Immediately after dinner, little Johnny Buffum appeared in the door-yard
and announced that he had come to play with Prue. He wore a blue-checked
pinafore, below which could be seen his short snuff-colored trousers and
little bare feet. Upon his head jauntily sat a large straw hat with a torn
brim through which the sunlight sifted, where it lay, a stripe of gold
upon his little freckled nose.

"I'm glad you've come, Johnny," said Prue. "Let's play school."

"All right," agreed Johnny, "I'll be the teacher."

"And I'll play I'm Randy, and Tabby can be me,--you 'member to call her
Prue when you speak to her,--and Johnny, this rag doll will be you," said
Prue.

"That old doll's a girl," objected Johnny. "I won't let no girl doll be
me."

But Prue argued that it would be enough better to be represented by the
despised rag doll, than not to be in the school at all, so half convinced,
the game began and the two children were so occupied when Randy started
for her walk to the Centre, that her little sister quite forgot to coax to
be allowed to "go too."

As she trudged along the sunny, dusty road, Randy hummed a merry little
tune, her footsteps keeping time to its rhythm and her heart beating
faster as she thought of her delightful errand.

Arrived at the store she asked Mr. Barnes to show her the piece of cloth
from which her father had bought on the night that he had driven to the