"I used to be full of mischief when I was small; but I never frightened a little girl in my life; and no boy would do it that thinks anything of himself." Dotty looked up admiringly at the youth of twelve years, liking him all the better for his chivalry, as any of you little girls would have done.
"Boy-cousins are not always alike," said she, as if the idea was quite new; "some are good, and some are naugh--" The word was cut in two by a scream.

A large and very handsome snake was gliding gracefully across her path.

The like of it for size and brilliancy, she had never seen before.
"O, how boo-ful!" cried Katie, darting after it.

Horace held her back.
Dotty trembled violently.
"Kill it," she screamed; "throw stones at it; take me away! take me away!" "Poh, Dotty; nothing but an innocent snake; he's more afraid of you than you are of him." "You told him take you away two times," exclaimed Katie, "and he didn't, and he didn't." "I never knew you had such awful things out West," said Dotty shuddering.

"And I don't think _now_ there's _any_ difference in boy-cousins! They never take you away, nor do anything you ask 'em to--so there!" "Why, Dotty, he was hurrying as fast as he could to get out of our sight; there was no need of taking you away." "She needn't be 'fraid," observed Flyaway, soothingly; "if I had a sidders, I could ha' cutted him in two." By this time the rest of the party had arrived.