I ever have any little girls, I'm always going to let them
wear exactly what they please--and I'm never going to tell them to be
little ladies. Anyhow I guess I can wear my white shoes and there
haven't any of the other girls got any yet."

Pete eyed her in silence.

"I shall take my Christmas dolly--she's the prettiest."

Pete cocked his head on one side and began to climb up in her lap. He
had caught sight of Ernest and Carol coming in the front gate, and the
boys often teased him.

As they came near he cuddled up close against Jane, calling vigorously,
"Scat!--Go off and die!"

The boys laughed and Ernest held out his slate pencil which the parrot
nipped fiercely.

On the afternoon of the party Katy and Gertie came by for Chicken
Little. They were crisp and dainty as usual in ruffled white dresses
with blue and pink sashes and hair ribbons. Chicken Little looked from
them to her own silken finery regretfully.

Katy began by cheering her the wrong way.

"My, you'll have to be awful careful with your dress, Jane. I guess it
would spoil it if you dropped ice-cream on it."

"I'm glad white will wash," added Gertie complacently, smoothing down
her ruffles.

Chicken Little hugged her doll tighter and ignored these remarks.

"I'm glad it didn't rain today 'cause Mother wouldn't have let me wear
my white shoes if it had."

"It rained hard enough last night--you'll have to watch out for puddles.
Father said everything was soaked this morning," replied Katy.

"It's dried awful fast--May's going to have the party on the lawn. Her
mother's set a table out under the trees," said Gertie.

"Yes, and she's going to have a prize for the prettiest doll. We're each
to write a name on a piece of paper and put it in a hat and then they'll
count them and give it to the doll that has the most."

"Mother made a new dress for Minnie and painted her cheeks where I
washed the pink off, but I don't s'pose she'll get the prize--she's so
old. Maybe your Victoria will, she has such pretty blue eyes."

Chicken Little looked down at Victoria's blue eyes and yellow curls
appraisingly.

"Marian says she thinks Victoria is one of the prettiest dolls she's
ever seen."

"She is pretty but I don't think her dress is near as pretty as Grace
Dart's. Her doll's got the loveliest pink silk and a hat and parasol to
match. It's a--what do you s'pose those boys are laughing at?"

Katy broke off her sentence to ask hastily, pointing across