39

GOOD IDEAS COME FROM
THE STRANGEST PLACES.

Hitchhiking. I couldn’t do that. I’d be too scared.

Busking. I couldn’t do that either. I’d be even more scared. Bess was the type who’d just open her mouth and wail away, and it wouldn’t matter to her how bad she was as long as people kept throwing money in her hat.

There was no way I could put anyone through that, and I told Bitsie so.

“Who said you had to sing?” he said.

“Well, what else can I do? People are hardly going to give me money for reciting the times table.” Which is about the only thing I was ever very good at.

“No—but people would give you money for puppeteering!”

I was just about to say I couldn’t do that either when I realized I didn’t have to. For once, Bitsie’d had a good idea.