enty years old; and it did her good." Therefore, on physiological
principles, she fed it to her little ones. It agreed with the Saxon
constitution. There was nothing like understanding your own family
idiosyncrasies.

Everything quaint and odd came naturally to them; even their names.

Asenath: Marmaduke: Kerenhappuch.

"I didn't go about to seek or invent them," said Mrs. Scherman, with
grave, innocent eyes and lifted brows. "I didn't name myself, in the
first place; did I? Sinsie had to be Sinsie; and then--how _am_ I
accountable for the blessed luck that gave me for best friends dear
old Marmaduke Wharne and Kerenhappuch Craydocke?"

But down in the kitchen, and up in the nursery, there was
disapproval.

"It was bad enough," they said,--these orderers of household
administration,--"when there was two. And no second nurse-girl, and
no laundress!"

"If Mrs. Scherman thinks I'm going to put up with baby-clothes
slopping about all days of the week, whenever a nurse can get time
from tending, and the parlor girl havin' to accommodate and hold the
child when she gets her meals, and nobody to fetch out the dishes
and give me a chance to clear up, I can just tell her it's too
thin!"

"Ye'r a fool to stay," was the expostulation of an outside friend,
calling one day to see and condole with and exasperate the aforesaid
nurse. "When ther's places yer might have three an' a half a week,
an' a nurse for the baby separate, an' not a stitch to wash, not
even yer own things! If they was any account at all, they'd keep a
laundress!"

"I know there's places," said the aggrieved, but wary Agnes. "But
the thing is to be sure an' git 'em. And what would I do, waitin'
round?"

"Ad_ver_tiss," returned the friend. "Yer'd have heaps of 'em after
yer. It's fun to see the carriages rollin' along, one after the
other, in a hurry, and the coachmen lookin' out for the number with
ther noses turned up. An' then yer take it quite calm, yer see, an'
send 'em off agin till yer find out how many more comes; an' yer
_consider_. That's the time yer'll know yer value! I've got an
ad_ver_tiss out now; an' I've had twenty-three of 'em, beggin' and
prayin', down on ther bare knees all but, since yesterday mornin'.
I've been down to Pinyon's to-day, with my croshy-work, for a
change. Norah Moyle's there, with the rest of 'em; doin' ther little
sewin' work, an' hearin' the news, an' aggravatin' the ladies.
Yer'll see 'em come in,--betune ten an'