"goodness me, tottie, why don't you fasten the button!" cried tessie to her little sister. but tottie was too frightened to answer; she just stood still while sister fastened the little white pants which had slipped down on the tops of her pink slippers.

"let's go out in the garden now," said tessie, and the two little sisters ran out on the piazza and down the walk. they found brother teddy already there filling his wagon with grass, for the lawn had just been cut and was covered with the loose grass.

"we'll make a big hay mow!" cried the children, and very soon they had piled up the fragment grass as high as their heads. it was great fun rolling over it, or covering each other up until nothing but a little toe stuck out at one end, or the tip of a little pug nose showed at the other.

after a while pussy came by, but when she had been covered up deep with the ticklish grass, she escaped by jumping over the green haymow, and ran off to the barn. she most likely thought it was more fun in the hay loft hunting for mice than being covered up in a big green grass hay-mow out on the lawn. perhaps, too, she was afraid some one might step on her when under the grass. at any rate, she didn't come back, and by and by it was time for the children to go in for luncheon. i don't know whether pussy heard the bell or not, but she came in from the barn in time to get her saucer of milk before the children had finished.

"pussy never has to bother with buttons," said tessie, looking over at tottie, and smiling.

"no," answered tottie, "'cause she has only fur."