she took only one glance at Kate's glorified
face and asked: "What in this world has happened to you?"

Kate answered in all seriousness: "My Lord has 'shut the lions'
mouths,' and they are not going to harm me."

Nancy Ellen regarded her closely. "I hope you aren't running a
temperature," she said. "I'll take a shot at random. You have found
out that the Peters family can't take Little Poll."

Kate laughed joyously. "Better than that, sister mine!" she cried. "I
have convinced Henry that he doesn't want her himself as much as he
wants me to have her, and he can speedily convert his family. He will
do nothing more! He will leave me in peace with her."

"Thank God!" said Nancy Ellen.

"There you go, too!" cried Kate. "That's the very first thought that
came to me, only I said, 'Praise the Lord,' which is exactly the same
thing; and Nancy Ellen, since Robert has been trying to praise the Lord
for twenty years, and both of us do praise Him when our time comes,
wouldn't it be a good idea to open up our heads and say so, not only to
ourselves and to the Lord, but to the neighbours? I'm afraid she won't
understand much of it, but I think I shall find the place and read to
Little Poll about Abraham and Isaac to-night, and probably about Hagar
and Ishmael to-morrow night, and it wouldn't surprise me a mite to hear
myself saying 'Praise the Lord,' right out loud, any time, any place.
Let's gather a great big bouquet of our loveliest flowers, and go tell
Mother and Polly about it."

Without a word Nancy Ellen turned toward the garden. They gathered the
flowers and getting in Nancy Ellen's car drove the short distance to
the church where Nancy Ellen played with the baby in the shade of a big
tree while Kate arranged her flowers. Then she sat down and they talked
over their lives from childhood.

"Nancy Ellen, won't you stay to supper with us?" asked Kate.

"Yes," said Nancy Ellen, rising, "I haven't had such a good time in
years. I'm as glad for you as I'd be if I had such a child assured me,
myself."

"You can't bring yourself--?" began Kate.

"Yes, I think so," said Nancy Ellen. "Getting things for Little Poll
has broken me up so, I told Robert how I felt, and he's watching in his
practice, and he's written several letters of inquiry to friends in
Chicago. Any day now I may have my work cut out for me."

"Praise the Lord again!" cried Kate. "I see where you will be happier
than you ever have been. R