Then it was Haley's turn to bat. "Watch out," she said, swinging the bat. "I'm going to hit it out of the park!" She put down the bat to sign the same thing to Matt. He signed something back, laughing.

    "What do you mean, girls can't hit?" yelled Haley. She gave a mighty swing and missed completely. "Darn," she said. She shook back her hair and dug her feet into the grass. "Pitch me another one," she said, signing along. This time, she connected. Buddy (still standing on "third base") and Matt watched the ball fly over their heads. Haley forgot to run - she just stood there and watched the ball disappear.

    And disappear it did - right onto the porch roof. "Great hit, Haley!" said Mallory.

    "Yeah, just great!" said Buddy. "Now we've lost the ball. Why couldn't you have just hit it into the backyard?" he asked Haley. "Then Pow would have found it, no matter where it went." "Oh, Pow Pow Pow," said Haley. "That's all I ever hear about these days is what a great dog Pow is and how he's going to win the pet show." She frowned at Buddy. "I don't think Pow is that great a dog," she added.

    "Well, he's a lot better than no dog at all," said Buddy.

    Haley bit her lip. Just then, Matt came over and looked at her questioningly. She signed to him, letting him know what Buddy had said. Matt gave Buddy a dirty look. Then he signed back to Haley.

    "He says, 'So what if we don't have a pet?' " Haley explained. "We're still invited to the pet . show, you know." "But you can't win a prize," said Suzi.

    "Well, what makes you so sure you'll win any prizes with that fat old mutt?" asked Haley.

    Suzi burst into tears. "Pow is not a mutt," she wailed. "He's a purebred basset hound." Mallory decided it was time to step in. "Okay, you guys. Let's not fight about it - " she began. But Buddy was shouting at Suzi, drowning Mallory out.

    "You're right, he's a basset hound. But you're not going to win any ribbons with him, anyway. I am!" Oh, no, thought Mallory. Not that fight again. She stepped toward Buddy, ready to separate him from the others before he got any angrier.