“This is my little cousin,” she began, but was promptly interrupted by Hi who remarked,

“I ain’t little, I’m a big boy.”

“And he wants to come to school, Miss Gilman.”

“No I don’t want ter come ter school, an’ I wouldn’t only ma made me,” remarked Hi, determined to have his attitude plainly understood.

Miss Gilman smiled as she looked at the rebellious little face, saying, kindly, “Perhaps you will enjoy school when you are acquainted with some of the scholars.”

“I know Randy Weston’s little sister, and I’d like ter sit side of her; she’s some fun, ’sides she’s littler’n I be,” said Hi.

Miss Gilman thought best to humor this, his first request, so he took his seat beside Prue who smiled sweetly upon him, and the small boy at once decided that school with Prue for a friend might be as attractive as staying at home under the watchful eyes of Grandma Babson.

“It’s only quarter of nine,” Phoebe Small was saying, “and I rushed about like everything, thinking I should be late.”

“I didn’t have to hurry,” said Randy, laughing, “for I was so sure that I was late when I awoke, that I never looked to see what time it was, but flew around doing what I could before breakfast toward getting ready for school.  Then I began to wonder why mother didn’t call me, and I looked at the clock.  It was an hour before breakfast time!”

“Oh what a waste of strength,” said Jack Marvin, with a well affected yawn.  “I got started first and called fer my cousin Dot, and by tugging her all the way I managed to get her here, too.”

The Langham twins, to whom Jack was very attentive, looked at each other in amazement.  They admired Jack, but was he untruthful?  The idea that he was joking never occurred to them.

Reuben Jenks described them as “joke proof,” as they had never been known to see the point of any witticism, and if it chanced to be explained to them they would stare placidly at the speaker and then invariably remark,

“Why I don’t call that funny.”

“I’m going to tell Miss Gilman that my name is Dorothea.  I’m tired of being called Dot, ’specially as I’m round and dumpy,” remarked Jack’s cousin resolutely.

“I’ll call you Dorothea every time as loud as I can roar it, see if I don’t,” said Jack, but as Miss Gilman touched her bell just at this moment, Jack was obliged to wait for an opportunity to address his cousin by her full name.

As the scholars were taking their places in the seats which had been assigned them, Molly Wilson entered, looking very pretty in a gown of a dark, rich red and a pair of new boots which squeaked with every step.

“Her new dress is just like yours,” whispered Dot Marvin to Randy, but Randy, whose cheeks were suddenly very pink, seemed not to have heard, and Dot was obliged to be contented with looking from Molly’s dress to Randy’s and wondering how it happened that they chanced to be alike.