The Parents of the
Best Children in the World

with the reminder that it is considered the proper thing for each person, to whom a book is dedicated, to purchase and read a copy.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Page
["We Call 'Em the Imps"]5
["Here's My Grass-Cutter"]7
["Wheels Go Wound"]11
["I Believe You Arranged the Floral Decorations"]15
[Dropping Them Into the Bathtub]17
[Budge's Idea of Jonah and the Whale]25
["We Hope He's Got Lots of Candy"]29
[I Encountered a Door Ajar]35
[The Dolly Found]37
["Papa Don't Whip Us With Sticks"]41
[An Amateur in Packing]45
["I Hunged Over More Than Toddie Did"]58
["We've Got an Umbrella"]67
["When I Was a Soldier," Remarked Toddie]71
["Kish My Dolly, Too"]79
[Two Little Savages]85
[My Nephew Budge In His Best]91
[Putting an Extension on the Afternoon]97
["I Was All Ate Up By a Lion"]103
[Toddie Investigating a Hornet's Nest]109
["But Let's Hurry Home"]113
["Oo-Ee! Zha Turtle On My Plate"]125
[Acting Upon Budge's Suggestion]133
[To Skip All Love Talk in Novels]139
[The Goat, the Carriage, and the Boys]143
["An' Wawtoo to Make Mud-Pies"]151
["Wantsh Dancin' Tune"]157
[Two Great Hands Seized Toddie]163
["He's Got a Dead Mouse to be Jonah Now"]165
[Holding Over His Head a Ragged Umbrella]177
["I Didn't Hurt De 'Ittle Mousie"]181
[A Tribute to Mothers]185
[I Shouted "Hurrah"]191
[Two Clouds Go Bump Into Each Other]199
["Can't You Be a Whay-al?"]203
["Azh Wadiant Azh ze Matchless Wose"]213
[Mrs Mayton Stooped to Pick Up Her Glasses]219
[Made Him Awful Sick]225
["The Sun'll Be Disappointed If It Don't Have Us to Look At"]231
[Galloping Furiously to the Village]235
[Mike Telling Maggie to Get Lunch]237

HELEN'S BABIES

The first cause, so far as it can be determined, of the existence of this book may be found in the following letter, written by my only married sister, and received by me, Harry Burton, salesman of white goods, bachelor, aged twenty-eight, and received just as I was trying to decide where I should spend a fortnight's vacation: