Betsy and Billy (4 page)

stood by, looking up at Billy. Billy stood on his toes and stretched up as high as he could. Now he could touch the jar. He moved it with his finger to the edge of the shelf. Now he could get his hand around it. Very carefully he lifted the jar down.

"Oh, boy!" said Billy, as he placed the jar on the table; "I was afraid I was going to drop it."

"I was holding my breath," said Betsy.

Billy took the lid off of the jar. "Now we'll get some bread," said Billy, opening the bread box.

Mopsie had her two front paws against the edge of the table. She didn't want to miss anything, especially not anything to eat.

"Here's the bread," said Billy, handing the loaf to Betsy.

As Betsy reached for the loaf of bread, her elbow knocked against the jar of molasses. Over it went, pouring the golden syrup over the edge of the table right onto Mopsie. In a moment the molasses was all over Mopsie's back.

"Now look what you did," shouted Billy. "What will my mother say!"

Betsy stood the jar up and looked at the sticky mess. Then she looked at Mopsie. The molasses that had fallen on Mopsie's head was now running down over her face. The rest was settling into Mopsie's fur coat.

"Have you got a rag?" asked Betsy. "I'll wipe it up.

Billy gave Betsy the dishcloth and Betsy wiped the molasses off of the table. Then she wiped up all that had gotten on the floor.

"Now you will have to wipe Mopsie," said Billy.

Betsy reached for the little dog, but Mopsie thought Betsy wanted to play so she turned and ran. Through the kitchen door she flew. Round and round the dining room table she dashed. The children ran after her shouting, "Here, Mopsie! Come here!"

Mopsie was having a good time. This was more fun than watching the children color picture books. She flew out into the hall and up the stairs. The children raced after her. Mopsie dashed into Mrs. Porter's bedroom and jumped right into the center of the bed. To Betsy's horror, Mopsie rolled all over the clean white bedspread. Before Billy could pick the little dog up, the bedspread was ruined. There were sticky yellow spots all over it.

Billy clutched Mopsie tightly in his arms. "We'll have to give her a bath," said Billy. "She's sticky all over.

Billy carried the dog into the bathroom. "Turn on the water," he said.

Betsy put the stopper in the tub and turned on the water. She let it run until the tub was half full. Then Billy put Mopsie into the water and the two children set to work. Betsy held Mopsie while Billy washed her. He rubbed soapflakes all over Mopsie until she was covered with lather. Then he rinsed the soap suds off with clear water. As he lifted the dog out of the tub, Billy knocked against the towel rack. Down went the guest towels into the water.

"Gee!" said Billy; "now look what I did!"

Billy set Mopsie down on the floor and leaned over to pick up the wet towels. Like a flash, Mopsie was off again. Back to the bedroom she scampered leaving wet tracks behind her. The children ran shrieking after her, but before they could catch her she was up on Mrs. Porter's bed again, rolling on the molasses-spotted bedspread. Billy caught her and carried her back to the bathroom. Once again he put Mopsie in the tub and rinsed her off. "Now you hold her," he said to Betsy when he lifted Mopsie out.

Betsy held her while Billy rubbed Mopsie with his own towel. Then he carried her down to the kitchen and put her in her bed. "Now you stay there," he said, "and behave yourself."

When Billy came upstairs again, Betsy said, "What will your mother say about the bedspread?"

Billy looked at the bedspread. It was certainly a sorry sight. "Maybe we better wash it," said Billy.

"Maybe we better," said Betsy.

The children took the bedspread off of the bed and carried it into the bathroom. They put it in the tub and added more soapflakes. They both rubbed it as hard as they could. When they

thought that it was clean, they tried to lift it out of the water but the water made it so heavy they couldn't lift the bedspread.

By this time Billy and Betsy were soaking wet. Betsy's dress was sticking to her and water was dropping off the bottom of Billy's shorts. Betsy's braids had gone into the water so many times that her whole head felt wet. Once more they tried to lift the spread but it was no use. They were not strong enough.

"Perhaps we could lift it if we got into the tub," said Betsy.

"All right," said Billy. The children took off their shoes and stockings and stepped into the tub. Again they tried to lift the heavy spread. They found that they could each lift one end; but no matter how hard they pulled, they couldn't lift the spread out of the tub.

"Now heave," shouted Billy. Betsy heaved. Billy heaved so hard that he sat down in the tub. This upset Betsy and she went down with a splash.

"Daddy!" cried Billy, at the top of his voice. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!"

Mr. Porter came down the stairs three steps at a time. When he reached the bathroom door, the two children were standing up in the tub. They looked like drowned rats.

"What's going on?" said Mr. Porter.

"Come help us, Daddy," said Billy. "Come help us."

Mr. Porter squeezed the water out of the children's clothes. Then he helped them out of the tub. Meanwhile Billy and Betsy told him what had happened.

"Betsy, you will have to take off your clothes and put on some of Billy's dry clothes," said Mr. Porter.

Billy trotted off to his own room to change his

clothes and his father got some clothes for Betsy to put on. While the children were dressing, he wrung the water out of the bedspread, the guest towels, and the children's clothes. Then he washed out Billy's towel that Billy had used to dry Mopsie.

When Billy's mother came home, Mr. Porter was hanging Billy's towel on the clothesline.

Mrs. Porter looked at the clothesline. She opened her mouth in surprise. There were the bedspread, the guest towels, all of Billy's clothes, and all of Betsy's clothes. In the doorway stood Billy and Betsy dressed like little brothers.

"What happened?" said Billy's mother.

"I just wanted to give Betsy a piece of bread and molasses," said Billy.

"Well, everything is on the line but the dog," said Billy's daddy.

One day in December Mother took Betsy into the big city. Betsy loved to go to the city, especially when Mother took her on the train.

On this particular day Betsy was delighted because Mother was taking her to see the Christmas toys and to buy her Christmas presents. Betsy had her own money in her little pocket-book.

When they got off the train, Betsy and her mother walked along a wide street. The street was crowded with people. Betsy thought she had never seen so many people before. Everyone seemed to be in a great hurry.

When they came to the corner, Betsy saw a man dressed as Santa Claus. He was ringing a bell and he had a little iron kettle on a stand beside him. Betsy saw a little boy stop and put something in the kettle.

"Mother," said Betsy, "why is the Santa Claus man ringing a bell?"

"He is collecting money to buy Christmas dinners for all of the poor children in the city," replied Mother.

"Can I put some money in the little kettle?" asked Betsy.

"Yes," answered Mother, as she opened her pocketbook.

"Oh, no!" said Betsy. "I want to put my own money in."

"Very well!" replied Mother.

Betsy opened her pocketbook and took out ten cents. When she dropped it in the kettle, the Santa Claus man said, "Thank you, little girl, and a Merry Christmas to you."