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Page 23
"I didn't laugh."
"You did! Don't you suppose I know what laughing is?"
"I guess I know I didn't."
"You did laugh! How darst you tell such a fib?"
"If you say that again I'll take Belinda and go right home; then what
will you do?"
"I'll eat up the cake."
"No, you wont! It's mine, ma said so, and you are only company, so
you'd better behave or I wont have any party at all, so now."
This awful threat calmed Bab's anger at once, and she hastened to
introduce a safer subject.
"Never mind; don't let's fight before the children. Do you know ma says
she will let us play in the coach-house next time it rains, and keep
the key if we want to."
"Oh, goody! that's because we told her how we found the little window
under the woodbine, and didn't try to go in, though we might have just
as easy as not," cried Betty, appeased at once, for after a ten years'
acquaintance she had grown used to Bab's peppery temper.
"I suppose the coach will be all dust and rats and spiders, but I don't
care. You and the dolls can be the passengers, and I shall sit up in
front and drive."
"You always do. I shall like riding better than being horse all the
time with that old wooden bit in my mouth, and you jerking my arms
off," said poor Betty, who was tired of being horse all the time.
"I guess we'd better go and get the water now," suggested Bab, feeling
that it was not safe to encourage her sister in such complaints.
"It is not many people who would dare to leave their children all alone
with such a lovely cake, and know they wouldn't pick at it," said Betty
proudly, as they trotted away to the spring, each with a little tin
pail in her hand.
Alas, for the faith of these too confiding mammas! They were gone about
five minutes, and when they returned a sight met their astonished eyes
which produced a simultaneous shriek of horror. Flat upon their faces
lay the fourteen dolls, and the cake, the cherished cake, was gone!
[Illustration: BAB AND BETTY ON THEIR WAY TO THE TEA-PARTY.]
For an instant the little girls could only stand motionless, gazing at
the dreadful scene. Then Bab cast her water-pail wildly away, and
doubling up her fist, cried out fiercely:
"It was that Sally! She said she'd pay me for slapping her when she
pinched little Mary Ann, and now she has. I'll give it to her! You run
that way. I'll run this. Quick! quick!"
Away they went, Bab racing straight on, and bewildered Betty turning
obediently round to trot in the opposite direction as fast as she
could, with the water splashing all over her as she ran, for she had
forgotten to put down her pail. Round the house they went, and met with
a crash at the back door, but no sign of the thief appeared.
"In the lane!" shouted Bab.
"Down by the spring!" panted Betty, and off they went again, one to
scramble up a pile of stones and look over the wall into the avenue,
the other to scamper to the spot they had just left. Still nothing
appeared but the dandelions' innocent faces looking up at Bab, and a
brown bird scared from his bath in the spring by Betty's hasty
approach.
Back they rushed, but only to meet a new scare, which made them both
cry "Ow!" and fly into the porch for refuge.
A strange dog was sitting calmly among the ruins of the feast, licking
his lips after basely eating up the last poor bits of bun when he had
bolted the cake, basket and all.
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