Sydney and the Wisconsin Whispering Woods Read Online Free

putting food out at night,” said Alexis. “It might attract bears.” She sat down on the picnic bench. “Ouch!” She jumped up, rubbing her behind.
    “What’s wrong?” asked Sydney.
    “I sat on something sharp.” Alexis checked out the spot where she’d sat. “Hey, look. What are these things?”
    Three tiny bunches of brightly colored feathers lay on the ground. Each bunch was gathered tightly at the bottom with a small, sharp hook tucked inside.
    “Fishing flies,” said Sydney.
    “Fishing what?”
    “They’re fishing flies,” Sydney said. She picked one up and held it in her hand. “When you go fishing, you put one of these on the end of your line. When the little fishies see the colorful feathers swimming under the water, they bite. That’s how you catch a fish.”
    “How do you know this stuff?” Alexis asked.
    “My aunt’s a park ranger,” Sydney said. “I’ve been fishing lots of times.”
    “Hey! What are you doing with my fly?” A short, skinny, redheaded boy marched over to the picnic table. “Give it to me.” He held out his hand.
    Gently, Sydney placed the fly in the palm of his hand. She pointed to the others on the ground. “There’s more,” she said.
    The boy bent and picked them up.
    Sydney decided he was about the same age as she and Alexis. “Are you staying here?” Sydney asked. “We just got in last night, and we’re in Cabin One. I’m Sydney, and this is Alex.”
    The boy scowled. “We’re in Cabin Two. I need these for the fishing contest. Alex? What kind of name is that for a girl?”
    “It’s short for Alexis,” Alex told him. She already sensed trouble. Nothing about this boy was friendly.
    “And what’s your name?” Sydney asked.
    “Duncan,” he answered sharply.
    “So what about this fishing contest, Duncan?” Sydney wondered.
    “What about it?” Duncan checked the flies to make sure they weren’t broken.
    “You said something about a fishing contest,” Sydney said. “I always like a good contest, and maybe I want to sign up.”
    “You can’t. Girls don’t fish,” Duncan said matter-of-factly.
    Sydney got that expression on her face, the one Alexis recognized as determination. No one, absolutely no one, ever told Sydney Lincoln that she couldn’t compete. She lived for competition.
    “Oh yes, girls
do
fish!” Sydney told him. “Where do I sign up?”
    Duncan looked at her. The corner of his mouth turned up in a sly smile. Then he shook his head back and forth, uttered a wicked little laugh, and walked away.
    “Ooooo!” Sydney said under her breath. “I don’t like him.
Girls can’t fish!
Who does he think he is? I’m going to find out where to sign up for that contest, and you just watch. I’m going to win that contest if it’s the last thing I do!” She sighed with exasperation.
    “ ‘A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger,’ “ said Alexis. “It’s in the Bible. Proverbs 15:1.”
    “You sound like Elizabeth,” said Sydney. Elizabeth knew an amazing amount of scriptures. “But I’m not angry,” Sydney continued. “I’m just frustrated because he thinks girls can’t fish, or shouldn’t fish, or whatever. Let’s go to the office and find out where to sign up.” She headed toward the cabins.
    “Hey,” said Alexis. “What’s this?” She picked up a paperback book from the grass:
Field Guide to Mushrooms
.
    “Keep it,” Sydney said. “It might belong to the mountain man.”
    “And look,” Alexis said. “The bottom of the rowboat is covered in wet seaweed, and the squishy mud has big footprints in it. And what are these things?” She pointed to pieces of brown, slimy fungus at the edge of the beach.
    “I dunno. We’ll check it out later,” said Sydney. “Right now, my mind’s on that contest.”

Northern Lights
    Mrs. Miller sat behind the registration desk drinking a cup of coffee. “Good morning, girls,” she said when Sydney and Alexis entered the office. “You’re