have enough of it
without."

"You never said a truer word, brother," said Rachel, lugubriously. "'Man
is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.' This world is a vale of
tears. Folks may try and try to be happy, but that isn't what they're
sent here for."

"Now that's where I differ from you," said the cooper, good-humoredly,
"just as there are many more pleasant than stormy days, so I believe
that there is much more of brightness than shadow in this life of ours,
if we would only see it."

"I can't see it," said Rachel, shaking her head very decidedly.

"Perhaps you could if you tried."

"So I do."

"It seems to me, Rachel, you take more pains to look at the clouds than
the sun."

"Yes," chimed in Jack; "I've noticed whenever Aunt Rachel takes up the
newspaper, she always looks first at the (sic) death's, and next at the
fatal accidents and steamboat explosions."

"It's said," said Aunt Rachel, with severe emphasis, "if you should ever
be on board a steamboat when it exploded you wouldn't find much to laugh
at."

"Yes, I should," said Jack. "I should laugh----"

"What!" said Aunt Rachel, horrified.

"On the other side of my mouth," concluded Jack. "You didn't wait till I
had got through the sentence."

"I don't think it proper to make light of such matters."

"Nor I, Aunt Rachel," said Jack, drawing down the corners of his mouth.
"I am willing to confess that this is a serious matter. I should feel as
they said the cow did, that was thrown three hundred feet into the air."

"How was that?" inquired his mother.

"A little discouraged," replied Jack.

All laughed except Aunt Rachel, who preserved the same severe composure,
and continued to eat the pie upon her plate with the air of one gulping
down medicine.

So the evening passed. All seemed to miss Ida. Mrs. Crump found herself
stealing glances at the smaller chair beside her own in which Ida
usually sat. The cooper appeared abstracted, and did not take as much
interest as usual in the evening paper. Jack was restless, and found it
difficult to fix his attention upon anything. Even Aunt Rachel looked
more dismal than usual, if such a thing be possible.

In the morning all felt brighter.

"Ida will be home to-night," said Mrs. Crump, cheerfully. "What an age
it seems since she left us!"

"We shall know better how to appreciate her presence," said the cooper,
cheerfully.

"What time do you expect her home? Did Mrs. Hardwick say?"

"Why n