"Oh, Mother," cried the small daughter of the Carys, as she came up flushed and excited, "what do you reckon Sally Ann and me have been playing out in the woods!" "What, dear!" and Mrs. Cary's gentle hand went up to lift the hair back from her daughter's dampened forehead. "_Blue Beard_!" cried Virgie, with rounded eyes. "Blue Beard!" echoed her mother in astonishment at this childish freak of amusement. "Not really--on this hot day." "Um, hum," nodded Virgie emphatically. "You know he--he--he was the terriblest old man that--that ever was. An' he had so many wifses that--" "Say 'wives,' my darling. _Wives_." Sally Ann laughed and Virgie frowned. "Well, I _thought_ it was that, but Sally Ann's older'n me and she said 'wifses.'" "Huh," grunted Sally Ann. "Don' make no differ'nce what you call 'em, des so he had 'em. Gor'n tell her." "Well, you know, Mother, Blue Beard had such a bad habit of killin' his wives that--that some of the ladies got so they--they almost didn't like to marry him!" "Gracious, what a state of affairs," cried Mrs. Cary, in well feigned amazement at the timidity of the various Mrs. Blue Beards. "And then--" "Well, the last time he got married to--to another one--her name was Mrs. Fatima. An'--an' I've been playin' _her_." "And who played Blue Beard?" "Sally Ann--an' she's just fine. Come here, Sally Ann, an' let's show her. Kneel down." Clutching the piece of moss from Sally Ann, Virgie ran behind the girl and put her chubby arms around her neck. "This is his blue beard, Mother. Hold still, Sally Ann--_My lord_, I mean--till I get it tied in the right place." "Be keerful, Miss Virgie," advised the colored girl. "You's a-ticklin' my nose. I'se gwine to sneeze ef yo' don't, and jes blow my beard all away." "Oh, don't be such a baby," remonstrated the earnest Miss Virginia, with a correcting slap. "S'pose you were a man an' had to wear one all the time. Now! Stand up! Look, Mother!" "I'm afraid of him already. He's so ferocious." "Isn't he? Oh, won't _you_ play with us, Mother? I'll--I'll let you be Mrs. Fatima." And then, as her mother's face showed signs of doubt as to her histrionic ability, "If you were _my_ little girl, I'd do it in a minute." "All right, dear, of course I will; but I've just remembered a bit of lace in your grandmother's trunk in the attic. I believe it will be exactly enough for the neck and sleeves of your new dress." She smiled courageously as she folded a piece of old silk she was remaking. "You and--" she cast a glance at Sally Ann--"your respected brother-in-law can wait a few moments, can't you? You might rehearse a little more. With all this important audience of solemn oaks you wouldn't want to make the slightest slip in your parts."