Prince Amos Read online

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  YEARLING BOOKS/YOUNG YEARLINGS/YEARLING CLASSICS are designed especially to entertain and enlighten young people. Patricia Reilly Giff, consultant to this series, received her bachelor’s degree from Mary-mount College and a master’s degree in history from St. John’s University. She holds a Professional Diploma in Reading and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Hofstra University. She was a teacher and reading consultant for many years, and is the author of numerous books for young readers.

  For a complete listing of all Yearling titles,

  write to Dell Readers Service,

  P.O. Box 1045, South Holland, IL 60473.

  Published by

  Dell Publishing

  a division of

  Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

  1540 Broadway

  New York, New York 10036

  Copyright © 1994 by Gary Paulsen

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law.

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  eISBN: 978-0-307-80380-1

  v3.1

  Contents

  Cover

  Other Books by This Author

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Duncan—Dunc—Culpepper was in his room, choosing a tie to go with his new blue suit. “Amos, do you realize that we are about to become a part of history in the making?”

  Amos Binder, his best friend for life, was sprawled across Dunc’s bed, pulling little threads out of the bedspread.

  “She loves me. She loves me not.”

  “Did you hear me, Amos? When we get to the state capitol tomorrow, we’ll be able to witness firsthand how laws are made. It’s really an honor to get to be a page for a senator. While we’re running errands, we’ll get to see how the whole process works up close.… Amos?”

  Dunc walked over and jerked the edge of his bedspread out of Amos’s hand.

  Amos scowled. “You made me land on ‘she loves me not.’ “

  “You’re ruining my bedspread. Aren’t you even a little excited about getting to go to the state capitol to run errands for the senators?”

  “Oh … that.”

  Dunc waved his hand in front of Amos’s face. “Earth to Amos. What’s with you today?”

  Amos sat up. “Everybody in Mrs. Wormwood’s social studies class is going to the state capitol, right?”

  “Right.”

  Amos grinned. “Then that means Melissa called me last night.”

  Dunc shook his head. “I’m not following you.”

  “She knows I’m going.”

  “So?”

  “So last night she called to tell me she wanted to sit together on the bus and probably eat all her meals with me, and maybe get closer to me, and—”

  Dunc raised one eyebrow. “Wait a minute. Melissa Hansen actually called you and told you all that?”

  Amos had been in love with Melissa since the first day he met her in grade school, when he spilled chocolate milk down the back of her dress in the cafeteria.

  “Not exactly. But she did call, and that’s the important thing. We can work out the details on the bus tomorrow.”

  “What did she say?”

  “It’s kind of a long story. My family was in the living room, watching a football game. Uncle Alfred was sitting in his favorite chair. You remember Uncle Alfred?”

  Dunc nodded. “The one that picks his feet through his stinky socks?”

  “Right,” Amos continued. “Anyway, everybody was in there watching the game. Actually, I was watching my cousin little Brucie. He’s teething now, and he was chewing on Scruff’s tail. It was really a better show than the TV. Scruff reached around and took a bite out of Brucie. Then Brucie grabbed Scruff’s ear, and—”

  “Amos, what did Melissa say?”

  “Oh, yeah. Well, the phone rang just as the quarterback snapped the ball. Of course, I always take the shortest route to the phone. Melissa likes me to get it on that all-important first ring.”

  Dunc nodded again. Amos had this strange idea that Melissa would hang up if he didn’t get to the phone by the first ring. In the past Dunc had tried to reason with him. Tried to explain that since Melissa Hansen had never once in her entire life called Amos, he couldn’t possibly know what ring she wanted him to answer on. But he couldn’t convince him and had finally given up trying.

  “I stepped up onto the coffee table,” Amos went on, “missed all the dips and snacks, and had a clear shot at the phone. My form was excellent, rhythm and timing perfect. My left foot was powering off the coffee table. I was about to hit the core stride when it happened.”

  “What?”

  “I blocked Uncle Alfred’s view of a touchdown. He grabbed me in midair as I stepped off the table and tossed me into the metal trash can in the corner of the room. It was amazing. You wouldn’t think a man that big could move that fast. He was back in his chair before the announcer finished calling the play.”

  “Did you make it to the phone?”

  “No. It took my mom almost an hour to pry the trash can off my rear end.”

  “Then who talked to Melissa?”

  “Little Brucie. But he bit the telephone cord in two before anyone could get to the phone.”

  “You never talked to her, but you know she wants to sit with you?”

  Amos grinned. “Yeah. Isn’t it wonderful?”

  Dunc turned the key in the door of the motel room. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you to sit with Melissa, Amos.”

  Amos plopped onto the nearest bed. “Why do teachers always have to make you sit in alphabetical order? It must be something they learn in teacher school. You probably can’t graduate unless you sign something stating you promise to seat every future student alphabetically.”

  “Don’t worry. I think you managed to get Melissa’s attention anyway.”

  Amos sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “It might have been better if you had just waved from where you were sitting and not stood up in the seat. That way the driver wouldn’t have pulled over and yelled at you.”

  “I said I didn’t want to talk about it.”

  Dunc continued. “And I really think you went too far when you took your T-shirt off and used it as a flag to signal her.”

  Amos rolled over.

  “Probably the worst thing was when you crawled under the seats, trying to get to Melissa, and you miscounted and came up under Mrs. Wormwood’s dress. She was really serious about sending you home until I told her you were looking for my contact lens. I hope she doesn’t find o
ut that I don’t wear contacts.”

  Amos sat up. “Thank you so much for giving me a review of this morning’s events. You’ve really made me feel so much better. Now I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Melissa thinks I am a complete dweeb.”

  Dunc shrugged. “I was just trying to tell you that I think Melissa noticed you. She probably thinks you’re interesting. Kind of unique. Girls go for guys that are out of the ordinary.”

  “You think so?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Amos jumped off the bed and headed for the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To Melissa’s room. I’m going to try out my John Wayne impressions on her.”

  Dunc grabbed his arm. “Hold on. We have to be at the legislative building in ten minutes. Besides, I think you’ve given Melissa enough to think about for one day.”

  “Maybe you’re right. I’ll let her take it all in and spring the impressions on her at breakfast.”

  Dunc took his suit out. “Aren’t you going to get dressed?”

  Amos shook his head. “I think I’ll wear what I have on.”

  “Mrs. Wormwood said we have to wear a suit. All legislative pages wear suits and ties.”

  “My mom did buy me a suit but we had to have the pants shortened. She gave it to a tailor at our dry cleaners. That’s when the little switch happened.”

  “What switch? Just put on the suit. We’re running out of time.”

  “When she went to pick up my suit, the cleaners had made a mistake, and they’d given it to someone else. The only other suit they could find that would fit me was the one Herbie Pittman wore when he played the part of a banana in the summer festival of fruit last year.” Amos pulled a bright yellow suit out of his bag.

  Dunc stared at the suit. He tried to think of something positive to say. Nothing came to him.

  Amos’s shoulders drooped. “That’s what I thought too. How would it look if I clipped a tie on the front of my T-shirt?”

  “It’s a toss-up, but I think you’re stuck with the suit. One thing about it—you’ll be easy to find.”

  Mrs. Wormwood led the group of students inside the carved double doors. She motioned for them to sit in the balcony. The first afternoon they were supposed to watch the session, and tomorrow they would begin their duties as official pages.

  Heads turned as Amos made his way down the aisle. He had chosen a black tie to go with his yellow suit, and he looked like a large walking banana with a rotten place in the front.

  Dunc took notes for the full hour. Amos slept through most of it.

  When the last senator was through speaking, Dunc shook Amos’s elbow. “Wake up. It’s time to meet the senators we’ve been assigned to work with all week. Come on.”

  Amos rubbed his eyes. “I wasn’t asleep. I was just resting my eyelids. Long trip and everything.” He yawned and followed Dunc to the floor of the capitol building.

  Dunc looked at the list. “You’ve been assigned to Senator Suborn, and I have Senator Grafter. There’s mine.” Dunc pointed to a tall white-haired man with a potbelly. “You look for yours. I’ll meet you back here in a few minutes.”

  Amos wandered down the steps. His senator didn’t seem to be around. He turned to climb back up the steps and nearly ran into a boy wearing a wide purple ribbon across his chest.

  The boy stared at Amos. Amos stared back. They stayed like that. Staring for several minutes. Finally Amos blinked. He couldn’t believe it. Looking at the boy was like looking in a mirror. They could have passed for identical twins.

  The boy clicked his heels together and bowed. “I am Gustav the Eighth, Crown Prince of Moldavia. My entourage is here in America on a goodwill tour.”

  Amos stuck out his hand. “I’m Amos the First, Nintendo king of the greater United States. I’m here because my social studies teacher threatened to flunk me if I stayed home. Nice to meet you, Gus.”

  Dunc walked up as they were shaking hands. He looked from one face to the other and back again. “This is incredible. Amos, did you know that you two look exactly—”

  Amos nodded. “Good-looking guy, isn’t he? Dunc, meet Gus. Gus, this is my best friend, Dunc.”

  The boy clicked his heels again. “It is my extreme pleasure. I wonder, would the two of you do me the great honor of having breakfast with me tomorrow morning in my penthouse? It seems we have a great deal in common. I have a small proposition I’d like to discuss with you.”

  “Sorry,” Amos started, “I’m all set to do my John Wayne impressions for—ouch!” He glared at Dunc. “You almost broke my foot.”

  Dunc smiled. “We’d be happy to have breakfast with you, Your Highness. Thank you for asking.”

  “Fine. I will expect you at seven-thirty sharp. My hotel is the one across the street. Take the elevator to the top.” The boy bowed one last time and left.

  “You better have a good explanation for what you just did, or I’m going to rearrange your face,” Amos growled.

  “Amos, you can’t turn down an invitation from a prince.”

  “For Melissa, I can turn down anybody.”

  “Mrs. Wormwood said Melissa’s not feeling well. She may have the flu. I doubt if she’ll even be at breakfast.”

  “Maybe I should take breakfast to her. You know, comfort her in her hour of need. She’d respect me, and then want me to be closer to her.… ”

  “Mrs. Wormwood is staying with her. She’ll be fine. Besides, think how impressed she’ll be when she finds out that you had breakfast with a real prince.”

  Amos looked thoughtful. “You might have a point there.”

  Dunc smiled. “Sure I do. Trust me.”

  “Don’t push it.”

  Amos stepped inside the elevator. “I sure hope Gus has something good for breakfast. I’m starved.”

  Dunc punched the button. “Can you imagine? We’re going to have breakfast in a penthouse with a real live prince. Now aren’t you glad you came with me?”

  “I’ve been giving that some thought. Melissa would have been grateful to me for a long time if I had brought breakfast to her room. No telling how grateful.”

  “I told you she has the flu,” Dunc said. “If you had brought her breakfast, she would have thrown it up and it would have been all your fault.”

  “Melissa can’t throw up,” Amos said. “She isn’t the kind who throws up. Girls like Melissa never throw up.”

  The elevator stopped at the top floor, and the boys stepped out. There was only one door.

  “This must be the place.” Dunc moved to the door and knocked.

  A man wearing a black and white uniform opened the door. “Yes?” He stared at Amos.

  Amos ducked under the man’s arm into the spacious room. “We’re here to see Gus.”

  The man moved to the side. “Prince Gustav, your … guests have arrived.”

  “Please show them in, Charles.” The prince was seated at a table, poring over the front page of the morning newspaper.

  He stood up and invited them to sit. “I didn’t know what foods you liked, so I took the liberty of ordering one of everything on the menu. Please take your choice.”

  Amos lifted the lid off the French toast. “This prince business must pay pretty well.”

  Prince Gustav smiled. “I guess I do all right.”

  Dunc scooped out some scrambled eggs. “You mentioned something about a proposition?”

  “My father is in Washington visiting with your president. He has sent me here as a goodwill ambassador. He will join me when he is finished in Washington.”

  “Okay.” Dunc shrugged. “But what does this have to do with us?”

  “I’m coming to that. Since I have been in your state, I haven’t been allowed to address the legislature. Something always happens to prevent it. One night, Charles and I were locked in our room. Another time our limousine was delayed just long enough for me to miss an appointment. We have become the laughingstock of your country.” He showed them an article on
the front page of the newspaper.

  Amos swallowed a bite of pancake. “Sounds to me like someone is going to a lot of trouble to make you look bad.”

  The prince nodded. “That’s what Charles and I think. And here’s where we need your help. You may have noticed the uncanny resemblance we bear to each other?”

  Amos looked at Dunc. “Is that another way of saying we look alike?”

  Before Dunc could answer, the prince went on. “I propose that Amos and I trade places. Only for a short time. Until I can discover who is at the bottom of this conspiracy to discredit my country.”

  Dunc shook his head. “It would never work. Amos doesn’t know anything about being a prince.”

  Amos wiped the milk off his face with the back of his hand. “Speak for yourself. I think I’d make a great prince.”

  Dunc frowned. “Amos, what about Mrs. Wormwood and the senators we’ve been assigned to work for?”

  The prince cleared his throat. “All of that is easily taken care of. I will work for Amos’s senator. It will be the perfect cover. And your teacher need never know. What do you say?”

  “What about the butler?” Amos whispered.

  “Charles is completely loyal to the throne. He will go along with anything I ask. I have discussed the matter with him, and he is quite willing to help you play the part.”

  “Would I get to stay in the penthouse?”

  “Of course. We would need to completely swap personalities. I will take your place as a page, and you will make a few small public appearances on my behalf. When we have this little matter cleared up, we will switch back.”

  “I don’t think—” Dunc started.

  “It’s for his country,” Amos interrupted. “It’ll be tough living up here in luxury while you guys are down there slaving away—but I’m willing to make the sacrifice.”

  “Where have you been?” Mrs. Wormwood was waiting for them outside their motel room. She grabbed the prince by the ear and twisted. “I told you to stay with the group.”

  The prince gently but firmly removed her hand. “My dear lady. There’s no need for alarm. My companion and I have simply been taking the morning air.”