"There was one thing I didn't tell," said Emily, who felt obliged to pour
her whole history into her new friend's ears; "I was sick last spring,
and had a fever. If it had been scarlet fever I should have died; but it
was _imitation_ of scarlet fever, and I got well."

"I'm glad you got well," said Dotty, rather tired of Emily's troubles;
"but don't you want to play with the other girls? I do."

"Yes; let us play Rollo on the Ocean," cried Octavia, who was Emily's
bosom friend, and was seldom away from her long at a time, but had just
now been devoting herself to Katie. "Here is the ship. All aboard!"




CHAPTER III.

PLAYING SHIP.


Now this ship was an old wagon-body, and had never been in water deeper
than a mud puddle. A dozen little girls climbed in with great bustle and
confusion, pretending they were walking a plank and climbing up some
steps. After they were fairly on board they waved their handkerchiefs for
a good by to their friends on shore. Then Octavia fired peas out of a
little popgun twice, and this was meant as a long farewell to the land.
Now they were fairly out on the ocean, and began to rock back and forth,
as if tossed by a heavy sea.