CHAPTER I.

“The blind-eyed children.”

“You is goin’ off, Dotty Dimpwil.”

“Yes, dear, and you must kiss me.”

“No, not now; you isn’t gone yet.  You’s goin’ nex’ day after this day.”

Miss Dimple and Horace exchanged glances, for they had an important secret between them.

“Dotty, does you want to hear me crow like Bantie?  ’Cause,” added Katie, with a pitying glance at her cousin, “’cause you can’t bear me bimeby, when you didn’t be to my house.”

“That will do, you blessed little Topknot,” cried Horace, as the shrill crowing died on the air, and the pink bud of a mouth took its own shape again.  “Now I just mean to tell you something nice, for you might as well know it and be happy a day longer:  mother and you and I are going to Indianapolis to-morrow with Dotty—­going in the cars.”

“O!” exclaimed the child, whirling about like a leaf in a breeze.  “Going to ‘Naplis, yidin’ in the cars!  O my shole!”

“Yes, and you’ll be good all day—­won’t you, darling, and not hide mamma’s spools?”

“Yes, I won’t if I don’t ’member.  We for salt, salt, salt,” sang Flyaway (meaning mi, fa, sol).  Then she ran to the bureau, perched herself before it on an ottoman, and talked to herself in the glass.

“Now you be good gell all day, Katie Clifford—­not dishbey your mamma, not hide her freds o’ spools, say fank you please.  O my shole!”

So Katie was made happy for twenty-four hours.

“After we sleep one more time,” said she, “then we shall go.”

She wished to sleep that “one more time” with Dotty; but her little head was so full of the journey that she aroused her bedfellow in the middle of the night, calling out,—­

“We’s goin’ to ‘Naplis,—­we for salt, salt, salt,—­yidin’ in the cars, Dotty Dimpwil.”

It was some time before Dotty could come out of dreamland, and understand what Katie said.

“Won’t you please to hush?” she whispered faintly, and turned away her face, for the new moon was shining into her eyes.

“Let’s we get up,” cried Katie, shaking her by the shoulders; “don’t you see the sun’s all corned up bwight?”

“O, that’s nothing but just the moon, Katie Clifford.”

“O ho! is um the moon?  Who cutted im in two?” said Flyaway, and dropped to sleep again.

Dotty was really sorry to leave aunt Maria’s pleasant house, and the charming novelties of Out West.

“Phebe,” said she, with a quiver in her voice, when she received the tomato pincushion, “I like you just as well as if you wasn’t black.  And, Katinka, I like you just as well as if you wasn’t Dutch.  You can cook better things than Norah, if your hair isn’t so nice.”

This speech pleased Katinka so much that she patted the letter O’s on each side of her head with great satisfaction, and was very sorry she had not made some chocolate cakes for Dotty to eat in the cars.