THE KIDNAPPING OF CLARISSA MONTGOMERY #English story

"You'll only have to stay here till your rich guardian pays the ransom," said the kidnapper, whose name was Humphrey. He felt rather sorry for poor little Clarissa. She hadn't said anything since they'd grabbed her from the luxurious grounds of her mansion that afternoon. "I think the poor little kid is in shock" Humphrey said worriedly to Spud, who had masterminded the abduction. Spud didn't care if she was in shock, neither did Milligan.

"Just sit tight and don't cause any trouble, kid" Spud snarled: "Soon as the old man pays fifty thousand, you'll be sent back" Clarissa finally spoke "Fifty thousand?" she said. "I'm sure he'll manage to find it," said kind-hearted Humphrey reassuringly. "You'll be out of here in no time." Clarissa looked at him coldly. "You're all mad," she said. "You could have got a whole lot more than fifty thousand. My guardian is loaded." "She's in shock," Humphrey thought, and made her a cup of cocoa with his own hands. He'd fixed up a corner in the barn quite nicely with a toffee apple in a saucer. He was fond of little kids. Spud was setting up a poker game. Clarissa watched silently. "You dont have to be scared of those gorillas," Humphrey whispered. "They're really harmless." "I'm not scared of anything," Clarissa said, and drew closer to the table. "Beat it," growled Spud, but Clarissa looked at his cards. then went round the table and inspected Humphrey's and Milligan's. "Get rid of the red queen and keep the clubs," she said to Humphrey, and he did, and won.
"Scat, kid," said Spud, but Clarissa sat down at the table.
"I want to play, too," she said.
"Go back to your cocoa," Spud ordered, but Clarissa opened her mouth and let out a high-pitched wailing yell it went on and on, unbearable in the galvanized-iron roofed barn, and Spud, Milligan and Humphrey covered their ears. "Maybe she'll stop if we let her play," suggested Humphrey, and dealt out a hand to Clarissa. She stopped screechning and picked up her cards. Then she proceeded without any trouble at all to win ten games and fifty dollars.

"It's not very nice, if you ask me," Spud said disgustedly. "Little girls shouldn't know how to cheat at poker." Clarissa pocketed her winnings and went to bed. She slept very well. In the morning she woke up early. Humphrey, Spud and Milligan were dozing fitfully in uncomfortable chairs. Clarissa made herself a substantial breakfast, then examined the barn. "Get away from that door!" Spud said, waking up.
"I've seen play forts in council parks better defended than this old barn". Clarissa scoffed. "The police could have this place surrounded and you wouldn't even know. No wonder you only asked for fifty thousand. It's all you're worth." Spud was so indignant that he bit his pre-breakfast cigar in two. "What became of all the food?" he demanded angrily.
"I had it for my breakfast, of course," Clarissa said. So Humphrey, Spud and Milligan had to make do with discussing the plans for collecting the ransom money instead. Clarissa listened. "It won't work," she jeered. "Just how do you expect Humphrey to reach the hollow tree in the park past a whole lot of detectives all lying in wait? Its too corny collecting ransom money from a hollow tree."
"And what would you suggest then Miss Smarty?" Spud asked.
"Some place where they can't set up an ambush of course. Tell them to put the money in a briefcase in a plastic bag and drop it off the pier. One of you could get in wearing scuba gear. It's a much better plan than your old hollow tree. I'Il draft a new anonymous letter to my rich guardian."
Clarissa began cutting letters from Spud's newspaper. even though he hadn't read the racing page yet. She pasted the letters to a sheet of paper and even Spud had to admit that it looked much more professional than theirs. And she'd doubled the ransom money too.

"But none of us can scuba dive," Humphrey pointed out.
"I can" said Clarissa crushingly "I'll collect the money. But only if you give me a share."
"That's only right." said Humphrey. "If she picks it up. she should be given something."
"Ninety-five per cent," said Clarissa. "Or I won't go at all Anyhow  you wouldn't have any ransom money in the first place, if it wasn't for me."
"If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be sitting in this draughty old barn with nothing to eat for breakfast but a toffee apple." said Spud. "I wish we'd concentrated on stealing your rich guardians valuable oil paintings instead."
"You'd never get near them. They're fitted with electronic alarms." "I stole the Mona Lisa once." Spud said boastfully "And you only got as far as the front door before they caught you. I read about it in the papers. The only way you could steal my guardian's paintings is if I came along and showed you the secret panel where you can cut off the alarm circuit. So there" Spud sourly began a round of poker while Humphrey went out to deliver the ransom note. Clarissa won another ten games. Spud thought with pleasure that after tonight they'd be rid of her. "Soon as we pick up that briefcase, we'll drop you off at your mansion," he said.
"First we'll come back here and count the money," contradicted Clarissa "Don't you know you can't trust anyone? You're the most hopeless gang leader I ever met. And you'll have to make plans about leaving the country, too. You'll need to learn a foreign language, but that's no problem. This afternoon you can all study French verbs. I'll supervise. That's after you clean up the getaway car. I'm not going anywhere to pick up ransom money in a car as dirty as that." She nagged so much that Spud, Humphrey and Milligan went out in the cold and cleaned the car. Clarissa sat at the window and made sure they did a thorough job. Spud, Milligan and Humphrey consoled themselves with thinking of all the goodies they'd buy once they got their hands on the ransom money. "A farm in France," Spud said. "I always wanted one of those." "I bet you don't know anything about farming, or France," said Clarissa. "It might be a good idea if I came along to advise you. I always give my guardian advice on real estate and money investment and practically run his affairs for him. I don't know what he'd do without me." Milligan, Spud and even Humphrey eyed her with distaste. They were getting fed up with the draughty barn, the waiting and the French verbs, and most of all they were fed up with Clarissa and her organizing. It was almost a relief when the time came to collect the ransom money. They drove to the waterfront, and Clarissa put on the scuba suit and galloped confidently into the sea. "She might swim to the pier and just pop up and give the alarm," said
Humphrey nervously. "Lets get out of here." "Not without our share of the money," said Spud "I haven't put up with that kid all day for nothing."
"We won't have to put up with her much longer," said Milligan thankfully. "Soon as we sort out the ransom money, we can drop her off at her mansion, and good riddance. Then it's off to the south of France for us." "That guardian's welcome to her," said Spud. "We should give the poor old fellow a few thousand dollars back. I feel sorry for him, having to put up with her till she's grown up and married." "No one would marry her," said Milligan with conviction. "Not even they were bribed with all of the Montgomery fortune."
They watched the water anxiously but no police boat bristing with armed Constables skimmed into sight. And after fifteen minutes Clarissa emerged, carrying a weighted briefcase in a plastic bag. Milligan, Spud and Humphrey tried to grab it from her but Clarissa put it in the getaway Car and sat on it. "Don't be so greedy" she said. "You're making as much noise as kids in a sandpit. You'll just have to wait till we get back to the barn."
On the way back the three gangsters were quite civil to Clarissa. They were all thinking that very soon they could drop her off at her mansion and never have to listen to her again or be ordered about. Spud had the first try at the locked briefcase, and failed. Milligan failed, too, and then Humphrey had a turn, with his skilful hands that had foiled every bank safe in town. But even he couldn't get the combination lock open. "What a lot of butterfingers!" said Clarissa, and turned the little numbered cylinder and the lid flew open. But the briefcase wasn't full of bank notes at all. There wasn't anything but the bricks that had served to weigh it down in the water. And one short typed note. Spud snatched it up and read it aloud, and his eyes rounded with horror and disbelief.

All the kidnappers turned pale and sat down. "Why are you all sitting down wasting time?" Clarissa demanded, frowning. "We have an oil painting job to plan. And now that I'm in charge of this gang, I expect much better work from all of you."

The kidnapping of Clarissa Montgomery questions

1. In what ways does Clarissa demonstrate that she is more intelligent than her kidnappers?
2. Where do you think she might have learned so much about planning crimes?
3. Discuss the steps by which she gradually took over the leadership of the gang.
4. Why was everyone so anxious to be rid of her?
5. Make up your own message by cutting letters from newspapers and magazines.
6. Write a story about Clarissas plan to steal her guardian's paintings.

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The End