Part 40 (2/2)

”Go on and begin,” said Eunice; ”how did he win them?”

The reading proceeded quietly for a time. Eunice held the wool, grandma wound it off, and Zaidee and Helen played tonka on the piazza steps.

Tonka was a little j.a.panese game on the order of jackstones, only, instead of hard, n.o.bby stones, that spoil the dimpled knuckles, tiny bags of soft, gay silk, half full of rice, are used. Six little bags are made with the ends gathered, and one more, the tonka, is made flat and square of some different coloured silk, to distinguish it, as the gay little bags fly up and down. It was a very favourite amus.e.m.e.nt with all the children. Eliza was with Kenneth, and auntie was lying down, for the poor baby had been wakeful and in much pain the night before, and auntie had had little sleep.

Nearly an hour slipped by, when suddenly grandma stopped Cricket.

”How quiet the children are. Are they there still?” turning to see.

Eunice looked up also.

”Dear me, I haven't thought of them for a long time. They've slipped off. I suppose I ought to go and see what Zaidee's doing, and tell her she mustn't,” and Eunice lay down her work. She had had to have much care of the younger ones these last few days.

”I'll go, too,” said Cricket, getting up gladly. ”'Scuse us, please, grandma, for leaving you all alone.”

Cricket had scarcely ever been ill a day in her life, not even with children's diseases, which she had always escaped, and, in all her adventures, she was very rarely hurt. Therefore, pain was a very dreadful thing to her. She bore it bravely, but it was strange to see her looking so pale and heavy-eyed. But these few days of suffering were teaching her many things.

Eunice and Cricket heard the sound of the children's voices as they turned the corner of the house.

”Oh, they're all right,” said Eunice, relieved.

Just back of the house, in a tiny little shed, built especially for it, stood a big barrel of kerosene. It was kept outside, because grandma was very much afraid of the possibility of fire. Once, in an unlucky moment, the waitress, Delia, in drawing the oil into a small can to be carried into the house, had yielded to Zaidee's entreaty, and had let her turn that fascinating little spigot. After that the twins made several private expeditions to the barrel, but as the spigot was kept locked, of course they could not turn it. It chanced that this morning Delia had drawn the oil in a hurry, and had forgotten to turn the catch in the spigot that locked it.

Zaidee and Helen, prowling around for something to do, chanced to come past the barrel, and Zaidee tried the faucet. To their rapture a spurting stream of oil instantly poured out. An old dipper, lying near by, was immediately seized upon, as something to fill, and all the flower beds that were near by were well watered with kerosene. Next, they spied a small churn, which Bridget, the cook, had just put out in the sun to dry. This was an opportunity not to be neglected, and the next dipperful of kerosene went splash into Bridget's clean, white churn. Up and down went the dasher, worked by these eager hands, while, behind them, the kerosene still poured from the barrel.

”Yes, they're all right,” repeated Eunice. ”They're only working the churn-dasher up and down. Probably Bridget left some water in it to soak.”

”Come over here,” called Zaidee, hospitably.

”We're making b.u.t.ter, Eunice.”

Eunice drew a little nearer, then, suddenly, she stopped, sniffed, and darted forward.

”Children, what _have_ you there?”

”Caroseme,” responded Zaidee, promptly. ”We drawed it from the pretty little fountain in the barrel.”

Eunice turned hastily towards the ”caroseme” barrel, then flew towards it. As the barrel had been lately filled there was plenty in it, still, and it was flowing merrily, while a pool of kerosene lay over the board floor.

”Goodness gracious me! How shall I ever get in there to turn it off?”

cried Eunice. ”I _can't_ step in it?”

”Let Zaidee do it. She's soaking already with it. Zaidee, come here, directly, and turn this kerosene off.”

Zaidee came up cheerfully, and waded in, regardless of her shoes.

”It's too bad to turn it off, when it looks so pretty,” she said, regretfully.

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