e was very tender.

Jim returned with Content. She had on a little ruffled pink gown
which seemed to reflect color on her cheeks. She wore an inscrutable
expression, at once child-like and charming. She looked shy, furtively
amused, yet happy. Sally realized that the pessimistic downward lines
had disappeared, that Content was really a pretty little girl.

Sally put an arm around the small, pink figure. "So you and Jim have
been talking, dear?" she said.

"Yes, ma'am," replied little Content. "Jim is my big brother--" She just
caught herself before she said Solly.

"And your sister Solly is married and living out West?"

"Yes," said Content, with a long breath. "My sister Solly is married."
Smiles broke all over her little face. She hid it in Sally's skirts, and
a little peal of laughter like a bird-trill came from the soft muslin
folds.

LITTLE LUCY ROSE

BACK of the rectory there was a splendid, long hill. The ground receded
until the rectory garden was reached, and the hill was guarded on either
flank by a thick growth of pines and cedars, and, being a part of the
land appertaining to the rectory, was never invaded by the village
children. This was considered very fortunate by Mrs. Patterson, Jim's
mother, and for an odd reason. The rector's wife was very fond of
coasting, as she was of most out-of-door sports, but her dignified
position prevented her from enjoying them to the utmost. In many
localities the clergyman's wife might have played golf and tennis, have
rode and swum and coasted and skated, and nobody thought the worse of
her; but in The Village it was different.

Sally had therefore rejoiced at the discovery of that splendid, isolated
hill behind the house. It could not have been improved upon for a long,
perfectly glorious coast, winding up on the pool of ice in the garden
and bumping thrillingly between dry vegetables. Mrs. Patterson steered
and Jim made the running pushes, and slid flat on his chest behind his
mother. Jim was very proud of his mother. He often wished that he felt
at liberty to tell of her feats. He had never been told not to tell, but
realized, being rather a sharp boy, that silence was wiser. Jim's mother
confided in him, and he respected her confidence. "Oh, Jim dear," she
would often say, "there is a mothers' meeting this afternoon, and I
would so much rather go coasting with you." Or, "There's a Guild meeting
about a fair, and the ice in the garden is really quite smo