Page:The New-Year's Bargain (1884).djvu/100

 rooms, and the cellar: that made five. There was a stove in the kitchen, with real holes in the top, and a pipe. It was rather rusty, but a delightful stove notwithstanding. In the parlor was a chair and a stool and another chair, all three quite ragged; and upstairs, on one of the window-sills, stood a long row of bottles. 'Hair Dye' was written on the outside of them; and they smelt dusty, when you put them to your nose. That was all the furniture; except some pieces of plaster, which had fallen down from the ceiling.

"Dotty and Willy trotted over the place, hand in hand. Their conclusion was that there never was such a nice house before for two young people to go to housekeeping in.

We'll call it ours, you know,' said Dotty, 'and play we live in it. Only we won't stay at night, 'cause Mamma says mice always get into old houses. And it scares me dreadful when I hear them scratch.'

Pooh!' said Willy, 'to be afraid of mice! But then you're a girl, Dotty, so it's no wonder. Ain't it a nice house? We'll stay here