ght
the sand would be lovely to play in."

"There, I told you so! Oh, you'd have a good time! But, child,
have n't you any doll of your own--at home, I mean?"

"No, not now--I did have"--and pain crept into the sweet
little face. "Mamma gave me a pretty doll the last Christmas--
oh, I loved it so! But after I went to live with Aunt Jane I
helped her 'most all the time I was out of school, and I did n't
have much time to play with Phebe--she was named for mamma.
Phebe was mamma's name. So finally Aunt Jane said that Maude
might just as well have my doll. I felt as if I could n't give
her up, but I had to--" Polly's lip quivered, and she swallowed
hard.

"Poor little girl!" Mrs. Jocelyn put out a hand and gently
stroked the bright curls. "How could anybody be so cruel!"

"I would n't have cared--much, if Maude had loved Phebe; but
she did n't. She'd swing her round by one leg, and pull her hair
when she got mad, or--anything. It seemed as if I could n't
stant it!"

"Bless you! I don't see how you could!" sympathized her
listener.

"Why, I had to!" replied Polly simply. "But one day--I never
told anybody this, even Miss Lucy--one day Aunt Jane took the
children to a circus, and I stayed home all alone. After they'd
been gone about half an hour I went and dug as deep a hole as I
could right in the middle of the clothes-yard--the woman
upstairs was gone, too, so she could n't see me--and I wrapped
Phebe up in a clean piece of paper, after I'd kissed her and bid
her good-bye--and then I buried her! It 'most killed me to do
it; but I could n't see any other way. Do you think it was
dreadfully wicked?"

Polly looked up with wet, appealing eyes, and, to her amazement,
saw that tears were running down the little lady's cheeks.

"Wicked!" Mrs. Jocelyn ejaculated. "If nobody ever did anything
more wicked than that it would be a blessed sort of world! NO,
dearest; I'm glad you were brave enough to do it--as glad as
can be! But what did they say when the came home? Did n't they
miss the doll?"

"Not that night; they were so excited about the circus. They
never said a word till some time the next morning; then Maude
wondered where Phebe was. I was dreadfully afraid they'd ask me
if I knew; but Maude only looked for her a little while--she
did n't love her a bit. Aunt Jane told her she was probably
kicking round somewhere, and it served her right for not taking
better of her. I guess they forgot all abo