Apparently, something the little girl saw there startled her.
At any rate, she twisted around to obtain a better view.
Now in doing so, Veve’s right arm came sharply against the half-filled pail of cherries. It teetered and started to fall.
Frantically, the little girl clutched to save the bucket.
But her hand missed. Down clattered the tin pail, spilling cherries in every direction!
Nor was that the extent of the disaster. In working convulsively to save the precious fruit, Veve had thrown the ladder off balance.
For a moment it wobbled and swayed.
Then, as she uttered a wild yell, it slipped sideways, hurling her to the ground.