At the Little Brown House

day morning in early spring, finding Hope busy at

is in the barn reading. Says her head aches too hard to work today,"

p a broom. Her face looked so worried, and her voice sounded so discouraged that Hope paused in

Gail, somewhat sharply, and two tea

rowing her arms about the heaving shoulders. "It will be better p

n before setting out for town with a basket of eggs and, unknown to

she was just lazy. She never does anything but mope around the house and read or play the organ, but I thought it was 'cause she didn't want to. S'posing she should die! Then we'd have th

completely wrapped up in her thoughts that she did not even see her beloved Mr. Strong until he called t

and soberly replied, as she hurried on, "I'd like to, but I can't this time. I must ta

she loved the beautiful boy as much as she did his parents, and was always eager to hear of his latest tric

her pace to a run, tripped on the door mat, and tumbled headlong, eggs and all, into a drift of half-melted snow in the corner of the porch, announcing in tragic tones, "Dr. Eggs, I have brought you some Bainbridge, and here they are all spille

n almost inaudible voice, so overcome with surpris

d hastily to her feet and laid a trembling, detaining hand on his coat sl

topped, seeing the real anxiety in the serious brown e

ould get better pretty soon. They didn't know I heard. Is she real sick? I thought she didn't do any work '

en of the home and let its full weight fall upon shoulders too slender to bear it. The sun doesn't shine for her any more, the birds don't sing, the flowers have lost their fragrance. What she needs is a good dose of common sense, but we don't seem to

erstand half that he said, the grave, almost harsh look about his mouth and eyes struck te

"It will take ages to make an angel of Faith if she keeps on in the way she is go

Hope to be angels! We need them here! We could spare Faith easier th

world better for having been in it. There is no danger of their flying away to the other land just yet, my child; though goodness only knows what will become of Gail if Faith isn't waked up soon. I must go call on my sick folks now, little girl. I'd drive y

wandered, and up the rickety ladder she climbed into the cobwebby loft. A figure moved impatiently at the far end of the loose boards, and as Peace's e

fed suspiciously and then wiped her eyes, already red with weeping. She expected

ll about a girl who loved one

ontempt, "I don't see any use in bawl-crying about that. T

bows on her knees, and fell to studying the face opposite her, noting with alarm how thin it had grown, and how darkly circled were the brown eyes so like her own. Fear lest Dr. B

emanded, looking at the sob

in an awestruck whisper, ign

ad aches some,

r eyes like that. Teacher said so to all our class the day she found Tessie Hunt reading on the basement stairs. If you've got to read all the time, why don't you go out-doors o

demanded, with some heat, "What do yo

o see whether you were g

ly, and then she asked curiously, with a qu

nd a cannon under your chair. He said Gail and Hope are the angels, and when I cried and told him we could spare you easier'n we could them, he said that he didn't mean sure-enough angels which fly away and never co

some child in all my born days, Peace Greenfield! What did you tell the doctor? Why did you chase to him in the first place? Do you wan

t you this morning, and Hope promised to do all your work. I couldn't see why Hope should do your work unless you were go

u turn around? You are into something the whole time to fret and

Cherry with the dishes every single day, and dust the parlor and

ou break hal

to pick strawberries for Mr. Hartman, and when I've paid up for those I spoiled last year, I'm going to give the rest of the

'd do wonders," Fai

she can't get a cook and a second girl to stay at the same time, and a common hired girl doesn't know beans about cakes and nice cookery. Mrs. Lacy said she'd take a cake reg'lar every week if she could ge

eaning of his question dawned upon her, t

wn. He wanted to know if he could have Cherry, 'cause he thinks she is so pretty. I told him he needn't joke with me like that, but he just laughed and insured m

cried Faith

that she had made a blunder, but not understanding just where

'bone of contention,'" suggeste

r. Hardman wants me-but I don't

now," murmured the older girl, considerably amused at the chi

d the snow off his porch, scared me stiff! I thought he was going to make us shovel it back on again, but he didn't. And the time my snowball knocked Hector's teeth loose, I was sure he was going to 'rest me, but I couldn't help if Hec opened his mouth just in ti

e you told

Hec's

at Mr. Jones

never told anyone but you and the preacher. Mr. Strong

out it, but don't ever tell Gail. She might

I glad she can't guess all my thinks! Just s'posing everyone knew what everyone else was thinking, wouldn't some folks be scrapping all the time? Brains are queer thing

mped up from her burlap couch with the shout, "Coming, Allee! I hope you find your senses pretty soo

n up? Was the doctor right in his verdict? Did all the sisters feel that she could be spared the easiest? That was a fierce battle Faith waged with herself in the barn, but when it was ended a determined-faced girl rose from the dusty floor, descended the old ladder, and hurried away to

ce demanded suspiciously, "Whe

got six regular cake customers, and several who promi

s awake