“I’ll get the sifter we were using when we played store, and I’ll let Trouble sift a lot of sand and tell him to pick out all the stones,” suggested the little girl. “That will keep him amused a long while.”
“Yes, I guess it will,” stated Ted.
“You playin’ hide-an’-find?” asked Trouble again. This was his name for the game of hide-and-seek.
“No, we aren’t playing that, Trouble dear,” said Jan, with more sweetness than usual in her voice. She wanted to be nice to her little brother so he would be satisfied to play by himself.
“You goin’ to ’muse me?” demanded the little fellow.
“Sure we are!” exclaimed Ted. “I’ll get the sifter,” he told Janet. “You keep him here a minute.”
“Come here and I’ll tell you a little story,” offered Janet.
“I’m comin’,” Trouble announced, as he toddled to his sister. She kept him amused until Ted came running back with the sieve which, a little while before, he and Janet had borrowed from Nora in the kitchen so they could use it in sifting sand, which they pretended was sugar in their play store.
Near the spot where Trouble had so unexpectedly found his brother and sister was some clean sand, and it was this that Janet had thought William could be induced to play with, while she and her brother went on with their own plans.
And, for once at least, Trouble did just what was wanted of him.