They live over on the other side of the big, brown windmill. They come to play with Jan and Katrina. Katrina and Jan go over to play with them. Hilda, Kassie, and Karl live in a red house. It is by the canal. The children like to play there. They have a little flatboat. They sail around on the canal. Sometimes they sail under the little bridge by the meadow. SELLING THE MILK “O mother,” said Katrina one day, “there goes Jan to town with the milk cart! May I go with him and Rink? Please let me go, mother?” “Yes, Katrina,” said mother, “you may go, but you must take your knitting with you. You can knit as you walk along with Jan beside the milk cart, and when the milk is sold, you may ride home in the cart.” So Katrina ran for her knitting, and soon she was walking along by the side of Jan and Rink. Her ball of yarn was in the big pocket of her apron, and she knit busily as she walked. She was careful not to drop any stitches. When they came to the town, Katrina helped Jan sell the milk. Soon all the milk was sold and the big cans were empty. “Get in the cart, Katrina,” said Jan, “and have a ride home.” “No,” said Katrina, “it is such a warm day, and poor Rink is tired. Just think! He pulled all these heavy milk cans to town!” [Illustration] HILDA’S VISIT Hilda came over to the blue house one day. Jan’s mother was busy. She was washing her pretty blue dishes. She was all alone. “Where is Jan?” asked Hilda. [Illustration] “Jan has gone to town with Rink and the cart,” said Mother. “Where is Katrina?” “Katrina has gone over to the windmill to get water,” said Mother. “She will be home soon. “Come in, Hilda.” So Hilda went in and sat down in Jan’s little red chair. “Katrina said she would come and play with me. I will wait for her,” said Hilda. “Where are you going to play?” asked Mother. “We are going to play by the canal,” said Hilda, “and Karl says he will take us to ride in the boat.” “There is Katrina now,” said Mother. “See! she has two pails of water. How careful she is! She does not spill a drop!” Katrina was very glad to see Hilda. She set her pails of water on the broad shelf in the kitchen. “Here is the fresh water, Mother,” she cried; “now you can have a nice cool drink.” [Illustration] Then she and Hilda ran away to play with Karl and Kassie down by the canal. [Illustration] THE DUTCH BEDS The Dutch beds are not like our beds. They are built in the walls of houses like cupboards. They are like little shelves or presses in the wall. They have feather beds on them. The feather beds are nice and soft. In summer, the Dutch boys and girls have quilts over them. In the winter, they sleep on one feather bed, and have another feather bed and quilts to cover them. They are very warm. Katrina has a blue and white quilt on her bed. Jan has a red and green quilt. Their grandmother made the quilts for them.