touching!

They suddenly jumped out of their doorway and cried "Boo!"

The whole troop of girls scattered instantly. They screamed and
ran. Their skirts fluttered; their head cloths loosened; their
milk-pails rolled about the street.

And at the same time, along the whole street, was heard a deafening
sound of gates and doors slammed to, of hooks and bolts and locks.

Farther down the street stood a big linden tree, and under it sat
an old woman by a table with candies and cakes. She did not move;
she did not look round; 9111' only sat still. She was not asleep
either.


"She is made of wood," said Cobbler-Petter,

"No, of clay," said Rulle-Petter.

They walked abreast, all three. Just in front of the old woman they
began to reel. They staggered against her table. And the old woman
began to scold.

"Neither of wood nor of clay," they said,--"venom, only venom."

During all this time Petter Nord had not spoken to them, but now,
at last, they were directly in front of Halfvorson's shop, and
there he was waiting for them.