frightened that he turned suddenly and he swept the blue paint with his long yellow tail. The last the boys saw of Really was his tail, waving like a paintbrush dipped in blue.
The boys sighed in relief. "I thought he was surely going to spoil the floor," said Peter.
"We don't want anything to spoil it," said Penny, as they set to work again.
The room wasn't very large, so by the time the church clock struck five, they were just about half finished.
"Pretty soon, we'll have to get washed and dressed to go meet Mother and Daddy," said Peter.
"Yes," said Penny. "I guess we won't get it all finished, will we?"
"I guess not," replied Peter.
"Won't Daddy be surprised?" said Penny.
"He'll be surprised good," said Peter, finishing another board. Then he sat back on his heels. He looked at the open door as though for the first time. Then he looked behind him at the wall with the windows. Then he said, "S-a-a-a-ay, Penny!"
Penny looked up with his eyes big and round. "What is it?" he asked.
"Look!" said Peter.
"Where?" said Penny.
"At the door," said Peter.
Penny looked. "What's the matter with it?" he asked.
"Look where it is," said Peter. "How are we going to get out?"
Penny's eyes grew larger and larger as he looked at the lake of blue paint that lay between them and the door. Finally he said, "Well, what will we do?"
"We don't want to walk on it," said Peter.
Peter went to the window and looked out.
The ground looked very far away. The church clock struck half past five. "It's half past five," he said. "Mother said to leave at half past five."
"We could take off our shoes and stockings," said Penny, "and tiptoe to the door."
"We would mess it up, 'cause it's awfully slippery," said Peter, gloomily.
"Well, what shall we do?" asked Penny.
Just then, a voice called from downstairs, "Yoo-hoo! Penny!"
"Hi! Patsy!" Penny called back. "Come on up."
Footsteps came stamping up the stairs and in a moment, Patsy, the little girl who lived next door, appeared.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"We've been painting the floor," said Penny. "And now we can't get out of the room without walking on the paint."
"Oh!" said Patsy.
"And we have to meet Mother and Daddy at six o'clock," said Peter.
"Oh!" cried Patsy. "You will have to climb out of the window. Isn't it exciting? I wish I were over there and had to climb out of the window. I like to climb out of windows, but Mummy doesn't like me to do it."
"We can't climb out of the window," said Peter, impatiently. "How could we, when it's so high?"
"Oh!" said Patsy. "I thought the porch roof was there. Wouldn't it be nice if the porch roof was there? I like to sit on the porch roof. One day I sat on the porch roof all afternoon and nobody knew where I was. But Mummy didn't like it. I got my dress awfully dirty."
"Oh, Patsy!" interrupted Peter. "Don't just stand there talking. Do something."
"What shall I do?" Patsy asked.
"Oh, I guess we will just have to walk on it," said Peter.
"If you had a bridge, you could walk across the bridge," said Patsy.
"Is that so?" said Peter. "And where are we going to get a bridge?"
"Well, it's an awfully good idea," said Patsy.
"Oh, come on, Peter," said Penny. "We'll have to walk on it."
"Do you have a ladder?" asked Patsy.
"Yes," replied Peter, "but it isn't long enough to reach to the window."
"Maybe you could make a bridge out of it," said Patsy.
Peter looked at Patsy and his eyes opened very wide. "Maybe we could," he said. "You go down to the garage and bring it up, Patsy."
Patsy ran down to the garage. After some time she returned, dragging the ladder. She had quite a time bringing it upstairs, but she finally landed it outside of the bedroom door.
"Now," said Peter, "there are two little stools in Mother's room. Get them and throw one of them in here to me."
Patsy went off for the stools and reappeared with one in each hand.
"Now, throw it far enough so that it won't land in the paint," said Peter.
Patsy flung the
The boys sighed in relief. "I thought he was surely going to spoil the floor," said Peter.
"We don't want anything to spoil it," said Penny, as they set to work again.
The room wasn't very large, so by the time the church clock struck five, they were just about half finished.
"Pretty soon, we'll have to get washed and dressed to go meet Mother and Daddy," said Peter.
"Yes," said Penny. "I guess we won't get it all finished, will we?"
"I guess not," replied Peter.
"Won't Daddy be surprised?" said Penny.
"He'll be surprised good," said Peter, finishing another board. Then he sat back on his heels. He looked at the open door as though for the first time. Then he looked behind him at the wall with the windows. Then he said, "S-a-a-a-ay, Penny!"
Penny looked up with his eyes big and round. "What is it?" he asked.
"Look!" said Peter.
"Where?" said Penny.
"At the door," said Peter.
Penny looked. "What's the matter with it?" he asked.
"Look where it is," said Peter. "How are we going to get out?"
Penny's eyes grew larger and larger as he looked at the lake of blue paint that lay between them and the door. Finally he said, "Well, what will we do?"
"We don't want to walk on it," said Peter.
Peter went to the window and looked out.
The ground looked very far away. The church clock struck half past five. "It's half past five," he said. "Mother said to leave at half past five."
"We could take off our shoes and stockings," said Penny, "and tiptoe to the door."
"We would mess it up, 'cause it's awfully slippery," said Peter, gloomily.
"Well, what shall we do?" asked Penny.
Just then, a voice called from downstairs, "Yoo-hoo! Penny!"
"Hi! Patsy!" Penny called back. "Come on up."
Footsteps came stamping up the stairs and in a moment, Patsy, the little girl who lived next door, appeared.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"We've been painting the floor," said Penny. "And now we can't get out of the room without walking on the paint."
"Oh!" said Patsy.
"And we have to meet Mother and Daddy at six o'clock," said Peter.
"Oh!" cried Patsy. "You will have to climb out of the window. Isn't it exciting? I wish I were over there and had to climb out of the window. I like to climb out of windows, but Mummy doesn't like me to do it."
"We can't climb out of the window," said Peter, impatiently. "How could we, when it's so high?"
"Oh!" said Patsy. "I thought the porch roof was there. Wouldn't it be nice if the porch roof was there? I like to sit on the porch roof. One day I sat on the porch roof all afternoon and nobody knew where I was. But Mummy didn't like it. I got my dress awfully dirty."
"Oh, Patsy!" interrupted Peter. "Don't just stand there talking. Do something."
"What shall I do?" Patsy asked.
"Oh, I guess we will just have to walk on it," said Peter.
"If you had a bridge, you could walk across the bridge," said Patsy.
"Is that so?" said Peter. "And where are we going to get a bridge?"
"Well, it's an awfully good idea," said Patsy.
"Oh, come on, Peter," said Penny. "We'll have to walk on it."
"Do you have a ladder?" asked Patsy.
"Yes," replied Peter, "but it isn't long enough to reach to the window."
"Maybe you could make a bridge out of it," said Patsy.
Peter looked at Patsy and his eyes opened very wide. "Maybe we could," he said. "You go down to the garage and bring it up, Patsy."
Patsy ran down to the garage. After some time she returned, dragging the ladder. She had quite a time bringing it upstairs, but she finally landed it outside of the bedroom door.
"Now," said Peter, "there are two little stools in Mother's room. Get them and throw one of them in here to me."
Patsy went off for the stools and reappeared with one in each hand.
"Now, throw it far enough so that it won't land in the paint," said Peter.
Patsy flung the
Similar Books
The Chieftain’s Daughter
Leia Rice
Self-Help (Vintage Contemporaries)
Lorrie Moore
A New Resolution
Ceri Grenelle
Love Can Be Murder
Stephanie Bond
The Ghost of Oak
Fallon Sousa
The Sea-Quel
Mo O’Hara
A Countess by Chance
Kate McKinley
Zola's Pride
Moira Rogers
A Most Unconventional Match
Julia Justiss
The Prophecy
Nina Croft