The sky had grown cloudy, and a warm breeze wasblowing.
Dipper stopped the cart and listened. "Hear that?"he said. "Parade's coming this way."Jack heard band music in the distance.
"Is that parade for All Saints' Day?" asked Annie.
"Maybe. Or maybe for a million other things," saidDipper. "Folks in this city will find any excuse for aparade."Soon the parade came into view.
565758Horseback riders wore plumed hats and blackmasks. Following them were people dressed up asclowns, kings, queens, fairies with fluttering wings,ghosts, and skeletons.
"We read that New Orleans might be the mosthaunted city in the country," Annie said to Dipper,"especially on the eve of All Saints' Day. We heardthere're real ghosts in a cathedral, a hotel, and ablacksmith shop.""Yeah, and plenty more places, too," said Dipper.
"But I'm not afraid of ghosts. I'm not afraid ofanything.""Me neither!" said Annie.
"Um, me neither," said Jack.
A band followed the people in costumes. Themusicians were playing trumpets, tubas, trombones,and drums--lots of drums. The joyous music filled theNew Orleans air. Jack and Annie couldn't helpnodding their heads in time to the beat. Jack noticedthat Dipper was nodding his head, too.
59"Hey, there're the fellas!" said Annie.
Happy, Little Mack, and Big Nose Sidney werewalking alongside the band, singing their hearts out.
"Looks like they're having fun!" said Annie. Shenudged Jack. "Doesn't it?""Yeah!" said Jack. "A lot of fun! Music is so muchfun! I wish I had musical talent! You're so lucky,Dipper!""You really are, Dipper!" said Annie. "Musical talentis really a great gift to share with the world!"Dipper just shook his head, as if he thought theywere crazy. "Biggest potato heads I've ever met," hesaid.
Jack and Annie laughed.
Dipper gave the reins a shake. "Go 'long, Lady.
Keep me on my path."How weird that Dipper said that, Jack thought.
Their mission was to keep him on the right path, too-thepath to becoming the King of Jazz.
As Lady plodded along the bank of the60Mississippi, Dipper started singing nonsense words:
Skid-dat-de-datSkid-dat-de-doo!
"That sounds so cool," said Jack. "What's thatsong?""Not a song. I'm just scat-singing, man," saidDipper.
"Scat-singing?" said Annie. "What's that?""When you can't think of words, just sing sounds,"said Dipper. "Make 'em up. If you put your heart in it,folks will understand you.""I didn't know a person could make music like that,"said Jack.
"Heck, yeah, you can make music any way youwant," said Dipper. "Just listen to the world: There'schurch bells, the washerwoman singing about herwash, the ragman blasting his tin horn for folks tobring out their rags. Folks selling things, like that pieman. Listen to him."61Dipper pointed to a man sitting in a red wagon,calling out in a strong, rich voice, "Sweet potato!
Sweet potato pie! Lemon pie! Apple pie! Any pie youlike!""Listen to that voice," said Dipper. "That's music.
And listen to those sounds--" Dipper pointed to somewomen walking beside the road.
The women carried baskets on their heads andcalled out in singsong voices, "Blue-berries!""Rasp-berries!""Black-berrieeeeeeeeeeeeeees!""I see what you mean," said Annie. "Music iseverywhere.""You got it, girl," said Dipper. "You can even hear itin Lady's hoofbeats. Listen."Jack listened to the rhythmic clippity-clop, clippityclopof the mule.
"See? There you go!" said Dipper. "That's a song-Go'long, mule, go 'long, mule."Jack and Annie listened to the steady music ofLady's hoofbeats, until finally the mule came to astop.
62"Well, here we are at the coal yard," said Dipper.
"I'll leave Lady here till tomorrow."They all jumped to the ground.
"Thanks for your music, Lady." Dipper patted themule on her nose. Then he turned to Jack and Annie.
"Afraid I have to leave y'all now," Dipper said. "Butit's been great.""Yeah, um ...," Jack began, trying to think of a goodreason to stay with Dipper.
"I'd like to hear you blow that horn when the time'sright," Dipper said to Annie. "And don't forget to sayhi to Teddy and Kathleen for me." He winked, thenwaved and started walking away.
"But--but, Dipper!" called Jack.
"Sorry, man! I'm late!" Dipper shouted over hisshoulder. "Thanks a million!" He waved again andkept going.
Jack and Annie looked at each other in a panic. "Wehave to stay with him!" said Annie. "Wait, wait,Dipper!" She and Jack ran after him.
"Where are you going now?" Jack asked.
63"My next job," said Dipper. "I have to haul bananastill dark.""Really? Anotherjob?" said Jack.
"Hey, guess what?" shouted Annie. "We love tohaul bananas!""Yeah. Yeah, we do," said Jack.
Dipper stopped and stared at them. "What is wrongwith y'all?" he said. "Don't you know how to havefun?"Jack didn't know what to say.
"Seriously," said Annie. "We do love to haulbananas. And you make everything more fun withyour singing.""Yeah, you're a good singer!" piped up Jack. "That'sa gift!"Dipper just shook his head. "Remember when I saidyou didn't have any more brains than a pair ofpotatoes? Well, I take it back. I don't think you haveonepotato's brain between you."Jack and Annie laughed.
"Well, come on, then," said Dipper.
64Jack and Annie hurried with Dipper down to theloading dock on the riverfront. At least fifty workerswere hauling huge loads of bananas out of the cargohold of a ship.
"Wait here," Dipper told them.
Dipper walked over to a man checking people in towork. He pointed to Jack and Annie. The manshrugged, then nodded. Dipper waved for them tocome join him.
Jack and Annie ran down to join Dipper and theother workers in the cargo hold. Dipper picked up agiant bunch of bananas. The bunch was almost as bigas Annie! He hauled it onto his shoulder and thenpicked up another one.
"Grab a bunch of bananas and follow me!" Dippersaid. He headed to the counter, where men in whitesuits were inspecting the banana bunches.
"No way either of us can pick up one of thosebunches," Jack said to Annie.
"Let's try it together," said Annie.
Annie hid their trumpet behind a large woodenbox. Jack put his bag there, too. Jack and Annie65loaded a bunch of bananas into their arms. Theywalked closely together, taking short, clumsy steps,following Dipper. They delivered the bunch to theinspectors and then hurried back to get another.
As the sun sank toward the river, Jack, Annie, andDipper hauled bananas back and forth between thecargo hold and the inspectors. They hauled bananasuntil it was almost dark. Jack was so tired he couldhardly see straight. He was afraid Dipper wouldnever call it quits.
"Last one," Dipper said finally.
Yes!thought Jack. They grabbed their last loads.
Suddenly a large rat jumped out of the cargo hold!
Dipper let out a scream. He dropped his bananas andtook off running. Annie and Jack dropped theirbananas, too. Annie grabbed her trumpet. Jackgrabbed his bag, and they ran after Dipper.
Running like crazy, Dipper led Jack and Annie farfrom the loading area--and the rat. When he66finally stopped, Jack bumped into Dipper, andAnnie bumped into Jack. They all started laughing.
Dipper laughed the hardest. He collapsed on the curbof Decatur Street and laughed so hard his whole bodyshook. Jack and Annie sat down next to him,laughing until they cried. Finally they all managed tocalm down.
"I know... I know I said I wasn't afraid of anything,"Dipper said breathlessly. "But I lied. I'm afraid of onething: rats. Rats give me the heebie-jeebies."67"Yeah, yeah," Annie said, catching her breath. "Iknow how you feel. Spiders give me the heebiejeebies.""Yeah," Jack said, panting. "Yeah, actually, ghostsgive 'em to me.""That's cool, that's cool, man," said Dipper.
"Between the three of us, we got all the scaredy stuffcovered."That made them all start laughing again. As thetwilight deepened, they sat on the curb, catching theirbreath. They laughed now and then, out of relief andfriendship.
Then Dipper stood up. "Before we part ways, Ibetter get our pay from the boss. Hold on."Jack and Annie kept sitting on the curb as Dipperran back down to the dock. "Part ways?We can't partways yet," said Jack.
"I know!" said Annie. "We haven't even begun toaccomplish our mission.""Umbrella! Buy an umbrella!" a man shouted as hewalked by. He carried a load of umbrellas on68his back. "Storm a-comin'! Big storm comin' for theeve of All Saints'!""Oh, no, now a storm's coming," said Jack. He wasconfused about what they should do next.
A moment later, Dipper returned. "Thirty cents!" hesaid. "We each get ten.""No, no, Dipper," said Annie. "Please use it to takecare of your family.""Yeah, do that," said Jack.
"We insist," said Annie.
Dipper smiled. "Oh, you do, do you? Why? What'sthis game y'all are playing?""It's no game," said Jack.
"We're just a couple of potato heads," said Annie.
"Get used to it.""Well, then, you two potato heads, let me give yousomething else," said Dipper. "Come along with me.""Great!" said Jack. They weren't "parting ways" yet!
He and Annie jumped up from the curb and boundedoff with Dipper. |