We Ten | Page 3

call her that. Miss Marston
thinks Nora is the best behaved of us all; and sometimes, when Nannie
is in papa's study, she lets her go in the drawing-room and entertain
people that call. You should see the airs that Nora puts on when she
comes upstairs after these occasions; it's too killing for anything! We
boys make lots of fun of her, but she doesn't care a jot. And yet, isn't it
queer! with all her primness and fine airs, of us all, Nora cares most for
Phil, and he's so untidy and rough; she almost runs her legs off waiting
on him, and half the time he doesn't even say thank you!
The next after Nora is Betty, our "long-legged tomboy," as Felix calls
her, 'cause she is so tall and so full of mischief. Just to look at her you'd
think she was as mild as a lamb; but in reality she's wilder than all of us
boys put together. I've seen her slide down the banisters of three flights
of stairs, one flight after the other, balancing papa's breakfast tray on
one palm; and for warwhoops and the ability to make the most hideous
faces, she goes ahead of anything I've ever heard or seen. She is as bad
as Phil for playing jokes, and when she gets in one of her wild moods,
the only way Miss Marston can manage her is to threaten to take her to
papa's study; that brings her to terms every time. For that matter, we
none of us like to go there, though I'm sure papa never scolds, as some
people's fathers do,--I almost wish he would sometimes; he just looks at
us; but, all the same, we don't like to go to the study.

I hope you won't think from what I've said that Betty is a disagreeable
girl, for she isn't at all; I'm really very fond of her, and we're together a
great deal, because I am the next in age to her. She's awfully
quick-tempered, and flies into a rage for almost nothing; but she's very
honest, and she'll own up to a fault like a soldier. Once in a while we
have a falling out, but not often, 'cause I won't quarrel. Nannie says that
I give in sometimes when I oughtn't to,--she means when it isn't right to;
I guess that's my fault, but I do hate to squabble with any one,--it's such
a bother. I don't know what to tell you about myself, except that I'm not
very bright at my books, though I love to read stories. It does seem so
strange that we shouldn't all be smart, when papa, as everybody knows,
is such a wonderfully clever man. I'm Jack, or, rather,--to give my full
name,--John Minot Rose. I think that's rather a nice name, but you can't
think what fun the whole family make of it; they call me "a Jack rose,"
and "Jacqueminot," and "Rosebud," and a "sweet-scented flower," and
all sorts of absurd names. Of course it's very silly of them. Betty gets
furious over it; but I don't really care, so what's the use of being angry.
Kathie comes next to me; she is a nice little girl, only she does love to
tattle things, and that makes trouble sometimes. She's very gentle, and
just as pretty as a picture, with her long light curls and pretty, big blue
eyes; but my! isn't she obstinate! She doesn't fly into rages, like Betty,
but she keeps persisting and persisting till she carries her point, and
when she once starts in crying, you may make up your mind she isn't
going to stop in a hurry. But she doesn't mean to be naughty, I'm sure;
and she's the most polite child, and so willing to do things for people!
Then come the other twins, Paul and Mädel. Paul is a standing joke
with us, he's so solemn; and yet he says such bright, funny things, in his
slow way, that we have to laugh: we call him the "Judge." Mädel is a
little darling, just as jolly and round and sweet as she can be; nurse says
she's going to be a second Nannie. We all make a great deal of
her,--much more than we do of Alan; for though he's the baby, he's so
independent that he doesn't like to be petted.
So now you know all about the Roses; it does seem as if I'd been a long
time telling about them, but you see there are such a lot of us.

Well, to go back to the council. Fee was awfully cut up over his
disappointment, and cranky too; but nobody minded what he said, until,
all at once, Nora got in a tantrum, and declared he