nd _me_ on _that_ question."

Even grave Winny laughed over this queer idea.

"I can't make bottles any more than I can fly away," she said at last
"And neither can you."

"I shan't say that till I've tried it about a month, _anyhow_," Tode
answered, positively. "I never _did_ like to give up a thing before I
began it."

The white cap frill nodded violently over this sentiment

"That's the way to talk," said the little mother. "There's more giving
up of good things before they're begun than there ever is afterward, I
do believe."

_Such_ an evening as they had! Winny, in spite of her discouraging
words, entered into the work with considerable heartiness; and the slate
first, and afterward pieces of brown paper covered over with grotesque
images of black bottles, looking most of them, it must be confessed,
like anything else in the world. Finally the sympathetic mother came to
the rescue. She mounted a high chair to reach the topmost shelf in her
little den of a pantry, where were congregated the few bottles that had
ensued from a quarter of a century of housekeeping. One after another
was taken down and anxiously examined, until at last, oh joyful
discovery! the label of one showed the picture of an unmistakable
bottle, over which a picture of the inventor of the bitters which it was
supposed to contain was fondly leaning, as if it were his staff of life.
The young artists greeted it with delight, and with it for a model
produced such delightful results that by half-past eight the sign shone
out in blue and black and red chalks.

"Now for my circle," said Tode, seizing upon the piece of pasteboard
which had been cut off. A large plate from the pantry did duty in the
absence of sufficient geometrical knowledge, and the circle was quickly
produced. Then did Tode's skill at making figures shine forth. In the
bright red chalks did he quickly produce a circle of the nine figures
around his pasteboard circle.

"Now what is all that for, I _should_ like to know?" Winny asked,
looking on half interestedly, half contemptuously.

"I'm just going to show you. You see, the lesson you gave me to-day is
the addition table, and that addition table is a tough, ugly job, I can
tell you. Well, I pelted away at it till dinner time, and I guess by
that time I knew almost as much as I did before I begun it; and I went
to Jones' after my dinner, and Mr. Jones he wanted me to take a note for
him to a man at the bank, just around th