“How long is pretty soon?” Ted Martin wanted to know. He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole. And it wasn’t easy, he found. Though he had tossed many pebbles, not one had Ted sent through the hole.
“Pretty soon isn’t very long,” replied Mrs. Martin, with a smile. “As soon as Daddy comes we shall start.”
“I’m going out in the street to see if he’s coming,” announced Janet, bouncing down from the gate.
“No, dear! I’d rather you wouldn’t,” called Mrs. Martin. “There are so many autos in the street now, going to the circus parade, you might get hurt. Stay here, Jan!”
“Oh, I’ll not go into the street!” answered the little girl. “I’ll just go on the sidewalk so I can look down and see if Daddy is coming! I’ll be careful!”
“I’ll go with her,” offered Teddy, who was a year older than his sister. “I’ll take care of her,” he added, looking toward his mother.
“That’s a good boy, Ted,” she told him.
But Janet did not seem much impressed.
“Pooh!” she exclaimed. “You don’t need to take care of me, Teddy Martin! I can take care of myself!”
“Oh, Janet! That wasn’t kind, when Teddy offered to watch you,” chided her mother. “You shouldn’t have said that.”