"you're losing your hair ribbon, polly," remarked the twins as their sister sat down to breakfast one first of april morning.
polly hastily felt of her head.
"april fool! april fool! april fool!" shrieked the twins joyously, pounding on the table.
polly glared at them. it was raining, and polly, who hated rain, never could take a joke on a rainy day.
"you're a pair of very rude boys," she said. "nobody but horrid, rough boys like you would ever think april fool's any fun!" and she sulked through her breakfast without another word.
but helen was different. helen liked rain. moreover, she didn't in the least mind being fooled, and she laughed just as hard as anybody when she put salt on her mush instead of sugar.
when she went upstairs to put their room in order, however, the room she and polly shared, the steady drip, drip, drip of the rain made her remember polly's unhappiness, and it troubled her.
a robin, singing his rain song in the tree outside, cocked his head saucily as helen went to the window.
"help her-r-r! cheer her-r-r! help her-r-r! cheer her-r-r!" sang mr. redbreast over and over again as he swung on the dripping branches.
"that's a good idea, mr. redbreast," helen answered. "i'm sure she needs it. but how shall i do it?"
mr. redbreast winked wisely. "you'll find a way—a way—a way!" he trilled.
helen spanked a pillow and stood it in its place on the bed. "thank you, mr. redbreast," she answered politely. "i'll try."
mr. redbreast gave his tail a pleased little shake and flew away, leaving helen to spank the other pillow and to wonder what she could do to "help her-r-r, cheer her-r-r."
a blue ribbon was hanging out of the top bureau drawer. "the very thing!" cried helen. "i'll straighten out her drawer. it's always in a muss!" and she fell to work with a will, rolling, and folding, and arranging things in neat little piles.
the baby stood watching her. "there! what do you suppose she'll think of that, buddy?" she asked, as she gave the last pile a happy pat. then a new idea popped into her head. she flew downstairs, took a sheet of writing paper out of the desk, and printed something on it in big black letters. then, running back to her room, she laid the paper on the rows of nice neat piles and carefully closed the drawer.
"i hope she won't mind," she said with a twinkling little smile as she pulled buddy up on her lap for a story.
the story was only half finished when polly burst in. "what do you think, helen!" she cried, tossing her hat and coat in an untidy heap on the bed. "i'm invited to a party! what shall i wear?"
she ran to the bureau and pulled open the top drawer with a jerk. within lay helen's paper. polly picked it up. "april fool!" she read aloud. she looked into the drawer, then at helen, her face brightening into a sudden smile with her surprise.
"helen, you're a dear!" she cried. "and i'm just a silly, cross old bear! this is just the loveliest april fool that ever was. i didn't suppose folks could play nice april fool jokes."
just then the sun came out from behind a cloud and peeped through the window. helen pointed to it. "another nice april fool for you, polly."
but polly wasn't listening. she stood quietly thinking for a moment, then she picked up her hat, shook out her coat, and started toward the closet.
"april fool!" she said with a laugh, as she hung them inside. "that's another joke on you, miss polly untidy crosspatch. a few more april fools might turn you into neat miss polly polite. it's about time you turned over a new leaf."
"i think i hear it rustling," said helen, listening.
"hear-r-r! hear-r-r! hear-r-r!" chirped mr. redbreast joyously from the tree.
