"You are a dear, good monkey boy," she said, as she kissed him. Then he went out softly and closed the door.
"Now to wash the dishes!" exclaimed the red monkey, as he got the soap and hot water and a pan and a rag, and—well, whatever else you have to have to wash dishes. It's been a long time since I washed any, but I used to do it when I was a little boy and my mamma was sick, so I know boys can do it.
Well, now, all of a sudden, as Jacko was washing away at the dishes, and, maybe, splashing a little sudsy water on the floor (mind I'm not saying that last part for sure, but maybe), all of a sudden, I say, he heard some one down on the ground calling at him:
"Sissy boy! Sissy boy! Has to wash the dishes! Girly boy! Has to wear an apron! Oh, what do I know about you!"
And, looking out of a window, Jacko saw Mugsie Smugsie, another monkey boy, peeking in at him. Mugsie Smugsie was a bad sort of a monkey boy. He didn't mean to be bad, but he just couldn't help it, and very often he called the other animal children names, and threw stones at them and did such like things.
"Sissy boy! Sissy boy!" cried Mugsie Smugsie again, and he made a face at Jacko. Jacko was just going to call something back at Mugsie Smugsie, when all at once along came Susie Littletail, the rabbit girl. She heard what Mugsie Smugsie was saying.
"Shame on you!" cried Susie, pointing her paw at Mugsie Smugsie. "Shame on you to make fun of Jacko. Jacko is a good boy and he stayed home from school today to wash the dishes for his mamma because she had a headache. I know, for I met Mr. Kinkytail as he was on his way to work, and he told me. So I asked my mamma if I couldn't come over to help Mrs. Kinkytail do the work. Shame on you for making fun of Jacko. Some day you may have to wash the dishes yourself."
Say, I just wish you could have seen Mugsie Smugsie when Susie got through talking to him. His fuzzy face flushed all red and he dug his paw down in the dirt bashful like and then he felt very much ashamed for having made fun of Jacko when his mamma was sick.
"I—I didn't know all that," stammered Mugsie Smugsie. "I'd like to help you wash those dishes myself, Jacko, if you'll let me."
So this shows that Mugsie wasn't bad all the way through, you see. Nobody is, I guess; there are good spots in everybody, only some folks have more spots than others.