Penny and Peter Read Free

stick. He pried off the lid and thrust the stick into the can.
    "You have to stir it until it is smooth," he said, as he began to stir the paint round and round with the stick.

    At first, it was very hard to stir, but the more he stirred the easier it became. And the color grew more beautiful.
    Penny sat on the floor beside Peter. While Peter stirred, the two boys talked. "Do you know Jimmy and Jackie Landon?" asked Penny.
    "Sure!" said Peter. "They're in your room in school, aren't they?"
    "Yes," replied Penny. "And do you know what Jimmy and Jackie have in their bedroom?"
    "What?" asked Peter.
    "They have bunk beds," answered Penny. "Do you know what bunk beds are?"
    "Sure," said Peter. "They're like the beds on trains. One is down low and the other is up high, near the ceiling."
    "And you climb up a ladder to get into the upper one," said Penny.
    "That's right," said Peter.
    "I wish we had bunk beds," said Penny.
    "I read a story once about some people who had a cabin in the woods. They had bunk beds," said Peter.
    "They did?" said Penny. "They had a cabin in the woods?"
    "Yepper!" replied Peter. "And it was an exciting story."
    "Were there wild animals in the woods?" asked Penny.
    "Oh, sure!" said Peter.
    "Would you like a cabin in the woods?" asked Penny.
    "You bet!" replied Peter. "Someday, I'm going to have one."
    "Would you be afraid of the wild animals?" asked Penny.
    "'Course not," said Peter.
    "Wouldn't you even be afraid of a wolf?" asked Penny.
    "No," replied Peter. "I would shoot it. Would you be afraid?"
    "No," answered Penny. "I wouldn't be afraid of any old wolf."
    "Well, then, you can stay in my cabin when I get it," said Peter. "You can sleep in one of the bunks."
    Penny looked into the can of paint. "Isn't it done yet?" he asked.
    "Almost," Peter answered.
    At last, Peter said, "Now it's ready." And just then, he tipped the can and spilled some of the paint on the floor. Peter picked up one of the brushes and spread the paint that had been spilled. "We might as well begin right here," he said.
    Penny was delighted to finally dip his brush in the paint. He liked spreading the blue paint over the floorboards. He watched Peter and tried to do it just the way he did.
    Peter was so much interested in what he was doing that he didn't notice that when he began with the spilled paint, it was right in front of the only door in the room. He just painted and painted and painted. And Penny painted and painted and painted. Every once in a while they moved the bucket of paint and they got farther and farther away from the door. Before very long there was a strip of blue paint from one wall to the other. It was so wide that no one could have stepped over it—not even Daddy, with his long legs. But they never noticed that the only way out was getting farther and farther away from them. They were too busy painting. Occasionally, they would sit back and admire their work.
    Once Peter said, "It looks swell, doesn't it?"
    "Yes," replied Penny. "Won't Daddy be surprised?"
    And then, in the doorway, Truly, Penny's black cat with white paws, appeared.
    "Don't come in, Truly," shouted Penny. "Don't come in!"
    Truly put his white nose down and wiped up some paint. He looked so funny when he lifted his face. He was wearing blue lipstick. Peter and Penny screamed with laughter.
    Then Truly lifted one white paw. He was just about to put it down on the blue paint when Peter cried, "Scat!"
    Truly was so surprised, he turned tail and fled down the stairs, taking his little blue nose with him.
    The boys set to work again. By this time, there was a good deal of paint on their hands, and their overalls were pretty well spotted. They went on painting.
    Then Really, Penny's yellow cat, appeared in the doorway. "Scat!" cried Penny. "Go away," he cried, as Really showed signs of walking right over the blue paint.
    Peter reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of paper. He threw it as hard as he could at Really. Really was so