kindly rec'lect dat you is
'sociatin' wid quality now, an' take a good care how you talk, though
sholy it may be de fus time dat you has ebber been in good sassity--"

"Dat is sholy de trufe w'en I has been wid you," said Martha Jane
Jenkins, wrathfully.

But now from the open attic windows were heard such piercing shrieks
that they all with one consent turned in that direction.

"Americky, you go bring me you brudda," instructed Martha, cuffing
soundly the girl with the guilty eye.

Presently America and the children returned with the wailing Samuel Saul
to the place where Mandy, 'Vada, and Aunt Sophie were standing, loftily
ignoring the angry mother and making caustic remarks calculated to add
to her discomfort.

In the capacious arms of his mother, Samuel Saul ceased his repining and
contentedly gurgled again. As the united ones went off, Martha Jane
Jenkins with her head in the air and America remorsefully weeping in the
rear, Ethelwyn said, "Well, our dollar's gone, and our baby too, and I
thought we had made such a bargain. I don't know what Mr. Smithers will
say."

"And poor Joe too," said Beth.

"There comes Mr. Smithers now," exclaimed Bobby.

"Yes an' I ain't got your puppies either, for when I got home I found my
boy had sold two and given away two, so there wasn't any left but what
we wanted to keep."

"Well, I'm thankful," said Ethelwyn; "for we bought a baby instead, only
its mother took it back, and we just had to use the rest of the money
for something else. Thank you, Mr. Smithers."

"You're entirely welcome," responded he.

_CHAPTER XIX_
_Bobby's Grandfather_

And now let's be glad,
While everything's bright.
Days that are sunny
Are shadowed by night.

That evening there was considerable news to tell mother when she came
from town, and she both laughed and lectured them a little over the baby
episode. After the children told her what Bobby had said about his
grandfather losing money, they asked anxiously, "Oh mother, did he lose
anything of ours?"

For the first time in a long while the two straight worry lines came
back between mother's eyes, and the children immediately climbed in her
lap to kiss them away.

"I can't tell yet, dearest ones," she said after a while. "I have been
very foolish to leave so much of our money in one bank, I am afraid, but
I had such faith, too much, perhaps, and I fear--"

It was very comforting to have their dear warm ch