At that very moment, one of the girls sighted the missing Brownie. She came walking jauntily through the gate, pigtails swinging. Her shoes were quite dusty, an indication that she had tramped along the road.
“Oh, girls! Guess what?” she greeted the Brownies. Jane looked directly at Veve as she spoke.
“Where have you been?” Veve demanded suspiciously.
Jane laughed. “Off looking for a quilt!” she informed saucily. “Found one too!”
“You found a quilt for the Brownie show?” Veve asked in a weak voice.
“At the farm next to this one! Oh, it’s a dandy! Blue and white. It’s called the Ship’s Wheel pattern. The lady who owns it says she’ll be glad to let me have it for the display.”
“She’ll let you have it!” Veve cried. “But that was my quilt!”
“It wasn’t yours until you had it promised,” chuckled Jane. “The early bird catches the worm, you know! You’re a pretty late bird, Veve.”
“You heard me tell Connie about the quilt!” Veve accused. “Then you sneaked off before I had a chance and asked for it.”