e her, and never took the
slightest notice of anybody.

Just then a queer little laugh was heard; a kind of a smothered,
bursting laugh. The children stared! and there was the little old
gentleman stuffing his pocket handkerchief into his mouth, and
perfectly shaking with laughter!! What conduct in an aged person!! But
worse was coming! The little old lady began to laugh; then she screamed
with laughter, and shook so that a most dreadful thing happened! She
laughed all the hair off her head! It first tumbled over sideways, and
then fell on the carpet all in a bunch!

"Sister Mary!! sister Mary!!" cried Lillie, running up to the little old
lady, who, strange to tell! had another crop of beautiful golden brown
hair under the other, smoothed down very close to her head.

"Why, it's a wig!" screamed the children, all laughing and running up.
Was there ever anything so funny: "It's nothing but Miss Mary in a wig."

At this very moment Master Sam Russell stepped slyly behind the little
old gentleman, and twitched at his bushy white hair. It all came off in
his hand amid roars of laughter; and underneath was the brown head of
Harry, one of the greatest fellows for fun you ever saw, and a dear
cousin of Lillie's.

But Miss Florence stared at it all with a simpering smile on her face;
till Lillie, looking close at her, caught her up in her arms, and
hugging her to her breast screamed joyfully out--"It's a new doll! a new
doll!! Miss Florence is a new doll!!" and began running round the whole
length of the two rooms, all the children scampering after her, laughing
and shouting, till they threw themselves down on the sofas and chairs,
perfectly breathless.

Yes, Miss Florence was a splendid wax doll; and the children gathered
round Lillie, after just one second of rest, for they could not possibly
be expected to sit still longer than that; and admired and kissed the
stranger; and "Oh, what a darling! what lovely eyes! what pretty boots!
how big she is! and so on," was heard on all sides.

A tremendous ring at the bell! Why! were wonders never to cease? In came
Margery saying there was a trunk in the hall left by the expressman, who
said Miss Florence Grey must pay him twenty-five cents, and he would not
stir a step till she did.

Here was a difficulty! Lillie's money never had a chance to burn a hole
in _her_ pocket, because she spent it the very moment her mamma or papa
gave her any; and she did not know where twenty-fiv