rung to her feet, and was standing in front of her
father, with pale face and dilated eyes. Her father looked at her and
hesitated.

"Tell me, father; I ought to know," said Maria.

"There is nothing immediate, as far as I know," said Harry, "but--"

"But what?"

"Well, dear, nobody can live always, and of course you can't realize
it, young as you are, and with no responsibilities; but father is
older, and sometimes he can't help thinking. He wishes he had been
able to save a little more, in case anything happened to him, and he
can't help planning what you would do if--anything happened to him.
You know, dear," Harry hesitated a little, then he continued--"you
know, dear, that father had his life insured for--Ida, and I doubt
if--I am older, you know, now, and those companies don't like to
take chances. I doubt if I could, or I would have an additional
insurance put on my life for you. Then Ida would have by law her
share of this property, and Evelyn her share, and all you would have
would be a very little, and--Well, father can't help thinking that
perhaps it would be wise for you to make some plans so you can help
yourself a little, but--it almost breaks father's heart to think
that--his--little girl--" Poor Harry fairly broke down and sobbed.

Maria's arm was around his neck in a moment, and his poor gray head,
which had always been, in a way, the head of an innocent boy, was on
her young girl breast. She did not ask him any more questions. She
knew. "Poor father!" she said. Her own voice broke, then she steadied
it again with a resolute effort of her will. There was a good deal of
her mother in Maria. The sight of another's weakness always aroused
her own strength. "Father," she said, "now you just listen to me. I
won't hear any more talk of anything happening to you. You have not
eaten enough lately. I have noticed it. That is all that ails you.
You have not had enough nourishment. I want you to go to-morrow to
Dr. Wells and get some of that tonic that helped you so much before,
and, father, I want you to stop worrying about me. I honestly want to
teach. I want to be independent. I should, if you were worth a
million. It does not worry me at all to think I am not going to have
enough money to live on without working, not at all. I want you to
remember that, and not fret any more about it."

For answer, Harry sobbed against the girl's shoulder. "It seems as if
I might have saved more," he said, pitifully, "b