will just let me go on living here and by and by I can be a
real sure-enough nurse and wash all the little babies and Peter can
grow up and be a policeman or something. Peter used to be afraid of
policemen but ever since Miss Josie told him what nice men they were
and one time introduced him to a big cop on the corner and Peter shook
hands with him, he's been thinking policemen are the finest things
going and he wants to be one worse than anything. Peter could be a big
policeman and could bring all the little homeless babies here and I
could wash them clean and curl their hair and get them ready to be
'dopted."

One day shortly after they had moved to the Hathaway house a ringing of
the front door bell heralded the advent of callers. Since callers often
meant would-be adopters of infants it was natural for manager and
nurses to wish to make as good a showing as possible. A lady and a
gentleman were ushered into the parlor. Dr. Weston congratulated
himself that everything was in such good order and that he could
testify to the good health and disposition of so many of his charges.

"I am thinking of adopting a little boy," spoke the lady, an
exceedingly prim little person with a determined chin. "My husband
wants a boy, although I should really prefer a girl."

The husband, a sad-eyed man with a humorous twitch to his mouth, looked
a bit astonished at this statement. He had been laboring under the idea
that it was just the other way around--that he preferred a girl and his
wife a boy--but it made very little difference. She was going to have
what she wanted, even to the extent of making him pretend he wanted
what she wanted.

"An infant, I presume, madam?" said Dr. Weston.

"No, not at all! I'd prefer a little boy who has cut his teeth and can
talk. Of course I'd like him to have curls, and to come from a nice
family, and to be perfectly sound and healthy, and to have no bad
habits--such as eating plastering or having adenoids. I want a bright,
attractive child with a sweet disposition so that I can raise him up
for the ministry."

"Um-hum!" mused Dr. Weston. "I'll see what we have to offer in the way
of angels. There are some children playing in the yard now, madam.
Perhaps you and your husband would like to go have a look at them. The
infants are on the southern porch in their cribs but the little ones
who can toddle we keep out in the yard all we can."

The garden of the old Hathaway house again was the backg