“Willie!” said Mr. Blake.
“Sir.”
“Be careful about fire.”
“Yes, sir.”
And then old blackey-brown Sancho moved on in a gentle trot, and Willie and Helen and Richard went into the house, where Curlypate had already gone, and where they found her on tiptoe, with her short little fingers in the sugar-bowl, trying in vain to find a lump that would not go to pieces in the vigorous squeeze that she gave it in her desire to make sure of it.
So Willie washed the dishes, while Helen wiped them, and Richard put them away, and they had a merry time, though Willie had to soothe several rising disputes between Helen and Richard. Then a glorious lot of wood was gotten in, and Helen came near sweeping a hole in the carpet in her eager desire to “surprise mamma,” Curlypate went in the parlor and piled things up in a wonderful way, declaring that she, too, was going to “susprise mamma.” And doubtless mamma would have felt no little surprise if she could have seen the parlor after Curlypate “put it to rights.”
Later in the evening the cow was milked, and a plain supper of bread and milk eaten. Then Richard and Curlypate were put away for the night. And presently Helen, who was bravely determined to keep Willie company, found her head trying to drop off her shoulders, and so she had to give up to the “sand man,” and go to bed.
