"Dear me, Jennie!" cried Ruth Fielding. "If you are so anxious, why don't you run and bring a pan in? We'll see if it's brittle enough to break up."
Heavy sighed, but put down her work and arose. "It's always I who has to do the work," she complained.
"Bring the pan in here and break the candy," advised Madge Steele.
"We'll have to watch you."
Heavy came back with one of the candy pans in short order, bringing a hammer, too, with which to crack the brittle taffy.
"Come! we'll see how it tastes; and if it's good enough," she added, smiling broadly, "we won't let the boys have even a little bit. They were mean enough to go off skating without us."
She cracked up a part of the candy, passed the pan around quickly, and popped a piece into her own mouth. In a moment she spat the candy into the fire, with a shriek, and put her hand to her jaw.
"Oh! oh! oh!" she cried.
"What's the matter with you, Heavy?" demanded Helen, startled.
"Oh, I've broken a tooth I believe. Oh!"
"Why were you so greedy?" began Madge, sedately. And then, suddenly, she stopped chewing the bit of candy she had taken into her mouth, and a sudden flush overspread her face.