At the Little Brown House

a long way through mud and moisture, and was very tired, yet the first three farmhouses he passed by with scarcely a glance. But as he neared the fourth one, he eagerly scanned the pl

ight shone out into the darkness from window or door, though it was yet early evening. The place was as silent

to bed. Maybe they are away visiting. I will just slip into the barn and go to bed in the hay. Lucky I had a big

ell asleep almost as soon as he had burrowed a comfortable bed in the sweet-scented hay, nor did he awake until the new day was several

hem. Then as his eyes became more accustomed to the light, he discovered a slender, brown-haired girl in a faded, dingy, calico gown huddled on top of a pile of empty grain sacks in the darkest corner of the barn. Her face was turned from him, but from her attitude and the sound of an occasional sniff, he judged that she had been crying. Her companion on the rafters overhead was out o

ong the grain sacks. Silence on the rafters for a brief moment; then a voice said severely, "'F I was you, Faith Green

"I'd try to mind my business once in a while, and no

red Peace sharply, and the listener in the hay below f

by myself, but you can't even let me alone here. Yo

. "I'm hunting eggs for breakfast, and I was

ry. "You know well enough why I am crying. You

down and bawl. Someone's got to run errands and help Gail. S'posing we all sat up and cried all the time like y

or supper? I am sure I don't! I hav

r. Strong; and he told us to keep busy, too.

d an egg came hurtling through the barn, smashing on the wall close by Faith's head-so clo

ng the whole batch, even if we'd had to go without breakfast. I'd like to know how you can tell wh

ventured to peep out at the combatants, but all he saw was Faith standing rigid an

ace Greenfield, and take the re

f ripping, a dreadful clatter, a dull thud, and Faith rushed forward with the agonized scream, "Oh

re he had stepped from the haymow, however, there was a rush of feet from without, and four frightened girls dashed into the barn, fol

s the

id it

she

ctor!" cried th

led her, I've kille

er, pushing the trembling quartette almost roughl

ng her brown eyes dazedly. "The fall stunted me, I guess.

tened and penitent Faith. "She has t

y had change

her brown hands and looked at it fixedly; then said briefly, "

doorway where the sunlight fell upon her. The sisters looked at the grote

have you done

you s

ave you

ged burlap, with face, hands and hair covered with ashes, and s

ter covered his twitching lips with his hands, but the little group

eople who put on ash-cloth and sashes-I mean sackcloth and ashes whenever any one of their family died, so's the angels would let the soul into heaven. No one did that when papa died-and we don't know whether he ever got to heaven or not-but he's a man and could take care of himself, s'posing he didn't get

desire to cry, it was a hysterical group who closed in once more about the grotesque little figure, while the earne

and grief; and when people came to realize that, they ceased to follow the custom. God knows how sorrowful we are, for He can read our very thoughts. It doesn't need sackcloth and ashes t

re?" hiccou

re! The Bible

ant to see

sively read those beautiful words, "In my Father's house are many mansions," explaining his understanding

touched to the quick by the pathos of the scene he had just witnessed, made his way across the fields a