lived with one family
or the other in turn, as suited her somewhat fickle fancy.

In each family the children represented father, mother, and daughter,
and they were pleasantly neighborly, or at odds with each other, as
occasion required.

To-day the spirit of adventure was strong in Marjorie, and she decreed
they should play robbers.

This was always a good game, so they all agreed.

"First, King's family must be robbed," said Midget; "and then, after you
catch us, you rob us."

The burglaries were thus amicably planned, and Kingdon and his family,
lying on leaf-couches, fell into a deep, but somewhat noisy slumber.
Indeed, their snoring was loud enough to frighten away most robbers.

Rosy Posy didn't count in this game, so she was allowed to wander in and
out of either house.

When the Kingdon family were _very_ sound asleep, the Dick family crept
softly in through the open doors, and endeavored to steal certain
valuable silver from the sideboard. This silver was admirably
represented by chips and sticks.

Dick and Marjorie had secured their booty and were carefully sneaking
away when King awoke, and with a howl pounced upon Kitty, who was still
industriously stealing silver.

This, of course, was part of the game, and Dick and Midget wrung their
hands in despair as they saw their daughter forcibly detained by the
master of the house.

Then Gladys and Dorothy were awakened by the noise, and added their
frightened screams to the general hullaballoo.

Kitty was bound hand and foot in the very dining-room where the silver
had been, and King went valiantly out to hunt the other marauders. Then
the game was for King and his family to try to catch Dick and Midget, or
for Kitty's parents to release her from her bondage.

At last, as King and Gladys were both engaged in chasing Dick, Marjorie
found an opportunity to free Kitty, and then the game began again, the
other way round.

At last they tired of hostilities and agreed to rebuild their houses,
combining them in one, and calling it a big hotel.

"Or a clubhouse," said King, who had recently visited one with his
father, and had been much impressed.

"Clubhouses are grand," he said. "They have porches, and swimming-pools,
and gyms, and dining-rooms, and everything!"

So the architecture was changed, and soon a fine clubhouse was outlined
in leafy relief.

"Then if this is a clubhouse, we're a club," said Kitty, thoughtfully.

"Oh, let's be a club!"