gry and impatient
little one. But Emma continued to fret and cry on.

"It's so cold, mamma!" she said. "It's so cold, and I'm hungry!"

"Don't cry, dear," again urged the mother. "I'll make the fire up
nice and warm in a little while, and then you shall have something
good to eat."

But--"It's so cold, mamma! it's so cold, and I'm hungry!" was the
continued and incessant complaint of the poor child.

All this time, Ella had been busily engaged in peeling her orange,
and dividing it into four quarters.

"See here, Emma! Look what I've got!" she said, in a lively,
cheerful tone, as soon as her orange had been properly divided.
"Come, cover up in bed here with me, until the fire's made, and you
shall have this nice bit of orange."

Emma's complaints ceased in a moment, and she turned toward her
sister, and clambered upon the bed.

"And here's a piece for you, Henry, and a piece for mother, too,"
continued Ella, reaching out two other portions.

"No, dear, keep it for yourself. I don't want it," said the mother.

"And Emma shall have my piece," responded Henry; "she wants it worse
than I do."

"That is right. Be good children, and, love one another," said Mrs.
Gaston, encouragingly. "But Emma don't want brother Henry's piece,
does she?"

"No, Emma don't want brother Henry's piece," repeated the child; and
she took up a portion of the orange as she spoke, and handed it to
her brother.

Henry received it; and, getting upon the bed with his sisters,
shared with them not only the orange, but kind fraternal feelings.
The taste of the fruit revived Ella a good deal and she, with the
assistance of Henry, succeeded in amusing Emma until their mother
had made the fire, and boiled some water. Into a portion of the
water she poured about half of the milk she had brought home, and,
filling a couple of tin cups with this, set it with bread and
molasses upon a little table, and called Henry and Emma to supper.
The children, at this announcement, scrambled from the bed, and,
pushing chairs up to the table, commenced eating the supper provided
for them with keen appetites. Into what remained of the pint of
milk, Mrs. Gaston poured a small portion of hot water, and then
crumbled some bread, and put a few grains of salt into it, and took
this to the bed for Ella. The child ate two or three spoonsful; but
her stomach soon turned against the food.

"I don't feel hungry, mother," said she, as she laid herself back
upon the pi