The Great Pony Hassle Read Online Free Page A

But I’m gonna have pony power! And pony power lets a person do just about anything.” Still grinning, she stared hard at Staci. “Anything,” she said, full volume.
    Staci was saved from replying by Grandmother Dill’s return from the bathroom. Around the corners of Grandmother’s straight mouth, Staci noticed, crinkled a hint of a smile. She seemed careful not to look straight at Paisley.
    â€œVery well,” she said quite gently. “Start making toast, girls. We’re going to have to have toast and jelly for breakfast.”

5
    In Which the Best Way to String Fence Wire Is Found
    â€œPaisley,” Grandmother Dill told her after breakfast, “if you are planning to continue work on your fence, there is bug repellent on the shelf in the garage.”
    Toni looked up to see her twin hustling down the hallway.
    She caught up with Staci in the garage just in time. “No, you don’t!” she exclaimed, snatching away the spray can of Bug-Off from Staci.
    â€œHey!” Staci grabbed, too late. Toni had hold of the spray. “Give that back!”
    â€œNo way! You’ll just hide it so Paisley can’t use it.”
    â€œDarn right! Give it!”
    â€œStop it, Staci Fontecchio! Stop being so mean!” Toni looked about ready to cry. “What’s wrong with you?”
    â€œWhose side are you on, anyway?”
    â€œI won’t tell on you or anything, but I want you to stop playing mean tricks on Paisley! I don’t care what she did to you, she doesn’t deserve getting seventy-three chigger bites!”
    â€œIs that what they are!” came an interested voice. “Chigger bites!” Paisley stood at the outside garage door. Red-faced, panting, and wordless, Toni thrust the bug repellent at her.
    â€œNo thanks,” said Paisley. “Hey, no need for you two to fight over me. I like chigger bites. I’m going to go for the world record!” With a boyish swagger and a wave of her hand, Paisley headed toward the back lot and her fence.
    Toni’s jaw dropped. It was Staci who hollered after Paisley, “Hey! Grandmother told you to put this stuff on yourself!”
    â€œNo, she didn’t!” Paisley called back. “She just told me where it was!”
    â€œHey!” Staci stopped herself. “Well, shoot,” she muttered to the garage, “I’m not going to beg her to put the stuff on.”
    By lunchtime (when Toni and Staci returned from a hot, silent bike ride with three tubes of itch ointments), Paisley was up to 112 chigger bites.
    â€œSome of them are smaller than others,” she admitted.
    Grandmother Dill was out of the room, busy with her packing. Paisley showed off her polka-dotted legs, then lifted her T-shirt to show the red bumps lined up along her shorts waistband. All the girls stared. Even Stirling, the princess, seemed impressed. “Good grief, Paisley,” she said, “where are you going to have room to fit any more on you?”
    â€œI’ve got some places left,” said Paisley. “It’s a good thing. I’ve got to get the wire on the posts yet.” She sounded tired.
    A little later, loafing in their bunks and watching Paisley through their bedroom window, Staci and Toni saw why Paisley had sounded discouraged. She was having trouble with her fence. The posts were staying in the ground okay, and she had fastened the ceramic insulators to them at pony-chest height, but the wire would not stay tight while she strung it on the ceramic plugs. She was trying to pull her coiled wire taut with one hand and fasten it with the other, but even though she was a big, strong girl for her age, she could not pull hard enough with just one hand. And she really needed two hands, anyway, to manage the wrapping and twisting. As the Fontecchio twins watched, Paisley dropped the roll of wire to the ground, stamped in frustration, and slapped furiously at her bare, itchy,