own shoulders to her Maker's.

"Don't say that, Mrs. Hankey. Daughters may be more useful in the house,
I must confess, and less mischievous all round; but they can't work as
hard for their living as the sons can when you ain't there to look after
them."

"You don't know what it is to live in a house full of nothing but men,
with not a soul to speak to about all the queer tricks they're at, many
a time I feel like Robinson Crusoe on a desert island among a lot of
savages."

"And I don't blame you," agreed Mrs. Bateson sympathetically; "for my
part I don't know what I should have done when Caleb and the boys were
troublesome if I couldn't have passed remarks on their behaviour to Lucy
Ellen; I missed her something terrible when first she was married for
that simple reason. You see, it takes another woman to understand how
queer a man is."

"It does, Mrs. Bateson; you never spoke a truer word. And then think
what it must be on your death-bed to have the room full of stupid men,
tumbling over one another and upsetting the medicine-bottles and putting
everything in its wrong place. Many a time have I wished for a daughter,
if it was but to close my eyes; but the Lord has seen fit to withhold
His blessings from me, and it is not for me to complain: His ways not
being as our ways, but often quite the reverse."

"That is so; and I wish as He'd seen fit to mate Miss Elisabeth with
Master Christopher, instead of letting her keep company with that Mr.
Tremaine."

Mrs. Hankey shook her head ominously. "Mr. Tremaine is one that has
religious doubts."

"Ah! that's liver," said Mrs. Bateson, her voice softening with pity;
"that comes from eating French kickshaws, and having no mother to see
that he takes a dose of soda and nitre now and then to keep his system
cool. Poor young man!"

"I hear as he goes so far as to deny the existence of a God," continued
Mrs. Hankey.

"All liver!" repeated Mrs. Bateson; "it often takes men like that; when
they begin to doubt the inspiration of the Scriptures you know they
will be all the better for a dose of dandelion tea; but when they go on
to deny the existence of a God, there's nothing for it but chamomile.
And I don't believe as the Lord takes their doubts any more seriously
than their wives take 'em. He knows as well as we do that the poor
things need pity more than blame, and dosing more than converting; for
He gave 'em their livers, and we only have to bear with them and return
t