"We s'posed she was seeing like everything." "Why, child, do you expect things are going to be done by steam ?" said Horace, forgetting he had calculated it would take about five minutes.
"Well, if he didn't had no steam, he could 'a' tookened the sidders, and picked 'em open," sniffed Fly, who had great contempt for slow people.
"Ah, little Hopelover," laughed auntie, "you're like us grown folks all the world over, scolding about what you don't understand." * * * * * A few more days were spent in uninterrupted happiness.

Fly declared "Santa Claus _is_ a darlin'," when she received the King Charles spaniel, which, by the way, had not been purchased without the full consent of Horace, who was even willing, for his little sister's sake, to take him home in the cars.
The youth, in his turn, was made happy by the gift of a silver-mounted rifle; while Prudy rejoiced in a rosewood writing desk, and Dotty in a gold pen.
"All's well that ends well." Uncle Augustus was at home, and that in itself was as good as most fairy stories.

Fly had the kindness to "stay found" for the rest of the visit, and did not even take another cold.
Dotty was unmixed sweetness.

Maria came every day with such a beaming face that it was delightful to see her.
Mrs.Pragoff asked for all their photographs, and gave the Parlins some Polish mittens to carry home to their mother.
"I s'pose you know," said Dotty, privately to Prudy, "there's not another girl at my school been to New York, and treated with such attention; but O, I tell you, I shan't be proud.

I shall always love Tate Penny just the same." When the day came to separate, it went hard with them all.
"Just as we got to having a good time," said Dotty, her face in a hard knot.
"But we shall all meet next summer," said Prudy, hopefully.
"I don't want to wait," moaned Fly, going into her pocket-hangfiss--all but her back hair and the rest of her body.
I have a great mind to let her stay there till we come to the next book, which is, AUNT MADGE'S STORY, TOLD BY HERSELF.
[Illustration: SOPHIE MAY'S "LITTLE-FOLKS" BOOKS.] "The authoress of THE LITTLE PRUDY STORIES would be elected Aunty-laureate if the children had an opportunity, for the wonderful books she writes for their amusement.