a moment Billy stood irresolute, and then as Mary moved uneasily
in her slumbers, he advanced a step or two towards her. The noise
aroused her, and instantly remembering and comprehending the whole,
she threw herself with a bitter cry into Billy's extended arms, as if
he alone were all the protector she now had in the wide, wide world.
Ere long Ella too awoke, and the noisy outburst which followed the
knowledge of her loss, made Mary still the agony of her own heart in
order to soothe the more violent grief of her excitable sister.

There was a stir in the cradle, and with a faint cry the baby Alice
awoke and stretched her hands towards Mary who, with all a mother's
care took the child upon her lap and fed her from the milk which was
still standing in the broken pitcher. With a baby's playfulness Alice
dipped her small fingers into the milk, and shaking them in her
sister's face, laughed aloud as the white drops fell upon her hair.
This was too much for poor Mary, and folding the child closer to her
bosom she sobbed passionately.

"Oh, Allie, dear little Allie, what will you do? What shall we all do?
Mother's dead, mother's dead!"

Ella was not accustomed to see her sister thus moved, and her tears
now flowed faster while she entreated Mary to stop. "Don't do so,
Mary," she said. "Don't do so. You make me cry harder. Tell her to
stop, Billy. Tell her to stop."

But Billy's tears were flowing too, and he could only answer the
little girl by affectionately smoothing her tangled curls, which for
once in her life she had forgotten to arrange At length rising up, he
said to Mary, "Something must be done. The villagers must know of it,
and I shall have to leave you alone while I tell them."

In half an hour from that time the cottage was nearly filled with
people, some of whom came out of idle curiosity, and after seeing all
that was to be seen, started for home, telling the first woman who put
her head out the chamber window for particulars, that "'twas a
dreadful thing, and such a pity, too, that Ella should have to go to
the poor-house, with her pretty face and handsome curls."

But there were others who went there for the sake of comforting the
orphans and attending to the dead, and by noon the bodies were
decently arranged for burial. Mrs. Johnson's Irish girl Margaret was
cleaning the room, and in the bedroom adjoining, Mrs. Johnson herself,
with two or three other ladies, were busily at work upon some plain,
ne