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Page 44
"I guess you'd think I wanted to come up here if you knew HOW I came,"
said Gwen.
"How did you come?" Polly asked, not because she cared but in order to
say SOMETHING. She could not say that she was glad to see her.
"Through the window and over our hedge," said Gwen. "Mama said that as
I'd been horrid at the breakfast table I must stay in all the forenoon.
I didn't think that was fair, because I wasn't VERY horrid. I put my
foot on the table so I could tie my shoe ribbons. Papa said,
'Gwendolen!' and I took it down quick. Then I took some peanut shells
from my pocket and sailed them in my cup of chocolate. They looked like
little boats. My piece of melon had the stem on it and I said it was a
music box. I wound the stem round and round, and sung 'Yankee Doodle.'
Mama made the waitress take me away from the table and I just howled all
the way! I don't think I need have stayed in for such little things as
that! I DIDN'T stay in. I jumped out of the window, it's near the
ground, and then, because it was the shortest way, I scrambled right
over the hedge. Horrid old thing! It had thorns on it, and it scratched
my knee."
Polly thought her a handsome little savage.
Gwen thought that she had made an impression upon Polly.
"There was just one reason why I acted so. Mama had guests, and she had
just been telling them what a good child I was, and I thought it would
be a joke to do some queer things at the table.
"I thought because she had company she wouldn't send me away, but she
did," she concluded.
Her next remark was even more surprising than those that she had already
made.
"Let's catch bugs!" she said.
"Oh, horrid!" cried Polly, "I couldn't do that!"
"I do," said Gwen, "and it's fun. I caught two big old beetles and tied
threads on them for harnesses. Then I hitched them to a wee little paper
box about an inch long and they made a good span. They dragged it all
right 'til I dumped an old fuzzy caterpillar into the box, and then they
tumbled over on their backs and squirmed and kicked like everything! If
I could find one now I could show you how they kick."
"Oh, please don't," said Polly quickly, "I wouldn't like to see them
wiggle."
"Then let's slide down your front steps," said Gwen. "Come on! Slide the
way I do. I sit down on the top step and commence to slip. When I've
slid over three steps I turn over and slide three that way. I get
excited wondering whether I'll tear my frock, or only bump my knees.
Sometimes it's both, and sometimes it's neither!"
Polly could not imagine why such antics could be amusing, and she knew
that her mama would not like any such rough play.
"You don't seem to want to," said Gwen; "are you afraid of your clothes,
or don't you dare to risk the bumps?"
"I don't think mama would like it," Polly said, gently, "but I'll play
'Hide-and-Seek' with you, or any game you like."
"Oh, I don't care for those old games," said Gwen, "so I'll tell you
what we'll do. Come over to the stable and you get your coachman to let
us have the horse and the cow. You ride the horse barebacked and I'll
ride the cow. Come on! Don't be a fraidie cat!"
"Oh, dear," said Polly, "I know you won't like it, but I don't want to
do that."
She saw Gwen's eyes snap, and knew that she was angry.
"I'll get my boat, and I'll let you sail it if you'd like to, in the
brook," she said.
She did not enjoy her little guest, but she wished to be kind.
"I WOULDN'T like to," Gwen said, rudely, "sailing boats isn't lively. I
guess as long as you don't want to play any jolly things I'll go home. I
meant to shingle the cat's fur this morning, and I'll do that. I'm going
to wet it sopping wet, part it in the middle from his head to his tail,
and then shingle it all but his tail!"
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