One day, two little boys named Andy and Dick went to the Toy Shop to buy balloons, but they did not want any of those that hung like colored lights in the window that day.
“We can blow them up ourselves,” said Andy.
“As big as this,” said Dick, making a circle with his arms to show the Toy-Lady how large the balloons would be.
“My! My!” said she, and she hurried to get a box of balloons and put it down on the counter before the children. There were red balloons in the box, and blue, white, and orange ones, along with green ones with pictures on them. Dick chose a red one.
“As red as roses and poppies,” said the Toy-Lady.
“And apples,” said Dick, wanting Andy to get a red one, too.
But Andy preferred blue balloons, and so did the Toy-Lady. She could think of ever so many beautiful things that were blue: bluebells, the sky, and bluebirds.
“There are red birds, too,” said Dick. “As red as my balloon.”
Hardly out of the Toy Shop, Andy and Dick began to blow up the balloons. Oh, how fast they grew!
The children’s faces were crimson, and their cheeks swelled out as they puffed away. They had to stop and rest by and by, but they held the ends of the balloons so tight that the air could not get out.
“Mine is larger than yours,” said Andy.
“But I can blow mine bigger,” said Dick, and he blew, blew, blew! The red balloon became larger than the largest ball in the Toy Shop! And so did the blue one.
“Watch out!” said a big jolly policeman who was standing on the corner. “Something will happen,” and he had not finished speaking when POP went the red balloon, and POP went the blue one!
But they had been splendid while they lasted!
