irst rate." Mr. Morris leaned back so far
in his seat, either from admiration or because he was slipping off,
that his eyes suddenly shut up, and opened with a queer little pop
inside of him when Minnie righted him. As to Miss Morris, she glared at
the company with her old white eyeballs as if she was looking down
inside of herself to see how the pudding had agreed with her.

Then Maggie went on.

MISS ISABELLA. There! how do you like _that_?

MR. MORRIS. Oh, thank you, Miss Isabella; it's the sweetest song I ever
heard.

MRS. MONTAGUE. Won't you sing us a song, Mr. Morris?

MR. M. No, I believe I must go now. I have all my things to pack up, so
we can start off travelling right away. Come, sister, stick the roots of
your hair in, and open your distressed looking eyes, and let us be off
home.

"I wonder if her eyes _will_ open?" said Maggie.

"Let's try!" said Lina. "Give the wire a good, hard pull."

As she spoke, she caught hold of the wire and gave a tremendous jerk,
when, dreadful to relate, POP! out came poor Miss Morris's eyes
completely! and tumbled down somewhere inside of her! leaving two great
holes in her head of the most fearful description!

The children stared at her in round-eyed astonishment. Now she was
certainly too hideous to come to the wedding; and the little girls
tried to look as sorry as they could for her, but it was no use; Miss
Morris was such a ridiculous object, that they all three burst into fits
of laughing. Lina, who had hold of the poor thing, shook so with glee,
that the eyes rattled up and down inside her head like a pack of
crackers going off, which made the children laugh still more.

At last Minnie contrived to check herself, and made the brother say,
rather unfeelingly:

Mr. Morris. There you go with your eyes out! A pretty figure you've made
of yourself.

Miss Isabella. Oh! _oh!!_ OH!!! OH!!!!

MRS. M. Goody, Isabella's got the hysterics! Get some water, quick! what
shall I do?

MISS MORRIS. Oh, my eye! my eye! it's _sich_ a pain!

MR. MONTAGUE. Toby, bring some water this minute.

TOBY. (_Minnie brings him in with a pitcher._) Here, massa, here de
water. My! see de ole woman wid her eye out! ha! ha!

MRS. M. Toby, put down that water, and go 'way.

Minnie accordingly made believe that Toby was pouring water right on the
floor; then she turned the pitcher upside down in his hand, and spoke
for him.

TOBY. Dere de water, missis.

MRS. M. Oh! it's all over