gs, where the four of them had a lively time.

The other boys yelled with delight, and pointed their fingers at them,
"A sneezing concert. Thank you, gentlemen. 'Angcore, angcore'!"

Miss Laura laughed too, she could not help it, and even Billy and I
curled up our lips. After a while they sobered down, and then finding
that the boys hadn't a handkerchief between them, Miss Laura took her
own soft one, and dipping it in a spring of fresh water near by, wiped
the red eyes of the sneezers.

Their ill humor had gone, and when she turned to leave them, and said,
coaxingly, "You won't make those dogs fight any more, will you?" they
said, "No, sirree, Bob."

Miss Laura went slowly home, and ever afterward when she met any of
those boys, they called her "Miss Pepper."

When we got home we found Willie curled up by the window in the hall,
reading a book. He was too fond of reading, and his mother often told
him to put away his book and run about with the other boys. This
afternoon Miss Laura laid her hand on his shoulder and said, "I was
going to give the dogs a little game of ball, but I'm rather tired."

"Gammon and spinach," he replied, shaking off her hand, "you're always
tired."

She sat down in a hall chair and looked at him. Then she began to tell
him about the dog fight. He was much interested, and the book slipped to
the floor. When she finished he said, "You're a daisy every day. Go now
and rest yourself." Then snatching the balls from her, he called us and
ran down to the basement. But he was not quick enough though to escape
her arm. She caught him to her and kissed him repeatedly. He was the
baby and pet of the family, and he loved her dearly, though he spoke
impatiently to her oftener than either of the other boys.

We had a grand game with Willie. Miss Laura had trained us to do all
kinds of things with balls--jumping for them, playing hide-and-seek, and
catching them.

Billy could do more things than I could. One thing he did which I
thought was very clever. He played ball by himself. He was so crazy
about ball play that he could never get enough of it.

Miss Laura played all she could with him, but she had to help her mother
with the sewing and the housework, and do lessons with her father, for
she was only seventeen years old, and had not left off studying. So
Billy would take his ball and go off by himself. Sometimes he rolled it
over the floor, and sometimes he threw it in the air and pushed it
th