Page:The Grey Story Book (1905).pdf/61

 out from behind the fence. "What's the matter?" called Fred, as the girls approached.

"We're not afraid any more," explained little Bertha eagerly, before the others could speak, "because we know you don't want to hurt us or make us angry."

The boys glanced at each other, and their faces flushed. Bertha was such a very little girl, and she had always screamed so loudly when she ran from the hail of snow-balls.

Here Marie broke in. "We knew you didn't want to really hurt us," she said pleasantly, "but just thought it was fun to make us run and see us get angry and frightened; but it wasn't any fun for us, so we made up our minds that we wouldn't run any more, or say anything mean. We knew that you wouldn't be ugly to us if we did that way."

The boys both stood silent, their faces still red. Frances laughed merrily:—

"It's mean to spoil your fun this way, isn't it," she said brightly. "But really, it wasn't much fun, after all, was it? Last night one