Page 27 (1/2)

Mrs Peterson talked Swedish to thelish to her, and they understood each other perfectly She always gave them each a cookie when they left, and they nibbled the cookies very slohile they walked home

Laura nibbled away exactly half of hers, and Mary nibbled exactly half of hers, and the other halves they saved for Baby Carrie Then when they got home, Carrie had two half-cookies, and that was a whole cookie

This wasn’t right All they wanted to do was to divide the cookies fairly with Carrie Still, if Mary saved half her cookie, while Laura ate the whole of hers, or if Laura saved half, and Mary ate her whole cookies, that wouldn’t be fair, either

They didn’t knohat to do So each saved half, and gave it to Baby Carrie But they always felt that somehow that wasn’t quite fair

So to spend the day Then Ma did extra cleaning and cooking, and opened the package of store sugar And on the day set, a wagon would co and there would be strange children to play with

When Mr and Mrs Huleatt caht Eva and Clarence with theirl, with dark eyes and black curls She played carefully and kept her dress clean and smooth Mary liked that, but Laura liked better to play with Clarence

Clarence was red-headed and freckled, and always laughing His clothes were pretty, too He wore a blue suit buttoned all the way up the front with bright gilt buttons, and trimmed with braid, and he had copper-toed shoes

The strips of copper across the toes were so glittering bright that Laura wished she were a boy Little girls didn’t wear copper-toes

Laura and Clarence ran and shouted and cliether and talked Ma and Mrs Huleatt visited and looked at a Godey’s Lady’s Book which Mrs Huleatt had brought, and Pa and Mr Huleatt looked at the horses and the crops and smoked their pipes

Once Aunt Lotty ca Laura had to stand still a long tis and co pri and her china-blue dress fresh and crisp

Laura liked her own red dress But Ma pulled her hair dreadfully, and it was brown instead of golden, so that no one noticed it Everyone noticed and admired Mary’s

“There!” Ma said at last “Your hair is curled beautifully, and Lotty is co Run meet her, both of you, and ask her which she likes best, brown curls or golden curls”

Laura and Mary ran out of the door and down the path, for Aunt Lotty was already at the gate Aunt Lotty was a big girl, much taller than Mary Her dress was a beautiful pink and she inging a pink sunbonnet by one string

“Which do you like best, Aunt Lotty,” Mary asked, “brown curls, or golden curls?” Ma had told theirl who always did exactly as she was told

Laura waited to hear what Aunt Lotty would say, and she felt miserable