"
So they opened a door beside the fireplace, and walked right into
the stable.
The stable was really a part of the house. There were two stalls
in the stable. Vrouw Vedder took her pails of water and her
brushes and began to scrub. She scrubbed the walls, and the sides
of the stalls, and the floor. The Twins scrubbed, too, until they
were tired; and the stable was so clean, you would have liked to
live there yourself.
"Let's play out here," said Kat. "Let's play house."
"All right," said Kit. "I'll be the father, and you be the
mother."
"But who will be Twins?" said Kat.
"Let's get the ducklings," said Kit.
"They can be Twins, of course," said Kat. "They are, anyway."
So Kit ran out and brought in the ducklings. They were so tame
they always ran to Kit and Kat, when they saw them coming. They
were almost ducks now, they had grown so big.
"Let's give the Twins their dinner," said Kat. So she got some
grain, and they both sat down on a little box and held the ducks
in their laps and fed them from their hands. The ducks ate
greedily.
"You have very bad manners," said Kat. "You will get your clothes
all dirty." She took two rags and tied them around the ducks'
necks for bibs. The ducks did not like bibs. They quacked.
"Now don't say anything like that," said Kat. "You must do just
as you are told and not spill your food."
Then Kit got some water and a spoon and gave the Twins a drink,
but they did not like the drink either.
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