Then Molly tried to make him a new pair out of a sack of her own ; but she cut both sides for the same leg , so one was wrong side out . Fondly hoping no one would observe it , she sewed bright buttons wherever they could be put , and sent confiding Boo away in a pair of blue trousers , which were absurdly hunchy behind and buttony before . He came home heart-broken and muddy , having been accidentally tipped into a mud-puddle by two bad boys who felt that such tailoring was an insult to mankind . That roused Molly 's spirit , and she begged her father to take the boy and have him properly fitted out , as he was old enough now to be well-dressed , and she would n't have him tormented . His attention being called to the trousers , Mr. Bemis had a good laugh over them , and then got Boo a suit which caused him to be the admired of all observers , and to feel as proud as a little peacock . Cheered by this success , Molly undertook a set of small shirts , and stitched away bravely , though her own summer clothes were in a sad state , and for the first time in her life she cared about what she should wear . `` I must ask Merry , and may be father will let me go with her and her mother when they do their shopping , instead of leaving it to Miss Bat , who dresses me like an old woman . Merry knows what is pretty and becoming : I do n't , '' thought Molly , meditating in the bushel basket , with her eyes on her snuff-colored gown and the dark purple bow at the end of the long braid Muffet had been playing with . Molly was beginning to see that even so small a matter as the choice of colors made a difference in one 's appearance , and to wonder why Merry always took such pains to have a blue tie for the gray dress , a rosy one for the brown , and gloves that matched her bonnet ribbons . Merry never wore a locket outside her sack , a gay bow in her hair and soiled cuffs , a smart hat and the braid worn off her skirts . She was exquisitely neat and simple , yet always looked well-dressed and pretty ; for her love of beauty taught her what all girls should learn as soon as they begin to care for appearances -- that neatness and simplicity are their best ornaments , that good habits are better than fine clothes , and the most elegant manners are the kindest . All these thoughts were dancing through Molly 's head , and when she left her cats , after a general romp in which even decorous Granny allowed her family to play leap-frog over her respectable back , she had made up her mind not to have yellow ribbons on her summer hat if she got a pink muslin as she had planned , but to finish off Boo 's last shirt before she went shopping with Merry . It rained that evening , and Mr. Bemis had a headache , so he threw himself down upon the lounge after tea for a nap , with his silk handkerchief spread over his face . He did get a nap , and when he waked he lay for a time drowsily listening to the patter of the rain , and another sound which was even more soothing . Putting back a corner of the handkerchief to learn what it was , he saw Molly sitting by the fire with Boo in her lap , rocking and humming as she warmed his little bare feet , having learned to guard against croup by attending to the damp shoes and socks before going to bed . Boo lay with his round face turned up to hers , stroking her cheek while the sleepy blue eyes blinked lovingly at her as she sang her lullaby with a motherly patience sweet to see . They made a pretty little picture , and Mr. Bemis looked at it with pleasure , having a leisure moment in which to discover , as all parents do sooner or later , that his children were growing up . `` Molly is getting to be quite a woman , and very like her mother , '' thought papa , wiping the eye that peeped , for he had been fond of the pretty wife who died when Boo was born . `` Sad loss to them , poor things ! But Miss Bat seems to have done well by them .
XXXXX is much improved , and the boy looks finely .
Bat Boo Molly Muffet braid croup fire leap-frog locket muslin