sed
with the book and cards, holding them tenderly in her hands. Marty sat
in silence a while, and then asked,

"Have you a doll?"

"No," replied Jennie. "I never had one."

"Never in your whole life!" exclaimed Marty, extremely astonished.

"No," said Jennie quietly. "But wunst we lived next door to a girl who
had one, and sometimes she let me hold it. It was the very beautifulest
kind of a doll, _I_ think," she added with great animation: "had light
curly hair and big blue eyes."

Marty was so overcome that she could do nothing but stand and gaze at
the little girl who never had a doll, and nothing more was said until
her mother was ready to go home.

CHAPTER X.

LAURA AMELIA.

On their way home Mrs. Ashford stopped at Dr. Fisher's, and finding him
in his office, made her plea, and readily obtained his promise to see
Jennie.

All the way Marty was unusually silent and appeared to be thinking
intently. When they were nearly home she said impressively,

"Mamma, do you know, Jennie never had a doll--never in her whole life!"

"Indeed!"

"No, ma'am; and I've been thinking I'd like to give her one of mine."

"Do you think you could part with any of yours?"

"I love them all dearly, but I think I _could_ do it to make Jennie
happy. I know she'd like to have a doll, and it would be a long time
before I could save money enough to buy her one."

"Well," said Mrs. Ashford, "I'm sure she would be very happy with one of
yours, but you had better take time to think it over well, and not do
anything you would afterward regret."

Marty thought it over until the next evening, and then said she still
wished to give Jennie the doll.

"Very well, then," said her mother, "I am willing you should do it.
Which doll do you think of giving her?"

"Laura Amelia."

"Why, she is your third largest and one of your prettiest! Why do you
choose her?"

"Because Jennie would like a fair doll, and she's the only fair one I
have except the one Grandma Brewster gave me, and I shouldn't like to
give that away." And then she repeated what Jennie had said about the
next-door girl's doll.

So it was settled that Laura Amelia was to leave home the next Saturday.
Her clothes were put in good order, and Mrs. Ashford made her a
travelling dress.

On Friday night when Marty, in her little wrapper and worsted slippers,
made her appearance at the sitting-room door to say "Good-night," she
had Laura Amelia clasped in her arms