HOW NED TOODLES TOLD TIME
“DENISE, darling, are you upstairs?” called Aunt Helen, at the foot of the playhouse stairs.
“Yes, auntie; do you want me?”
“Only to know whether you have seen John anywhere about, dear.”
“I think he has gone with Sunshine and Flash to the blacksmith’s. I saw him lead them away about half an hour ago.”
“Dear me, that is too bad, for we need him very much.”
“What is it, auntie? Can I do it for you?”
“Why, the grocer has just delivered the morning’s order, but has forgotten to bring the half barrel of sugar ordered, and cook is nearly beside herself, for she is in the midst of her jelly-making and needs the sugar very much.”
“Oh! let me go after it. It will be lots of fun.”
Aunt Helen laughed as she gave her consent, and a moment later Denise had let down the bars of the day stall and was dragging Ned Toodles out by his forelock, much to that animal’s disgust, for it was nearly twelve o’clock, and that meant dinner time for him.
It took her only a jiffy to whisk his harness on him, and a few moments later she rattled out of the playhouse, down the driveway, and through the gate.
It was not more than a mile to the village, but that mile tried Denise’s patience.
Ned bounced and jerked along, first upon one side of the road and then upon the other, in order to show his disapproval at being sent upon an errand just at dinner time.
“I certainly think I shall do something dreadful to you, if you don’t behave yourself. What makes you act so, anyway?” she cried, as she drew up his rein and cracked her whip threateningly. “I’d be ashamed of myself to make such a fuss just because I thought my dinner was going to be half an hour late,” she continued, in a scathing tone.
A fig cared Ned for anybody’s opinion, and as Denise came up to the store at which she had to stop and turned around so that Ned was headed toward home, he gave his head a saucy wag, as though to say:
“Perhaps some people had better reserve their opinions until they are asked.”
Tie-strap in hand, Denise hopped out of the wagon, but just as she was about to tie Ned, for she had very pronounced misgivings of his sense of honor, the proprietor of the store slipped out to say:
“I know what you have come for, Miss Denise, but we will send it at once.”
“I will take it with me in the back of my wagon, Mr. Groves, thank you.”
“Very well. I’ll send it right out.” Denise stepped back into the wagon to wait, and then came the beginning of Ned’s humiliation. Dong! rang out the bell of the town clock. Dong! dong! until twelve strokes of the bell had sounded. Ned knew a great deal, and he must also have known how to count, for as the last stroke rung out he began to fidget. “Now you are up to some new prank,” said Denise to herself, “and I won’t say one word, but will see what you will do.” So she let the reins hang loose and kept perfectly still.
Ned’s blinders prevented him from seeing her, but one ear was laid back to listen.
Denise sat as silent as the whip socket.
First a sidling step away from the curbstone; then another. Still no restraint from the wagon. Surely Denise must have gone into that store, thought Ned.
Two or three more steps took him well into the middle of the road, and that road led home and to dinner.
Still it would be wiser to listen again, and a knowing pair of ears were prepared to catch the faintest sound from the wagon.
But no sound came, although Denise was nearly convulsed with laughter.
Surely things were progressing famously, and when dinner was to be had so easily why not go after it? And off my laddie started, at a brisk pace.
But walking was slow work. Not a vehicle was in sight, so very shortly Master Ned was trotting along at a fine rate.
“Dear me! trotting is a very common-place manner of getting over the ground. Can’t we improve on it?” Surely, and a moment later the little villain was bounding along like a deer, the wagon jerking and rattling behind him.
By this time Denise thought the joke had gone far enough, and so said in her most sarcastic tone:
“Well, sir, how much further do you intend to run?”
But the effect was astounding. With one final bound Ned stopped short.
Snap went the breeching straps, and over went Denise, landing straight across the dashboard, with her hands spread out upon Ned’s fat haunches, where she could only lie and laugh. When she had laughed till she couldn’t laugh any more, she scrambled out, and, walking around to Ned’s head, peeped over the blinders, and beheld a very subdued little horse.
“Well, sir, when I’ve fixed up your harness, and gotten you into some sort of shape again, we’ll go back for the sugar, if you please, and it would serve you just exactly right if you did not get one bit of dinner until two o’clock instead of one.”
THE END