boy and girl jumped to the ground, shrieking with laughter. In a moment the old woman was back again in the door of the cave. She had a stout stick in her hand and she looked very angry. She shook the stick at the Twins and scolded them so fast that the sound of it was like the chattering of an angry squirrel in a tree-top.
Now, of course, I cannot tell you just the words she used, but, translated into English, this is what she said:—
“You horrid little catamounts, if I catch you, I’ll teach you better manners! I’ll give you such a taste of this stick that you’ll not need more till the river runs dry.”
The Twins sprang up, still shrieking with laughter, and danced about the fire just out of reach of the woman’s stick.
“But you can’t catch us,” they screamed.
Their red locks of hair flew about in the wind as they danced, until it looked almost as if red flames were bursting from their heads. The old woman glared at them helplessly.
“Dance away,” she cried, “dance away, you red-headed rascals! I shan’t need to put sticks on the fire while you are here. Your red hair would scare away the sabre-toothed tiger himself! No wonder you are not afraid to run alone in the forest! With such heads on you, you are as safe as if you were in the heart of the cave.”
Just then she saw her acorns all spilled on the ground, and her rage broke out afresh.