O dear, no! for many of the plums were not ripe, some were hurt by the birds, some crushed in falling, and many as hard as stones.

Nelly got stung by a wasp, my head began to ache, and we sat looking at one another rather dismally, when Nelly had a bright idea.
"'Let 's cook 'em, then they 'll be good, and we can put some away in our little pails for to-morrow.'" 'That will be splendid! There 's a fire in the kitchen, Debby always leaves the kettle on, and we can use her saucepan, and I know where the sugar is, and we 'll have a grand time.' "In we went, and fell to work very quietly.

It was a large, open fire-place, with the coals nicely covered up, and the big kettle simmering on the hook.

We raked open the fire, put on the saucepan, and in it the best of our plums, with water enough to spoil them.

But we did n't know that, and felt very important as we sat waiting for it to boil, each armed with a big spoon, while the sugar box stood between us ready to be used.
"How slow they were, to be sure! I never knew such obstinate things, for they would n't soften, though they danced about in the boiling water, and bobbed against the cover as if they were doing their best.
"The sun began to get low, we were afraid Debby would come down, and still those dreadful plums would n't look like sauce.