Clara was the most unfortunate of dollies. She had had the mumps
and whooping cough; and no sooner did she recover from the
scarlet fever than she contracted pneumonia and nearly died. One
morning Blanche was applying hot bandages to relieve bronchitis,
and before night Clara had the small-pox.
The next day mamma stopped at the nursery door.
"Good morning, little nurse," she said; "how is poor Clara this
morning?"
"She's DEADED," said Blanche, with a long face.
"Dreadful! What did she die of, small-pox? It seems to me that
that was what she was suffering from last evening."
"No'm'" said Blanche, "'twasn't small-pox. She DID have that
bad; but I think she DIED of measles. The SUNERAL (Blanche could
not say 'funeral') is to be at twelve sharp. Will you come,
mamma?"
"I'm so sorry, darling, but I must go to lunch with Mrs. Mathews
at one. But Jack will go."
The "suneral" took place at noon, and Blanche and Daisy, Jack and
old Hector followed poor Clara in Benny's wagon to the grave yard
at the bottom of the orchard. It was rather a jolly "suneral,"
for they had "refreshments" under the trees afterward.
In the afternoon, as mamma, came up the orchard path, she was
surprised to see a doll's foot and leg sticking straight up out
of the ground.
"Why did you leave her foot out in this way?" asked mamma.
"Well," said Blanche, "I thought perhaps she could get to Heaven
easier."