Raymie Nightingale

Raymie, Louisiana, and Beverly show up for their third baton-twirling lesson the next day, but Ida Nee is not there. The girls decide to find her—a “search-and-rescue mission” for the Three Rancheros. They knock on the door. When Ida doesn’t answer, Beverly picks the lock to Ida’s office, and the girls go inside. They find hundreds of baton-twirling trophies, some of which don’t belong to Ida. Beverly even finds one belonging to her own mother.

Ida is not in the office, so the girls knock on the front door of Ida’s house. No one answers, so Beverly picks the lock, and the girls enter Ida’s house, calling out “Miss Nee?” They find Ida Nee drunk and asleep on the couch holding her silver baton. To the protests of Louisiana and Raymie, Beverly decides to remove Ida’s baton from her sleeping grip. Beverly succeeds and joyfully performs some impressive twirling with the silver baton before the Three Rancheros leave the sleeping Ida and walk back to town, with Beverly smacking Ida’s precious baton against rocks along the way.

As they walk, Louisiana suggests that they should go and rescue Archie from the Very Friendly Animal Center. Beverly sharply resists and accuses Louisiana of not understanding how the world works. A very upset Louisiana promptly sums up each of their sad situations, emphasizing to Beverly that she understands very well how the world works: “My parents drowned! I am an orphan! There is nothing to eat at the country home except for bologna sandwiches!” (171). She then points at Beverly: “Your father is in New York City […] And you tried to get to him but you couldn’t” (171). Finally, with a blazing-red face, Louisiana twirls towards Raymie and says, “And your father has run away with a tooth-cleaning person, and you don’t know if he’ll ever come back. And that’s how the world works!” (171). Louisiana is determined to try and save Archie and expects Raymie and Beverly to help because they are her friends and that is what friends do. Raymie is moved by Louisiana’s speech and agrees to accompany Louisiana to the shelter to get Archie. Beverly shrugs nonchalantly but agrees to help.

The animal shelter is an old grey cinderblock building, Building 10. The three friends go inside and find themselves in a stark room lit by a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. They talk to the receptionist, who is eating her lunch at a solitary desk. Louisiana explains that they have come to pick up her cat, Archie. The receptionist replies that cats are put down the same day they come in, but Louisiana doesn’t understand what “put down” means. While they are talking, they hear a desperate howl from behind a closed door. Sensing that this is going nowhere, Raymie and Beverly pull Louisiana, who is still questioning the receptionist, outside into the sunshine. Here Beverly explains what “put down” means and that Archie is dead. Louisiana refuses to believe Beverly and goes back inside the shelter. Louisiana kicks the desk and shouts at the receptionist to give Archie back. With building anger, Louisiana beats the desk with her baton while accusing the lady of not taking proper care of Archie, then faints.

Raymie and Beverly take Louisiana to Mrs. Sylvester at Clarke Family Insurance, which is close to Building 10. They revive her on the way by carrying her through a sprinkler. Louisiana is wet and weak when they get to Mrs. Sylvester’s office. Mrs. Sylvester is worried about Louisiana, but after hearing all about Archie and the fact that Louisiana always has “swampy lungs,” Mrs. Sylvester decides that comforting words and lots of candy will help best. She has a large jar of candy corn permanently on her desk, and Louisiana digs into and starts to feel better. Beverly wanders into Raymie’s father’s office while Louisiana is talking to Mrs. Sylvester. Raymie follows her, and in that empty room while looking at a picture of Lake Clara hanging over Jim Clarke’s desk, Beverly tells Raymie that the bruise on her face is from her mother, punishment meted out because she caught Beverly shoplifting. Standing in her father’s office, Raymie is struck by the enormity of all the recent events and revelations and by the profound connection she feels towards Beverly and Louisiana. Right there Raymie decides not to enter the Little Miss contest—that she doesn’t care. She tells Beverly, who confesses that she feels bad about the “cat thing” and will probably not bother sabotaging the contest either.