Part 31 (1/2)

”Because there's a B in both,” answered Eunice, promptly. ”Will, ask sensible questions, or I'll get a teakettle when I get home, and hit you with it.”

”That might be a stone, but stone won't do. Cricket, now think carefully over your answer. If three men work all day on a fertile farm--”

”I'll get Archie to throw you over the teakettle this minute, if you don't stop,” threatened Cricket.

”Throw me over the teakettle--over the side--stern--bow. Bow. That's it, young lady. Caught you on that.”

And so the game progressed, till they had sufficiently teakettled.

”What next?” asked some one.

”Suppose we have tableaux, and begin with Cricket for Venus,” said Archie, looking at her with his head on one side.

”You needn't make fun of my looks, Mr. Archie. I know this mackintosh isn't _very_ becoming, but I don't care for looks, anyway.”

”You might as well intermingle a few looks if you can,” said Eunice.

”And you do look too funny. Your clothes are dry, now, anyway. Hadn't she better put them on, auntie?”

So the shawl screen was again put up, and the display of dress and petticoats disappeared from the sail of the _Gentle Jane_.

”I feel more respectable,” teased Archie, ”now the weekly wash is taken in. Hated to be taken for a ca.n.a.l-boat.”

”No, we'd rather be taken for a tow,” said Cricket, smartly, and Archie fell back, rigid with mock admiration.

”Now, if we only had pencils and paper,” said auntie, ”there are many games we might play.”

”Oh, wait! wait!” exclaimed Cricket, jumping up suddenly and tumbling over auntie in her excitement. She dived into the tiny hold, and triumphantly brought out her mysterious newspaper package.

”I thought perhaps the girls would like to write on their stories for the 'Echo,'” she explained eagerly, ”so I brought all the blank books and pencils. You can tear some leaves out of the back of mine and use them.”

There was much applause at Cricket's forethought.

”Wise child,” said auntie, approvingly, ”I am glad to see that 'though on pleasure you are bent you have a'--literary mind. We might ill.u.s.trate proverbs.”

”Oh, I can't draw,” said Eunice, quickly.

”So much the better. You need not draw well, for it's much more fun if you don't. I'll tear these leaves in two, Cricket, to make them long and narrow. Now, we must each ill.u.s.trate some proverb at the bottom of the slip, or some line of poetry, if you prefer. Only label it, which it is. When we are all done, we each pa.s.s our slips to the next one, who writes what she thinks it is, and folds back the writing, and pa.s.ses it on. When we have each written our comments, they are opened and read.

Most of the fun comes from the different guesses, so you see you mustn't draw _too_ well, and make your ideas too plain. Now, to work, all of you. Here are your slips.”

They all fell industriously to work, interrupting themselves with many a groan and protest. When all were finished they pa.s.sed on their slips to the next one. There was much giggling at the first sight of some of the very remarkable drawings.

”Now,” said Auntie Jean, when the slips had all pa.s.sed around, and had returned to the hands of their respective artists, ”each of you unfold your papers, and read the comments aloud for the benefit of the company.

Cricket, you're the youngest. Suppose you begin.”

Cricket giggled. Her picture consisted of a scraggy tree, with several long wavy lines near its foot. In the branches of the tree were two good-sized attempts at fowls of some description, while a third huge creature was flying near. She read the comments in order.

”There were three crows sat on a tree, And they were black as crows could be.” AUNTIE.

”The breaking waves dashed high, Caught the pilgrims on the fly.”

(”Couldn't think how that last line goes,” murmured Archie, ”but I'm sure those are pilgrims on the fly.”)