1 "I have a surprise for you, my dears," said mother as she came into the living room one morning, followed by a bright-looking boy about ten years of age. "Here is your cousin Charlie to come to spend the day with you."
2 Dolly and May were delighted, and Mother said they might stay out all the morning. For the first hour, they were very happy. There were so many new things to show Charlie. But he happened to be one of those restless boys who get tired of things very quickly.
3 "What shall we do next?" he kept saying. They tried to hunt for eggs in the barn, but he soon called that "slow."
4 "Let's go and pick blackberries in the upper field," said little May.
5 So they started off and had only picked a very little while when Charlie suddenly asked: "Whose garden is that just across the next field?"
6 "It's Farmer John’s," replied Dolly.
7 "Let's climb over and get some apples," said Charlie.
8 Dolly and May opened their eyes wide. "That would be stealing," they both cried together.
9 Charlie disagreed. "That's just like girls—always afraid to do anything. I want to get some. You can wait till I come back."
10 They waited for a long time, but he didn't return, so they went slowly home. It was nearly tea-time when Mother came and said: "Farmer John has brought cousin Charlie back." And a very sad-looking boy he was.
11 When he had filled his pockets and was about to come down, he saw Rover, the large and mean farm dog, waiting for him below; so he had to stay in the tree and might have had to stay all night, but the farmer happened to ride by, and he heard the dog barking.
12 Dolly and May were very sorry for him. Their mother did not yell at him as she meant to do, because, she said, “his fear had been punishment enough."
