“My mama wears a big co’set, too,” said Jimmy; “I like fat womans ’nother sight better ’n lean ones.  Miss Minerva’s ’bout the skinniest woman they is; when I get married I’m going to pick me out the fattest wife I can find, so when you set in her lap at night for her to rock you to sleep you’ll have a soft place to put your head, while she sings to you.”

“The Major—­he’s mos’ plump enough for two,” said Billy, taking down the stays and trying to hook them around him.

“It sho’ is big,” he said; “I berlieve it’s big ’nough to go ’round both of us.”

“Le’s see if ’tain’t,” was the other boy’s ready suggestion.

He stood behind Billy and they put the stays around both little bodies, while, with much squeezing and giggling, Billy hooked them safely up the front.  The boys got in front of Sarah Jane’s one looking-glass and danced about laughing with glee.

“We’re like the twinses what was growed together like mama read me ’bout,” declared the younger child.

Presently they began to feel uncomfortable, especially Jimmy, whose fat, round little middle was tightly compressed.

“Here, unhook this thing, Billy, and le’s take her off,” he said.  “I’m ’bout to pop open.”

“All right,” agreed his companion.

He tugged and pulled, but could get only the top and bottom hooks unclasped; the middle ones refused to budge.

“I can’t get these-here hooks to come loose,” Billy said.

Jimmy put his short, fat arms around him and tried his hand, but with no better success.  The stays were such a snug fit that the hooks seemed glued.

“We sho’ is in a fix,” said Billy gloomily; “look like God all time lettin’ us git in trouble.”

“You think of more fool stunts to do, William Hill, than any boy they is,” cried the other; “you all time want to get us hooked up in Sarah Jane’s corset and you all time can’t get nobody loose.  What you want to get us hooked up in this thing for?”

“You done it yo’self,” defended the boy in front with rising passion.  “Squeeze in, Jimmy; we jes’ boun’ to git outer this ’fore somebody finds it out.”

He backed the other child close to the wall and pressed so hard against him that Jimmy screamed aloud and began to pound him on the head with his chubby fists.

Billy would not submit tamely to any such treatment.  He reached his hand behind him and gave the smaller boy’s cheek a merciless pinch.  The fight was on.  The two little boys, laced up tightly as they were in a stout pair of stays, pinched and scratched, and kicked and jerked.  Suddenly Billy, leaning heavily against Jimmy, threw him flat on his back and fell on top of him.

Bennie Dick, sitting on the floor, had up to this time watched the proceedings with an interested eye; now, thinking murder was being committed, he opened his big, red mouth and emitted a howl that could be heard half a mile.  It immediately brought his mother to the open door.  When she saw the children squirming on the floor in her only corset, her indignation knew no bounds.