You can see my office boy in the picture. His hat _ought_ to be taken off his head, but it was glued on, so he had to be impolite—though I made him say, “Excuse me!” for doing it. I hope when you engage an office boy, you will get the kind whose hat _will_ come off! But mine is really quite a nice boy, and his name is Bobbie. (He’d rather be called Bob.) I wish that his hat _would_ come off! I make believe, when I’m at play, There is an office far away, And Mister China Doll goes there And sits and dictates in his chair. I made the office by the door, It’s right upon my play-room floor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ HOW TO MAKE A DOLLS’ HAMMOCK =Material Required to Make a Dolls’ Couch Hammock=: the lower half of any oblong box that is deep. One seven or eight inches long will make a hammock for a doll the same length. Larger boxes may also be used. Some string is needed to make ropes. The dolls’ couch hammock in the picture is easily made. Your large dolls as well as the very small ones may have hammocks. Shall I tell you how to make one? Take the lower half—that is usually the deeper half of a box—and turn it so that it opens at top. From the front rim, cut out a long lengthwise section of the rim. At each end of the box, run a string through a corner. Knot the two end strings that come on the ends of the box. Knot them together or tie them, so that the hammock may be suspended wherever you wish to place it. You may make a mattress for the couch by folding tissue-paper over brown paper cut to fit the shape of your box. Better still, you may make a real little mattress from some canvas or cloth. Cut the cloth a little larger than twice the size of your box. Fold it and sew it. Then stuff the mattress with bits of paper torn to shreds. Pillows for the hammock may be made in the same way, using smaller dimensions. You can hang the hammock under the railing on the porch, or fasten it to the rungs of a chair when you play indoors with it. I am sure your dolls will be delighted to have you make this for them. If you are a boy, you can make one for your sister. Boys ought to know how to use needle and thread as well as girls. Soldiers and sailors know how to sew. (I know a man who can do embroidery, but, of course, that is going pretty far.) A boy ought to be able to sew a mattress, _anyhow_. It is as easy as making a marble-bag. I made a dollie’s hammock, It’s an easy thing to do: Just find an oblong cardboard box And you can make one, too! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ HOW TO MAKE A THEATER OR PUNCH SHOW