Tess grew fiery red. "I don't want boys liking me!" she declared. "Only
Neale."

"And especially not Sam Pinkney, eh?" said Agnes. "But what happened?
You have us all worked up, Tess."

"Why, Miss Andrews was telling us that the 'stan' at the end of any word
meant 'the place of'--like Afghanistan, the place the Afghans live----"

"That's what Mrs. Adams is knitting," interposed Dot, placidly.

"_What?_" demanded Agnes. "Why, the Afghans are a people--in Asia--right
near India."

"She's knitting one; she told me so," declared Dot, holding her ground
obstinately. "She knits it out of worsted."

"That's right," laughed Ruth. "It's a crocheted 'throw' for a couch. You
are right, Dot; and so are you, too, Aggie."

"Are we ever going to get to Sammy Pinkney?" groaned Agnes.

"Well!" said Tess, indignantly, "I'll tell you, if you'll give me a
chance."

"Sail right in, sister," chuckled Agnes.

"So Miss Andrews said 'stan' meant 'the place of,'" rushed on Tess,
"like Afghanistan, and Hindoostan, 'the place of the Hindoos,' and she
says:

"'Can any of you give another example of the use of "stan" for the end
of a word?' and Sammy says:

"'I can, Miss Andrews. Umbrellastan--the place of the umbrellars,' and
now Sammy," concluded Tess, "can't have any stocking on our Christmas
tree."

"I guess Sammy was trying to be smart," said Dot, gravely.

"He's a smart boy, all right," Agnes chuckled. "I heard him last Sunday
in Sunday school class. He's in Miss Pepperill's class right behind
ours. Miss Pepperill asked Eddie Collins:

"'What happened to Babylon?'

"'It fell,' replied Ed.

"'And what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah?' she asked Robbie Foote, and
Robbie said:

"'They were destroyed, Miss Pepperill.'

"Then she came to Sammy. 'What of Tyre, Sammy?' she asked.

"'Punctured,' said Sammy, and got the whole class to laughing."

"Oh, now, Aggie!" queried Ruth, doubtfully, "isn't that a joke?"

"No more than Tess's story is a joke," giggled the plump girl.

"But it's no joke for Sammy to lose his part in the Christmas
entertainment," said Tess, seriously. "I'm going to buy him a pair of
wristlets, his wrists are so chapped."

"You keep on planning to buy presents for all the boys that are shut out
of participating in the Christmas tree," laughed Ruth, "and you'll use
up all your spending money, Tess."

Tess was reflective. "Boys are always getting into trouble, aren't
they?" she observed. "It's lucky