Page:Carroll Rankin--Dandelion Cottage.djvu/108

 86  discovered that their new friend was in every way a most delightful person. She proved surprisingly skilful with hammer and nails, and besides mending the bed she soon had several of the chairs quite firm on their legs.

"Why," cried Bettie, one day, as she delightedly inspected an old black walnut rocker that had always collapsed at the slightest touch, "this old chair is almost strong enough to walk! I'm so glad you've made so many of them safe, because, when Mrs. Bartholomew Crane comes to see us, she's always afraid to sit down. She's such a nice neighbour that we'd like to make her comfortable."

"We have the loveliest friends," said Jean, with a contented sigh. "It's hard to tell which is the nicest one."

"But the dearest two," explained Marjory, discriminating nicely, "are Mr. Black and Mrs. Crane—excepting you, of course, Miss Blossom."