ng!"

Polly assured her that she was not tired in the least, and thanked
her again for the flowers. Then she ran upstairs, to tell the
astonishing news to Miss Lucy and the ward, and to show her sweet
peas in proof of Miss Hortensia Price's wonderful kindness.

After everybody had had a sniff of the fragrant blossoms, Polly
proposed moving a little table to the side of David's cot, and
placing the flowers on it.

"Because," she argued, "if David had n't sung the hymn that
night, I could n't have and if I had n't, maybe Miss Price would
n't have given me the sweet peas; so I think they belong to David
as much as to me."

The children--all but David, and his protests went for
naught--accepted Polly's reasoning as perfectly logical, and readily
helped carry out her suggestion. Miss Lucy smiled to herself,
while she allowed them to do as they pleased.

"Will they keep till to-morrow, s'pose?" Questioned Elsie
anxiously.

"Of course," answered Polly. "Why?"

"Cause they'll help celebrate," Elsie returned.

"Celebrate what?" queried Polly, wiping a drop of overrunning
water from the glass which Miss Lucy had supplied.

"Why, the war's birthday! Don't you know about it?" And Elsie
looked her astonishment at having heard any new with which Polly
was not already acquainted.

"I don't know what you mean," Polly replied.

Then what a babel of tongues! Each wanted to be first to inform
Polly.

"The ward's five years old to-morrow!"--"Miss Lucy's been tellin'
us!"--"it was started five years ago!"--"There was only three
children in it then!"--"She said we ought to celebrate!"--"A
lady give it to the hospital!"

"We'll every one wear a sweet pea all day!" announced Polly.

"That'll be lovely!" beamed Elsie.

"They'll wilt," objected practical Moses.

"Never mind!" returned Polly. "We can give 'em a drink once in a
while."

So it was agreed. Meantime Miss Lucy, at her table, textbook in
hand, overheard and wished and planned. Downstairs, too, where
Mrs. Jocelyn sat talking with Dr. Dudley, more planning was going
on, and in the physician's own heart a little private scheme was
brewing. Thus the ward's birthday came nearer and more near.

The sweet peas were placed on a broad sill outside the window for
the night, lest they might take it into their frail little heads
to wither before their time. They showed their appreciation of
Miss Lucy's thoughtfulness by being as sweet and bright as
possible, and e