"It really looks best on Asia," she thought; "but if I let her wear
it Austry'll have a cryin' spell an' git to holdin' her breath, an'
that'll take up so much time." So she added aloud: "I'll tell you
what we'll do. Asia, you kin wear the skirt, an' Austry kin wear
the waist."

But when she had pinned the skirt over one little girl's red calico
dress, and buttoned the blue waist over the clean apron of the
other, she looked at them dubiously. "They do look kinder mixed,"
she admitted to herself, "but I reckon it don't matter, so long as
they 're both happy."

Just here Billy came in, with the veil in one hand and a bunch of
faded carnations in the other.

"Look, ma!" he exclaimed, holding up his trophy, "I swapped 'em with
Pete fer a top an' a agate. He got 'em outen a ash-barrel over on
the avenue."

"Well, now, ain't that nice?" said Mrs. Wiggs; "I'll jes' clip the
stems an' put 'em in a bottle of water, an' they'll pick up right
smart by the time we go. I wisht you had something to fix up in,
Billy," she added; "you look as seedy as a raspberry."

Billy did look rather shabby; his elbows were out, and two of the
holes in his pants were patched and two were not. Mrs. Wiggs was
rummaging in the table drawer.

"I wisht I could find somethin' of yer pa's that would do. Here's