hen brought one
of the unlikely deal boxes to the table and opened it. Daisy forgot
everything. There appeared a polished, very odd brass machine, which the
doctor took out and spent some time in adjusting. Daisy patiently looked
on.

"Do you know what this is, Daisy?"

"No, sir."

"It is a microscope. And looking through this, you will see what you
could not see with your two eyes alone; there are some strong magnifying
glasses here--and I found to-day some plants of Marchantia growing in a
sheltered place. Here is one of the baskets for you--"

"Is it on that bit of green leaf?"

"Yes, but you can see nothing there. Try this view."

[Illustration]

He stood back and helped Daisy to take a kneeling position in her chair,
so that her eye could reach the eye-piece of the microscope. Daisy
looked, took her eye away to give a wondering glance of inquiry at her
friend's face, and then applied it to the microscope again; a pink hue
of delight actually spreading over her poor little pale cheeks. It was
so beautiful, so wonderful. Again Daisy took her eye away to examine out
of the glass the coarse little bit of green leaf that lay upon the
stand; and looked back at the show in the microscope with a bewitched
mind. It seemed as if she could never weary of looking from one to the
other. The doctor bade her take her own time, and Daisy took a good
deal.

"What stuffs did you buy this morning?" the doctor asked. Daisy drew
back from the microscope.

"I got all you told me, sir?"

"Exactly. I forget what that was."

"I bought a little piece of red and green linsey-woolsey for a frock
for the little girl--and some brown strong stuff for the boy's suit; and
then white muslin to make things for the girl, and blue check for the
boy's shirt."

"Just right. Did your money hold out?"

"O I had three dollars and two shillings left, Dr. Sandford. Two
shillings and sixpence, I believe."

"You did well." The doctor was arranging something else in the
microscope. He had taken out the bit of liverwort.

"I had Juanita to help me," said Daisy.

"How do you suppose I am going to get all those things made up?" said
the doctor.

"Won't Mrs. Sandford attend to it?"

"Mrs. Sandford has her own contribution to attend to. I do not wish to
give her mine too."

"Cannot the children's mother make the things?"

The doctor's lip curled in funny fashion.

"They have no mother, I think. There is an old aunt, or grandmother, or