Chicken Little puckered up her mouth rebelliously but Pete walked in the door at this moment calling “Chicken Little” so plaintively that she had to pick him up and comfort him. She took him out in the yard and relieved her mind to him.
“Pete, if I ever have any little girls, I’m always going to let them wear exactly what they please—and I’m never going to tell them to be little ladies. Anyhow I guess I can wear my white shoes and there haven’t any of the other girls got any yet.”
Pete eyed her in silence.
“I shall take my Christmas dolly—she’s the prettiest.”
Pete cocked his head on one side and began to climb up in her lap. He had caught sight of Ernest and Carol coming in the front gate, and the boys often teased him.
As they came near he cuddled up close against Jane, calling vigorously, “Scat!—Go off and die!”
The boys laughed and Ernest held out his slate pencil which the parrot nipped fiercely.
On the afternoon of the party Katy and Gertie came by for Chicken Little. They were crisp and dainty as usual in ruffled white dresses with blue and pink sashes and hair ribbons. Chicken Little looked from them to her own silken finery regretfully.
Katy began by cheering her the wrong way.
“My, you’ll have to be awful careful with your dress, Jane. I guess it would spoil it if you dropped ice-cream on it.”