Page:The New-Year's Bargain (1884).djvu/150

 "And the little ones who live by the sea are my special pets. There are ever so many of them, of all sizes and ages; and our frolics go on from sunrise to sleepy-time."

"What do you play at?" asked Thekla, getting interested.

"All sorts of games. The game of 'Drown' for one,—that is played in the shallows,—and 'Wet my neighbor,' and 'Polliwog.' We build sand-forts; go fishing with crooked pins; rock-by-baby in boats; paddle about with no shoes on. I collect all sorts of pretty shells and weeds for them; and drive schools of bright fish, to plunge and jump where they can be seen. On Sunday there are Sunday schools, and they jump to a tune in short metre. Oh, there is no end to the amusing things we do, when we get together! They think there is nobody like me, especially the Brown children."

"The Brown children?" said Max, inquiringly.

"Yes: the ones who were carried off in the boat, you know."