THE MADNESS OF PHILIP _AND OTHER TALES OF CHILDHOOD_ _BY_ JOSEPHINE DODGE DASKAM [Illustration] _Illustrated by F. Y. Cory_ ❦ MCCLURE, PHILLIPS & CO. NEW YORK 1902 COPYRIGHT, 1902, BY McCLURE, PHILLIPS & CO. 1901, by Harper & Bros. 1900, 1901 and 1902, by S. S. McClure Co. ❦ _Published, March, 1902_ SECOND IMPRESSION _To my Father kindest of many kind critics these stories are dedicated_ ❦ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENTS ❦ PAGE THE MADNESS OF PHILIP 1 A STUDY IN PIRACY 31 BOBBERT’S MERRY CHRISTMAS 69 THE HEART OF A CHILD 95 ARDELIA IN ARCADY 119 EDGAR, THE CHOIR BOY UNCELESTIAL 153 THE LITTLE GOD AND DICKY 191 THE MADNESS OF PHILIP [Illustration: “_Checking her vivid denunciations by a judicious application of the pillow._”] His mother, being a woman of perception, realized early that something was wrong. Even before breakfast she found Philip trying to put his sister into the bolster case, checking her vivid denunciations by a judicious application of the pillow. After breakfast it was impossible to get him ready in time, as his rubbers had been hidden by a revengeful sister, and the bus was kept waiting fully five minutes, to the irritation of the driver, who made up the lost interval by a rapid pace. This jolted the children about, and frightened the youngest ones, so that they arrived at the kindergarten bumped and breathless, and only too disposed to take offense at the first opportunity. This opportunity Philip supplied. As they swarmed out of the bus he irritated Joseph Zukoffsky by a flat contradiction of his pleased statement that he was to lead the line into the house. “Oh, no, you ain’t!” said Philip. Joseph stared and reiterated his assertion Philip again denied it. He did nothing to prevent Joseph from assuming the head of the line, but his tone was most exasperating, and Joseph sat down on the lowest step of the bus and burst into angry tears—he was not a person of strong character.