nice garden around it, and a barn in the
rear, in which the children loved at times to play.

"I'm going to cut out a fancy table cover for my parlor table," said
Nan. "It's going to be the finest table cover that ever was."

"Nice as Aunt Emily's?" questioned Bert. "She's got a--a dandy, all
worked in roses."

"This is going to be white, like the lace window curtains," replied Nan.

While Freddie and Flossie watched her with deep interest, she took a
small square of tissue paper and folded it up several times. Then she
cut curious-looking holes in the folded piece with a sharp pair of
scissors. When the paper was unfolded once more a truly beautiful
pattern appeared.

"Oh, how lubby!" screamed Flossie. "Make me one, Nan!"

"And me, too," put in Freddie. "I want a real red one," and he brought
forth a bit of red pin-wheel paper he had been saving.

"Oh, Freddie, let me have the red paper for my stairs," cried Bert, who
had had his eyes on the sheet for some time.

"No, I want a table cover, like Nanny. You take the white paper."

"Whoever saw white paper on a stairs--I mean white carpet," said
Flossie.

"I'll give you a marble for the paper, Freddie," continued Bert.

But Freddie shook his head. "Want a table cover, nice as Aunt Em'ly," he
answered. "Going to set a flower on the table too!" he added, and ran
out of the room. When he came back he had a flower-pot in his hand half
the size of his house, with a duster feather stuck in the dirt, for a
flower.

"Well, I declare!" cried Nan, and burst out laughing. "Oh, Freddie, how
will we ever set that on such a little pasteboard table?"

"Can set it there!" declared the little fellow, and before Nan could
stop him the flower-pot went up and the pasteboard table came down and
was mashed flat.

"Hullo! Freddie's breaking up housekeeping!" cried Bert.

"Oh, Freddie! do take the flower-pot away!" came from Flossie. "It's too
big to go into the house."

Freddie looked perplexed for a moment. "Going to play garden around the
house. This is a--a lilac tree!" And he set the flower-pot down close to
Bert's elbow. Bert was now busy trying to put a pasteboard chimney on
his house, and did not notice. A moment later Bert's elbow hit the
flower-pot and down it went on the floor, breaking into several pieces
and scattering the dirt over the rug.

"Oh, Bert! what have you done?" cried Nan, in alarm. "Get the broom and
the dust-pan, before Dinah comes."

"It was Fr