Joe was next in line. He had forgotten his lunch.

"And what would you like, Joe?" asked Miss Mush.

"What do you have?" Joe asked.

"Potato salad," said Miss Mush.

"Anything else?" asked Joe.

"No, just potato salad," said Miss Mush.

Mrs. Jewls had made Miss Mush throw away the rest of the Mushroom Surprise, and she made Miss Mush promise never to make it again.

"Okay, I\'ll have potato salad," said Joe.

137

Miss Mush smiled. She scooped a large glop of potato salad out of the vat and plopped it on Joe\'s paper plate.

Sharie was next in line. She had also forgotten her lunch.

"And what would you like, Sharie?" asked Miss Mush.

"What do you have?" asked Sharie.

"Potato salad."

"What else is there?" asked Sharie.

"Nothing," said Miss Mush.

"Okay," said Sharie. "I\'ll have that."

"Potato salad?" asked Miss Mush.

"No, nothing," said Sharie.

Joe was the only one who ordered the potato salad. Everyone else ordered nothing.

He slid his paper plate over to the cash register and paid for his lunch. Then he went to the ketchup and mustard table.

He looked at the grayish-white mound on his plate. He thought it needed more color. He squirted squiggly lines of yellow mustard all over it. Then he added several dollops of red ketchup.

"That\'s very pretty, Joe," said Bebe. "I didn\'t know you were such a good artist."

"Thanks," said Joe. He looked for a place to sit.

"Hey, Joe! Over here!" called John.

Joe sat next to him. "Hi, pal," he said.

"Hi, good buddy," replied John.

138

They were best friends.

John had brought his lunch. He looked at Joe\'s potato salad covered with yellow squiggles and red polka dots. "That\'s very colorful," he said.

"Thanks," said Joe.

They both stared at it.

"I wonder what it tastes like," said John.

"Who knows?" said Joe.

"There\'s plenty more potato salad!" called Miss Mush. "Who wants seconds?"

Nobody wanted seconds of potato salad. Several kids went............