ing together over his funny
accident, and when with a kiss on his forehead she was gone, it was a
much happier boy she left on the sofa.

There was sure to be a tonic in her petting, and Ikey got up and
washed his face, looking bravely in the glass meanwhile. Then he went
meekly downstairs and enjoyed his dinner. Mrs. Ford never petted
anyone, she did not know how; but she showed her sympathy by offering
her grandson all sorts of good things to eat.

At the most exciting moment of the foot-ball game Louise exclaimed:
"We haven't done anything to help Ikey, and he is really and truly our
neighbor!"

"We will try to find something to take him," said Uncle William.

There was little to be had in that part of the town, so they turned it
into a joke, and it was a most remarkable collection that Carl and
Aleck displayed in the Fords' sitting-room that night.

There was a toy balloon, a beetle that ran all over the room in a
life-like manner, a jumping jack, and some popcorn balls.

Old Mr. Ford declared he had not laughed so much in twenty years as he
did at the antics of the boys and the beetle. His bedtime passed
before he knew it.

Ikey went to sleep with the balloon tied to the head of his bed,
feeling that after all his friends _did_ care. The next day the doctor
replaced the ugly yellow plaster with something white that was more
pleasant to look at, and in a short time his nose was as well as ever,
except for a slight scar.

Bess had thought of giving a masquerade ball in his honor, to be held
in the star chamber, and at which he was to appear as "The Man in the
Iron Mask," but owing to his rapid recovery it was given up. She was
rather disappointed, for it seemed an interesting way in which to help
a neighbor in affliction. She and Louise were very anxious to be
helpers, but were not content with small every-day opportunities.

"I can't think of things as Dora does," she complained to Aunt Zelie
one evening.

"What has Dora been doing?" her aunt asked.

"Oh, it was at school to-day, when we were reading together at recess
in a new story book of Elsie's. There was Elsie and Constance, Dora,
Louise and I, and that meek little Mamie Garland kept walking up and
down looking at us. Nobody likes her, because she is a telltale. Then
before we knew what she was going to do Dora jumped up and ran after
Mamie, and asked her if she didn't want to hear the story. You could
see she was surprised, but she came, and Lou