" asked Ford.

"If there's any thing at Mrs. Myers's that we don't like, we mustn't let
them know it."

"I's keep my mouf shet if I foun' de house was an ole eel-pot," said
Dick emphatically; and Frank and Ford came out even more strongly. They
all seemed to feel as if some kind of a trick had been played upon them,
to begin with.

However, it served to put them on their guard, and prevented any change
of countenance among them when their knock at the front door of that
house was answered, and the freckled face of Mrs. Myers beamed out upon
them from under its thin, smooth, glistening thatch of carroty hair. She
was not a handsome woman, and she had a thin nose, and a narrow mouth,
and very pale blue eyes; but she was all one smile of welcome as she
stood in that doorway.

"Mrs. Myers?" said Ford, with an extraordinary bow. "We arrived on the
morning train. I am Mr. Foster." And then, with a half turn to the
right, he continued, "Mrs. Myers--Mr. Richard Lee, Mr. Dabney Kinzer,
Mr. Francis Harley. Our baggage will come over pretty soon."

"Walk in, young gentlemen, walk in. I'm happy to see you.--Almira? Here
they are: put breakfast on the table right away."

"That isn't a bad beginning," thought Dab. "That sounds a good deal like
what Ham said of her. She knew we must be hungry."

"Walk into the parlor, please. Breakfast'll be ready in one minute. I'll
show you your rooms afterwards."

That, too, was considerate; and, when Almira herself came to the door
between the parlor and the dining-room, she, too, looked as if it were
quite her habit to smile, when she said,--

"Breakfast's ready."

Almira smiled, but she was too much like her mother. There was nothing
at all about her to put Dabney in mind of Annie Foster, or of either of
his own sisters. Samantha, or Keziah, or Pamela could have been "made
over" into two Almiras, in every thing but height; and Dab made up his
mind at once that either of them could beat her at smiling,--not so
much, perhaps, as to mere quantity, but as to quality.

That was a breakfast which would have fully justified Ham Morris's
report, for it was well cooked and plentiful. The "johnnycake," in
particular, was abundant; and all the boys took to it kindly.

"Glad you like it," said Mrs. Myers. "Almira, that's one thing we
mustn't forget. I was always proud of my johnny cake. There's very few
know what to do with their corn-meal, after they've got it."

She did evidently, and the