Heart of Gold

e, guess wha

; and Cherry, following hard upon her heels, panted protestingly,

retorted Allee. "I reache

hetic droop to the once merry mouth, she seemed to have shaken off the deadly apathy which had gripped her for so long, and to have taken a fresh hold upon life again. True, it was hard work to smile and look happy with the dreadful knowledge tugging at one's heart that one must be a helpless cr

long hours. And Miss Smiley had promptly suggested Indian baskets, spending many precious minutes of a busy forenoon teaching the weak fingers how to weave. Peace was a-tingle with pride over he

on the wide, shady lawn, and so engrossed in her own thoughts that she never heard the chug-chug of a motor-car gliding up the river road, nor saw the black-frocked figure leap nimbly from the machine and scurry up the walk to the kitchen door, as if in too big a hurry to e

Allee repeated, wavin

ned Cherry.

ones of mock severity. "Are you girls quarreling?

n the raffia basket which her busy fingers were weaving, stretched out eager arms in welcome. "It's something

es upon the pair of culprits, and they flushed guiltily. "But you just aren't

d imperiously, "Tell me quick. I'm half dead with curiosity. Has old Torto

he two sisters giggled in glee. "G

sent you a

t wonder

e, but the minister held up a warni

s!" For ever since the day that Peace had brought the sick, half-dead monke

other two girls explode

rted. "I mightn't guess in a hundred y

us two little babies last night fo

ecstatically hopping fro

ng herself from sheer joy at bein

sked Peace, almost t

y, my

you were s'prised. Now weren't you? Wh

hey resemble scraps of wrinkled red flannel more than anything else just now. But

y big or

s her sister, and we think she will have dark eyes and black hair. The reddest one has blue eyes now, is bald-headed, a

The three girls hung bre

ly. "Elspeth and I couldn't discover any suitable names for t

quealed t

wed amazement. "Does she real

't you l

idn't mind, prob'ly the children themselves would kick when they grew up. There was our family, for one. Gr

n apologetic cough behind his hand, he suggested politely, "Then suppose we arrange it this way,

sed you would want 'em right away. Grandpa name

lie. It took us a month to decide what we should call

or a father, I don't expect it will take me more'n a few days to find very pretty names." Then, as if struck by an impor

stian

r. He was only seven days old, but he had to hav

abies, dear. We call it baptizing in our church, and sometimes parents don't have their

g the twins chris-baptiz

not until Ch

e by! There won't be ano

we perform that ceremony in our church,

you fret. Allee, won't you bring me 'Hill's Evangel' from

the preacher, picking up hi

ind it in the furthest corner of the bookcase on the next to the lowest shelf. Why, St. John, must you hustle away so soon? Y

ere to look after them and Elspeth except the nurse and Aunt Pen. I told them I shouldn't be gone but

and next time bring

ort arms, and overheard the sister's parting admonition; "they're too fresh ye

look of disappointment in the brown eyes, rashly promised, "This shall be the first

ace turned to her delightful task of finding suita

sted Cherry, wishing it had fallen to her lot to

e, thinking it a most wonderful privilege which had

and had come out to see what progress the favored sister was making. "For instanc

names as stones. This book, now, has a long line of names,-here it is,-and there ought to be some pretty ones amon

il, Achsa, Ada, Adaline, Addie, Adela, Adelaide, Adora, Agatha, Agnes, Alethea, Alexandra, Alice, Almeda, Amanda,

like the thing you fall into when you tumble off a stee

he other sisters looked mystified. "No on

nough for all if I tacked such a name on

attention to the next letter with no better success. Peace was too critical to be easily satisfied, and when th

is-?" Hope

zabe

Strong's name!"

s. The only trouble is there is no other pretty name to go with it.

named Esther?" asked Cherry

that name. I can't bear to think of one of those lovely twi

lyn,'-that is prett

aby was named for her. I'd sooner

ut Edith, for

eces to it, and it wouldn't be fair to

wn defeat, and beg for a little more time. One day a brilliant thought occurred to her, and the next time the preacher's shining black head appeared at th

has no mi

I marry, my middle name will be Greenf

e way with

, but I hoped she would b

buzzed thro

e? Maybe we could make

"I was named John Solomon, aft

eat disappointment. "Mercy!

and Peace returned to the much thumbed 'Hill'

nt to say. I should hate to think of either twin growing up to be a woman preacher, 'specially the Tiniest One. I always wanted to call her Elizabeth, 'cause she is so much gooder than the Tiny One, but St. John says she has dark eyes. Elspeth's are

o make up her mind. However, when Mr. Strong appeared for his brief visit that morning, his face looked so sadly grave as he bent over the cripp

ngels last night," he answered simply, turning hi

ing as if her heart would break, while he dumbly sought to soothe her sorrow, by cuddling her head on

g of them easier, doesn't it, St. John! I was so fussed up to find something nice enough to go with Elizabeth, but now we'll just call the Tiniest One 'Ang

few moments later, she was smiling ever so faintly, while the heaviness

window saying in troubled tones, "I really ought to go up to the parsonage myself and see Mrs. Strong in person. She would appreciate it more than anything else, but it is utterly i

h feverish eagerness she caught at her grandmother's suggestion of a note, turning to the table besi

lences in this 'Manual,' and I wouldn't for the world have her th

pen and paper, she laboriously copied one of the stilted, old-fashioned epistles printed under the title of "Letters of Sy

sive, and with startled, mystified eyes, read th

whelming grief; yet I feel that I must write a few words to insure you that I am thinking of you and praying for you. If there can be a coppersating thought, it is that your darling returned to the God who gav

epest symparthy, I

ery sin

Greenf

ad you have got another twin so the little crib St. John told us about won't be all empty and you will still have one reel live baby to rock to sleep besides Glen. This note of corndolence on the other page is the best I could find. All the ot

Pea

m the bungling little note to the lovely, snow-w