"Oh, no, you mustn't," cried Ben, catching hold of her arm as she
was preparing to fly off. "Mammy'll find it out; better wait till
to-morrow; and besides Polly--" And Ben stopped, unwilling to
dampen this propitious beginning. "The stove'll act like everything,
to-morrow! I know 'twill; then what'll you do!"

"It sha'n't!" said Polly, running up to look it in the face; "if it does,
I'll shake it; the mean old thing!"

The idea of Polly's shaking the lumbering old black affair, sent
Ben into such a peal of laughter that it brought all the other
children running to the spot; and nothing would do but they must
one and all, be told the reason. So Polly and Ben took them into
confidence, which so elated them that half an hour after, when
long past her bedtime, Phronsie declared, "I'm not going to bed! I
want to sit up like Polly!"

"Don't tease her," whispered Polly to Ben, who thought she ought
to go; so she sat straight up on her little stool, winking like
everything to keep awake.

At last, as Polly was in the midst of one of her liveliest sallies,
over tumbled Phronsie, a sleepy little heap, upon the floor.

"I want--to go--to bed!" she said; "take me--Polly!"

"I thought so," laughed Polly, and bundled her off into the
bedroom.