THE MAN WITH THE PAN-PIPES AND OTHER STORIES

CONTENTS.


PAGE
THE MAN WITH THE PAN-PIPES 7
PIG-BETTY 30
THE DORMOUSE'S MISTAKE 51
THE CHRISTMAS GUEST 59
OLIVE'S TEA-PARTY 67
A LIVE DUMMY 76
A QUEER HIDING-PLACE 83
BLUE FROCKS AND PINK FROCKS 90




THE MAN WITH THE PAN-PIPES

[Illustration: The man with the Pan-pipes.]


CHAPTER I.

When I was a little girl, which is now a good many years ago, there
came to spend some time with us a cousin who had been brought up in
Germany. She was almost grown-up--to me, a child of six or seven, she
seemed _quite_ grown-up; in reality, she was, I suppose, about fifteen
or sixteen. She was a bright, kind, good-natured girl, very anxious to
please and amuse her little English cousins, especially me, as I was
the only girl. But she had not had much to do with small children;
above all, delicate children, and she was so strong and hearty herself
that she did not understand anything about nervous fears and fancies.
I think I was rather delicate, at least, I was very fanciful; and as I
was quiet and gave very little trouble, nobody noticed how constantly
I was reading, generally in a corner by myself. I now see that I read
far too many stories, for even of good and harmless things it is
possible to have too much. In those days, fortunately for me, there
were not nearly so many books for children, so, as I read very fast, I
was often obliged to read the same stories over and over again. This
was much better for me than always getting new tales and galloping
through them, as I see many children do now-a-days, but still I think
I lived too much in story-book world, and it was well for me when
other things forced me to become more, what is called, "practical."

My cousin Meta was full of life and activity, and after awhile she
grew tired of always finding me buried in my books.

"It isn't good for you, Addie," she said. "Such a dot as you are, to
be always poking about in a corner reading."