Fabulous Five 032 - Class Trip Calamity (9 page)

"What's that, dear?" asked Mrs. Barry.

"Well . . . a few days ago a package came for you, and
I forgot to tell you about it."

"A package?" echoed Mrs. Barry, jumping to her
feet. "Who is it from?"

Beth shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't pay any
attention."

"Beth, you jerk," said Brittany. "Don't just
sit there. Give it to her."

Beth threw her sister a disgusted look and said, "It's
in the garage. It was . . . um . . . kind of big."

"Maybe it's the package you've been waiting for, honey."
Mr. Barry reached over and gave his wife's hand a squeeze.

Mrs. Barry looked confused. "Well, I really was hoping
for a letter instead of a package."

"Come on. Let's go see what's in it," said Brian.

The whole family and Jana followed Beth into the garage.

"It's over here under those old rugs," Beth
explained sheepishly. She went to the far corner and pulled the box out from
under the rugs and into the center of the room. "Here."

Mrs. Barry rushed forward and looked at the address label on
the top of the box. "Oh, no," she said. "It
is
what I've
been waiting for."

Beth and Jana exchanged glances. "It's a carton of
disposable baby diapers," said Beth. "There's a hole in the box, and
I looked in."

Suddenly Mr. and Mrs. Barry began laughing. "Oh, no!"
said Mrs. Barry between laughs. "And you thought—Oh, Beth. You thought I
was going to have a baby!"

"Well, of course," Beth replied indignantly. "What
else was I supposed to think?"

Mrs. Barry put an arm around Beth's shoulder. "And that's
why you hid them, isn't it?"

Beth nodded.

Beth's mother led her to the box. "Look at the return
address on the shipping label," she instructed.

"National Sweepstakes Clearinghouse?" Beth said in
a voice filled with amazement.

Mrs. Barry nodded. "I saw this sweepstakes entry blank
in the grocery store," she began. "With the UPC code and labels from
six jars of baby food, I could enter and try for the grand prize of a four-year
college scholarship. Heaven knows we could use it with five kids in the family.
So I entered. Then about three weeks ago I got a letter from the sweepstakes
clearinghouse saying I was a prize winner The only trouble is, they didn't say
which prize I had won, and there were a couple of hundred smaller prizes—like a
year's supply of disposable diapers.
I've been watching the mail every
day to find out what I won."

Everybody had a good laugh. Even Brittany gave Beth a
sympathetic smile.

"That's wonderful," exclaimed Beth, acting
absolutely giddy. "I mean—wow!" Suddenly she looked at Jana
sheepishly. "I guess we won't be able to compare baby pictures after all,
will we?"

"That's okay," Jana told her. Then she turned to
Mrs. Barry and said happily, "If you don't have anyone in mind to give all
those diapers to, I know someone who could use them."