o_ well, and make your ideas too plain. Now, to work, all of
you. Here are your slips."

They all fell industriously to work, interrupting themselves with many a
groan and protest. When all were finished they passed on their slips to
the next one. There was much giggling at the first sight of some of the
very remarkable drawings.

"Now," said Auntie Jean, when the slips had all passed around, and had
returned to the hands of their respective artists, "each of you unfold
your papers, and read the comments aloud for the benefit of the company.
Cricket, you're the youngest. Suppose you begin."

Cricket giggled. Her picture consisted of a scraggy tree, with several
long wavy lines near its foot. In the branches of the tree were two
good-sized attempts at fowls of some description, while a third huge
creature was flying near. She read the comments in order.

"There were three crows sat on a tree,
And they were black as crows could be." AUNTIE.

"The breaking waves dashed high,
Caught the pilgrims on the fly."

("Couldn't think how that last line goes," murmured Archie, "but I'm
sure those are pilgrims on the fly.")

"Two's a company, three is none." EDNA.

"Good-morning! do you use Pears' Soap?" WILL.

"Early bird catches the first worm." (Guess those
things down there are worms.) HILDA.

"Two birds in the bush are worth one in the hand."
(I had to make the proverb fit the drawing.) EUNICE.

"And it's just as plain," announced Cricket, contemptuously. "Birds of a
feather flock together."

"Ho! what are those water streaks doing down there, then?" asked Archie.
"The things I thought were breaking waves."

"_I_ thought they were curly worms," added Hilda.

"They're not worms or water either. I just put some lines there to fill
up. I think I meant them for grass. How silly you all are. Now, auntie."

Auntie's picture was beautifully simple. It was nothing but an inclined
plane, with a round thing rolling down it. Of course everybody had
written, "A rolling stone gathers no moss."

"Not at all," answered auntie, coolly. "I thought you would all think
that, but it really is, 'Things are not what they seem.' It looks like a
stone, but it isn't. Now, Eunice."

Eunice had a remarkable sketch of a darkly-shaded spot, with a house
showing dimly through, and at one side a spiky sun was rising above a
quavering line, evidently meant for the horizon. There were various
guesses