Just as Angeline was in the midst of a ghost story, Johnny rushed in
again.

"Come," said he, shaking Dotty by the shoulders, "let's go play poison."

"O, no, Johnny. I'm hearing the nicest, awfullest story! And then it
rains so, too!"

"Doesn't, either. Only sprinkles. And when it sprinkles, it's a _sure_
sign it isn't going to rain."

"Who told you so?"

"Your grandmother Read. She's a Quaker, and she can't lie. Come, Dot
Parlin; if you don't like poison, come out and play soldier."

"I don't want to play a single thing; so there, now, Johnny Eastman!"

"Then you're a cross old party, miss."

"I'm not a party at all. I'm only one girl."

"O, Dotty!" called Prudy from the cellar-way; "take care! take care!"

"So I am taking care," returned Dotty, stoutly. "For my own mother
doesn't 'low me to go out doors and get rained on, and he knows it."

It was coming, Prudy feared--her sister's naughty temper. She saw a
shadow no larger than a man's hand; but it would not do to let it grow.
She must brush it away at once.

"Let's play something in the house," said she, quickly.

"All right," returned Johnny; "only not sit down."

"Yes, let's _do_ sit down," interposed Dotty, with a view to thwarting
Johnny.

"Suppose we play Hindoo," suggested Prudy, "if we can get Susy and
Flossy into it."

"Play what?"

"Why, play we are Hindoos, and live away off in the Indian Ocean."

"Fishes or sharks?" asked Johnny, growing interested.

"O, _people_; and they act so queer. Mother played it with us once, when
Susy had the toothache."

The older girls were hard to be persuaded. They did not like to leave
their shell-work; but they came at last.

"Johnny shall be Joggo," said Susy; "that's a boy's name; Prudy will be
'Drop of Honey,' and Flossy 'Young Beauty,' and Dotty 'Summer Moon,' and
I 'Onno.'"

"'Young Beauty' 's the prettiest," said Dotty; "if I can't play that,
I'd rather stay with my birdie, and not play."

"Why," cried Susy, "how foo--;" but catching Prudy's eye, she added,
"you may as well be Young Beauty; Flossy wouldn't mind. But now I think
of it, Prudy, we can't play school, for girls don't go to school in
India."

"Make believe you are boys, then," observed Johnny, whose interest in
the game had flagged since he knew that Hindoos were not sharks.

"We'll play it's six o'clock in the morning," continued Susy.

"That isn't school time," remonstrated Dotty.

"O, yes, it is, in India. I'm the te