"Then we can get to the henhouse, Ruthie," said Agnes.
"And Billy Bumps, too, sister! Don't forget Billy Bumps," begged Tess from the porch.
"We'll try it, anyway," said Ruth. "Here are all the shovels, and we ought to be able to do it."
"Boys would," proclaimed Agnes.
"Neale would do it," echoed Dot, who had come out upon the porch likewise.
"I declare! I wish Neale were here right now," Ruth said.
"'If wishes were horses, beggars could ride,'" quoted Agnes. "Come on, Ruthie! I guess it's up to us."
First they went back into the kitchen to put on the warmest things they had—boots to keep their feet dry, and sweaters under their school coats, with stockingnet caps drawn down over their ears.
"I not only wish we had a boy in the family," grumbled Agnes, "but I wish I were that boy. What cumbersome clothes girls have to wear!"
"What do you want to wear—overalls and a jumper?" demanded Ruth, tartly.