St. Nicholas, Vol. 5, No. 2, December, 1877

tle finger, quite prepared to see it fly away in some mysterious and startling manner. It remained sitting tranquilly in the basket, however, an

didn't

didn't

o you

would have

o d

l, but I f

if it would be very difficult to settle down to

divided the contested delicacy with one chop of the big

s of milk and ate as fast as possible, glancing round

ke my cake away," said Bab, defiantly

ty, choking over a raisin tha

suggested Bab, feeling that some such convulsion of nature was neede

d, come to your mother and be fixed," purred Betty, lifting the fallen idol from a gro

etter make up some squills out of this sugar and water,"

eeze for my own children, thank you, ma'am," returned Betty, sharply, f

and cough for my own poor dears without bothering abou

ain as anything," and Betty looked up to the green ro

rping on the tall lilac-bush, but

hey?" asked Betty, eying

of course

ghing and sneezing round here. May be it is

er one, may be he can, though. I wonder where he went to?" and Bab took a patie

ron with more haste than care. "I'm going right straight home to tell

yway," answered Bab, taking advantage of the black clouds rolling

ung her children on the top, and pronounced herself ready to depart. Betty lingered an instant to pick up odds and ends that might

blow 'em down?" she called out, picking them up and running after her sister, who

isted the temptation to climb up the trellis and help themselves, since their mother had forbidden such

at amusement, for she saw in it only some playmate's prank,

ay, and find out what is going o

es with an account of the mysterious dog, who appeared to be haunting the neighborhood, as several of the other children had seen him examining their back yards with interest. He had begged of them, but to none had he exhibited his accomplishments except Bab and Betty, and they were therefore much set

e remained suspended in the air for several minutes at a time, instead of vanishing with miraculous rapidity as usual. At afternoon recess, which the girls had first, Bab nearly dislocated every j

how he did it," she said, coming down with a bu

y minute!" cried Betty, who sat on

into the rain as eagerly as if to behold Cinderella's magic

girls, all chirping at once, till it sounded as if

ambled up, forgetting how she had chased th

pproach, but stood dripping in the rain with his frills much bedraggled, while his tasseled tail

ee that we don't want to hurt him," suggested Sally, star

oor beast in to eat and be comforted. But he only came as far as the door, and sitting up, b

d; let him eat all he wan

hed boldly up, seized the handle of the pail in his mouth, and was off with it, galloping down the road at a great pace. Shrieks arose from the children, especially Bab and Betty, basel

b and Betty hastened home to tell their wrongs and

as he did before. As it is too wet for you to play out, you shall go and s

own the graveled path, while Mrs. Moss followed, with skirts well tucked up, and a gre

the little girls ran in, too eager and curious even to cry out when they found themselves at last in possession of the long-coveted old carriage. A dusty,

ling down faster than they went up, when, from the gloom of the interior

a stern tone, backing toward the door w

f the broken window, and a mild whine seemed to

called Mrs. Moss, growing very brave all of a sudden as she

f rags leaped out of the dark, followed by the poodle, who immediately sat down at the bare fee

s, trying to speak sternly, though her motherly eyes were already