She went to school. So she could read. The children went into the house.

Winnie-took one of my books and began to read it. But my little sister did not go to school. She could not read. So she ran into the garden, picked apples and flowers, and when tea-time came, her hands were dirty and her face was dirty, and her dress was dirty, too.

My mother put a big cake on the table. She said to Winnie:

"Have some cake, Winnie."

"Thank you," said Winnie, and she took a little piece of cake.

But my naughty little sister took a very big piece of cake. She liked cake very much.

 

 

After tea Winnie and her mother went home. Winnie said:

"Thank you. Good-bye."

When they went away, my naughty little sister said to my mother:

"I don't want to be a good girl."

"Why don't you want to be a good girl?" asked my mother.

"I like cake very much."

She was a funny little girl, wasn't she?

XIII. My Little Sister Is Five

When my little sister was five, she went to school46. She went to school every day.

The lessons began at nine o'clock. At eleven o'clock the children had a short break. Then they had two more lessons. At one o'clock in the afternoon the children had dinner at school. Some children went home for dinner, but my little sister did not go home for dinner, because our house was not near the school.

After dinner we played in the yard and had two more lessons. The lessons were over at four o'clock, and Mother came to take my sister home.

Nancy learned many things at school. She learned to read, to write and to count. She could spell her name very well now.

She learned many things about animal. She learned about animals that give us milk and about animals that give us wool.

One evening when she put her school-books and her pens and pencils into her bag, she put her doll into her bag, too. Yes, she took her doll to school. When the first lesson began, she put her doll on her desk.

"You must not bring your doll to school," said the teacher. "You are a big girl now. You must learn to read, to write and to count. You can play with your doll at home."

The teacher told her again and again that she must not take her doll to school. But my little sister was very naughty.

"I do not play with my doll in school," she said. "My doll is five, too, and she must go to school, too."

My sister learned not only to read and to write. She also learned how to answer the telephone47. She said, "Hullo!" and then she said, "I'll call Mother." When Mother was not at home, she said, "May I take your message?48"

One day our mother was not at home when the telephone bell rang.

"Mrs. Brown is not at home," said my little sister.