Chapter 5: Mary Wants To Help (part two)

The boys eagerly started to dig, but it was hard hot work and the joy dimmed a little as they grunted and sweated at the task. After a while Mary got bored at being quiet and doing nothing but watching the two boys shove pile after pile of dirt. She stood on an uprooted tree stump, twirling her new buttercup yellow dress. Her aunt Eva had give it to her for her 5th birthday and she was very proud of it.
“How do you like my dress, João?” Mary asked, twirling her body all the more for attention.
“It’s a nice dress for a girl.” João answered unenthusiastically.
“Can I help dig, Tony?” begged Mary.
“No!” was his terse reply.
“Can I see how deep it is?” Mary then asked.
“No! both boys answered simultaneously. “Keep out of our way or you might dirty that pretty yellow dress!” Tony cautioned.
That seemed to stop Mary for a short time, for she would never want to ruin her pretty birthday dress. But it wasn’t long before she started wiggling and jiggling and twirling again when she saw the boys carrying bucket after bucket of water from the stream nearby. Shorty and Jesse joined the boys on two or three trips with water too.
“
we just want to help you and your ducks out!” they both said.
“Can I carry a bucket of water too? I want to do something to help”, begged Mary.
“If you really want to help, just stay away from here. We’re almost finished and you’ll only slow us down and get in the way.” João answered her impatiently.