Liza Ann reached up and pulled one of the Clown's strings. Quickly his
legs jiggled and he cut some funny capers.

"Oh, my! Dat suah is scrumptious!" laughed the little colored girl.

"Oh, Mammy, jest let us play with him a little while!" begged Jim.
"Den I'll take him back to where he belongs."

"All right," agreed Mandy. "But be mighty keerful of him! If dat
Calico Clown should get busted Mirabell or Arnold is gwine to feel
mighty bad!"

You see she didn't know the Clown belonged to Sidney, and not to
either Mirabell or Arnold.

"Come on, we'll have some fun wif him!" said Liza Ann to her brother.

And then, while their mother put the clothes to soak, the children
played with the Calico Clown. They were good and gentle children, and
the gay toy did not in the least mind clanging his cymbals for them or
doing his funny dance. He jiggled and joggled his arms and legs, and
went through such funny antics that Jim and Liza Ann laughed again and
again.

"Po' li'l honey lambs!" said Mandy with a sigh, as she bent over the
wash tub. "I wish dey had some toys of dere own. But den I'se got good
clean and soft watah to wash wif, an' dat's a blessin'! Lots of folks
hasn't got only hard watah, what won't make no suds."