pping her hands and dancing
about the room, while Grace clasped her hands in ecstasy, saying, "Oh, I
am so glad!"

"Come, Lu, sit down here beside us and be quiet," said Max, seating
himself beside Grace on the sofa, and motioning toward a low rocking-chair
near at hand. "I'm going to read the letter aloud, and then I have
something to show you."

Lulu took possession of the rocking-chair, folded her hands in her lap,
and Max began.

The letter was written from Saratoga, where the captain and his bride had
paused for a few days on their wedding tour, and was addressed to all
three of his children.

He told them of his marriage, described Violet, her mother, and the life
at Ion in glowing terms, spoke very highly of Mr. and Mrs. Dinsmore and
the younger members of the family, then told of their kind offer to share
their happy home with his children if they should prove themselves good
and obedient.

But here Lulu interrupted the reading with a passionate outburst. "A
step-mother! I won't have her! Papa had no business to go and give her to
us!"

"Why, Lu!" exclaimed Max, "of course he had a right to get married if he
wanted to! And I'm very glad he did, for I'm sure they must be much nicer
folks to live with than Mr. Fox and Mrs. Scrimp."

"Just like a silly boy to talk so!" returned Lulu, with a mixture of anger
and scorn in her tones. "Step-mothers are always hateful and cross and
abuse the children and won't let their father love them any more,
and----"

"Now who's been telling you such lies, sis?" interrupted Max. "There are
bad ones and good ones among them, the same as among other classes of
people. And papa says his new wife is sweet and kind and good to
everybody. And if she loves him won't she want to be good to his children?
I should think so, I'm sure. Now let me read the rest of his letter."

In that the captain went on to tell of the cottages by the sea engaged for
the summer, and that thither he and Violet purposed to go the next week,
taking his children with them. He wound up with some words of fatherly
affection and hope that brighter days than they had known for a long time
were now in store for them.

There was a postscript from Violet: "I am longing to see the dear children
of my husband, especially poor, little sick Gracie. I am sure we shall
love each other very much for his dear sake."

"There now, Lu, you see she means to be kind to us," was Max's satisfied
comment, as he refolded t