"We won't let you ride any longer," they answered, "because it's your turn to play that you are a horse."

"Then I'll go home," she said, and this time she did.

"What is the matter?" asked her mother.

"The children won't play the way I want them to, and I don't like them any more because I think they are unkind," she answered. "I wish I could go to fairy-land and be a princess, or else that I were a grown-up lady."

"Even grown-up ladies and princesses cannot always have their own way,"

her mother said.

Elizabeth stood at the window and looked out across the street. Most of the children had gathered there in front of Johnnie Jones's house, and were jumping rope. Elizabeth could hear them counting, and laughing, and talking. She began to feel very lonely. At last she put on her hat again and ran back to join the children.

"If you will let me play with you," she said, "I'll play anything you like."

"All right!" they answered, "and sometimes we'll play what you like."

"And I won't always ask for the best part any more," she said.

"You may have the part you like when it is your turn to choose," they told her.

"I'll turn the rope now," Elizabeth added.

"You turn until some one trips," the others answered.

Elizabeth spent the remainder of the afternoon with the children, who were glad to have her because she played fair. Elizabeth herself was very happy. She was even glad that she wasn't a princess or a grown-up lady; glad that she was just a little girl who had learned to play with other children.

Johnnie Jones and the Hoop-Rolling Club

One day, all the children of the neighborhood decided to form a hoop-rolling club. Each child was to buy a hoop and decorate it with bells and ribbons. Then, every Sat.u.r.day morning, all of them were to go to the park and have a procession. They were to try their best to turn square corners, to roll their hoops in a straight line, and to keep them from falling down. No matter where they rolled them, up hill or down hill, over smooth ground or rough, they were not to let the hoops fall.

The one who could do all these things the best was to be the captain and lead the procession wherever he wished. He could go swiftly or slowly, just as he liked, and all the rest were to follow in the same manner.

The captain was to remain captain only so long as he could roll his hoop better than anyone else in the club.

The children were delighted with their plan, and ran to the shop to buy the hoops.

All except poor little Johnnie Jones! He was not quite as old as the others, and he could not manage a hoop. He had tried to roll one belonging to Sammy Smith, one day, but he had been unable to prevent its falling down every time he struck it. Of course he wanted to join the club, and he asked Mother what she thought he had better do.

Mother went with him to the grocery-store, and bought a small hoop, much smaller than Sammy Smith's. Then she told Johnnie Jones that no one could teach him to roll it. "You must just try and try until you succeed, little boy," she said.

Johnnie Jones tried, all the way home, but he was as unsuccessful with the new hoop as he had been with Sammy Smith's old one. The other children watched him, but they did not know how to help him, much as they wished to do so. One big boy was rude enough to laugh at him, which hurt his feelings so much that he went out into his back yard to practise. There he tried, and tried again, until he was very tired.

Every day while the other children were decorating their hoops or were playing together, Johnnie Jones would practise all alone in the back yard, where no one could see him. He tried so hard that at last he succeeded in rolling his hoop from the porch to the gate without letting it fall a single time. He was greatly encouraged then, but he had to continue practising, because he could not even yet guide the hoop very well, and he could not turn corners at all.

When Sat.u.r.day came, he went to the park to watch the first procession.

It was a very pretty sight, for the hoops had been decorated with bright ribbons, and with bells which made a merry tinkling sound. Ned was the captain, as he was the oldest and could manage his hoop most skilfully.

He led the children through the park, stopping now and then for breath.

Whenever anyone dropped his hoop, he had to go to the end of the line, for that was the rule of the club.

All the next week Johnnie Jones worked very hard, learning to guide his hoop in a straight line, and to turn corners. He went to the park to practise now, so that he might have more room.

Mother watched him every day, and after a while she told him that he had become quite skilful enough to join the club. Then he was very happy, and began to decorate his hoop with the bright pink ribbon and shining bra.s.s bells which Mother had bought for him.

The next Sat.u.r.day morning, Johnnie Jones took his hoop with him when he went to the park with the other children, all of whom were glad to hear that he had learned to roll it.

"But you had better be last in the procession," they told him, "because, most likely, you can't manage it very well yet."

They did not know how hard he had worked.

When the procession started off, Johnnie Jones kept up with the other children. Not once did he let his hoop fall, and he made it go so straight, and turned such square corners, that, presently, the children noticed how well he was doing.

"Well, look at little Johnnie Jones!" they said. "He can roll his hoop better than anyone here, even better than Ned!"

After they had watched him for a while, they decided he must be their captain, until Ned, or one of the other children had learned to do better than he.

Then Johnnie Jones was the proudest, happiest little boy in the whole world, as he led the procession through the park.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Then Johnnie Jones was the proudest, happiest little boy--]

The Fire at Johnnie Jones's House

One night, while Father was away from home on a business trip, Mother and Johnnie Jones and Little Brother were fast asleep in their beds.

Jack had been asleep too, down-stairs in the front hall, but now he was wide awake. He stood up, put back his ears, and sniffed the air. Then he ran quickly up the stairs to Johnnie Jones's room, stood outside his door, and whined, That did not waken anyone, so he barked.

Johnnie Jones woke up and heard him. So did mother, who was in the next room. "Please lie still, Mother," said Johnnie Jones. "I'll see what is the matter." He was trying to help Mother all he could while Father was away.

He opened the door, and cried out: "Oh, Mother, the hall is full of smoke!"

Mother came to the door. She saw that smoke was pouring out from the hall below. "I am afraid the house is on fire," she said. "You must be very brave and help me. Put on your wrapper and slippers and run up to Maggie's room, and tell her and Kathie to come down here."

Johnnie Jones was a bit frightened, but without another word he ran up those long, dark steps, and aroused the two girls. It was brave of the little boy.

Meanwhile Mother had given the fire alarm through the telephone, slipped on her wrapper, and bundled the baby in a blanket. When the others had come down to her room, she closed the door into the hall.

"It would be dangerous to go downstairs," she said; "we must just wait here at the window until the firemen bring us a ladder."

"Oh, Mother!" Johnnie Jones said, "do you think they'll come soon?"