“Children will be children,” said Aunt Prudence, with a grim smile. “I guess she’s no wuss’n the average.”
“Father says you never had days of being naughty when you were a little girl, so I should think Prue’d seem extra naughty to you,” said Randy, slowly moving the toe of her shoe back and forth along the cracks in the floor. As she glanced shyly at her aunt, hoping for one more consoling word in regard to Prue, she was much surprised and relieved to see Aunt Prudence actually smiling.
“I guess your father’s forgot about the time I threw his hat down the well to see if it would float.”
“Did you do that?” asked Randy, in surprise.
“Yes,” said Aunt Prudence, “and what’s more, I did it on purpose to plague him. He was goin’ fishin’, and I wanted to go, too. He said girls wus no good at fishin’ and went to the shed to get his rod and line, whistlin’ in a way that provoked me. His hat was on the grass near where I was standing, and, quick as a flash, I snatched it up and threw it down the well, thinkin’ it would delay his fishin’ trip for one while. It didn’t, though. He went bare-headed; and soon’s ’twas found out what I’d done, I got punished for spoilin’ his hat. Yes, your father remembers my good days, an’ it’s just like him to forget that I ever had naughty ones. But, Randy,” she said abruptly, “ye don’t ask if I brought anything in my trunk for you.”
“Why, I never thought of it,” said Randy.
“Like enough,” said Aunt Prudence; “it seems to me ye nearly always think of somebody besides yourself, Randy. I must say, I approve of ye. Yer father, every time he writes me, has something ter tell of you children; and now you jest help me unpack my trunk, an’ I’ll show ye something that, ef I ain’t mistaken, will please ye mightily.”
“Indeed, I’ll help you. I’ll like to,” said Randy, and soon the contents of the trunk were spread upon the bed. Those garments which could be hung up were placed upon hooks in the closet, and other articles were neatly folded in the bureau drawers. One puffy-looking package remained; this Aunt Prudence placed in Randy’s hands, saying, “There, Randy, there’s the material for making some Christmas presents; and if it makes ye happy, I’ll be glad of it.”
Very eagerly Randy untied the parcel, and uttered a little cry of delight when the open wrapping disclosed some beautiful colored worsteds of various hues.
“I’ll teach ye ter knit while I’m here,” said Aunt Prudence. “And now the evenings are beginning to be cool, ye might begin ter make a pretty little shawl for yer mother out of that deep red worsted; I guess there’s enough of it. That blue yarn will make some mittens for little Prudence, and the rest of it ye can do what ye like with.”