t poison you."

"Oh, Amy!" murmured her chum.

But Amy Drew was not at all bad at heart, or intentionally unkind. She
flamed redly and the tears sprang to her eyes.

"Oh! I didn't mean--Forgive me, little girl! What is your name? I'll
help you find your cousin."

"My name's Henrietta. They call me Hen. You needn't mind gushin' over
me. I know how you feel. I'd feel just the same if I wore your clo'es
and you wore mine."

"By ginger!" exclaimed Burd Alling, under his breath. "There is
philosophy for you."

But Jessie felt hurt that Amy should have spoken so thoughtlessly
about the strange child. She took Henrietta's grimy hand and led the
freckled girl to the side steps where they could sit down.

"Now tell me about Bertha and why you are looking for her along
Bonwit Boulevard," said Jessie.

"Do you wear these pants all the time?" asked Henrietta, suddenly,
smoothing Jessie's overalls. "I believe I'd like to wear 'em, too.
They are something like little Billy Foley's rompers."

"I don't wear them all the time," said Jessie, patiently. "But about
Bertha?"

"She's my cousin. She lived with us before Mom died. She went away to
work. Something happened there where she worked. I guess I don't know
what it was. But Bertha wrote to me--I can read written letters,"
added the child proudly. "Bertha said she was coming out to see me
this week. And she didn't come."

"But why should you think----"

"Lemme tell you," said Henrietta eagerly. "That woman that hired
Bertha came to Foleys day before yesterday trying to find Bertha. She
said Bertha'd run away from her. But Bertha had a right to run away.
Didn't she?"

"I don't know. I suppose so. Unless the woman had adopted her, or
something," confessed Jessie, rather puzzled.

"Bertha wasn't no more adopted than I am. Mrs. Foley ain't adopted me.
I wouldn't want to be a Foley. And if you are adopted you have to take
the name of the folks you live with. So Bertha wasn't adopted, and
she had a right to run away. But she didn't get to Dogtown."

"But you think she might have come this way?"

"Yep. She's never been to see me since we moved to Dogtown. So she
maybe lost her way. Or she saw that woman and was scared. I'm looking
to see if anybody seen her," said the child, getting up briskly. "I
guess you folks ain't, has you?"

"I am afraid not," said Jessie thoughtfully. "But we will be on the
lookout for her, honey. You can come back again and ask me any time
you