cked and shook the world like children
tumbling about under the bed-clothes; and the fire roared, and Thunder
growled, and Lightning flew about trying to get the lid of the volcano
off. At last she did, and out they all burst with such a dreadful noise
that the poor people thought the end of the world had come. Towns fell
down, hills moved, the sea came up on the shore, ashes and stones
covered up a whole city, and destruction and despair were everywhere.

"There! wasn't that a fine frolic? Mother won't dare to shut us up
again, I fancy, when she sees what a piece of work we make for her,"
said naughty Lightning, dashing about to peep through the smoke at the
sad scene below.

"Grand fun! but if Sunshine wakes mother we shall wish we had not done
it. Let's run away to Africa and hide till this is all forgotten,"
answered Thunder, rather ashamed of such a dreadful prank.

So they flew off, leaving great sorrow behind them; but Sunshine did not
wake mamma, though West Wind came home from Italy to tell her all about
it. There was trouble here also, for Rain and East Wind had waked up,
and were very angry to find they had been dosed with poppy-seeds.

"Now we'll pay Sunny for that, and turn everything topsy-turvy," they
said; and calling Hail, they went to work.

Rain emptied all his water-buckets till the rivers rose and flooded the
towns; the snow on the hills melted and covered the fields, washed away
the railroads, carried off houses, and drowned many poor animals; Hail
pelted with his stones, and East Wind blew cold and shrill till there
was no comfort anywhere.

Poor Sunny was at her wits' end with all these troubles; but she would
not wake her mother, and tried to manage her unruly brothers alone. West
helped her, for while Sunny shone, and shone so sweetly that Rain had to
stop crying, West tugged at the weather-cocks till she made East give
way, and let her blow for a while. He was out of breath and had to
yield; so the "bad spell of weather" was over, and the poor,
half-drowned people could get dry and fish their furniture out of the
flood, and moor their floating houses at last. Sunny kept on smiling
till she dried up the ground. West sent fresh gales to help her, and by
March things looked much better.

"Now do be good children, and let us get ready for the spring-cleaning
before mother wakes. I don't know what she _will_ say to the boys, but
I've done my best, and I hope she will be pleased with me," sai