for her usually amiable spirit had been ruffled by the late
occurrences.

"I didn't sneeze! I've got enough to do to talk and cry and cough for
my own poor dears without bothering about yours," cried Bab, even more
ruffled than her sister.

"Then who did? I heard a real, live sneeze just as plain as anything,"
and Betty looked up to the green roof above her, as if the sound came
from that direction.

A yellow-bird sat swinging and chirping on the tall lilac-bush, but no
other living thing was in sight.

"Birds don't sneeze, do they?" asked Betty, eying little Goldy
suspiciously.

"You goose! of course they don't."

"Well, I should just like to know who is laughing and sneezing round
here. May be it is the dog," suggested Betty, looking relieved.

"I never heard of a dog's laughing, except Mother Hubbard's. This is
such a queer one, may be he can, though. I wonder where he went to?"
and Bab took a patient survey down both the side paths, quite longing
to see the funny poodle again.

"I know where _I'm_ going to," said Betty, piling the dolls into her
apron with more haste than care. "I'm going right straight home to tell
Ma all about it. I don't like such actions, and I'm afraid to stay."

"I aint; but I guess it is going to rain, so I shall have to go
anyway," answered Bab, taking advantage of the black clouds rolling up
the sky, for _she_ scorned to own that she was afraid of anything.

Clearing the table in a summary manner by catching up the four corners
of the cloth, Bab put the rattling bundle into her apron, flung her
children on the top, and pronounced herself ready to depart. Betty
lingered an instant to pick up odds and ends that might be spoilt by
the rain, and when she turned from taking the red halter off the
knocker, two lovely pink roses lay on the stone steps.

"Oh, Bab, just see! Here's the very ones we wanted. Wasn't it nice of
the wind to blow 'em down?" she called out, picking them up and running
after her sister, who had strolled moodily along, still looking about
her for her sworn foe, Sally Folsom.

The flowers soothed the feelings of the little girls, because they had
longed for them, and bravely resisted the temptation to climb up the
trellis and help themselves, since their mother had forbidden such
feats, owing to a fall Bab got trying to reach a honeysuckle from the
vine which ran all over the porch.

Home they went and poured out their tale, to Mrs. Moss's great
amusement, f