“Yes, mother, you think of one.”

“I was thinking of one this morning,” said mother, “for I thought likely you would be asking me to make up one, though it isn’t my turn.”

“O, but motherdy, you are so much smarter than we are!” said Ethelwyn.

“That is one way to get out of it,” said mother, laughing.  “Well, I will tell you a story, and leave a blank occasionally, which you must fill up with the name of a tree.

“There were two little girls who dressed exactly alike, and, as they were very near the same age, it was difficult to tell which was the—­”

“Elder?” said Ethelwyn, after a hard think.

“Yes.”

“I didn’t really know there was such a tree, but I had heard something like it, and thought there wasn’t a younger tree.”

“One of the little girls was named Louise and the other Minerva, and people grew to calling them by their initials, which together made—­”

“Elm,” said Beth.

“They were very good children, and people used to say what a nice—­”

“Pear,” they both said at once.

“They were.  They had cheeks like a—­”

“Peach.”

“It was spring, and they were invited to a sugaring off party, and they saw the men tap the trees to make—­”

“Maple sugar,” cried Beth, who knew that, if she knew anything.

“So, when they went home, they tapped a tree in the front yard, and invited a party to come and eat maple sugar; but they tapped the wrong tree, and their father was vexed, saying, ’I ought to take a ——­ to ——­’”

But mother had to tell them these words for they had never heard of birch, or of yew. “‘I wonder if you will be ——­’”

“Evergreen,” said Ethelwyn, after a little prompting.

“‘All your life.’  ‘I thought,’ said one, ’that maple sugar parties were very ——­’”

“’Pop’lar? (mother had to tell them this also), ‘at this time of year.’”

“——­ laughed their father.”

“Haw, haw,” said Ethelwyn, who had been thinking of the tree under which they played at home.

“‘I’ll have to take you to the seashore to play on the ——­’”

“Beech,” said Beth in triumph.

“Then he lighted a cigar and knocked off the ——­”

“Ash,” said Ethelwyn.

“And walked down street, whistling a song from ‘Mikado.’  Tit ——­”

“Willow,” they both cried at once, for they knew that song as well as the tree.

“You have done well,” said mother, “but you each have two fines to pay, and it really is your turn next time; so you must remember to think up a game.  But here we are at home, and there is ’Vada coming out to meet us.”

“O, ’Vada, what has happened since we went away?” said Ethelwyn, climbing out.

“Mista Bobby gwine to give a party this ebenin’; it’s his birthday, and his uncle brought him some fiah works like those you all had las’ yeah,” said ’Vada.