n, "you will have a great many
wonderful things to tell us, Dotty, for I am sure you travelled with
your eyes open."

"Yes'm; I hardly ever went to sleep in the cars. But when you said
'eyes,' auntie, it made me think of the blind children. We went to the
'Sylum to see them."

"How do they look?" asked Johnny.

"They don't _look_ at all; they are blind."

"Astonishing! I'd open my eyes if I were they."

"Why, Percy, they are blind--stone-blind!"

"How is that? How blind is a stone?"

Dotty busied herself with her turkey. Her Eastman cousins all had a way
of rendering her very uncomfortable. They made remarks which were
intended to be witty, but were only pert. They were not really
kind-hearted, or they would have been more thoughtful of the feelings
of others.

"Alice," said dear Mrs. Read, trying to turn the conversation, "I see
thee wears a very pretty ring."

Dotty took it off her finger, and passed it around for inspection.

"I never had a ring before," said she, with animation. "I never had
anything to wear--'cept _clothes_"

Percy laughed.

"I found the pearl in an oyster stew, grandma. It is such a very funny
place Out West"

"Yes, it is really a pearl," said Percy, "only spoiled by boiling. Look
her, Toddlekins; oysters don't grow Out West; they grow here on the
coast. You'd better study astronomy."

Dotty took refuge in silence again, like an oyster withdrawing into
his shell.

"O, Dotty," said Susy, presently, "tell me what you saw Out West. I want
to hear all about it."

"Well, I saw a pandrammer," replied Dotty, briefly.

"What in the world is that?" said Johnny.

"It is a long picture, and they keep pulling it out like India rubber."

"She means a _panorama_" cried Johnny. "Why, I went to one last night. We
can see as much as you can, without going Out West, either."

Here was another sensation. Dotty might as well have been eating ashes as
the delirious dinner before her.

"Don't you like your pudding, dear?" asked aunt Eastman.

"O, yes'm; I always like _coker-whacker"_ replied the unfortunate Dotty,
stumbling over the word _tapioca_.

In spite of their mother's warning frown, the three young Eastmans
laughed, while Susy and Prudy, who had kinder hearts and better manners,
drew down their mouths with the greatest solemnity.

"I ain't going to speak another word," cried the persecuted little
traveller, setting down her goblet, and hitting it against her plate till
it rang a