabbed him. "What is biting me?" Big Jack
bellowed.    Jeb smiled. "It's my secret weapon."
    Big Jack backed away. "I gotta get home and do chores.
I'll fight you tomorrow ‑ maybe." 
   After he disappeared, Jeb yelled, "He's gone, Al."
    Al came from behind the school house. "Did you see him run?" she laughed. 
    Jeb laughed with her. "He was running like a spooked rabbit."   "He won't bother you for awhile," Al said.
   "What did you do to him?" Jeb asked as they started for home. "It's simple," Al said. "I just picked the best spot and stabbed him with my hat pin."
    "Hat pin? You don't have a hat pin."