The Witch Family (19 page)

"
POISON
!" spelled Malachi.

"Yes," said Amy. "Poison. She can put poison in the halves of the apples!" Then Amy recovered her composure. "Oh, that's all right," she said reassuringly. "Maybe the blossoms will not turn into apples. Or maybe just one apple will grow. That's all right, isn't it, Clarissa, for there to be one apple for Old Witch to put poison in one half of it?"

"Oh yes, of course," said Clarissa.

Malachi, gravely humming, flew away to his new camouflage place on Old Witch's porch in the white and golden honeysuckle.

"Well, come on," said Amy to her mother. "Come on.
Bee
gin. One day, Old Witch..."

Eleanor Estes
(1906—1988) grew up in West Haven, Connecticut, which she renamed Cranbury for her classic series about the Moffat family. A children's librarian for many years, she launched her writing career with the publication of
The Moffats
in 1941. Two of her outstanding books about the Moffats—
Rufus M.
and
The Middle Moffat
—were awarded Newbery Honors, as was her short novel
The Hundred Dresses.
She won the Newbery Medal for
Ginger Pye.