children do laugh. They are ready to
laugh at nothing now. You pin the tail on the donkey, and then we'll
go out to the dining-room and see what Kate has to surprise us."

CHAPTER XII

JERRY LOSES HIS TEMPER

Sunny Boy stood very still to have the handkerchief tied over his eyes.
He was glad it was his turn, and he meant to pin that donkey's tail
almost in the right place, if not the exact spot.

"There you are, Sunny Boy," said Mrs. Dunlap gaily, turning him around
and around gently, three times. "Now you are ready to try your luck."

Sunny Boy tried to remember where the donkey was pinned. He walked
forward slowly, taking queer little short steps. When your eyes are
blindfolded, you know, you feel every moment as though you were going
to step down into a hole. Suddenly Sunny Boy lifted his pin with the
donkey's tail on it and made a quick jab. He was sure he had reached
the picture of the donkey.

"Ouch!" shrieked a boy's voice.

After that came a moment of perfect silence; and then, such a shout of
laughter! Girls and boys seemed to be shouting together and Sunny Boy
thought he heard Mrs. Dunlap laughing with them. He pulled off the
handkerchief, and then he saw what they were laughing at. He had
pinned the donkey's tail on Jerry Mullet!

"Oh, my! Oh, my!" laughed Perry Phelps, rolling over on the floor.
"Oh, Sunny Boy, I never saw anything so funny in my life! You lifted
that pin so high in the air and brought it down on Jerry's arm before
he knew what you were going to do. I never saw anything so funny!" and
Perry rolled over on the rug and began to laugh again.

All the children were laughing, and pretty Mrs. Dunlap had tears in her
eyes because she had laughed so much. Only Jerry Mullet looked cross.

"I hope I didn't hurt you," Sunny Boy said to him. "I didn't mean to
stick a pin into you."

Before Jerry could do more than scowl, Perry sat up on the floor wiping
his eyes.

"What I want to know--" he said, "is Jerry a donkey?" And then he
began to laugh again, and this time the children shouted with him.

They thought this was the funniest question, and they laughed and
laughed and kept saying to each other: "Is Jerry a donkey, because
Sunny Boy pinned the donkey's tail on him? Is Jerry a donkey?"

"I'll show you whether I'm a donkey or not," growled Jerry, frowning at
them all. "I'll show you! I won't stay at your old party!"

And he dashed upstairs and into Oliver's ro