parachutes are, but if they're any sort of weeds I hate them, too."
The girls laughed. Mabel always looked on the gloomiest side of things and always grumbled. She seemed to thrive on it, however, for she was built very much like a barrel and her cheeks were like a pair of round red apples. She was always honest, if a little too frank in expressing her opinions, and the girls liked her in spite of her blunt ways. She was the youngest of the quartette, being only eleven.
"There doesn't seem to be much grass left after the weeds are out," said Bettie, surveying the bare, sandy patch she had made.
"This has always been a weedy old place," replied Jean. "I think the whole neighbourhood will feel obliged to us if we ever get the lot cleared. Perhaps our landlord will plant grass seed. It would be fine to have a lawn."
"Perhaps," said Marjory, "he'll let us
