best to have the teacher with us, because she could help us
with our lessons at home, and we could get ahead of the others. May
already had decided that she would be at the head of her class when she
finished school, and every time you wanted her and couldn't find her,
if you would look across the foot of mother's bed, May would be there
with a spelling book. Once she had spelled down our school, when
Laddie was not there.

Father had met Peter Dover in town, and he had said that he was coming
to see Sally, because he had something of especial importance to tell
her.

"Did he say what it was?" asked Sally.

"Only what I have told you," replied father.

Sally wanted to take the broom and sweep the parlour.

"It's clean as a ribbon," said mother.

"If you go in there, you'll wake the baby," said Lucy.

"Will it kill it if I do?" asked Sally.

"No, but it will make it cross as fire, so it will cry all the time
Peter is here," said Lucy.

"I'll be surprised if it doesn't scream every minute anyway," said
Sally.

"I hope it will," said Lucy. "That will make Peter think a while
before he comes so often."

That made Sally so angry she couldn't speak, so she went out and began
killing chickens. I helped her catch them. They were so used to me
they would come right to my feet when I shelled corn.

"I'm going to kill three," said Sally. "I'm going to be sure we have
enough, but don't you tell until their heads are off."

While she was working on them mother came out and asked how many she
had, so Sally said three. Mother counted us and said that wasn't
enough; there would have to be four at least.

After she was gone Sally looked at me and said: "Well, for land's
sake!"

It was so funny she had to laugh, and by the time I caught the fourth
one, and began helping pick them, she was over being provoked and we
had lots of fun.

The minute I saw Peter Dover he made me think of something. I rode his
horse to the barn with Leon leading it. There we saw Laddie.

"Guess what!" I cried.

"Never could!" laughed Laddie, giving Peter Dover's horse a slap as it
passed him on the way to a stall.

"Four chickens, ham, biscuit, and cake!" I announced.

"Is it a barbecue?" asked Laddie.

"No, the extra one is for the baby," said Leon. "Squally little runt,
I call it."

"It's a nice baby!" said Laddie.

"What do you know about it?" demanded Leon.

"Well, considering that I started with you, and have b