"Tie a blue ribbon on it," suggested Bert.
"Yes, we might," said Flossie slowly. "Maybe Nan has a ribbon. I'll ask."
Bert laughed and said:
"I was just fooling, little fat fairy. I don't believe you can do that."
"I don't see why," dissented Freddie. "We can try, anyway. Here, I have a red string in my pocket. That'll do better than a ribbon."
He pulled out the string, and the two smaller children tied it around the middle of the earthworm, but, much to Flossie's dismay, they tied it so tightly that it almost cut the worm in two.
"Oh, Freddie Bobbsey! You fix that right away!" cried his twin sister, and he loosened the string.
Pretty soon Bert again dropped the spade he had taken up and said:
"There, Freddie, you dig awhile. I want to see about the lines and poles. We have almost worms enough."
Freddie was glad to do this, and Flossie was eager to pick up the crawling creatures. Bert went back to the tent to get out the poles, lines and hooks. There he found his father and mother looking at the broken box that had held the tin bugs.