“‘Surely this is a joke,’ declared the astonished tailor. ‘Are there no real Brownies?’
“‘We are the only ones,’ laughed Mary.
“The old tailor then agreed with his mother that children indeed were a blessing and not a burden.”
When Miss Gordon had finished the tale, she added:
“That is my own version of the Brownie story and a much shortened one. You all must read the original.”
“I already have,” declared Connie, who had obtained the tale at the Rosedale Public Library.
The Brownies all arose from the log, intending to start on toward the farmhouse.
As they were climbing the rail fence, a man in a dark flannel shirt and leather jacket strode down the road.
Evidently he had been chopping wood, for an axe was slung over his shoulder.
When the man saw the Brownies, he slackened his pace and gazed at them a trifle suspiciously. The girls began to feel a bit uncomfortable.