“Walter,” pleaded Martha Mary, “you shouldn’t. It hurts when you are that way. Please come play.”
“Won’t,” said Walter. “Get out of here; I hate you.”
Really miserable and almost crying herself, Martha Mary crept away to find the rest of the family. Father was busy writing Things in a large book. Mother Dear was bathing Liza; John was rowing Edward Lee on the lake Ocean.
“Don’t bother me,” he called. “I can’t hear you. I am miles away.”
More unhappy than before, Martha Mary walked down the gravel path to the gate. Then she opened it, a thing she rarely did, and went out. It was rather dusty on the county road, and the wind was blowing, and it fluffed her hair all about her face. It felt good—the wind always does. Almost immediately Martha Mary became more cheerful, and as soon as she became cheerful she had an idea. They always come when one is happy. She made up her mind to have an adventure; she didn’t know exactly what it would be, but an adventure she would have. She had never had a really and truly one all to herself; John had them; so did Walter and Edward Lee, like whitewashing and inking the cat, or finding a bird’s nest in the old straw hat in the hayloft. But nothing had ever really happened to Martha Mary and she didn’t know just how to begin. She thought for a long time; then a brown squirrel popped up in the middle of the road, cocked its ears, and scampered into the poppy field.
“I’ll follow ‘him,’” decided Martha Mary, “and see what happens. Perhaps it will be like Alice in Wonderland.”
Away the two of them went, lickety-split, down a hillside and up another to the crest and over it. Right there, just on the other side—— Guess what! There was a group of children, at least a dozen, all of the boys in blue jumpers and the girls in blue Kate Greenaway dresses, and they were gathered around one of the boys who was a little bigger than the others; even bigger than John. He was talking quite excitedly, and Martha Mary stood, fascinated, watching him and quite forgot little Mr. Squirrel, who had by this time completely disappeared up a tree. Finally the big boy saw Martha Mary and took off his hat and said, “Hullo!”
“Hullo!” said Martha Mary.
Again the boy said, “Hullo!” and looked at the tips of his shoes; then suddenly he smiled a perfectly good smile and said:
“Perhaps you could tell us?”