THE END OF THE VACATION
The four little Blossoms wanted to go to the same place where they had gone before and Jud drove them. Then he was to take the horses and wagon back for his father to use during the day and Peter would come for the picnickers in the afternoon and get his sandwiches.
“Don’t go wading till Jud comes,” said Aunt Polly, when good-natured Jud had gone back. “Help Linda spread out the rubber blanket, for we want to be comfortable while you play around.”
The children spread out the blanket and on top of that Aunt Polly spread a cotton one and then she and Linda sat down to sew.
“Let’s go see if there is another shirt spread 174 out to dry,” suggested Meg, and she was much excited when they saw a bit of white fluttering from a bush.
“’Tisn’t the same place,” Dot argued.
“Well, it’s almost the same place,” retorted Bobby. “Only it looks ragged,” he added.
Meg was eager to go and examine the white thing, but she knew they would have to wait for Jud. Aunt Polly laughed when she heard about it and said that Meg would have Linda running a mending shop if she was not very careful.
“After we have lunch, if Jud is willing to take you, you may go over and see what it is,” she told her little niece kindly. “You’d have every one nicely washed and mended if you could, wouldn’t you, Meg?”
Jud came back on foot and after he had rested a minute, declared he was willing to wade the brook with the children. But Aunt Polly insisted they must have lunch first and of course no one wanted to miss that. As soon as the last crumb was gone, however, the children began to tease and Jud said they might as well go. He 175 had laughed at the idea of another shirt, but half way across the stream he seemed to change his mind.