“If I don’t fall down on the rest of my tests I’m beginning to have hopes myself.”
“Why should you fall down?”
“Oh, I don’t know. One has to get into deep waters sometime, I suppose. I’m sorter, kinder scared of the health things. It’s tremendously hard to be prudent always, and I do love sweet things.”
Winnie looked ruefully at the third piece of fudge which she had just extracted from the box. “Why did you say that?” she lamented. “I was having such a nice free time with this fudge and now I am confronted by the word Duty with a large D. Get thee back, foul fiend!” she exclaimed dropping the fudge back into the box.
“How dare you call my fudge a foul fiend,” cried Joanne laughing.
“Put it away! Lock it up!” cried Winnie jumping up and going to the window. “I am a poor weak sister, and as long as it is in sight I shall not be able to resist the temptation of eating on and on and on. When it comes to home-made fudge I am a perfect pig. I know so much isn’t good for me. Already I have eaten too many Christmas candies, and now I act as if I had not had a sweet thing for ages. I shall keep on looking out the window till you assure me that box is safely hidden from view.”
“I call that noble self-denial,” said Joanne as she skurried the box into a drawer. “The only trouble is that now I shall have to be the martyr and eat what you have left. No, I will not,” she added drawing forth the box again. “I will take what’s left to Clausie. I will have the strength of mind to withstand temptation.”
“And make poor Clausie go through the same agonies,” said Winnie with a little giggle.
Joanne looked down at the box undecidedly. “Then what shall I do? throw it away?”
“Oh, never, never,” cried Winnie with such feeling that both laughed. “Take it to some one who never has anything of the kind and who has grown beyond the temptations of youth.”