d; and afterwards there comes a
flesh-and-blood woman to see it laid straight."

"Pa thinks that baby is a spirit made out of air," said Maria, laughing
in high excitement. "And, mother, don't you really believe now the Lord
did send her, just as much as if she dropped down out of the sky?"

"Yes, I hain't a doubt of it, Maria, but what the Lord had us in his
mind when he let the child slip off and get lost.--Pa, I'm going to
give you some of that blackberry cordial now: you look all gone."

CHAPTER XI.

"THE HEN-HOUSES."

While the Brooks family were talking so gratefully, and Maria counting
over the cookies and cups of jelly for the twentieth time, Fly, was
holding on to Horace's thumb, saying, as she skipped along,--"I hope the
doctor'll take a knife, and pick Maria's eyes open, so she can see."

"Precious little _you_ care whether she can see or not," said Dotty. "I
don't think Fly has much feeling,--do you, Prudy?--not like you and I, I
mean!"

"Pshaw! what do you expect of such a baby?" said Horace, indignantly.
"You never saw a child so full of pity as this one is, when she knows
what to be sorry for. But a great deal she understands about blindness!
And why should she?--Look here, Topknot; which would you rather do? Have
your eyes put out, and lots of candy to eat, _or_, your eyes all good,
and not a speck of candy as long as you live?"

"I'd ravver have the candy '_thout_ blind-eyed?"

"But supposing you couldn't have but one?"

Fly reflected seriously for half a minute, and then answered,

"I'd ravver have the candy _with_ blind-eyed!"

"There, girls, what did I tell you?"

"'Cause I could eat the candy athout looking, you know," added Fly,
shutting her eyes, and putting a sprig of cedar in her mouth, by way of
experiment.

"You little goosie," said Prudy; "when Aunt Madge was crying so about
Maria, I did think you were a hard-hearted thing to look up and laugh;
but now, I don't believe you knew any better."

"Hard-hearted things will soften," said auntie, kissing the baby's
puzzled face. "Little bits of green apples, how hard they are! but they
keep growing mellow."

"O, you little green apple," cried Dotty, pinching Fly's cheek.

"I was rather hard-hearted, if I remember, when I was an apple of that
size," continued Aunt Madge. "I could tell you of a few cruel things I
said and did."

"Tell them," said Horace; "please 'fess."

"Yes, auntie, naughty things are so interesting. D