CHAPTER XI.
CRAZY DUCKLINGS.
When the family came home, Miss Polly had a most doleful story to tell about Katie's experiment in the watering-trough, the child's illness, the explosion of the beer, and her own fright and "dreadful feelings." Mrs.Parlin regretted the loss of the tea-pot; Miss Louise said she had heard of "witches making tea," and perhaps this was the way they did it.
In return for Miss Whiting's laborious services in taking care of the children, Mrs.Parlin gave her various articles of food to carry home; for Polly had one room in Mr.Grant's house, which she was accustomed to call her home, though she did not stay there very much.

Polly sighed her gratitude, put on her dark bonnet, and said, as she went away,-- "Now, Mrs.Parlin, if it should so happen that you should all go away again, don't fail to ask me to come and keep house.

You have always been so kind to me that I feel it a privilege to do any such little thing for you." But in her heart poor Polly thought it was anything but a "little thing," and it cost her a great effort to promise to undertake it again.
Mrs.Parlin thanked Miss Polly very politely; but for her part she thought privately it would be a long while before they would, any of them, be willing to trust such a nervous person with the care of the children a second time.
"Good by, all," said Polly, going off with her double-covered basket on her arm; "remember me to Margaret when you write." "What a funny thing to say!" remarked Prudy; "how can we remember people to anybody, or forget them to anybody either ?" "O, it was awful," said Dotty, linking arms with Prudy and walking her off to the seat in the trees.

"Miss Polly scared me so I don't believe I shall ever be afraid of lightning again!" Little Flyaway ran after them, holding her nipperkin of milk close to her bosom, to keep off the flies, as she thought.
"I was defful sick," said she; "and did I ask the Polly woman for the stawbollies?
No, she was naughty; _I_ didn't want 'em.

She gived me stawbollies and stawbollies." Prudy had to hear over and over again the trials which both the children had suffered.