Part 9 (2/2)
”Bless the child's kind heart,” said the doctor, looking after her tenderly.
”You do spoil that child dreadfully, Father, the idea of her mixing up in a business matter like this. I'm afraid I've let her see too much of Alice, but she is an excellent servant.”
”Alice is a treasure, Mother, and she isn't hurting Jane any--that is plain to be seen. Let them alone--the friends.h.i.+p is good for both of them.”
Chicken Little came home from school a few days later, bursting with news.
”Mrs. Ga.s.sett came out to the gate when I was going by this morning and said she heard we had found some papers along with the silver, and she said they'd lost some and maybe they was theirs. I just told her there was some papers with big red things on them but they belonged to Alice's father and Alice was awful glad to find them 'cause her----”
”Chicken Little Jane, you didn't go tell all that to Mrs. Ga.s.sett!”
Ernest interrupted with the horrified surprise of one who is far removed from such childish blunders.
Chicken Little looked from Ernest to her father piteously.
”You didn't say I wasn't to tell, Papa.”
”No dear, I knew with six children in possession of a secret, it was no use trying to keep it. There is no harm done, Chicken Little. What did Mrs. Ga.s.sett say?”
”She just said 'Humph' real mad and she turned her old fat back and waddled off to the house. My, I'm glad I am not fat like her.”
”Didn't say thank you for finding her silver, eh?” asked Dr. Morton.
”Catch Sister Ga.s.sett saying thank you,” put in Frank Morton. ”They say she's a worse old skinflint than her husband. I've been told the Ga.s.sett girls don't get enough to eat let alone decent clothes.”
”Come Frank,” said his mother reprovingly. ”You forget that the Ga.s.setts are members of our church.”
”Didn't I say Sister Ga.s.sett, Mother?” asked Frank with a twinkle in his eye.
Mrs. Morton was not blessed with a keen sense of humor and she reproved once more.
”Yes, but it isn't quite fitting for you to call an older person Sister, especially when you are not a church member yourself.”
Frank subsided with a shy glance at his father.
Ernest seized the opportunity to impart his budget, though with a mouth rather too full of beefsteak and potatoes to make his words intelligible.
”Carol says--(swallow)--that old Ga.s.sett tackled him--(swallow)----”
”Ernest!”
Dr. and Mrs. Morton started in together, but Mrs. Morton finished.
”Don't try to talk with your mouth full.”
Ernest hurriedly disposed of his food and resumed.
”Carol says old Ga.s.sett tackled him about those stock certificates and he just told him we didn't find any papers with his name on. If we had, we'd have returned them along with the silver.”
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