s a _great deal worse_, darling! Tell the
children I will send them some dinner up in the trees, and don't let
Horace come into the house. You know he means to keep still, but his
boots make so much noise."

Prudy gathered up the raisins, and went out quietly, her happy little
face looking very sober. But the "bird-child" could not be sad long at
a time, and she had hardly climbed the steps into the trees, and given
away the clusters of raisins, before the sick baby was almost
forgotten.

"There," said Horace, suddenly, "I must go right into the house and
see Harry. I haven't seen him to-day."

"O, no, no!" cried Prudy, holding him back, and speaking very fast,
"he's a great deal _wusser_, and auntie said your boots was so big
she'd send the dinner out here; and then she cried like every thing."

"O," said Grace, "I'm so afraid the baby won't get well! Aunt Madge
didn't say any thing about _dying_--about Harry's _dying_, did she,
Prudy?"

"No," replied Prudy, stopping a moment to think; "she said he was
wusser--a great deal wusser, darling. And then she talked about
Horace's boots, and that's all."

"The darling little baby! He used to love me before he got so sick;
and all the way coming East I held him ever so much, you know,
Horace."

"Well, he liked me, too," said Horace, looking very sober, "and I've
played with him the most, and let him spoil lots of my things."

"So you have," said Grace. "I heard ma say the other day you'd always
been good to little brother. O Susy, you ought to have seen how Harry
used to jump when he'd hear Horace open the door; he always expected a
frolic!"

"Didn't we have _times_!" cried Horace, dropping his eyes, which were
full of tears.

"O Susy," said Grace, "do you suppose any one that's sick all summer
ever gets well?"

"I don't know," sighed Susy; "mother says if God is willing they'll
get well, and if he isn't they'll die. God knows what is best."

"Yes," chimed in little Prudy, "God knows a great deal more'n I do!"

And so the children chatted and played quietly all day long, sometimes
breaking off in the midst of a game to talk about the baby. It seemed
like a very strange day. The sky looked so calm and peaceful that you
could almost fancy it was keeping still to listen to something a great
way off. The quiet trees might have been dreaming of heaven, Susy
thought. Horace begged her now to tell that fairy story about "The
Bravest of Lion's Castle;" but Susy said