Free Here's a Penny by Carolyn Haywood

turner and the soup ladle, Minnie? We have others at home," said Mother.
    "Well, I just got awful fond of them," said Minnie. "Somehow, I think I'm going to need them. The pancake turner's nice and limber and the soup ladle's not too big."
    Finally, the taxi was at the door to take them to the train.
    Penny put Really and Truly into their traveling bag. There was a great deal of mewing as Penny placed the bag in the taxi. Then Peter and Penny carried the basket of crabs out and put it in the taxi.
    "You boys are sure there is plenty of seaweed in the basket with the crabs, aren't you?" asked Mother.
    "Oh! Sure, sure!" said Peter. "We put in a lot of seaweed, and the crabs are very quiet."
    "Well, that's good," said Mother, as she climbed into the taxi. "Here's hoping they keep quiet!"
    Minnie, with her bags, climbed in beside the taxi driver.
    "I've traveled with lots of things in my day," said Minnie, "but this is the first time I've traveled with fifty crabs."
    "But they're beautiful crabs, Minnie," said Penny.
    "Oh, sure, sure! They're beautiful crabs," said Minnie. "I just hope they take a nice long nap on the train and don't get into trouble."
    "What trouble could they get into?" asked Peter. "They're so quiet you wouldn't know they were in the basket." And then, as a shuffling sound came from the basket, Peter added, "Almost."
    "Well, I just hope for the best," said Minnie. "I just hope for the best."
    This made Mother laugh and she said, "Oh, Minnie! Don't be so gloomy about the crabs. They are quite all right in the basket."
    Minnie sighed. "I just hope for the best," she said.
    When they reached the station, the train was rapidly filling with passengers. Mother carried the suitcase in one hand and Really and Truly in the other. The boys carried the basket of crabs between them and Minnie brought up the rear with her black bag and the shopping bag.
    Carrying the basket of crabs up the steep steps of the car was not easy, but the boys managed it slowly.
    Mother led the way to four vacant seats that faced each other in the center of the car. The suitcase she stowed away on the rack overhead. The bag containing Really and Truly she placed on the floor.
    "Now, boys," she said, "you will have to put the basket of crabs between the seats and do the best you can with your feet and legs. After all, the crabs were your idea."
    "Okay!" said Peter, as the boys reached the seat. "Put it down, Penny."
    Penny dropped his end of the basket so suddenly that it startled Peter, and before you could say "Boo!" the basket of crabs had tipped over and nearly all the crabs and the seaweed lay sprawling in the aisle.
    The excited crabs began scrambling in all directions. Women and children, nearby, jumped up on the seats to get out of the way of the pinching crabs. The children yelled and squealed. The aisle was blocked and people couldn't get through. When they saw the crabs scurrying around in the aisle and under the seats, they fled out of the doors of the car.
    Minnie started to cry, "Goodness! Goodness!"
    Peter righted the basket while Penny jumped up and down and cried, "Oh, Mummy! Oh, Mummy! Oh, Mummy!"
    "Be quiet, Penny. Minnie, stop yelling and do something," said Mother. "Here, give me the pancake turner."
    Mother pulled the pancake turner out of the shopping bag and went after a nearby crab. She scooped for it but it slid right off. Meanwhile, the other crabs were getting farther and farther away. Everyone in the car was either kneeling or standing on the seats and they were all watching the crabs.
    "Oh, dear!" said Mother. "This will never do. Here, give me the soup ladle."
    Minnie handed over the soup ladle. With the pancake turner under the crab and the soup ladle pinning it down on top, Mother was able to lift one crab back into the basket. And then, the crabs in the basket started such a commotion as their fellow crab returned. Mother went after another.
    By this time, most of the crabs had hidden under the seats. They could