when margaret and benjy were getting over the measles their mamma invented a new game to amuse them.

"you might play you are trees," she suggested.

"i'm a pine tree!" cried margaret.

"so'm i," agreed benjy.

"pine trees sing, you know, benjy," margaret went on, "so we must sing, too." and the two struck up a lively tune.

too-dle-dee, too-dle-dee, doo-o-o! it was not the pine trees, however, that sang it.

"oh, an organ man!" "oh, a monkey!" and both little pine trees raced to the window.

the organ man smiled. "dance, tessa, dance!" he cried to his little girl, grinding away with all his might.

and then how tessa's little brown legs did flash back and forth, and in and out! and what funny tricks the wee monkey did!

when the music stopped jocko scrambled up to the window and politely presented a cup to the trees. "pennies, please," the funny, wizzened little face seemed to beg.

the pine trees brought their banks and shook the pennies out, one by one, into the cup. then the biggest pine tree thought of something. "wait a minute," she cried, and disappeared. when she came back she carried two plump bananas.

"here," she said, handing them out through the window.

tessa smiled her thanks politely, but jocko just fell to munching greedily.

the pine trees hung out of the window and watched tessa and her father and jocko as they went off down the street. finally the biggest pine tree turned to the littlest pine tree.

"i'm not a pine tree any longer, benjy," she announced. "i'd rather be the kind that gives something. i'm a banana tree now."

"so'm i," echoed benjy.