“I wonder where that bad little thing is?” said Cricket, looking around, and half expecting a shower of pebbles, by way of greeting.
“Expect she’s gone to mourn for her sins,” said Eunice.
“That will take her some time,” laughed Cricket, “and so we’ll have a little peace. Isn’t that the new cow ’Gustus John bought last week at the Fair? I wonder why it isn’t in the pasture with the rest.”
“I don’t know. Oh, Cricket, what lovely boards!” exclaimed Eunice. “I suppose ’Gustus has them for his new hen-house. Let’s take one of them and see-saw.”
“Oh, goody, let’s!” and the little girls soon had one of the long new boards down from the pile. See-saw was an old amusement, and their favourite place to balance the board was across one of the open spaces in the barnyard fence. One little girl would go inside the yard and the other would stay outside.
“See how funny that cow stands?” said Cricket, as she unfastened the gate and went into the barnyard, in order to pull the board through as Eunice pushed it from the other side.
The cow stood with her head lowered and her tail moving restlessly, watching the children’s movements. Cricket, however, too used to cows to fear them, did not notice her further, and drew the board to the right position to balance. Then with much squealing and laughing—little-girl fashion—the two seated themselves, and the fun began.
“See-saw! see-saw! here we go up and down,” sang the children gayly, as Cricket’s head rose above the fence and Eunice went down. They did not see Mamie peeping at them from the barn-door that opened above the cowyard, and they rather wondered at her unusual absence.
“It’s just lovely to have that Mamie out of the way,” remarked Cricket, as she went up again.
“Too good to last,” returned Eunice.