"Just you try every day; Ben'll teach you, Joe," said his mother,
eagerly, "and then I'll let you write."

"I will!" cried Joe; "then, Dave, you'll see how I'll write-- I
tellyou!"

"And I'm goin' to--ma, can't I?" said Davie, unwilling to be
outdone.

"Yes, you may, be sure," said Mrs. Pepper, delighted; "that'll make
a man of you fast."

"Oh, boys," said Polly, lifting a very red face, "you joggle the table
so I can't do anything."

"I wasn't jogglin'," said Joel; "the old thing tipped. Look!" he
whispered to Davie, "see Polly, she's writing crooked."

So while the others hung around her and looked over her shoulder
while they made their various comments, Polly finished her part,
and also held it up for inspection.

"Let us see," said Ben, taking it up.

"It's after, 'boneset's good for colds,'" said Polly, puckering up her
face again at the thought.

"We most of us knew you were sick--I'm Polly now--because you
didn't come; and we liked your letter telling us so, -- "Oh, Polly!
we weren't glad to hear he was sick!" cried Ben, in horror.