noon
But somehow the plan which sounded so well , did n't work . Maybe the ants did n't understand that help was being given them ; for really , the more the little girls `` helped '' the more scurrying and confusion there was in that company of ants . And even when Mary Jane picked up a grain of sugar and actually dropped it into a hole ready for them to put away , that did n't seem to be the right thing either ! Just then , when the little girls were getting tired of bending over so long and trying to do something that did n't work , the noon whistles began to blow , and , a minute later , Mr. Merrill came riding by in his car . `` Do you know where I could find two little girls to ride around to the garage with me ? '' he asked as he pulled up by the curbing . `` Right here they are , '' cried Mary Jane and she and Doris climbed into the car in a jiffy .