il and Nellie Chip-Chip.

STORY XXIII

MRS. N

Nellie Chip-Chip, the little sparrow girl, flew along over the trees
after school was out, with a box of chocolate under her wing. And under
her other wing was a purse, with some money in it that rattled like
sleigh bells.

"What are you going to do with that chocolate?" asked Bully No-Tail, the
frog boy, as he and his brother, who were hopping to a ball game,
happened to see Nellie.

"Oh, I guess she's going to eat it," said Bawly. "If you want us to help
you, we will, won't we, Bully?" he added.

"Sure," said Bully, hungry like.

"Oh, indeed, that's very kind of you boys," replied Nellie, politely,
"but you see I'm not eating this chocolate. I am selling it for our
school. We want to get some nice pictures to put in the rooms, and so
I'm trying to help get the money to buy them by selling cakes of
chocolate."

"Ha! That's a good idea," said Bully. "Say, Nellie, if you go to our
house maybe our mamma will buy some chocolate."

"I'll fly right over there," declared the little sparrow girl, "for I
want very much to sell my chocolate, and, so far, very few persons have
bought any of me."

"I guess our mamma will," said Bawly, and, then when Nellie had flown on
with her chocolate, Bawly winked both his eyes and spoke thusly: "Say,
Bully, if mamma buys the chocolate from Nellie I guess she'll give us
some."

"I hope so," replied his brother, and then they went on to the ball game
and had a good time. Well, as I was telling you, Nellie flew over to
Mrs. No-Tail's house, and knocked at the door with her little bill.

"Don't you want to buy some chocolate so I can make money to get
pictures for our school?" the sparrow girl politely asked.

"Indeed I do," replied Mrs. No-Tail. "I just need some chocolate for a
cake I'm baking. And if you would like to come in, and help me make the
cake, and put the chocolate on, I'll give you some, and you can take a
piece home to Dickie."

"Indeed, I'll be very glad to help," said Nellie, so she went in the
house, and Mrs. No-Tail paid her for some of the chocolate, and then
Nellie took off her hat, and put on an apron, and she helped make the
cake.

Oh, it was a most delicious one! with about forty-'leven layers, and
chocolate between each one, and then on top! Oh, it just makes me hungry
even to typewrite about it! Why the chocolate on top of that cake was as
thick as a board, and then on top of the chocolate was sp