eeks against her own,
and courage, almost vanquished during this trying day, came back. After
awhile she laughed with them again, and told them stories until bedtime,
promising them also that Joe's sister would be sent to the Home as soon
as she was able.

The next morning, however, the lines came back, and the children, seeing
them, resolved that they would write Bobby's grandfather a letter.

"If there's anything I'm glad of, it's that I know how to write," said
Ethelwyn. "It was very hard to learn."

They went up-stairs to the nursery where their own small desks were and
taking some of their beloved Kate Green a way paper with pictures of
quaint little children on it, after much trouble, ink, and many sheets
of paper, as well as consultations with Bobby and Nan, they finished and
posted a very small envelope to Bobby's grandfather, whose address they
obtained from Bobby.

Bobby's grandfather, on coming down the next morning to the bank, found
this communication among the official-looking matter on the desk. The
picture in the corner of the envelope was surrounded by these words:

"Little Fanny wears a hat,
Like her ancient granny;
Tommy's hoop was--think of that--
Given him by Fanny."

The poke-bonneted pair with Tommy and his hoop looked curiously out of
place among their official surroundings.

The lines of worry were thickly sown in the banker's face, and as there
were no round, rosy-cheeked children in his silent home to kiss them
away, they stayed and grew deeper each day. He half smiled, however, as
he picked up the Greenaway envelope and curiously broke the seal. This
is what he read:

"DEAR BOBBY'S GRANDFATHER,

"We live next door to Bobby, who is quite often a nice boy, though
he wishes us to say always, and we are sorry to learn that you are
losing change money, for your sake, and for fear you'll go on and
lose ours, Grandmother Van Stark's and the Home's. Ours doesn't
matter so much as the others, for we have $9.00 left of our
birthday money, and it's lasted so long that it will prob'ly go on
lasting, specially if we forget it, or unless we buy more babies,
which we shan't do now because of not being able; but dear
grandmother without money would be awful, and the Home not to have
money for the poor little city children that are sick would be
awful, too. Please, please don't lose that, and we will pray for
you