He almost always beats unless papa comes behind and helps me.
Phil has learned too, because he always wants to do every thing that we do.
Dorry gives him a castle, and a bishop, and a knight, and four pawns, and then beats him in six moves.
Phil gets so mad that we can't help laughing.
Last night he buttoned his king up inside his jacket, and said,
'There! you can't checkmate me now, any way!'
"Cecy has come home.
She is a young lady now. She does her hair up quite different, and wears long dresses.
This winter she is going to parties, and Mrs. Hall is going to have a party for her on Thursday, with real, grown-up young ladies and gentlemen at it.
Cecy has got some beautiful new dresses,—a white muslin, a blue tarlatan, and a pink silk.
The pink silk is the prettiest, I think.
Cecy is real kind, and lets me see all her things.
She has got a lovely breast- pin too, and a new fan with ivory sticks, and all sorts of things.
I wish I was grown up.
It must be so nice.
I was to tell you something, only you mustn't tell any body except Katy.
Don't you remember how Cecy used to say that she never was going out to drive with young gentlemen, but was going to stay at home and read the Bible to poor people?
Well, she didn't tell the truth, for she has been out three times already with Sylvester Slack in his buggy.
When I told her she oughtn't to do so, because it was breaking a promise, she only laughed, and said I was a silly little girl.
Isn't it queer?
"I want to tell you what an awful thing I did the other night.
Maria Avery invited me to tea, and papa said I might go.
I didn't want to much, but I didn't know what to tell Maria, so I went.
You know how poor they are, and how aunt Izzie used to say that they were 'touchy,' so I thought I would take great care not to hurry home right after tea, for fear they would think I wasn't having a good time.
So I waited, and waited, and waited, and got so sleepy that I had to pinch my fingers to keep awake.
At last I was sure that it must be almost nine, so I asked Mr. Avery if he'd please take me home; and don't you believe, when we got there, it was a quarter past ten, and papa was coming for me!
Dorry said he guessed I must be enjoying myself to stay so late.
I didn't tell anybody about it for three days, because I knew they'd laugh at me, and they did.
Wasn't it funny?
And old Mrs. Avery looked as sleepy as I felt, and kept yawning behind her hand.
I told papa if I had a watch of my own I shouldn't make such mistakes, and he laughed, and said,
'We'll see.'
Oh, do you suppose that means he's going to give me one?
"We are so proud of Dorry's having taken two prizes at the examination yesterday.
He took the second Latin prize, and the first Mathematics.
Dr. Pullman says he thinks Dorry is one of the most thorough boys he ever saw.
Isn't that nice?
The prizes were books: one was the life of Benjamin Franklin, and the other the Life of General Butler.
Papa says he doesn't think much of the Life of Butler; but Dorry has begun it, and says it is splendid.
Phil says when he takes a prize he wants candy and a new knife; but he'll have to wait a good while unless he studies harder than he does now.
He has just come in to tease me to go up into the garret and help him to get down his sled, because he thinks it is going to snow; but there isn't a sign of it, and the weather is quite warm.
I asked him what I should say for him to you, and he said,
'Oh, tell her to come home, and any thing you please.'
I said,
'Shall I give her your love, and say that you are very well?' and he says,
'Oh, yes, Miss Elsie, I guess you'd think yourself mighty well if your head ached as much as mine does every day.'
Don't be frightened, however, for he's just as fat and rosey as can be; but almost every day he says he feels sick about school-time.
When papa was at Moorfield, Miss Finch believed him, and let him stay at home two mornings. I don't wonder at it, for you can think what a face he makes up; but he got well so fast that she pays no attention to him now.
The other day, about eleven o'clock, papa met him coming along the road, shying stones at the birds, and making lots of noise.
He told papa he felt so sick that his teacher had let him go home; but papa noticed that his mouth looked sticky, so he opened his dinner- basket, and found that the little scamp had eaten up all his dinner on the road, corned beef, bread and butter, a great piece of mince pie, and six pears.