Letty and the Twins

hyness and Mrs. Hartwell-Jones was considering what it was best to say first. She was very anxious to have a

he summer; then in the autumn when she returned to the city, to put the child in school and enable her to grow up well-taught a

d gently, after the gate had been passed and the ponies were tr

astonishment. "Why, there isn't any

ou been with Mr.

s with the circus. He performed on the tight rope. Then after he fell and-and died, Mrs. Drake said I might stay on

at, dea

e a ci

in the first place. Tell me more about it all. When did you

ile Ben learned how to do tumbling from a man who had an act at the theatre and taught me how to spring up and balance on his head. Mr. Goldberg engaged us for his little theatre at Willow Grove. He was a very kind manager and used to give me big boxes of candy. But mother never liked my doing it. She was glad when, about the middl

sighed. "It was the last my mother ever

child, and how old were you?" a

with us. She lived in the neighborhood and-and afterward she took m

d Mrs. Hartwell-Jones tenderly. "Wh

ther," replied Letty quickly.

ever been

t me until she was not strong e

ou lik

They said I was only a little circus girl. I wasn't as far along in my lessons as they were, either, and had to go into a cl

After that I couldn't bear to go

Jones again, with a catch in her own voice. "And was the

winter, but whenever he could spare the time he took me for walk

urch with beautiful stained glass windows. The organ hummed so grandly and l

twell-Jones, glancing with pleased surprise at t

!" replied L

all this time to the great lady of whom she had felt in such awe an hour before; the writer of books! Somehow she

en died the case had grown smaller and tighter until it cut like a metal band. She had never been able to talk to any one of her grief until something in

d her day's experience; the gay, happy children, the big, sunny farmhouse with its gre

he more decided to take the girl from her present surroundings. But she said nothing to

ns, left at home at Sun

" said Jane, idly swinging on the gate. "'Cause she'

Christopher. "He knows a lot about horses, Josh

y anything was wrong about 'em. He just cou

grandly. "It's a question of spavins or-or heaves, o

'em. Leastways, nurse said Norah Flannigan had heart diseas

s sticking out ha

said so. But who I'm sorry for is Letty," she went on hastily. She saw that Christopher was about to question further about thi

for Letty for? Has s

he hasn't

ircus to belong to and t

nd living in a tent. And now that Punch and Judy are gone from the circus she wo

e then she'd be around to play dolls with you

you go?" said Jane loftily. "I'm sure I don'

eloped in a cloud of dust coming

er, who'

coming out to see the pups. Grandfather said I might give him one. And we're going to talk baseball too a bit. The fellows

small, freckled boy on a big bicycle. Jane gave her brother one hur

, catching sight of the red, scowling f

tering the room. "Kit's got a boy out there, so I thoug

ks of two boys disappearing around the corne

a little while? I have some pretty bits of silk put away that I have been saving up for you to make a dol

. The sulky frown smoothed itself out at once. Grandmother directed her where to find the box

Billy Carpenter might choose. She even forgot, in the general grown-upness of the occasion, that she did not like sewing. And crowning joy, when Huldah brought a tea tray in at five o'clock, grandmother poured her out a cup of tea-with plenty

uite grown up enough to discuss any

child. It is hard

of her getting a place around here. I thought pe

few moments, but bent silently o

aid about it until the question was settled, one way or t

is it?" cried Jane eagerly, jumping up and spillin

stions that must be asked-to wait on her this summer; and then in the fall to put her at

s. Hartwell-Jones stay here with us all summer, inste

or Letty? Now, she is a homeless little girl, with nowhere to go in the wide, wide world; but if Mrs. Hartwell-Jones takes

surprise if Letty should turn out to be a relation of Mrs. Hartwe

here is not much likelihood of that, dear. T

ame. But, grandmother, when shall we

her mind before she started, and Mrs. Drake will not have very much to say against Letty, if we are to

the scattered scraps o

other, if you will 'scuse me. I want to go out

he saw that Billy Carpenter carried a puppy, she forgot her injury in examining the ball of fur to decide which puppy it was. But

moment and the fat puppy fell yelping to

ristopher, who had never before se

ving away the pup," suggested Billy,

d it and neither of them noticed the approach of the pony carr