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day! Why, it had taken Connie weeks—months—to get used to being here. But—"That was Katy," she thought. Look at her—in no time, roaming up and down the Alley, giving an order here where needed, thinking up laws already. There was never a minute any more when everybody did not have something to do. Before Katy there had been no real life. After Katy, then there was life. Before Katy, Connie had not known that one had to be doing something every minute with somebody, let alone with everybody. But, thank goodness, by the time Katy had moved in, Connie had her jungle gym with its swings; and swinging was doing something, alone or not.
    Sometimes Connie thought that she had been happier before Katy Starr had moved into the Alley. But she grew used to her. "She is a great girl," thought Connie. "She is really a very great girl. And her laws are good."
    There was Katy now, down in the Circle, having rounded up everybody for the game of Meece. Billy and Connie decided to join in, and they went down to the Circle, too.
    "The game will begin," said Katy in her positive voice, "when Hugsy Goode comes. He's eating something." Everybody roared. Hugsy was a great eater; he wasn't the least bit fat though, just hungry—always. Now, here he was, and the game could begin.
    Although the game of Meece was invented mainly by Katy Starr, it was Hugsy Goode who was responsible for the idea. One day the tree trimmer was working on Billy Maloon's enormous oak—it was old and getting dry and brittle. Hugsy picked up two huge leafy branches, held them—one on each side of his head—and charged up and down the Alley, saying, "I am a moose." He was a comical spectacle, and after the screams of laughter had subsided, Katy said, "I know what. We'll all be mooses—that's not right—meece—we'll all be meece. Everybody down to the Circle for the game, the brand-new game of Meece."
    In this game, there was only one man—MAN, the hunter. All others in the game were meece, and they stood in a group at the edge of the Circle. Between them and MAN was the meece guard, who was supposed to warn the meece if MAN seemed to be about to hunt and prowl. One by one MAN would catch all the little meece, and they then must stand, frozen like statues, in the Circle. The last meece tagged by MAN would be the new hunter in the new game. Hugsy, the original wearer of moose antlers, was a fine meece, and he made a fine and sad death; he had beautiful, large round brown eyes, and they haunted you when he was a dead meece. In the game of Meece, it was no longer necessary to wear the antlers. They were to be imagined instead.
    Today Billy and Connie were among the meece. They had a wonderful time, and they were glad they had joined in. Then, with everyone tired and hot from the game, the children began to go their ways. A number, Billy and Connie among them, sat down on the curbing and talked. Katy said something behind her hand in June Arp's ear.
    "I wish they would not do that," said Billy as he and Connie settled themselves back in the swings, "talk in each other's ears."
    "Well," said Connie. "They have a club, you know. And if you have a club, you have to whisper in ears. It's a rule. Not to let the others know what is in the club. It's a girl's club," she added, in case Billy wished that he were in it.
    "Hugsy is in it. Is he a girl?" asked Billy Maloon sarcastically.
    "No, that's true," agreed Connie. "But a club," she said, "has to have at least one boy in it to be a good club. And, anyway, they hold the meetings in Hugsy's hidy-hole, so he has to be in it. Greggie Goode isn't in it, just Hugsy."
    All the houses that faced on Larrabee Street had little hidy-holes under the dining-room windows to let light into the cellars. The hidy-holes were quite deep—it was a wonder no little one had fallen in and hurt himself. Hugsy's hidy-hole was the favorite one because squash vines grew over it, and no one would know you were in there. When more than two were down