“O, tell it now!” urged Betty.
“Please!” “Please!” begged Elsa and Alice.
“The next time, perhaps,” said Miss Ruth, glancing up at the clock, whose hour-hand was fast approaching five, and shaking her head at Betty’s added “Please!”
“Don’t you think we ought to have a few boy dolls?” asked Alice. “Some of the convalescent children are boys, and Ben likes my boy dolls best.”
“Does Ben play with dolls?” asked Betty scornfully, rattling the tongs by the fireside.
“He used to when he was littler,” said Alice, “and he does sometimes now, when he has the sore throat and has to stay in the house. He doesn’t mind other boys knowing it, either,” she said, sitting up very straight in the deep chair, her blue eyes beaming with pride; “one of the boys teased him about it, and Ben ducked him into the frog-pond. Ben is different from other boys,” Alice explained, turning to Miss Ruth. “I think he would like to come to the Club sometimes.”
“We don’t want boys in our Club,” objected Betty, rising and walking around the room.
“But Ben isn’t like other boys,” said Elsa from her corner with the cats.
“Ben could often help us,” said Miss Ruth encouragingly; “there will be ever so much that a boy can do, especially toward Christmas-time.”
“Ben can sew, too,” said loyal Alice. She loved her twin brother heartily and wanted to have him in all her good times.