Mother Morrison came up to the table with the pie and the children saw that the paper crust was full of little slits and that from each slit a ribbon hung out.  Some were blue and some were pink.

“Each girl must choose a blue ribbon,” said Mother Morrison.  “The pink ones are for the boys.  You pull first, Lucy.”

Lucy Reed pulled one of the blue ribbons.  She hauled out a little celluloid doll dressed in a gay red frock.

“How lovely!” Lucy cried.  “Do we all get something?”

Each child was eager to pull a ribbon, and, wasn’t it strange? —­there were just enough ribbons to go round!  After every one, including Brother and Sister, had had his turn, the “crust” was all torn, and not a single present or ribbon was left.

“Half-past five!” said Louise then, looking at her little wrist-watch.  “We must hurry with the fishing.”

So they went into the living-room and had a delightful time fishing in the pond back of the table.  There was a gift for everyone who fished, and when six o’clock struck, and it was time to go home, each small guest had a package to take along.

“We’ve had the nicest time,” they called to Mother Morrison as they said good-bye.  “We hope Roddy has a party every year.”

CHAPTER IX

OUT IN THE BARN

“The party was a great success, eh?” asked Ralph at the breakfast table the next morning.  “I judged so, because it was one o’clock before I could leave Dad’s office to get some lunch.  He and Dick insisted on holding me there till quarter past.”

Brother looked at Sister.  Sister looked at Brother.  They had both forgotten they meant to telephone Ralph at half-past twelve!

“Don’t worry over it, Brother,” said Ralph, laughing.  “No serious harm was done, old chap.  I made Dad tell me the mysterious reason of the wait, and when you didn’t ’phone in we all three concluded the party had been too much for you.  I’m glad you liked the dog.”

“Oh, yes!” Brother seized upon this safe topic.  “It is the nicest dog, Ralph.  And I did mean to say thank you,’ only I forgot.”

After Daddy Morrison and Ralph and Dick had gone off to the station, Brother and Sister began to have queer feelings.  Yes’m, they both felt “somehow different,” as Brother said.

“I don’t want to clear off the table,” complained Sister, drawing pictures on the tablecloth with a fork, a practice which Molly had always sternly forbidden.

“Neither do I,” agreed Brother.  “Let’s go out in the barn and play.”

“Jimmie won’t like it,” suggested Sister, taking up a cup so carelessly that some of the coffee left in it slopped over on the clean cloth.

“Jimmie doesn’t own the barn,” sniffed Brother crossly.  “I guess we can just play in it without hurting any of his stuff.”

“Here, here, what are you talking so long about?” demanded Molly good-naturedly.