le near him lay a
broken cup, which had contained a quantity of red pepper, which the
housemaid had left upon the sideboard until ready to replenish the
caster. Lucy was crying, too, with pain, for the fiery powder was in her
eyes, also. But she had not received as much as Robin, who from that
hour, never again saw the light of day.

There were weeks of fearful suffering when the little hands were tied to
keep them from the eyes which the poor baby, who was only two years and
a half old, said, "Bite Robin so bad," and which, when at last the pain
had ceased, and the inflammation subsided, were found to be hopelessly
blind.

"Blind! blind! Oh, Robin, I wish I was dead!" Lucy had exclaimed, when
they told her the sad news, and with a bitter cry she threw herself
beside her brother on his little bed and sobbed piteously. "Oh, Robbie,
Robbie, you must not be blind! Can't you see me just a little? Try,
Robbie. You must see me; _you must_."

Slowly the lids unclosed, and the sightless eyes turned upward toward
the white face above them, and then Lucy saw there was no hope; the
beautiful blue she had so envied in her wicked moods, was burned out,
leaving only a blood-shot, whitish mass which would never again in this
world see her or any other object.

"No, shister," the little boy said, "I tan't see 'oo now. It 'marts some
yet, but bime by I see 'oo. Don't ty;" and the little hand was raised
and groped to find the bowed head of the girl weeping in such agony
beside him.

"What for 'oo ty so? I see 'oo bime by," he persisted, as Lucy made no
reply, but wept on until her strength was exhausted and she was taken
from the room in a state of unconsciousness, which resulted in a low
nervous fever, from which she did not recover until Robbie was as well
as he ever would be, and his voice was heard again through the house in
baby laughter, for he had not yet learned what it was to be blind and
helpless.

Lucy had said, when questioned with regard to the accident, that she had
climbed up in a chair to get some sugar for herself and Robin from the
bowl on the shelf of the sideboard, that she saw the cup of pepper and
took it up to see what it was, and let it drop from her hand, directly
into the face of Robin, who was looking up at her. Thus she was
answerable for his blindness, and she grew suddenly old beyond her
years, and devoted herself to her brother, with a solicitude and care
marvelous in one so young, for she was not y