the distracted mother.

"Oh," she thought, "that some one in this great, crowded city might love
my darling, and that she need not fall into the hands of this woman!

"Mrs. Gray," she asked excitedly, and with an effort controlling the
great dry sobs which were choking her, "won't you promise me one thing?
Won't you keep Rosa at least till spring? What can my baby do without a
home and without a mother, especially when the weather is so bitterly
cold? The mere thought of such a possibility drives me insane with fear
and grief. She can run errands for you, and grandpa loves her so. Do not
deny me, for I am almost dead!"

Mrs. Gray half staggered backward, for never before had she heard Mrs.
Browning speak with such intensity. The dark eyes riveted upon her
conquered even this unfeeling heart, and before realizing the import of
her words, granted the request. "But," she added in the same breath,
"there ain't many that'd do it, I can tell you that."

"And be gentle with her, Mrs. Gray. She is so affectionate, she will
miss her mother and the love I have always bestowed upon her."

Thinking that other promises still more difficult to fulfill might be
exacted, Mrs. Gray hastily left the room.

"Thank God," the mother murmured falling back upon her pillow, "my baby
will have food and shelter at least till spring, but how she will miss
the love!"

The hot tears began coursing down the flushed cheeks, causing Rosa to
give a cry of alarm as she stepped up to the bedside.

"Mother dear, do you feel worse? Why do you cry?"

"My darling, mother is tired now and cannot talk. Pull the little table
up by the bed, then if I can eat some supper, we shall talk afterward.
There is something I want to tell you."

Mechanically she obeyed, weighted beneath the feeling that something
dreadful was about to happen. The trembling of the tiny hands and
twitching of the delicate face betrayed a heart suffering which a child
of her tender years should never know.

The odor of the steak, while being broiled, had given Rosa an appetite,
for her dinner had consisted only of boiled potatoes. Now, however, that
mother apparently did not relish her supper, it seemed that every
mouthful would choke her.

With a feeling of relief, the supper things at last were cleared away,
and Rosa sat down by the sufferer, taking her hot thin hand within her
own.

"You need not talk, mother, if you do not feel like it, but I do so want
to know about the