But by that time Flop Ear and the lady cat were safe at the bottom of the hill on the skate wagon, and the dog could not get them.  Then the cat lady thanked the piggie boy very much, and gave him a penny, and Flop Ear went to school that afternoon, and was all better, and later he and Curly Tail had lots of fun on the queer wagon Uncle Butter had told how to make.

And so in case the rose bush doesn’t scratch the lilac leaves off the pie plant and make the clothes line catch cold, I’ll tell you next about Baby Pinkie and the lemon.

STORY XXVIII

PINKY AND THE LEMON

One day, when Flop Ear and Curly Tail were at school, Mrs. Twistytail, the pig lady, said to Baby Pinky, her little girl: 

“Pinky, I am going to run across the street for a minute to ask Mrs. Wibblewobble to lend me a spool of thread.  It is so chilly out that I don’t want to take you along.  So will you be afraid to stay here alone, just a little while?”

“No, indeed, mamma,” spoke Pinky.  “Why, what is there to be afraid of?” she asked with a laugh.

“Nothing in the least,” replied her mother, “but sometimes little girls, and boys, too, for that matter, are afraid to stay alone, even when their mamma wants to go get a drink of water.”

“Oh!  I hope I’m not that kind, mamma,” spoke Pinky.

“Then I’ll just run across the street for a minute,” went on Mrs. Twistytail.  “Everything is all right here.  There is nothing on the stove to boil over, but be careful not to go near the fire.”

“No, I’ll stay right here, mamma,” said Pinky.  “I’ll look out of the window, and watch the leaves dancing up and down in the breeze.”

So Mrs. Twistytail went over to Mrs. Wibblewobble, the duck lady’s house, and Pinky sat down to wait for her to come back.  But you know how it is sometimes, when ladies get talking together, they have so many things to say, about how to make the loaf of bread last longer, and how high the butter is—­so high that they have to get on a step ladder to reach it—­and how boys wear out their shoes and trousers so fast and the newest way to fix your hair, and what to do when your best dress gets all spotted with ice cream, and how scarce coal is, and what a long winter we’re going to have—­all things like that ladies find to talk about, and it was that way with Mrs. Twistytail and Mrs. Wibblewobble.

Well, do you know, the first thing Mrs. Twistytail knew she had forgotten all about what she came after—­let’s see now, what was it —­I declare I’ve forgotten myself.  Just excuse me while I look back and see.  Oh!  I remember, it was a spool of thread.

Yes, Mrs. Twistytail got so interested talking to the duck lady about a new way to make a tight dress loose that she forgot all about the spool of thread.

“Well, mamma is staying quite a long time,” said Baby Pinky after a bit, as she sat by the window.  “I hope nothing has happened to her.”  She looked, but she could not see her mamma coming back, and then Pinky said: