And that was just what the twins were doing, playing with the basket.
“You put something in it and let me pull it up,” commanded Dot.
“I haven’t anything to put in it,” Twaddles offered. “The cat’s gone.”
“Well you don’t have to have a cat,” said Dot impatiently. “I know what we can get––eggs!”
There were always two or three hens that persisted in stealing their nests and the twins had a fair idea of where these stolen nests were in the barn. They often found the eggs and took them in to Linda.
Now, after a few minutes’ search, they found seven eggs and put them in the basket with great glee.
“Let me pull it up after you do?” asked Twaddles as Dot climbed up the ladder.
“Well––perhaps,” she replied carefully. “I might want to pull it up more than once myself.”
She began to pull on the rope and the basket dangled in the air. Whether the sound of voices made Dot nervous, or whether the basket was heavier than she had expected, it is hard to say. But just as Jud and Bobby and Meg came out on the barn floor, Dot let that basket fall.