s children-Shakers, and brother-and-sister Shakers, but no
father-and-mother Shakers?"

"No; they think they can do just as much good in the world without being
mothers and fathers."

"Do you think so?"

"Ye-es, I believe I do."

"Well, are you a truly Shaker, or can't you be till you wear a cap?"

"I'm not a Shaker yet, Sue."

"You're just only a mother?"

"Yes, that's about all."

"Maybe we'd better go back to where there's not so many Sisters and
more mothers, so you'll have somebody to climb togedder with?"

"I could climb here, Sue, and so could you."

"Yes, but who'll Fardie and Jack climb with? I wish they'd come and see
us. Brother Ansel would make Fardie laugh, and Jack would love
farm-work, and we'd all be so happy. I miss Fardie awfully! He didn't
speak to me much, but I liked to look at his curly hair and think how
lovely it would be if he did take notice of me and play with me."

A sob from Susanna brought Sue, startled, to her side.

"You break my heart, Sue! You break it every day with the things you
say. Don't you love me, Sue?"

"More'n tongue can tell!" cried Sue, throwing herself into her mother's
arms. "Don't cry, darling Mardie! I won't talk any more, not for days
and days! Let me wipe your poor eyes. Don't let Elder Gray see you
crying, or he'll think I've been naughty. He's just going in downstairs
to see Eldress Abby. Was it wrong what I said about backsliding, or
what, Mardie? We'll help each udder climb, an' then we'll go home an'
help poor lonesome Fardie; shall we?"

* * * * *

"Abby!" called Elder Gray, stepping into the entry of the Office
Building.

"Yee, I'm coming," Eldress Abby answered from the stairway. "Go right
out and sit down on the bench by the door, where I can catch a few
minutes more light for my darning; the days seem to be growing short all
to once. Did Lemuel have a good sale of basket-work at the mountains?
Rosetta hasn't done so well for years at Old Orchard. We seem to be
prospering in every material direction, Daniel, but my heart is heavy
somehow, and I have to be instant in prayer to keep from
discouragement."

"It hasn't been an altogether good year with us spiritually," confessed
Daniel; "perhaps we needed chastening."

"If we needed it, we've received it," Abby ejaculated, as she pushed her
darning-ball into the foot of a stocking. "Nothing has happened since I
came here thirty years ago that has troubled me li