Chapter 1

The X'ed-Out X-Ray

Chapter 1 "I'm not dressing like a penguin and you can't make me!" Josh said. "Why not?" asked his friend Dink. "I'm doing it, and so is Ruth Rose." Dink's whole name was Donald David Duncan. When he was first learning to say his name, it

came out as "Dink." That became his nickname. Josh grinned. "So if you jumped off a bridge, would I have to do it, too?" "Josh, everyone who goes to a Penelope Gwinn concert dresses like a penguin," Ruth Rose said. "That's because PENGUIN is her stage name." Ruth Rose always dressed in one color. Today's color was lime green, from her headband down to her sneakers. "Come on, Josh," she went on. "It'll be fun!" "Eating is fun," Josh said, popping the last of his sandwich into his mouth. "Penguins like to eat, too," Dink reminded Josh. "Yeah, raw fish," Josh muttered. It was Friday, and the kids were in Ruth Rose's backyard having lunch. Ruth Rose had just found out that she'd won four free tickets to Penelope Gwinn's concert in Hartford. "Be a sport, Josh," Dink said. "All you have to do is wear a white shirt and black pants or shorts. They're passing out penguin masks to everyone who goes." Ruth Rose gave Josh a sly look. "If you dress up, I'll buy you a hot dog!"

Josh wiggled his eyebrows. "Make it two hot dogs and it's a deal," he said. "Deal," Ruth Rose said. "Be here tomorrow morning at eleven-thirty. My dad is driving us." She started cleaning up the paper plates. Josh grabbed the last cookie. "Hey, if you throw in a milkshake, I'll even quack like a penguin." Dink pitched a wadded-up napkin at Josh. "Penguins don't quack," he said. "Only ugly ducklings like you do that." The next morning, Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose climbed into her father's station wagon. Ruth Rose was wearing a white T-shirt, a black vest, and white shorts. "Quick, call a doctor!" Josh teased. "Ruth Rose is wearing two colors!" Josh's shirt was black with white stripes going up and down. Below the shirt he was wearing black jean cutoffs. White gym socks peeked over the tops of his black high-top sneakers. "You're supposed to look like a penguin," Dink said, "not a zebra." "I like stripes," Josh said.

Dink was wearing a black T-shirt and white jeans. Mr. Hathaway was wearing a white shirt, a black bow tie, and black trousers. "I don't believe I've heard of Penelope Gwinn," he said as he backed out of his driveway. "What kind of music does she play?" "Rock and roll," Ruth Rose said. "But she plays a violin while she sings."

"Oh, great," muttered Josh next to Dink in the backseat. "I got dressed like a bird to listen to violin music!" "You could always stick your two hot dogs in your ears," Dink suggested. Twenty minutes later, they were in Hartford. Mr. Hathaway parked his car in a lot across the street from Bushnell Park, where the concert was being held. "Look!" said Ruth Rose, pointing to a white trailer near the park entrance. Painted on the side of the trailer was a life-sized portrait of Penelope Gwinn. On the rear of the trailer was a picture of a real penguin. "Does she live in that thing?" Josh asked.