"Then that is what Uncle Dick meant when he said it concerned him. He was thinking how nice it would be to travel all that way with her."
"He's looking further than that," remarked Miss Ada with a smile. "If things keep on this way I don't believe she will ever come east again to live, Polly."
"She won't if I can help it," said Uncle Dick from the doorway. "What do you think of our scheme, Pollywog?" he asked as he caught Polly and tousled her.
"I think it is grandiferous," replied Polly, squirming out of his grasp. "But you'd better behave yourself, Mr. Dicky-Pig, or I'll tell on you."
"Just see how she gets me in her power," said Uncle Dick to his sister. "I'll not be safe a moment from that wicked child's malicious tales."
"Don't you call me a wicked child," said Polly darting at him. "Now for your nose."
"Spare me! Spare me!" cried her uncle, putting up both hands. "I'll be good, Polly; I will indeed, but if you spoil my features, how can you expect Miss Ainslee ever to like me? If you'll promise to be good and say nice things about your dear uncle, I'll let you be bridesmaid."
"Oh, Dick, you silly boy!" expostulated his sister. "Don't fill the child's head with such notions. He hardly knows Miss Ainslee, Polly, and it will make her so uncomfortable that she will leave, in a month, if your Uncle Dick keeps up this sort of nonsense."
This hushed up Master Dick and he began to ask Polly such silly questions as: "What is the result of half a dozen ears of corn and a pint of Lima beans?"
"You can't add ears and pints," protested Polly stoutly.
"Oh, yes, you can," returned her uncle jauntily. "Luella does it often and the result is succotash."
He laughed and went on. "Here's another. When apples are ten cents a quart how much are blueberries?"
"Why, why--they're just the same. Aren't they?" Polly appealed to her Aunt Ada.
"The blueberries are less; they're always less; they're smaller, you see," her uncle answered.
"That's no answer at all," said Polly in a disgusted tone. "I won't play," and she stalked off to join her cousins.
Yet, as the poet Burns says: "The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley," and, after all, things did not turn out exactly as was at first expected; for when the children had made their rounds to say good bye to Ellis and Myrtle, Leona, Ora and the rest, and when they were actually on the boat with Cooney safe in a big basket, Uncle Dick pulled some letters out of his pocket and began to look them over. "I found these in our box this morning when I went into the post-office," he said. "There's one for you, Ada, and here's one for me from Arthur." He glanced down the page. "Well, well, well," he exclaimed, "this settles your hash, Miss Molly."