ence of the
strap being glued fast under his chin, fell all to one side; and looked
as if the top of his head had accidentally come off and been stuck on
crooked.

MR. MORRIS. Good morning, Miss Isabella; how do you do?

_Isabella_. Very well, thank you. How do you do, Mr. Morris?

MR. MORRIS. Oh, Miss Isabella, I should be quite well if I hadn't
_sitch_ a pain in my heart!

ISABELLA. A pain in your heart! What makes you have that, Mr. Morris?

MR. MORRIS. YOU!

ISABELLA. I!

MR. MORRIS. Oh, Miss Isabella, you can't think how I adore you! I love
you so much that it makes my eyes shut up when I don't want them to;
and my heart beats so that it shakes my cap all to one side!

ISABELLA. Dear me, Mr. Morris, you are quite _afflitted_! but never
mind--papa is going to have you to dinner to-day; you'd better go right
down town, so he can ask you.

MR. MORRIS. But I can't eat any dinner, Miss Isabella, without you will
marry me!

Here Minnie tried to make Mr. Morris pop down on his knees; but as he
wasn't a jointed doll, he lost his balance, and tumbled flat on his face
instead.

MISS ISABELLA. Here, what are you doing? get up, do, and stop your
noise! [For Minnie couldn't help a long-sounding o--h! when her doll
flopped down. So Maggie made the young lady catch hold of Mr. Morris's
shoulder straps and help twitch him on the sofa again, to go on with his
proposal.]

MR. MORRIS. Will you marry me, Miss Isabella? I'm such a nice young
man--you don't know--and we'll live in a real pretty house.

MISS ISABELLA. No, I can't marry you till after you have come to dinner;
mamma said so.

MR. MORRIS. Well, then, I must wait; but only say that you will have me.

ISABELLA. Oh, yes!

At this point the children laid down the dolls and broke into such a
merry trill of laughter, that it would have done anybody's heart good to
hear them. It seemed so funny to have the dolls making love in this
fashion, they couldn't help it. As soon as they were sober again, the
play went on thus:

MR. MORRIS. Well, Miss Isabella, I b'lieve I must go now; I've got an
old sister at home, who will scold me if I don't come back. Can't you
'vite her too? She has a pretty bad time, poor thing! 'cause she is so
oldy that she is kept on a shelf till she's all dusty. Her wig is
dreadful fuzzy, and some of it comes out and stands up at the top. But
I'll dust her well and stick a pin in her wig to keep it on, and make
her look real nice, if you'