doy

THE PARTY. 77

 

a

Strange mistake. Beechnut’s surprise. Phonny takes the skates.

Phonny stood by anticipating with great interest the
moment when the skates should come into view. At
length Beechnut opened the valise and-took out a large
paper parcel from it. He opened the parcel and took
from it a pair of superior skates, highly-finished and full-
rigged. Phonny seized one of them while Beechnut held
the other.

« 'There,” said Beechnut, “that’s what I call a first-rate
pair of skates.”

As he said this, he applied the skate to his foot by way
of showing Phonny what an excellent fit it would be. He
found, however, that it was not long enough for his foot
by an inch or more. He looked extremely astonished as
he made this discovery, and exclaimed in a tone of great
apparent disappointment,

“ Upon my word, if they are not too small for me. How
ridiculous it was in me not to try them on before I bought
them.”

In the mean time, Phonny, greatly excited, had ap-
plied the other skate to his own foot. It fitted him exactly.

“Tt is just right for me, Beechnut,” said Phonny. “ Ex-
actly right for me,—look !”

Beechnut assumed a very comical expression of disap-
pointment and chagrin.

“'The next time I buy skates,” said he, “I think I
shall have sense enough first to try them on.”

“ You must let me have them,” said Phonny, “they are
just exactly right! see!”

“Yes,” said Beechnut, despondingly, “I suppose IL
must. They will never be of any use to me.”

So Phonny seized the skates and ran off to show them
to his mother.