“I want a lot of things more, but I guess I’ll put the rest of my money into the savings bank. I’ve got three hundred dollars in the savings bank already.”
“I tried to make money, once, to buy a bicycle,” said Cricket, meditatively. “I had a store on the dock at Marbury for one day. Sold peanuts and lemonade. It was pretty tiresome though, and I didn’t make very much. Auntie said I didn’t make anything, but I never could understand it, somehow. I had twenty-one cents to put in my bank at night. I had fifty cents in the morning, but we spent it buying things to sell. Business is so queer. I should think men’s heads would burst, finding out whether they are making money or losing it.”
“It’s a great deal nicer not to make money, but have somebody leave you plenty, then you don’t have to bother,” said Hilda. “Here’s a store; let’s go in here.”
The two little girls marched up to the first clerk they saw.
“We want to see if you’ll buy this ring of us,” said Cricket, holding it out. “We want to sell it, please, and please give us all you can for it.”
The clerk stared and smiled.
“I’ll have to see the old gentleman about buying the ring,” he said. “You wait here a moment,” and with that he went off with the ring, leaving the children looking after him hungrily, and a little uncertain whether they would see their treasure again. However, the clerk returned in a moment.
“Mr. Elton says he can’t buy it unless you bring a note from your father or somebody, saying it’s all right about your selling the ring, for he doesn’t want to be let in for receiving stolen property.”
The clerk meant this for a joke, but the horror-stricken children did not understand this kind of humour.
“I said I found it,” said indignant Cricket at last, finding her voice.