The Dutch Twins

uw Vedder opened the door of her li

ields that lay beyond, clear to the blue rim of the world, where the sky touches the earth. The sky was very bl

canal were quacking, and all the little birds in the fields were singing for joy. V

tle cupboard bed. She gave them each a kis

you will hurry, you may go with him! He is coming at six o'clock; so pop out of bed and get dressed. I will put some lunch for you in

their clothes and new wooden shoes. Then she gave them each a bowl of brea

did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young

em into a basket, with some earth

-rod for himself and two little ones for the Twin

kissed Kit an

nd don't fall into t

tarted off together down th

her was a gardener, and his beautiful rows of cabbages and beets and

holiday, because he carried milk to the doors of the people in the town, every morning early. Sometime I will t

Kit and Kat carried the basket of worms between them, and thei

turned to the left and walked along a path that ran from th

ills in Holland. It was a long, long wall of earth, very high-o

the land. If there were no walls to shut out the sea, the whole country would be covered with water; and if that were so, then there wouldn't

minutes to rest and look at the great blue sea. Grandfather sat in the middle, with Kit on on

p sail slowly by, ma

ips go, Grandfat

and China, and all over th

ost always said "Why?" an

f Holland to make dresses for little gir

all?" a

f other things besides, and bring back to us wheat and meat

sea captain when

l I," s

an't," s

er shook his

half high and is called Katrina. There's no telling what girls will d

dyke and cut onto a little pier that r

d Kat's for her, because Kat said it made her all wriggly

shoes hang down over the water; but he made Kit and Kat sit with their feet stuck straight ou

a bite. The sun climbed higher and higher in the sky, and it grew hotter

rossly. "You'll scare the fish. Gir

little jerk on her line. Sh

d that one foot flew right up in the air, and one of

ould say Jack Robinson, Kat's hook flew aroun

appened-there was Kit in the water, too, splashing like a young wh

re. He caught hold of Kat's rod and pulled

the shallow water beside the pier,

ached down and

rms around his neck, though the water was runnin

ly thought it was a fish

't know how to f-f-fish." You see his teeth

t, "I caught more than

omething else. She sh

other told you not to

ed Kit. "Y-y-you began it! Anywa

th of yours?"

e had thought about shoes, because

's shoe sailing away toward America like a little boat! K

ute. They could not get it; but Grandfather reached down with his rod and fished out both of Kit's

Grandfather stuck the Twins' fish-poles up in the sand and tied the lines together for a clothes

radishes from Father's garden. It tasted very good, even if it was sandy. Afte

ught one while the Twins played in the sand.

and Kit built a play dyke all around himself with them, and Kat dug a canal outside th

ew very long across the sandy beach, and th

ll a little wet in the thick parts. And Kat had

by the canal. The road shone, like a strip of yellow ribbon across the

our house"; and Kat said,

and Vrouw Vedder cooked it for their supper; and t

e put Kit to bed, she felt of his clothes carefully-but she didn't say a word about their being da

d good-night, and popped off to sle