title: Rain (Weather Ready-to-Reads)
author:  Marion Dane Bauer 
description: Marion Dane Bauer is the author of many books for young readers, including the Newbery Honor book<i>On My Honor</i>and the<i>New York Times</i>bestseller<i>My Mother Is Mine</i>. Her other titles include<i>A Mama for Owen</i>,<i>If You Were Born a Kitten</i>,<i>Grandmothers Song</i>, and<i>Thank You for Me!</i>She has retired from the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults where she was the first Faculty Chair. She lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and can be reached at MarionDaneBauer.com.
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  # **EIGHT**
  
  At six, they load into Eli's rust-pocked Jimmy, smelling of two-stroke oil and
  gasoline.
  
  On his way to a cut, he'll take them as far as Arcata.
  
  Emerging from under firs into open flat land is for Karl a homecoming. Only
  two hours, nowthey're that close. Even the wet paper bag stench from the
  paper mill straddling the bay smells good to him, now.
  
  Eli drops them in the square near the post office, "If I didn't have to work
  I'd take you the whole way." He rolls down a window to peer up at brooding,
  high overcast. "At least the weather's fine."
  
  Karl smiles at the joke, scanning cloud. Not knowing what to say, he waves,
  starts to turn away, but Eli catches him by the arm, "Tell her for me, tell
  her I'm sorry about what I said, that I was wrong. Nobody's that good with the
  baby, tell her that."
  
  Karl says he will, laughs at his proffered hand, and follows them out on to
  the ramp. Two r