ion over Katie. She was delighted to
hear that she had grown more than any of the others.

"I'm gettin' old all over!" said she, gayly. "Four--goin' to be five!
Wish I was most six. Dotty Dimpul, don't you wish _you's_ most a
_hunderd_?"

"O, you cunning little cousin!" said Dotty, embracing her rapturously;
"I wish you loved me half as well as I love you; that's what I wish. I
told Tate Penny you were prettier than Tid; and so you are. Such red
cheeks! But what makes one cheek redder than the other?"

"O, I eat my bread 'n' milk that side o' my mouf," replied Flyaway;
"and that's why."

"What an idea! And your hair is just as fine as ever it was; the color
of my ring--isn't it, Prudy?"

Flyaway put her little hand to her head, and felt the floss flying
about as usual.

"My hair comes all to pieces," explained she; "_or nelse_ I have a
ribbon to tie it up with."

"Are you glad to come back to Willowbrook, you precious little dear?"
asked two or three voices.

"Yes 'm," said Flyaway, doubtfully; "Y--es--um."

"She doesn't remember anything about it, I guess," said Prudy,
kneeling before the little one, and kissing the sweet place in her
neck.

"Yes, I do," said Flyaway, winking hard and breathing quick in the
effort to recall the very dim and very distant past; "yes, I 'member."

"Well, what do you 'member?"

"O, once I was grindin' coffee out there in a yellow chair, and
somebody she came and put me in the sink."

"She does know--doesn't she?" said Dotty. "That was Ruthie; come out
in the kitchen and see her."

But when Flyaway first looked into Ruth's smiling face, with its black
eyes and sharp nose, she could not remember that she had ever seen it
before. Abner, too, was strange to her.

"Come here," said he, "and I can tell in a minute if you are a good
little girl."

Flyaway cast down her soft eyes, and sidled along to Abner.

"Here, touch this watch," said he, "and if you are a good little girl
it will fly open; if you are naughty it will stay shut."

Flyaway looked askance at Abner, her finger in her mouth, but dared
not touch the watch.

"Who'd 'a thought it, now?" said Abner, pretending to be shocked.
"Looks to be a nice child; but of course she isn't, or she'd come
right up and open the watch."

Flyaway thrust another finger in her mouth, and pressed her eyelids
slowly together. Abner did not understand this, but it meant that he
had not treated her with proper respect.

"Here, Rut