“Sumfin’s burnin’!  Sumfin’s burnin’!” she shouted as she hurried back to the kitchen.

At the same time Stella, who was out on the porch with Flossie, began to sniff the air.

“What’s that funny smell?” she asked.

Flossie also sniffed.

“Oh, it’s my candy burning!” she cried.  “My nice candy!  I forgot all about it!”

She and Dinah ran into the kitchen at the same time.  Over the stove black smoke was curling up from the saucepan of candy.

“Oh, oh!” cried Flossie.

“Keep away, honey lamb—­don’t touch it!” cried Dinah.  “It’s hot!  I’ll lift it off!”

She was just doing that, using an iron holder so she would not burn her hand, when Freddie came rushing in, dragging after him his toy fire engine with which he had been playing out in the yard.

“Fire!  Fire!” cried Freddie.  “Fire!  Fire!  I’m a fireman!  I put out fires!  Look out!”

Freddie’s fire engine, though a toy, squirted real water, from a real little rubber hose.  The little fireman pointed the hose at Dinah, who was carrying the smoking and burning pan of candy over to the sink.

“Fire!  Fire!  Pour on water!  Pour on water!” shouted Freddie.

“Look out dere, honey lamb!  Don’t squirt no watah on me!” cried Dinah.

But Freddie had started the pump of his engine, and a stream of water squirted all over Dinah.

“Oh mah good landy!” cried the fat cook.  “Stop it, Freddie!  Stop it!  Dish yeah am awful!  It suttinly am turrible!”

Luckily for Dinah, Freddie had been playing so long out in the yard with his engine that there was only a little water left in it.  When this had squirted out there was no more until he filled the tank again.

“Oh my!” cried Dinah, as she went on over to the sink, and set down the smoking pan of candy.  “Oh my!”

“Is the house on fire?” Freddie demanded.

“No, it isn’t,” said Flossie.  “It’s just my nice candy that burned.  Oh dear!  And I did want it so much!”

“Never mind, I’ll make some mo’, honey lamb!” promised Dinah, wiping her face on her apron.  “But don’t yo’ squirt no mo’ watah on me, Freddie pet.”

“No, I won’t, Dinah,” he promised.  “But I saw the smoke coming out of the kitchen, and I knew there was a fire.”

“It wasn’t ’zactly a fire,” said Stella.  “But I guess the candy burned up.  It’s as bad as when we dropped all of ours on the floor.”

But good-natured Dinah made another pan of the sweet stuff for Flossie.  This did not burn, and it was soon turned out into the buttered tin to cool.  And when it was cool Flossie, Freddie and Stella ate it.

Mrs. Bobbsey only laughed when Flossie told her what had happened, but she said she thought the little girl had better not try to make any more candy until she was a little older.

The weather was getting colder day by day now.  The children had red cheeks when they went to school, and they ran and romped along to keep warm.