THE GREAT WOODCHUCK SOCIETY. 211

“0, we have our rubbers,” said the President of the Tat-
ting Club. She spoke sadly. ,;

“You'd get freckled,’ said the Chairman of the Wood-
chuck Society.

“0, we'll wear our veils,” said the President of the Tat-
ting Club. She wore a little blue veil, herself; the Wood-
chuck Society noticed something that they liked about the
pink line that her cheek drew against the blue veil; the
Chairman in particular observed this pink line.

“But you don’t know anything about woodchucks,” said
he, after some thought.

“ But we can learn,”’ said she.

“ The woods are wet,” said he.

“ The school-house entry is hot,’’ said she.

“ Girls are better off at home,” said he.

But she only said, “ Do you think so? Now, we don’t.”

“ You are n’t made to catch woodchucks,”’ said he.

“ Are you?” asked she. :

The Chairman of the Woodchuck Society coughed. “That
question,” said he, “is ir-rel-evant. In short, ladies, your
request is pre-post-erous, for two—in short—reasons. In
the first place, ladies, you are unacquainted with the very
first principles necessary to the art of catching woodchucks.”
_ “Sir,” said the President of the Tatting Club, smiling
through her blue veil, “ so were you, when you began to learn.”

“ And in the next place,’ continued the Chairman, loftily,
“if you did know how to catch a woodchuck, you could n’t