Part 19 (2/2)

”Now look yeah!” said Dinah. ”Does yo' ma know yo' is gwine t' do dish yeah candy business?”

”No, Dinah, but I'll tell her when she comes home,” for on coming in from school Flossie had been told that her mother was not in.

”Yo'll tell her when she comes home?” cried the old colored cook. ”Yo'

won't need t' _tell_ her, honey lamb. She'll done know dat yo' all has been up t' suffin queer. Make candy! Oh mah gracious! I done guess you'd bettah not!”

”Oh, please, Dinah! It's easy. You can help me.”

Dinah gave in, as she usually did, and got out some sugar, some water and a saucepan for the little girl. Dinah knew Flossie was too little to be trusted alone around the stove, so she stood near herself.

”Let me pour in the water,” begged Flossie, and she was allowed to do this. Then the sugar and water in the saucepan was soon bubbling on top of the stove. Flossie b.u.t.tered a pan, getting almost as much b.u.t.ter on her fingers as she did on the tin, but Dinah gave her a wash rag, so that was all right.

Letting the candy boil, Dinah went about her kitchen work, while Flossie sat in a chair near the stove watching. Pretty soon the door bell rang, and Dinah went to answer it. Flossie stayed in the kitchen looking at the steaming pan of candy until she heard a voice calling to her from the yard.

”Flossie! Flossie! Come on out and play!”

It was Stella Janson, a little girl who lived next door.

”I can't come out right away, Stella,” answered Flossie. ”I'm making candy and I have to watch it. You sit down on the porch and when the candy is done I'll bring some out to you.”

Flossie went to the door to tell this to the little girl, and then she saw that Stella had a new doll.

”Oh, isn't she pretty!” cried Flossie. ”I must see her!”

Forgetting all about the candy boiling on the stove, Flossie went out on the porch. There she and Stella took turns holding the doll. All this while Dinah was at the front door. A peddler had rung the bell, and it took the colored cook some little time to tell him her mistress did not want to buy a new kind of piano polish.

All at once Dinah gave a cry and quickly closed the door.

”Sumfin's burnin'! Sumfin's burnin'!” she shouted as she hurried back to the kitchen.

At the same time Stella, who was out on the porch with Flossie, began to sniff the air.

”What's that funny smell?” she asked.

Flossie also sniffed.

”Oh, it's my candy burning!” she cried. ”My nice candy! I forgot all about it!”

She and Dinah ran into the kitchen at the same time. Over the stove black smoke was curling up from the saucepan of candy.

”Oh, oh!” cried Flossie.

”Keep away, honey lamb--don't touch it!” cried Dinah. ”It's hot! I'll lift it off!”

She was just doing that, using an iron holder so she would not burn her hand, when Freddie came rus.h.i.+ng in, dragging after him his toy fire engine with which he had been playing out in the yard.

”Fire! Fire!” cried Freddie. ”Fire! Fire! I'm a fireman! I put out fires! Look out!”

<script>