“So do I,” replied Christopher cruelly. “’Cause then she’d be around to play dolls with you and I could get off more to go with the boys.”
“If you want to play with the boys, why don’t you go?” said Jane loftily. “I’m sure I don’t want your company if you don’t want to stay.”
Just then she spied something enveloped in a cloud of dust coming up the road, and her tone changed.
“Kit Baker, who’s that?”
“Huh?” asked Christopher, glancing at the approaching dust cloud with pretended surprise. “Oh, that’s just Bill Carpenter coming out to see the pups. Grandfather said I might give him one. And we’re going to talk baseball too a bit. The fellows want me on the nine. You needn’t go away, though; there’s no secret,” he added politely, as Jane climbed down off the gate.
The dust cloud had by this time revolved upon them and disclosed a small, freckled boy on a big bicycle. Jane gave her brother one hurt, angry look, turned her back and without a word ran into the house.
“What’s the matter?” called grandmother, catching sight of the red, scowling face as Jane passed the sitting-room door.
“Oh, nothing,” answered Jane carelessly, turning and entering the room. “Kit’s got a boy out there, so I thought I’d come in and see if Huldah wanted me to help her.”
Grandmother peered out the window at the backs of two boys disappearing around the corner of the house in the direction of the stable.
“I don’t believe Huldah is in the kitchen, dear,” she said, “but perhaps you would like to sit with me for a little while? I have some pretty bits of silk put away that I have been saving up for you to make a doll’s quilt. I thought they might come in useful when you and I were sitting together over a bit of sewing.”