birds' nests, and the blue wuz
jest the shade of the sweet old English violets. How she and Katy used
to love them! And the blue too wuz jest the color of Katy's eyes when
she last see them, full of tears at partin' from her.

She thought of Elnathan's sharp orders not to go down into the city, and
not to let The Little Maid out of her sight.

Wall, she thought it over, and thought that mebby if she kep one of her
promises good, she would be forgive the other.

Jest as the Israelites did about the manny, and jest as You did when you
told your wife you would bring her home a present, and come home
early--and you bore her home a bracelet, at four o'clock in the mornin'.

And jest as I did when I said, under the influence of a stirring sermon,
that I wouldn't forgit it, and I would live up to it--wall, I hain't
forgot it.

But tenny rate, the upshot of the matter wuz that the nurse thought she
would keep half of the Master's orders--she wouldn't let The Little Maid
out of her sight.

So she hired a cab--she had plenty of money, Elnathan didn't stent her
on wages. He had his good qualities, Elnathan did.

And she and The Little Maid rolled away, down through the broad,
beautiful streets, lined with stately housen and filled with a throng of
gay, handsome, elegantly clothed men, wimmen, and children.

Down into narrower business streets, with lofty warehouses on each side,
and full of a well-dressed, hurrying crowd of business men--down, down,
down into the dretful street she had sot out to find.

With crazy, slantin' old housen on either side--forms of misery filling
the narrow, filthy street, wearing the semblance of manhood and
womanhood. And worst of all, embruted, and haggard, and aged childhood.

Filth of all sorts cumbering the broken old walks, and hoverin' over all
a dretful sicknin' odor, full of disease and death.

Wall, when they got there, The Little Maid (she had a tender heart), she
wuz pale as death, and the big tears wuz a-rollin' down her cheeks, at
the horrible sights and sounds she see all about her.

Wall, Jean hurried her up the rickety old staircase into her sister's
room, where Jean and Kate fell into each other's arms, and forgot the
world while they mingled their tears and their laughter, and half crazy
words of love and bewildered joy.

The Little Maid sot silently lookin' out into the dirty, dretful
court-yard, swarmin' with ragged children in every form of dirt and
discomfort, squa