life, one whom the boy had never heard of before, and at
whom he stared as startled as if she had suddenly blown up to them,
fairy-like, from out the wide mouth of the black teakettle.

"This is my Winny," explained she of the frill cap. "This is Jim's and
Rick's sister. Dear me! I don't believe I ever thought to tell you they
had a sister. She was to school when you was bobbing back and forth
yesterday and to-day, and she was to bed when you came home last night."

"Well she's here now," interrupted Winny. "Ready to be looked at, which
she's likely to be, I should think. Let's have tea."

Tode had been very uncertain as to whether he liked this new revelation
of the family; but one word in the mother's sentence smoothed his face,
and he sat down opposite the great gray eyes of the grave,
self-possessed looking Winny with a satisfied air.

"Now," said the mother, looking kindly on him, "I've always asked a
blessing myself at my table, because Jim and Rick they don't neither of
'em lean that way, but if you would do it I think it would be all right
and nice."

Tode looked bewildered a moment; then adopted the very wise and
straightforward course of saying:

"I don't know what 'asking a blessing' means."

"Don't you, now? Why it's to say a little prayer to God before you
eat--just to thank him, you know."

A little gleam of satisfaction shone in Tode's eyes.

"Do good people do that?" he asked.

"Why, yes--all the folks I ever lived with when I was a girl. Deacon
Small's family, and Esquire Edward's family, and all, used to."

"Every time they eat?"

"Every single time."

"That's _nice_," said Tode, heartily. Whereat the gray eyes opposite
looked wonderingly at him. "I like that. Now, what do they say?"

"Oh they just pray a little simple word--just to say thank you to the
Lord, you know."

"And do you want me to do it?"

"Well, I think it would be nice and proper like, if you felt like it."

Reverently Tode closed his eyes, and reverently and simply did he offer
his thanksgiving.

"O Lord, we thank you for this bread and butter and tea."

Then he commenced at once on the subject of his thoughts. Conversation
addressed to Winny.

"Do you go to school?"

"Yes."

"What kind of a place is school?"

"Nice enough place if you want to learn, stupid if you don't."

"Do you want to learn?"

"Some."

"Well, what do you learn?"

"Reading, spelling, writing, geography, arithmetic, and grammar."