Budge and Toddie Their Haps and Mishaps Author:John Habberton Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. After lunch was concluded, Mrs. Burton said : " Now, boys, this is Aunt Alice's reception-day. I will probably have several calls, and every o... more »ne will want to know about that dear little baby, and you must be here to tell them. So you must keep yourselves very neat and clean. I know you wouldn't like to see any dirty people in my parlor ! " " Hatesh to shtay in parlors," said Toddie. " Wantsh to go an get some jacks," (" Jack-in-the-pulpit" — a swamp plant). " Not to-day," said Mrs. Burton, kindly, but firmly. " No one with nice white aprons on ever goes for jacks. What would you think if you saw me in a swampy, muddy place, with a nice white apron on, hunting for jacks ? " " Why, I'd fink you could bring home more'n me, 'cause your apron would hold the mosht" said Toddie. " /'// tell you what," said Budge, calling Toddie into a corner and whispering earnestly to him. The exquisite purity of Budge's expression of countenance and the tender shyness with which he avoided her gaze when he noticed that it was upon him, caused Mrs. Burton to instinctively turn her head away, out of respect for what she believed to be a childish secret of some very tender order. Glancing at the couple again for only a second, she saw that Toddie, too, seemed rather less matter-of-fact than usual. Finally both boys started out of the door-way, Budge turning and remarking with inflections simply angelic: "We'll be back pretty soon, Aunt Alice." Mrs. Burton proceeded to dress ; she idly touched her piano, and finally one lady after another called, and occupied her time. Suddenly, while trying to form a proper impression upon a very dignified lady of the old school, both boys marched into the parlor from the dining-room. Mrs. Burton motioned them violently away, for Bu...« less