"Then the little ones probably wandered around a good deal, though we never knew where, except that they came to some water in a gutter, somewhere, and took to it like ducks. They must have paddled in it for some time--'washing their feets,' Jean told us afterwards, as an excuse.
"Of course, by this time they had collected a crowd around them, for just imagine what they looked like! Nothing on but white night-dresses--I mean, of course, that were originally white,--but now spattered a foot deep with muddy water, and stained all over with crushed strawberries; and they were barefooted, with their golden curls stuck full of burs, till they looked like little porcupines."
"_Grandma_! how funny! and to think that was mamma," broke in Cricket, in great enjoyment of the picture.
"They must have looked as badly as Zaidee and Helen did when they came in from swimming in the tanks at the cheese factory the other day."
"Worse, if anything, because the strawberry stains made them look as if they had been through the wars, poor little mites. At last a policeman took them in charge."
"Think of mamma being actually arrested! That's worse than anything that's ever happened to me," said Cricket.
"That's your good fortune," laughed grandma. "Your wash-rag isn't getting along very fast, is it? I thought you were going to knit as I talk."
"Oh, I am! I am!" cried Cricket, scrabbling up her wash-rag, which she had entirely forgotten. "Go on, grandma."
"So a policeman took them in charge. He said the children didn't seem a bit frightened, but took everything very coolly, insisting all the time that they were on the way to see uncle.
"'Who is uncle?' asked the policeman, and Jean said: 'He's Uncle Darling, and he lives on Wide Stweet.'
"'But what's his name?' asked the policeman, thinking the children were calling him by their pet name.
"'We'll take them to the station, and report at headquarters,' said the policeman, finally."
"Think of mamma's actually being taken to the lock-up," murmured Cricket.
"But the children were very determined little things, and insisted that they were going to Wide Stweet to see uncle. Presently a gentleman passed, and asked the reason of the commotion.
"'Runaways,' somebody answered, whereupon Jean instantly piped up, 'I say I _isn't_ yunning away. I is goin' to Wide Stweet to see Uncle Darling.'