“Don’t you ever play with dolls?” Susan asked at last.
“No,” answered Lucy the eldest, “we are too old. Eva has one, but we put away our dolls on my last birthday.”
“What do you play at?” inquired Susan.
“We haven’t much time to play,” replied Lucy seriously, “because we belong to so many things.”
“What things?”
“There’s the ‘Early Rising Society,’ and the ‘Half-hour Needlework for the East-End Society,’ and the ‘Reading Society,’ and the ‘Zenana Meetings;’ and we’re all ‘Young Abstainers.’”
“What’s that?” asked Susan.
“It’s the children’s temperance society. We pledge ourselves not to take alcohol, and to prevent others from taking it if we can. There’s a meeting once a month. It’s our turn next time to have it here.”
“What do you do when you meet?” inquired Susan.
“Some of us work,” said Lucy, “and someone reads aloud.”