BESSIE’s ISLAND. 85

“There goes the. sun down towards the west,
and we must leave by and by.”

‘“‘ We must leave now,” said Bessie ; “ for it
will take us some time to get home.”

Tom.—N ot quite yet; I just want to lay a
row of stones in a square, to mark out the
place and size of the house.

Bessie—Come, Tom ; if you have any fault
in the world, it is, not leaving off a thing when
you ought to leave off.

“You talk to me as if you were a year older
instead of a year and two months younger
than I, and as if you were a boy instead of a
girl,” said Tom, somewhat impatiently, as he
kept on placing the stones in a square form.

Bessie-—Don’t be vexed, brother; I only
meant to say that you go about a thing so
earnestly, so fiercely, that you don’t know how
to leave off. I don’t mean to order you; but
didn’t you say we were like an arrow. The
arrow wants to be off, and the bow won’t help
her.

Tom.—Pretty good for you, Bessie. I
will just turn this corner, and then I have