at him, then looked down and turned pale.

"I want to know, honest Injun," said Jim, "what you are telling such
awful whoppers about your old big sister Solly for?"

Content was silent. This time she did not smile, a tear trickled out of
her right eye and ran over the pale cheek.

"Because you know," said Jim, observant of the tear, but ruthless, "that
you haven't any big sister Solly, and never did have. You are getting us
all in an awful mess over it, and father is rector here, and mother is
his wife, and I am his son, and you are his niece, and it is downright
mean. Why do you tell such whoppers? Out with it!"

Content was trembling violently. "I lived with Aunt Eudora," she
whispered.

"Well, what of that? Other folks have lived with their aunts and not
told whoppers."

"They haven't lived with Aunt Eudora."

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Content Adams, and you the
rector's niece, talking that way about dead folks."

"I don't mean to talk about poor Aunt Eudora," fairly sobbed Content.
"Aunt Eudora was a real good aunt, but she was grown up. She was a good
deal more grown up than your mother; she really was, and when I
first went to live with her I was 'most a little baby; I couldn't
speak--plain, and I had to go to bed real early, and slept 'way off from
everybody, and I used to be afraid--all alone, and so--"

"Well, go on," said Jim, but his voice was softer. It WAS hard lines for
a little kid, especially if she was a girl.

"And so," went on the little, plaintive voice, "I got to thinking how
nice it would be if I only had a big sister, and I used to cry and say
to myself--I couldn't speak plain, you know, I was so little-'Big sister
would be real solly.' And then first thing I knew--she came."

"Who came?"

"Big sister Solly."

"What rot! She didn't come. Content Adams, you know she didn't come."

"She must have come," persisted the little girl, in a frightened
whisper. "She must have. Oh, Jim, you don't know. Big sister Solly must
have come, or I would have died like my father and mother."

Jim's arm, which was near her, twitched convulsively, but he did not put
it around her.

"She did--co-me," sobbed Content. "Big sister Solly did come."

"Well, have it so," said Jim, suddenly. "No use going over that any
longer. Have it she came, but she ain't here now, anyway. Content Adams,
you can't look me in the face and tell me that."

Content looked at Jim, and her little face was almost