"John D. Fitzgerald - The Great Brain ReformsUC - 5" - читать интересную книгу автора (Fitzgerald John D)

five cents a week." *

I knew from past experience that if I refused he would
put his great brain to work on a plan to make. me do all
the chores anyway. I sure as heck wasn't going to be stupid
enough to let that happen. Five cents a week was better
than nothing.

"It's a deal, "I said.

"Before we shake on it," Tom said, "Mamma and
Papa are going to want to know why you are doing all the
chores. This is what we will tell them. You volunteered to

do all -the chores because you need the extra money. Now
shake on it."

We shook hands to seal the bargain,

Frankie stared at me with his big dark eyes. "How

. come you are paying Tom five cents a week for letting you
.do all the chores?" he asked.

^'Because that is the deal we made," I said.

"It's not fair," Frankie said. "You should get the
whole twenty cents for doing all the chores- I'll bet when
I tell Mamma and Papa they will say I'm right."

Tom stared bug-eyed at Frankie. "What have we got
here?" "he. demanded. "A little snitcher in the family?

Dorigt you .know, Frankie, that brothers never snitch on
each other?"

"I'm not your real brother," Frankie said, smiling.

"All right," Tom said. "What do you want not to
tell?"

"Instead of John giving you a nickel a week," Frank'

said, "he should ^ive it to me. I at least help him do the
chores." Х

"How about splitting it?" Tom asked. "You get the
nickel one week and I get it the next?"

"Nope," Frankie said, as he climbed down from the