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“Those are two of the finest pigs I have ever seen,” he said at last. “How am I to decide? I have only one daughter.”
“Why not let Myra decide?” suggested Elya.
“That’s preposterous!” exclaimed Igor, expelling saliva as he spoke.
“Myra is just an empty-headed girl,” said her father. “How can she possibly decide, when I, her father, can’t?”
“She knows how she feels in her heart,” said Elya.
Myra’s father rubbed his chin. Then he laughed and said, “Why not?” He slapped Elya on the back. “It doesn’t matter to me. A pig is a pig.”
He summoned his daughter.
Elya blushed when Myra entered the room. “Good afternoon, Myra,” he said.
She looked at him. “You’re Elya, right?” she asked.
“Myra,” said her father. “Elya and Igor have each offered a pig for your hand in marriage. It doesn’t matter to me. A pig is a pig. So I will let you make the choice. Whom do you wish to marry?”
Myra looked confused. “You want me to decide?”
“That’s right, my blossom,” said h
er father.
“Gee, I don’t know,” said Myra. “Which pig weighs more?”
“They both weigh the same,” said her father.
“Golly,” said Myra, “I guess I choose Elya—No, Igor. No, Elya. No, Igor. Oh, I know! I’ll think of a number between one and ten. I’ll marry whoever guesses the closest number. Okay, I’m ready.”
“Ten,” guessed Igor.
Elya said nothing.
“Elya?” said Myra. “What number do you guess?”
Elya didn’t pick a number. “Marry Igor,” he muttered. “You can keep my pig as a wedding present.”
The next time the water truck came it was driven by Mr. Pendanski, who also brought sack lunches. Stanley sat with his back against a pile of dirt and ate. He had a baloney sandwich, potato chips, and a large chocolate-chip cookie.
“How you doin’?” asked Magnet.
“Not real good,” said Stanley.
“Well, the first hole’s the hardest,” Magnet said.
Stanley took a long, deep breath. He couldn’t afford to dawdle. He was way behind the others, and the sun just kept getting hotter. It wasn’t even noon yet. But he didn’t know if he had the strength to stand up.
He thought about quitting. He wondered what they would do to him. What could they do to him?
His clothes were soaked with sweat. In school he had learned that sweating was good for you. It was nature’s way of keeping you cool. So why was he so hot?
Using his shovel for support, he managed to get to his feet.
“Where are we supposed to go to the bathroom?” he asked Magnet.
Magnet gestured with his arms to the great expanse around them. “Pick a hole, any hole,” he said.
