The Dutch Twins | Page 6

said, "I truly thought it was a fish on my line when I
jumped!"

"Just like a g-g-girl," said Kit. "They don't know how to f-f- fish." You
see his teeth were chattering, because the water was cold.
"Well, anyway," said Kat, "I caught more than you did. I caught you!"
Then Kat thought of something else She shook her finger at Kit.
"O Kit," she said, "Mother told you not to fall into the water!"
"'T-t-twas all your fault," roared Kit. "Y-y-you began it! Anyway,
where is your new wooden shoe?"
"Where are both of yours?" screamed Kat.
Sure enough, where were they? No one had thought about shoes,
because they were thinking so hard about Kit.
They ran to the end of the pier and looked. There was Kat's shoe sailing
away toward America like a little boat! Kit's were still bobbing about in
the water near the pier.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" shrieked Kat; but the tide was going out and carrying
her shoe farther away every minute. They could not get it; but
Grandfather reached down with his rod and fished out both of Kit's
shoes Then Kat took off her other one and her stockings, and they all
three went back to the beach.
Grandfather and Kat covered Kit up with sand to keep him warm while
his clothes were drying. Then Grandfather stuck the Twins' fish-poles
up in the sand and tied the lines together for a clothes-line, and hung
Kit's clothes up on it, and Kat put their three wooden shoes in a row
beside Kit.
Then they ate their luncheon of bread and butter, cheese, and milk, with
some radishes from Father's garden. It tasted very good, even if it was
sandy. After lunch Grandfather said, "It will never do to go home
without any fish at all."
So by and by he went back to the pier and caught one while the Twins

played in the sand. He put it in the lunch-basket to carry home.
Kat brought shells and pebbles to Kit, because he had to stay covered
up in the sand, and Kit built a play dyke all around. himself with them,
and Kat dug a canal outside the dyke. Then she made sand-pies in
clam-shells and set them in a row in the sun to bake.
They played until the shadow of the dyke grew very long across the
sandy beach, and then Grandfather said it was time to go home.
He helped Kit dress, but Kit's clothes were still a little wet in the thick
parts. And Kat had to go barefooted and carry her one wooden shoe.
They climbed the dyke and crossed the fields, and walked along the
road by the canal. The road shone, like a strip of yellow ribbon across
the green field. They walked quite slowly, for they were tired and
sleepy.
By and by Kit said, "I see our house"; and Kat said, "I see Mother at the
gate."
Grandfather gave the fish he caught to Kit and Kat, and Vrouw Vedder
cooked it for their supper; and though it was not a very big fish, they all
had some.
Grandfather must have told Vrouw Vedder something about what had
happened; for that night, when she put Kit to bed, she felt of his clothes
carefully--but she didn't say a word about their being damp. And she
said to Kat: "To-morrow we will see the shoemaker and have him make
you another shoe."
Then Kit and Kat hugged her and said good-night, and popped off to
sleep before you could wink your eyes.

II
MARKET DAY WITH FATHER

One afternoon Kit and Kat were playing around the kitchen doorstep,
while their Mother sat on a bench by the door, peeling some onions for
supper. It was not yet supper-time, but Vrouw Vedder was always
ahead of the clock with the work.
Kit and Kat had a pan of water and were teaching their ducklings to
swim. They each had one little fat duckling of their very own. The
ducklings squawked when Kit lifted them over the edge of the pan into
the water.
"Don't do that, Kit," said Kat. "The ducklings don't like it. You didn't
like it when you fell into the water, did you?"
"But I'm not a duck," said Kit.
"Well, anyway, they're tired and want to go to their mother," said Kat.
"Let's do something else! I'll tell you what! Let's go out to the garden
and help Father get the boat loaded for market."
"All right," said Kit. "May we, Mother?"
"Yes," said Vrouw Vedder; "and you may ask Father if he will take you
to market with him to-morrow if it's fair. Tell him I said you could
ask."
"Oh, goody, goody!" said Kit and Kat, both at