So Rose dried her tears and hurried on after her mother out to Grandma Bell's corncrib.
As they came near it they could hear a grinding noise, and then the voice of Laddie called:
"Oh, Russ! here come some of the buttons."
"Yes! A lot of 'em!" Russ added. "Oh, she's shucking fine, Laddie—just like an ear of corn!"
"Dandy!" exclaimed Laddie. "It's too bad Rose didn't wait to see what we were doing. This is fun!"
"I'm here now! And you just give me my doll!" cried Rose. "I told mamma on you, that's what I did!"
The grinding noise kept up for a moment or two longer, and the laughter of the two little boys could be heard. Then Mrs. Bunker, followed by Rose, went into the corncrib. Mrs. Bunker saw a curious sight.
Standing at one side of the corn-shelling machine was Russ, turning the big wheel, which went round quite easily. On the other side was Laddie, and in his hat he was catching a little stream of yellow shoe buttons that came down through the spout.
"Boys! Boys! What are you doing?" cried Mrs. Bunker.
"Hello, Mother!" cried Russ. "She shucks dandy. All the buttons are coming off, just the way Tom made the kernels of corn come off the cobs for the chickens! Look!" and he pointed to the buttons dropping from the tin spout into Laddie's hat.