“Now I’m all ready for a washout!” he cried.
“Here come Flossie and Freddie,” reported Nan. “Hurry, children,” she begged them. “We want to get home before the storm grows any worse.”
“Oh, I’m going to take off my shoes and stockings!” cried Freddie, as he saw what Bert had done.
“So’m I!” added Flossie, who always wanted to do what Freddie did.
“No! No!” cried Nan. “You mustn’t! There, see what you’ve started!” she added to Bert. “I knew they’d want to do this when they saw you!”
“Well, I can’t help that,” chuckled Bert. “Let ’em if they want to, I say!”
“No! No!” insisted Nan, as she saw the younger twins sitting down and beginning to tug at their shoe laces. “You mustn’t! Mother wouldn’t like you to go barefoot in this cold rain—it isn’t summer yet. Keep your shoes on!”
“But Bert has his off, and I want to wade in the puddles!” wailed Flossie.
“So do I!” echoed Freddie. “I want my shoes off!”
“I’ll be the ferryman and carry you over the puddles,” offered Bert, and this solved the problem, much to Nan’s delight.