The Thirteen Little Black Pigs

Max and Dolly knitted their brows and pondered. But no, they could not guess.

"What was it, mamma?" they asked.

"One side of the shield was black and the other white," said she, with a quiet little smile, "so both were right and both were wrong."

The children considered. It was very interesting.

"But," said Max, "it couldn't be like that with Dolly and me--there couldn't be thirteen and not be thirteen."

"No, it is difficult, I own, to see how that could be," said mamma. "But queer things do happen--there are queer answers to puzzles now-and-then."

"I wish it was settled about ours," said Dolly, with a sigh. "I--I don't like quarrelling with dear Maxie," and she suddenly buried her face in her mother's lap and began to cry--not loudly, but you could see she was