"I move we make him sit down on the rug and eat marshmallows," suggested Ruth.
"The very idea," agreed Mollie.
"But we want them ourselves," objected Grace.
"I have another box," admitted Olive. "Your father sent two boxes, though I did not intend to tell you about the second one just yet."
It was agreed that Tom's punishment should be a sweet one. Tom grinned broadly.
"Those things are for girls. I can swallow a boxful without winking an eyelid," he declared. "Gimme the box."
"No, Thomas, you aren't going to eat them that way. We are going to wait on you and help you to every mouthful," answered Barbara sweetly. "It isn't every boy who has five nice girls to wait on him when he eats. Is it, Tommy?"
"No," answered the boy in a doubtful tone. He did not exactly like the look of things now. Barbara placed a firm hand on his arm and set him down on a rug in front of the fireplace. Tommy was closer to the fire than was comfortable, but there seemed to be no escape for him. The five girls speared as many marshmallows, toasted them and thrust them flaming at the boy. Tommy gulped down the first one with evident enjoyment. Four others went down easily. Tommy decided that marshmallows were pretty good stuff. He called for more, and got them. There was always a stick with a flaming cube on the end of it ready to be thrust into his mouth. Tommy rolled his eyes with satisfaction.
"I could take punishment like this for a week at a stretch. More!"
Still the girls fed him. Even Olive was gentle and considerate. Tommy did not recall ever having seen her more so. All the girls were very kind to him, but there was a mischievous twinkle in their eyes that Tommy was not astute enough to read.