"Phoo! that's nothing," said Rachel.
"It hurt; it's hot," said Ezekiel, squirming about.
"Well, if you ain't a baby!" cried Rachel scornfully.
"My mother said we weren't to call names," observed Peletiah.
"Oh, my! I forgot that. But he is a baby," declared Rachel.
"My mother said we were not to call names," repeated Peletiah, exactly as
if he hadn't made that remark before.
"Oh, dear me! how perfectly awful you--I mean I never saw such boys. Oh,
my!"
"My mother said----"
"Yes, yes, I know," interrupted Rachel, splashing away for dear life;
"well, now we must hurry and get these dishes done."
"And then we can go out and play," said Ezekiel, departing with the plate
he was drying to a safe distance from the hot shower from Rachel's busy
fingers.
"Yes. Oh, my, what fun! Let's hurry." And before the boys quite knew how,
the dishes were all piled in the pantry, the dishpan and mop washed out and
hung up to dry, and the crumbs swept from the kitchen floor.
"There," said Rachel, smoothing down her apron in great satisfaction, "now
we can go out. Come on, I'm going to the corner to see that funeral go by."
"We can't," said Peletiah, trying his best to hurry after her. "Mother
doesn't let us go out of the yard when she's away; and beside, there isn't
any corner--the road just goes round."
"Oh, bother!" Rachel whirled around and stamped her foot impatiently.
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