“What’s the reason we can’t tie the corn husks together at the tip ends, and keep on tying ’til we get enough to go around the room, and then hang up the long string of ears and husks just above the pictures?” queried Belinda Babson.
“Oh, Belinda!” screamed Randy, “that’s such a bright idea, what ever made you think of it?”
“I just did think of it, that’s all,” said Belinda, much pleased that her design for decoration met with approval. So the girls rushed out to the barn to find Mr. Weston and ask permission to use the corn.
“Land, yes,” he said when approached, “use anything within reach, I say, so long as it helps to make the house look pooty;” so, laughing gayly, the girls filled their aprons with corn, and running to the house commenced, in furious haste, to tie the husks together.
All the young friends had called that morning in a body to offer their help to Randy, and she had most gladly accepted it.
While the girls were tying the corn husks, Jotham Potts and Reuben Jenks were making themselves very useful, for by this time the girls had discovered that it required a great many ears of corn with which to garland or festoon the room. The boys brought the corn in wheelbarrow loads and then offered to help do the tying.
“Oh, boys couldn’t do this,” said Phœbe Small, who was much piqued to see that whenever Jotham sat down to rest, he sat near Randy.
“That’s one of your pleasant speeches, Phœbe,” said Reuben Jenks, before his friend Jotham could reply; whereat Phœbe tied a hard knot in a corn husk with such unnecessary vim that it broke.
Reuben laughed slyly; and Randy with her usual kindness, appearing not to notice the tilt, praised Phœbe’s pretty arrangement of red and yellow ears, and thus smoothed “ruffled feathers.”
Jotham looked at Randy with real admiration. “I b’lieve she always does the right thing,” thought the boy; so Phœbe’s spite only strengthened the admiration of Randy’s young cavalier.