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"Get the gate, Jane," Tim said, and she pulled it open "Now, one, two, three: HOIST!" Together the boys lifted the basket containing the baby fro, dusty porch of the hbys walked home

"What did you add to the note at the end, Tim?" Barnaby A asked

"Another PS"

"What did it say, Tim?" asked Barnaby B

"It said, 'Her name is Ruth'"

Jane pouted "Why?" she asked

"Because," Tihbys"

2 A Parental Conspiracy

Mr and Mrs Willoughby were seated in front of the fireplace after dinner He was reading a newspaper, and she was knitting soe wool

The four children, in flannel paja the cat a sweater," Mrs Willoughby told the, in which one sa second sweater forturns with a sweater"

"I've explained and explained," their mother said in exasperation "A, you wear it on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday B, you have Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday On Sunday you can fight over it"

She turned to her husband "It's disgusting," she said, "the way children today all want their oeaters" She knit a few hby said in an i his newspaper down "Did you want so that perhaps you would read us a story," Tim said "Parents in books always read stories to their children at bedtihby said, looking toward his wife

"I'hby said "The cat needs a sweater" Hastily she knit another stitch

Mr Willoughby scowled "Hand ering the volumes that were lined on the shelf "Make it fast," his father said "I'm in the middle of an article about interest rates"

Quickly Tim handed him a volume of fairy tales His father opened it in the ed themselves in a se on a Christmas card "God bless us, every one!" an to read aloud

Hard by a great forest dwelt a poor woodcutter with his wife and his two children The boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel He had little to bite and to break, and once when great dearth fell on the land, he could no longer procure even daily bread Nohen he thought over this by night in his bed, and tossed about in his anxiety, he groaned and said to his wife: "What is to become of us? How are we to feed our poor children, e no longer have anything even for ourselves?" "I'll tell you what, husband," answered the wo ill take the children out into the forest to where it is the thickest; there ill light a fire for theive each of theo to our work and leave theain, and we shall be rid of theave a small sob Barnaby A and Barnaby B looked very nervous Ti the book with a snap "Bedti, the children scurried away and up the staircase to bed Mrs Willoughby turned to her needles and began a ne of stitches Mr Willoughby picked up his newspaper but did not begin reading again Instead, he stared into space for a moment Then he said, "Dearest?"

"Yes, dearest?"

"I need to ask you a question" He chewed his lip briefly

"Yes, dearest?"

"Do you like our children?"

"Oh, no," Mrs Willoughby said, using her gold-plated scissors to snip off a bit of yarn that had made a snarl "I never have Especially that tall one What is his nahby"

"Yes, him He's the one I least like But the others are awful, too The girl whines incessantly, and two days ago she tried to make me adopt a beastly infant"

Her husband shuddered

"And then there are the two that I can't tell apart," Mrs Willoughby went on "The ones with the sweater"

"The twins"

"Yes, them Why on earth do they look so much alike? It confuses people and isn't fair"

"I have a plan," Mr Willoughby said, putting his paper down He stroked one eyebrow in a satisfied way "It's thoroughly despicable"

"Lovely," said his wife "A plan for what?"

"To rid us of the children"

"Oh goodness, do we have to walk theht shoes for that"

"No, this is a better plan More businesslike"

"Oooh, goody I'm all ears," she replied with a malevolent smile, as she meticulously dropped a few stitches toOrphanhood

"Shouldn't we be orphans?" Barnaby B asked

The Willoughby children were seated on the front steps playing a coame to which only Ti down a step because the rules said he must if he asked a question, and of course "Why?" was a question

"Because," Barnaby B explained, "we are like children in an old-fashioned book And--"

"Mostly they are orphans," Jane said She ainst the rules, and now she was the lowest of the four

"Worthy and deserving orphans," Barnaby B added

"Winsoer children each eneral principles Only Tiame and its rules, remained at the top of the short staircase that led to the front door "I win," he announced "Let's play one more time"