little May one night, as she sat in her little rocker by the fire.
“What shall we do with them? My hands must do some-
thing, and my head feels as if it would fly off just because I
ee have nothing to do.”
BOS “Why can we not have a game of authors?” said mamma.
“Oh, no, mamma, I don’t like authors,” replied May.’
“Get out your toys, then, and I am sure you will find something
to amuse you,” suggested mamma again.
“Oh, no, they are all the same old things and I have played with
them over and over again until I am tired.”
“Well,” said mamma, “this is a desperate case; what shall we
do? Why can we not make some toys ourselves—some new ones?”
“Oh, yes, mamma, that is just the thing; that is something new, and while
we are making them we can amuse ourselves, and when they are finished we
shall play with them. What shall we make first?” cried May, clapping her.
hands with joy.
“Let me think,” said mamma. ‘I believe a harlequin will be as well as
anything, as it is easy to make.”
“What is a harlequin, mamma?” said little May, aghast at the long word.
Mamma smiled a little as she replied: ‘A harlequin, May, is a dancing
image; you have seen them in the toy stores, though I do not think I ever

    
    

bought you one.”
May’s face brightened at her mamma's explanation of the word, and she

was eager to begin.

“Get me some stiff card-board and my large shears, some twine and some-
thing to make little holes with,” said mamma.

May quickly brought the desired articles and the work began.

“The first thing to do,” said mamma, ‘is to trace the outline on the card-
board. I have here some patterns which I got yesterday. These will show us
just what to do. Now trace the outline figure A on this card-board—there, that
is done. Next make the little holes which are shown in the cut—there, that is
done. The next thing is to string it; this is really the hardest part, May, and
we must be very careful. You must do this with fine twine, and tie a knot in
the twine each time you put two parts together, and rivet the joints, as a car-
penter would say. A string isa peculiar rivet, isit not? Now that we have