Sophie the Chatterbox Read Free Page B

lid. The ranger dipped a scoop into the churn, and Sophie grinned. She could not wait to see the homemade butter!
    But what came out did not look like butter. It looked like melted ice cream.
    “Aw …” Sophie sighed.
    So did Kate, and Grace, and some others.
    Then Mindy looked over.
    “She should have let the experts do it,” Mindy said, rolling her eyes.
    Not everybody heard Mindy. But Sophie suredid. She put her hands on her hips. “Mind your own beeswax, Mindy!” she said.
    Then she spun around fast. She’d churn that butter and show Mindy! The only thing was … she forgot that the butter churn was right there behind her.
    If only the lid had been on it. Then maybe all the white stuff would not have spilled out when Sophie knocked it over. But it did spill out. Everywhere. Even on Ranger Fawn’s black boots and Grace’s mom’s silvery shoes.
    Oops.
    Sophie had a rule. She did not cry at school. But Sophie was not at school. She was in George Washington’s kitchen.
    She could feel her throat get tight. Her eyes got hot and leaky.
    Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Ranger Fawn’s.
    “It’s okay. Don’t worry. Accidents happen,” Ranger Fawn told her.
    That’s the truth!
Sophie thought.

    She sniffed and felt a little better.
    While Grace’s mom shook out her shoes, Ranger Fawn got a mop and a bucket. She dried the floor and her boots. Then she poured more cream into a jar.
    Everyone took a turn shaking it. By the time they were done, the cream had changed. A lot.
    “Is that butter?” Sophie asked.
    “Yes, sirree!” said Ranger Fawn.
    She set the hoecakes on the table. The other group had made them with cornmeal, water, and salt. They looked a little bit like pancakes. But they did not taste like them at all.
    Thank goodness for butter and honey!
Sophie thought.
    “So, what do you think of the hoecakes?” Ranger Fawn asked the class.
    Sophie spoke up. “To be honest, they taste like they came from the workshop.”
    “Oh, Sophie …” Ms. Moffly shook her head.
    But Ranger Fawn grinned and nodded. “The truth is, I don’t like them much, either. Howabout we go out to the barn now?” she said. “We can see some animals. Then you guys can have lunch.”
    “Yay!” the class cheered.
    As they walked outside, Kate took Sophie’s arm.
    “The barn—that reminds me! I have to tell you something
big,
Sophie!” Kate whispered.
    Something big?
    Sophie looked at her. “What?” she asked at once.
    Kate started to speak. Then she looked around and closed her mouth.
    “I better tell you in
private
— so no one else hears. After school,” she said.

S ophie waited for Kate to tell her the big news. But it was not easy.
    Sophie waited through the field trip.
    She waited on the bus back to school
and
the bus home.
    She waited until she got to Kate’s house.
    Then she could not wait anymore.
    “You have to tell me now!” she cried as they walked into Kate’s kitchen. “Honestly! I can’t wait anymore!”
    “I will, I will. In a second,” Kate told her. Shehad a giant smile on her face. “Hi, Mrs. Belle! We’re home!” she called out.
    A cheerful voice called back to them.
“Hellooo!
I’ll be right there!”
    Mrs. Belle lived in their neighborhood. She had three kids, but they were all grown up. She came over to Kate’s in the afternoon and stayed until Kate’s mom got home from work.
    Kate’s mom worked in a doctor’s office, but she was not a doctor or a nurse. Sophie was pretty sure her job was to keep people quiet in the waiting room.
    Sophie liked Mrs. Belle. She knew a million card games. And she let Sophie and Kate watch TV game shows with her.
    She also made stuffed cabbage. It smelled pretty bad. But it actually tasted good.
    Mrs. Belle walked into the kitchen. She was wearing her favorite tracksuit. It was bright yellow, like her hair. Sophie knew that it had to be her favorite, since she’d dyed her hair to match.
    Mrs. Belle gave Kate and Sophie a hug. “So, how