ekly.

"Well, as I said before, I think it wouldn't be a bad plan to provide
against such trouble. Perhaps that birthday will show you a way out of
future difficulty."

And so it proved, for on her birthday morning the secret of the little
house was revealed.

"You must wait till after breakfast to see your birthday gifts,
daughter," Mrs. Dallas said, as Dimple came bounding into the room to
receive her nine kisses.

"Oh, mamma, why? I always have them the first thing. Do tell me where
they are. Downstairs or up here?"

"Downstairs, in one sense, but they are not in the house at all."

Dimple's eyes opened wide. "Not in the house? Florence, just listen.
There is a great secret. Oh, dear, how can I wait?"

"Well, dearie," returned her mother, "the sooner you are dressed the
sooner the secret will come. See, I am nearly ready to go down."

"Please help me, just this morning, mamma. It will make it so much
easier, and it's my birthday, you know."

"Very well, since you are the person of importance to-day, I will help
you."

"Hurry up, Florence," cried Dimple. "Come in here and I'll fasten your
buttons while mamma does mine; then we'll get through all the sooner."

Although Dimple, the day before, had carefully selected the day's bill
of fare, the breakfast was scarcely tasted, her favorite waffles
offering no inducement for her to linger over them, so great was her
excitement, and she watched eagerly till her father pushed back his
chair, and declared himself ready for orders. It seemed to Dimple that
he had never had such an appetite before, and she watched with anxious
interest as he helped himself to waffles from each plateful that Bubbles
brought in. There was a twinkle in his eyes as Dimple at last heaved a
long sigh, and he immediately arose and led the way through the garden
to the little new house between the house and the stable.

"We'll look in here," he remarked, as he unlocked the door.

Although Dimple had been quite curious to see the inside of the "house
for little chicks," she was rather disappointed at the delay, for she
thought, perhaps, her papa had something for her in the stable, a fox
terrier, or maybe a goat, since she had expressed a wish for both. But
when the door of the little house was opened her surprise was so great
that she gave expression to one long-drawn "Oh-h!" and looked from one
to the other half bewildered.

For, instead of a brooder and an "inkybator," she saw before