Flushed from play, Billy stood in the doorway between their rooms. He was the oldest Murray boy, and the natural leader in all their games and adventures. Almost as tall as Janie, he was so sturdily built, that when ever they played circus he was always the strong man. He had blue eyes and fat cheeks and pin-point freckles scattered like the milky way across his upturned nose. James would spend hours with a book, but Bill liked people and people liked Bill.
“No,” he said. “The last time we wanted to take an all day boat trip down the canal Davey fell in head first and James got into a mess of poison ivy. Mom said we couldn’t go again. I’d like to build a diving helmet so that I could find treasures on the bottom of the lake, and I’d like to have a hay ride for a birthday party.”
“Birthday party? But your birthday....”
“Yes, I know, my birthday is on Christmas eve, and every one is so excited about Christmas that I never have a real party like other kids do, so sometime I’m going to have a hay ride with a man to play the concertina and cases and cases of pop.”
Jane laughed, but she looked at her brother affectionately. “When I’m a millionaire,” she said, “I’ll take you for a hay ride every summer night. Isn’t it funny,” she continued, “how we plan what we’re going to do during the summer, and we never quite do what we plan? Usually something much more exciting happens. I wonder what it will be this year?”
Chapter Two
Who Peppered the Cake
JANIE lay in bed enjoying the grand feeling of the first day of vacation. Doves circled in and out of the poplar hedge across the street. It was still early. The rest of the family was asleep, but lying in bed was a waste of time. Slipping into a playsuit, she tiptoed down the back stairs and into the kitchen.
Butchie set up a delighted “chee—chee” at the sight of her, and she crossed to the porch door and let him in. The organ-grinder man had taught Butch to eat his meals sitting at a little table, and there he was perched with a bib around his neck while Jane warmed his porridge. He had some difficulty managing his spoon while he was eating, but Janie encouraged him,