Flossie and Freddie ate the sweet stuff Alice handed them, and thought it very good.  That afternoon when Flossie reached home from school, she marched out into the kitchen and said: 

“Dinah, I’m going to make some candy!”

“Make candy, honey lamb!  How yo’ all gwine t’ make candy?”

“Oh, you just put some sugar and water on the stove to boil, and when it boils you butter a pan like a slice of bread, and pour the candy in it so it won’t stick.  And if a lump falls on the floor—­a lump of candy I mean—­that belongs to Snap.  Though I hope it doesn’t make his jaws stick together so they’ll never come open, or he can’t bark.  But I’m going to make some candy.”

“Now look yeah!” said Dinah.  “Does yo’ ma know yo’ is gwine t’ do dish yeah candy business?”

“No, Dinah, but I’ll tell her when she comes home,” for on coming in from school Flossie had been told that her mother was not in.

“Yo’ll tell her when she comes home?” cried the old colored cook.  “Yo’ won’t need t’ tell her, honey lamb.  She’ll done know dat yo’ all has been up t’ suffin queer.  Make candy!  Oh mah gracious!  I done guess you’d bettah not!”

“Oh, please, Dinah!  It’s easy.  You can help me.”

Dinah gave in, as she usually did, and got out some sugar, some water and a saucepan for the little girl.  Dinah knew Flossie was too little to be trusted alone around the stove, so she stood near herself.

“Let me pour in the water,” begged Flossie, and she was allowed to do this.  Then the sugar and water in the saucepan was soon bubbling on top of the stove.  Flossie buttered a pan, getting almost as much butter on her fingers as she did on the tin, but Dinah gave her a wash rag, so that was all right.

Letting the candy boil, Dinah went about her kitchen work, while Flossie sat in a chair near the stove watching.  Pretty soon the door bell rang, and Dinah went to answer it.  Flossie stayed in the kitchen looking at the steaming pan of candy until she heard a voice calling to her from the yard.

“Flossie!  Flossie!  Come on out and play!”

It was Stella Janson, a little girl who lived next door.

“I can’t come out right away, Stella,” answered Flossie.  “I’m making candy and I have to watch it.  You sit down on the porch and when the candy is done I’ll bring some out to you.”

Flossie went to the door to tell this to the little girl, and then she saw that Stella had a new doll.

“Oh, isn’t she pretty!” cried Flossie.  “I must see her!”

Forgetting all about the candy boiling on the stove, Flossie went out on the porch.  There she and Stella took turns holding the doll.  All this while Dinah was at the front door.  A peddler had rung the bell, and it took the colored cook some little time to tell him her mistress did not want to buy a new kind of piano polish.

All at once Dinah gave a cry and quickly closed the door.